gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Competitive antagonists discriminate between NK2tachykinin receptor subtypes (1990)

1. We have compared the ability of various tachykinins and selective tachykinin receptor agonists to induce contraction of the endothelium-denuded rabbit pulmonary artery (RPA) and hamster trachea (HT) and have estimated the affinity of some newly developed NK2 selective antagonists in the same tissues. 2. In confirmation of previous findings, experiments with the agonists indicated that NK2 receptors are the main if not the sole mediators of the response to tachykinins in both RPA and HT. No evidence for significant degradation of neurokinin A (NKA) was found in either tissue when experiments were repeated in the presence of a mixture of peptidase inhibitors (thiorphan, captopril and bestatin, 1 microM each). 3. The peptide antagonists tested were: Peptide I = [Tyr5, D-Trp6,8,9, Arg10]-NKA(4-10); Peptide II = [Tyr5, D-Trp6,8,9, Arg10]-NKA(3-10); Peptide III = Ac-Leu-Asp-Gln-Trp-Phe-Gly-NH2. The three peptides produced a concentration-dependent rightward shift of the concentration-response curve to NKA in both RPA and HT with no significant depression of the maximal response attainable. The slopes of the Schild plots were not significantly different from unity, indicating a competitive antagonism. Peptides I and II were about 100 times more potent in the RPA than in the HT, while Peptide III was about 100 times more potent in the HT than RPA. 4. The pA2 values obtained in these two tissues with the three antagonists were not significantly different when tested in the absence or presence of peptidase inhibitors, or when a selective NK2 receptor agonist, [beta Ala8]-NKA(4-10) was used instead of NKA. Similar pA2 values were obtained after 15 or 90min of incubation with the antagonists. Peptides I, II and III had no inhibitory effect on contractions produced by noradrenaline in the RPA or by carbachol in the HT. 5. Peptides I, II and III showed weak or no antagonistic activity toward the vasodilatator effect of substance P in the dog carotid artery (NK, receptor-mediated) or toward the contractile effect of neurokinin B in the rat portal vein (NK3 receptor-mediated). 6. These results provide pharmacological evidence for heterogeneity of NK2 receptors in the RPA and HT. The NK2 receptors present in these tissues are not discriminated by natural tachykinins or selective agonists, but are recognized with very different affinity by NK2 receptor antagonists.
Risk assessment and seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 hospitals in Southern Switzerland (2020)

BACKGROUND: Hospital healthcare workers (HCW), in particular those involved in the clinical care of COVID-19 cases, are presumably exposed to a higher risk of acquiring the disease than the general population. METHODS: Between April 16 and 30, 2020 we conducted a prospective, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study in HCWs in Southern Switzerland. Participants were hospital personnel with varying COVID-19 exposure risk depending on job function and working site. They provided personal information (including age, sex, occupation, and medical history) and self-reported COVID-19 symptoms. Odds ratio (OR) of seropositivity to IgG antibodies was estimated by univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. FINDINGS: Among 4726 participants, IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 9.6% of the HCWs. Seropositivity was higher among HCWs working on COVID-19 wards (14.1% (11.9–16.5)) compared to other hospital areas at medium (10.7% (7.6–14.6)) or low risk exposure (7.3% (6.4–8.3)). OR for high vs. medium wards risk exposure was 1.42 (0.91–2.22), P = 0.119, and 1.98 (1.55–2.53), P<0.001 for high vs. low wards risk exposure. The same was for true for doctors and nurses (10.1% (9.0–11.3)) compared to other employees at medium (7.1% (4.8–10.0)) or low risk exposure (6.6% (5.0–8.4)). OR for high vs. medium profession risk exposure was 1.37 (0.89–2.11), P = 0.149, and 1.75 (1.28–2.40), P = 0.001 for high vs. low profession risk exposure. Moreover, seropositivity was higher among HCWs who had household exposure to COVID-19 cases compared to those without (18.7% (15.3–22.5) vs. 7.7% (6.9–8.6), OR 2.80 (2.14–3.67), P<0.001). INTERPRETATION: SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are detectable in up to 10% of HCWs from acute care hospitals in a region with high incidence of COVID-19 in the weeks preceding the study. HCWs with exposure to COVID-19 patients have only a slightly higher absolute risk of seropositivity compared to those without, suggesting that the use of PPE and other measures aiming at reducing nosocomial viral transmission are effective. Household contact with known COVID-19 cases represents the highest risk of seropositivity. FUNDING: Henry Krenter Foundation, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale and Vir Biotechnology.
Tumor-directed PET imaging of bone metastases in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) using Zr-89 labeled anti-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) antibody J591. (2014)

25 Background: There is no standard imaging modality that specifically and accurately images prostate cancer metastases, hampering assessments of tumor distribution, prognostication, and response. J591 is a humanized antibody that targets the external domain of PSMA, which is copiously expressed in metastatic disease and upregulated in mCRPC. We have previously reported on the feasibility, and PK and biodistribution properties of Zr-89-J591 in 10 patients (Morris et al, GU ASCO 2013). We now report on the targeting/accuracy in 49 patients with mCRPC. Methods: Following standard CT/MRI, bone scintigraphy, and FDG PET imaging, 5 mCi of Zr-89-J591 was administered intravenously. Zr-89-J591 was imaged 6-8 days after injection. Positive scan findings were confirmed, where possible, with biopsies in the following preference: Zr-89-J591 and FDG positivity, then Zr-89-J591 and FDG mismatch, and lastly standard imaging and any PET mismatch. Results: A total of 535 unique bone lesions in 49 patients were identified using all imaging modalities. 339 (63%) of these were evident on bone scans, 302 (56%) on CT, 202 (38%) on FDG PET, and 490 (92%) on Zr-89-J591 PET. The concordance between bone scans and Zr-89-J591 was 303/490 (62%). 102 sites were seen only on Zr-89-J591 and not on any other imaging modality. 44 biopsies were performed from 33 patients; 21 of those biopsies were bone. The histopathologic correlation for bone is provided in the table below. All positive biopsies were J591 positive (16/16); sensitivity of J591 was =100%, and positive predictive value (16/18) was 89%. Conclusions: Imaging using J591 PET/CT detects bone disease at greater rates than any other imaging modality tested. Biopsy data of J591 positive lesions suggest that most J591 positive lesions represent biopsy confirmed prostate metastasis. We are now testing minibodies based on J591 that may target faster, offering a more favorable imaging schedule. Clinical trial information: NCT01543659. [Table: see text]
Architected C70/Graphene Oxide Composites Prepared under Continuous Flow in a Vortex Fluidic Device: Implications for Supercapacitors (2023)

Graphene oxide (GO) and fullerene C70 form architected-like C70/GO structures in high yield under continuous flow processing in a vortex fluidic device (VFD). The composite material forms within high-shear regimes in the thin film microfluidic platform, in the absence of surfactants, and indeed in the absence of any auxiliary substances. The structures form on intense micromixing of an o-xylene solution of C70 and a colloidal suspension of GO in dimethylformamide (DMF) at ambient conditions, with the liquids delivered through jet feeds at the same flow rate to the hemispherical base of the rapidly rotating quartz tube in the VFD, which is tilted at 45°. The particle sizes range from 0.5 to 3 μm, with their structure and properties explored using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The mechanism of formation of the architected-like structures is consistent with the general model of fluid flow in the VFD and arises from localized high-shear temperature regimes driving desolvation as the nucleation and growth step for crystallizing the fullerene component, which are then capped with GO.
A Study of the Oxidation of Two Aromatic Polyimide Fluoropolymers Containing Phenylphosphine Oxide by a Water Plasma and γ-Radiolysis in Air (2001)

The oxidation of two fluorinated polyimides containing phenylphosphine oxide units, TOR-RC and TOR-RC ODPA, have been studied at 300 K for treatment by a water plasma and γ-radiolysis in air. The changes in the O 1s/C 1s ratios obtained from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that for exposure to the water plasma the ratio increases at short exposure times and then levels to a constant value. Evidence for the formation of phosphate species was also obtained from the XPS analyses. Similar observations were made for γ-radiolysis of the polymers in air. The polymers containing phenylphosphine oxide were found to be more resistant to oxidation in the water plasma than Kapton®. Radiolysis of the polymers in air to high doses were also accompanied by a red shift in the visible absorption spectra.
Respiratory syncytial virus infection in Fischer 344 rats is attenuated by short interfering RNA against the RSV-NS1 gene. (2007)

The use of siNS1 prophylaxis may be an effective method for preventing RSV bronchiolitis and potentially reducing the later development of asthma associated with severe respiratory infections.
Operative versus Conservative Treatment of Leg Pain in Adults with Scoliosis (2008)

INTRODUCTION: Patients with adult scoliosis characteristically present with significant disability, including neural symptoms and leg pain. The presence of leg pain is an independent predictor of a patient's choice for operative over nonoperative care. The purpose of this study was to assess whether surgery offers significant and durable improvement of leg pain compared with nonoperative management. METHODS: This study is a retrospective review of a prospective multicenter database of adults with spinal deformity. At the time of enrollment and follow-up, patients completed standardized questionnaires, including Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and specific assessment of leg pain using the visual analog score (VAS). Initial plan for surgical or conservative treatment was made by the patient and surgeon at the time of enrollment. RESULTS: A total of 326 patients with adult scoliosis were included. Of these, 208 (64%) had leg pain (VAS > 0) at presentation (mean VAS, 4.7). In addition, 96 (46%) patients with leg pain were managed surgically, and 112 (54%) were treated with nonoperative care. The operative group had higher baseline mean VAS for leg pain (5.4 versus 4.1; P < 0.001) and higher mean ODI (41 versus 30; P < 0.001). At the 2-year follow-up, nonoperative patients did not demonstrate a significant change in ODI (P = 0.4) or VAS for leg pain (P = 0.2). In contrast, at the 2-year follow-up, surgically treated patients displayed significant improvement in mean VAS for leg pain (5.4 to 2.2; P < 0.001) and ODI (41 to 24; P < 0.001). Compared with nonoperatively treated patients, at the 2-year follow-up, operative patients had lower mean VAS for leg pain (2.2 versus 3.8; P < 0.001) and ODI (24 versus 31; P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Despite having started with significantly greater leg pain and disability, surgically treated patients at the 2-year follow-up had significantly less leg pain and disability than nonoperatively treated patients. Careful assessment and consideration of leg pain should be included in decision making in adults with scoliosis.
Vitamin D supplementation in elderly or postmenopausal women: a 2013 update of the 2008 recommendations from the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) (2013)

The ESCEO recommends that 50 nmol/L (i.e. 20 ng/mL) should be the minimal serum 25-(OH)D concentration at the population level and in patients with osteoporosis to ensure optimal bone health. Below this threshold, supplementation is recommended at 800 to 1000 IU/day. Vitamin D supplementation is safe up to 10,000 IU/day (upper limit of safety) resulting in an upper limit of adequacy of 125 nmol/L 25-(OH)D. Daily consumption of calcium- and vitamin-D-fortified food products (e.g. yoghurt or milk) can help improve vitamin D intake. Above the threshold of 50 nmol/L, there is no clear evidence for additional benefits of supplementation. On the other hand, in fragile elderly subjects who are at elevated risk for falls and fracture, the ESCEO recommends a minimal serum 25-(OH)D level of 75 nmol/L (i.e. 30 ng/mL), for the greatest impact on fracture.
Privacy, Discovery, and Authentication for the Internet of Things (2016)

Automatic service discovery is essential to realizing the full potential of the Internet of Things (IoT). While discovery protocols like Multicast DNS, Apple AirDrop, and Bluetooth Low Energy have gained widespread adoption across both IoT and mobile devices, most of these protocols do not offer any form of privacy control for the service, and often leak sensitive information such as service type, device hostname, device owner's identity, and more in the clear. To address the need for better privacy in both the IoT and the mobile landscape, we develop two protocols for private service discovery and private mutual authentication. Our protocols provide private and authentic service advertisements, zero round-trip (0-RTT) mutual authentication, and are provably secure in the Canetti-Krawczyk key-exchange model. In contrast to alternatives, our protocols are lightweight and require minimal modification to existing key-exchange protocols. We integrate our protocols into an existing open-source distributed applications framework, and provide benchmarks on multiple hardware platforms: Intel Edisons, Raspberry Pis, smartphones, laptops, and desktops. Finally, we discuss some privacy limitations of the Apple AirDrop protocol (a peer-to-peer file sharing mechanism) and show how to improve the privacy of Apple AirDrop using our private mutual authentication protocol.
An Inertial-aided LiDAR Scan Matching Algorithm for Multisensor Land-based Navigation (2014)

This paper describes a land-based navigation system that integrates inertial sensors and odometer with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). In the proposed multisensor navigation system, the popular point-based scan matching algorithm Iterative Closest Point (ICP) is used to estimate the vehicle's relative translational and rotational changes from raw LiDAR measurements without the need for feature extraction. To accelerate the ICP algorithm and improve the accuracy, the outputs of Inertial Navigation System (INS) and odometry are used as an initial motion guess to enhance the scan matching algorithm by reducing the error in initial alignment. The relative translation and rotation changes from LiDAR are fused with changes from INS/Odometry through Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) in a tightly coupled scheme. Real experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. Results showed that by integrating LiDAR with INS/Odometry, inertial sensors biases are accurately estimated and the error accumulation in navigation solutions derived from INS/Odometry can be significantly reduced. Meanwhile, with inertial aiding, the accuracy and the convergence time of LiDAR scan matching can be improved as well. Finally, a map of the operating environment is generated based on the corrected pose of the vehicle.
Intermolecular structure and hydrogen-bonding in liquid 1,2-propylene carbonate and 1,2-glycerol carbonate determined by neutron scattering (2016)

Propylene carbonate CO⋯H–C hydrogen-bonding motifs are disrupted in glycerol carbonate by the presence of the hydroxyl group.
Materials Design Principles for Air‐Stable Lithium/Sodium Solid Electrolytes (2020)

Sulfide solid electrolytes are promising inorganic solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries. Despite their high ionic conductivity and desirable mechanical properties, many known sulfide solid electrolytes exhibit poor air stability. The spontaneous hydrolysis reactions of sulfides with moisture in air lead to the release of toxic hydrogen sulfide and materials degradation, hindering large-scale manufacturing and applications of sulfide-based solid-state batteries. In this work, we systematically investigate the hydrolysis and reduction reactions in Li- and Na-containing sulfides and chlorides by applying thermodynamic analyses based on a first principles computation database. We reveal the stability trends among different chemistries and identify the effect of cations, anions, and Li/Na content on moisture stability. Our results identify promising materials systems to simultaneously achieve desirable moisture stability and electrochemical stability, and provide the design principles for the development of air-stable solid electrolytes.
Analysis of microstructured surfaces in two dimensions (2006)

A certain class of microstructured surfaces in 2D geometry is studied on the basis of an approximation of infinitesimal microstructure elements. The macroprofile of the surfaces is then treated as a new type of optical surface with a deflection law that differs from the law of reflection and Snell's law. We discuss the propagation of wavefronts by general microstructured surfaces and the discontinuity of the eikonal function at the microstructure. Naturally, a classification of the microstructures is obtained (regular and anomalous), and the concept of 2D ideal microstructures is also introduced, since they are used for coupling two macroscopic extended bundles.
Telomere/telomerase interplay in virus‐driven and virus‐independent lymphomagenesis: pathogenic and clinical implications (2010)

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex critically involved in extending and maintaining telomeres. Unlike the majority of somatic cells, in which hTERT and telomerase activity are generally silent, normal lymphocytes show transient physiological hTERT expression and telomerase activity according to their differentiation/activation status. During lymphomagenesis, induction of persistent telomerase expression and activity may occur before or after telomere shortening, as a consequence of the different mechanisms through which transforming factors/agents may activate telomerase. Available data indicate that the timing of telomerase activation may allow the distinction of two different lymphomagenetic models: (i) an early activation of telomerase via exogenous regulators of hTERT, along with an increased lymphocyte growth and a subsequent selection of cells with increased transforming potential may characterize several virus-related lymphoid malignancies; (ii) a progressive shortening of telomeres, leading to genetic instability which favors a subsequent activation of telomerase via endogenous regulators may occur in most virus-unrelated lymphoid tumors. These models may have clinically relevant implications, particularly for the tailoring of therapeutic strategies targeting telomerase.
<title>Dispersion-managed breathing-mode semiconductor mode-locked ring laser: experimental and numerical study</title> (2004)

A novel dispersion-managed breathing-mode mode-locked semiconductor ring laser is studied. The working regime and pulse evolution at the key cavity points are experimentally characterized and numerically simulated. Linearly chirped, asymmetric exponential pulses are generated, suitable for external amplification and compression. The pulses are externally compressed to duration as short as 274 fs, which is within 10% of the bandwidth limit. The close agreement between the simulated and the measured results verifies our ability to control the physical mechanisms involved in pulse formation and shaping within the ring cavity.
Graphene-based quantum Hall effect infrared photodetector operating at liquid Nitrogen temperatures (2011)

We demonstrate a quantum Hall effect (QHE) graphene-based infrared photodetector that functions at 70K—a temperature achievable using liquid Nitrogen in vapor evacuation regime. This result opens up the possibility of wider use of QHE photodetectors if graphene is utilized instead of “classical” materials with two-dimensional electron gas. The potential advantages to this approach are increased operating temperature, reduced magnetic field, and wider range of operating frequency compared to previous implementations of QHE detectors.
Using Cryogenic CMOS Control Electronics To Enable A Two-Qubit Cross-Resonance Gate (2023)

Qubit control electronics composed of CMOS circuits are of critical interest for next generation quantum computing systems. A CMOS-based application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) fabricated in 14nm FinFET technology was used to generate and sequence qubit control waveforms and demonstrate a two-qubit cross resonance gate between fixed frequency transmons. The controller was thermally anchored to the T = 4K stage of a dilution refrigerator and the measured power was 23 mW per qubit under active control. The chip generated single--side banded output frequencies between 4.5 and 5.5 GHz with a maximum power output of -18 dBm. Randomized benchmarking (RB) experiments revealed an average number of 1.71 instructions per Clifford (IPC) for single-qubit gates, and 17.51 IPC for two-qubit gates. A single-qubit error per gate of $ε_{\text{1Q}}$=8e-4 and two-qubit error per gate of $ε_\text{2Q}$=1.4e-2 is shown. A drive-induced Z-rotation is observed by way of a rotary echo experiment; this observation is consistent with expected qubit behavior given measured excess local oscillator (LO) leakage from the CMOS chip. The effect of spurious drive induced Z-errors is numerically evaluated with a two-qubit model Hamiltonian, and shown to be in good agreement with measured RB data. The modeling results suggest the Z-error varies linearly with pulse amplitude.
Beam Squint Effect in Multi-Beam mmWave Massive MIMO Systems (2022)

In multicarrier wideband millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications, as the size of antenna array increases, as in massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), an additional propagation delay of the electromagnetic wave at each antenna element is introduced comparable to (or greater than) the symbol duration, resulting in producing a displacement in beam direction at each subcarrier frequency or as it calls beam squinting. With multi-beam transmission in massive MIMO systems, due to beam squinting effect, an additional inter-beam interference (IBI) can be introduced to the system which significantly decreases the overall system capacity. Therefore, in this paper, IBI under beam squint effect is modeled for different subcarrier frequencies and beam angles in a multi-beam mmWave massive MIMO system. In addition, the impact of this IBI model on the system capacity is evaluated. The analysis results show that beam squinting causes a significant increase in IBI level, even when transmitting with orthogonal beams. Moreover, the results provide the optimal number of beams for a given antenna array size to maximize the system’s capacity considering beam squinting phenomena.