gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the residual stresses, the biaxial modulus, and the interfacial fracture energy of low-k dielectric thin films (2006)

A method was developed for the evaluation of the residual stresses and the biaxial modulus of thin films and the interfacial fracture energy of the interface between the thin film and the substrate. The “superlayer” method, which consists of depositing a thin metallic film on top of the investigated film, was employed to evaluate all the above mechanical properties. The investigated thin films in this report were 0.5, 1, and 1.5μm thick coral low-k dielectric films that were deposited on top of Cu and Ta thin films, all on top of (001) silicon wafers. Thinner Ti films of 150, 200, and 250nm thick were used as the superlayers. These properties were obtained by measuring the radius of curvature of the released or of the delaminated Ti/coral bilayers. Nine bilayers, combined from all the thicknesses mentioned above, were tested. The wide experimental procedure enabled to extract the unknown properties by a special procedure developed for this purpose, and to draw conclusions regarding the accuracy of the results and the effect of layer thickness. Finally, and based on the large experimental data, we recommend on the minimal required tests to evaluate these mechanical properties. With this information, we show that a single mm2 lab on chip is a sufficient area to contain the specimens required for the evaluation of the above-mentioned properties.
Multivalent Site-Specific Phage Modification Enhances the Binding Affinity of Receptor Ligands (2015)

High-throughput screening of combinatorial chemical libraries is a powerful approach for identifying targeted molecules. The display of combinatorial peptide libraries on the surface of bacteriophages offers a rapid, economical way to screen billions of peptides for specific binding properties and has impacted fields ranging from cancer to vaccine development. As a modification to this approach, we have previously created a system that enables site-specific insertion of selenocysteine (Sec) residues into peptides displayed pentavalently on M13 phage as pIII coat protein fusions. In this study, we show the utility of selectively derivatizing these Sec residues through the primary amine of small molecules that target a G protein-coupled receptor, the adenosine A1 receptor, leaving the other coat proteins, including the major coat protein pVIII, unmodified. We further demonstrate that modified Sec-phage with multivalent bound agonist binds to cells and elicits downstream signaling with orders of magnitude greater potency than that of unconjugated agonist. Our results provide proof of concept of a system that can create hybrid small molecule-containing peptide libraries and open up new possibilities for phage-drug therapies.
Blind Verification of Elevated Platelet Autoantibodies in Serum of Schizophrenic Patients – Part II: Adult Subjects (2009)

&lt;i&gt;Background:&lt;/i&gt; In our preceding study, we assayed in a blind fashion the blood sera of young normal subjects and schizophrenic patients for levels of platelet autoantibodies (PAA). The recorded PAA titers of the schizophrenic patients were significantly higher than those of the normal subjects. This observation has lent support to this test being used as an objective evaluation of schizophrenia in young subjects in the future. In addition, this finding strongly suggested that the etiology of a distinct group of sufferers of this disorder could have originated from an autoimmune reaction against platelets which can, under certain conditions, cross-react with brain tissue. &lt;i&gt;Aims:&lt;/i&gt; In the present study, PAA titers in the sera of adult schizophrenic patients and matched normal subjects were determined analogously to the preceding study. The effect of hospitalization and drug treatments on the apparent blood test scoring in adult subjects could thus be evaluated. &lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt; A total of 46 schizophrenia patients (30 men and 16 women) aged 19–45 years (mean ± SD: 31.7 ± 8.0 years) with a minimum score of 60 on the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale and 43 healthy control subjects (22 men and 21 women) aged 21–44 years (mean ± SD: 31.9 ± 6.9 years) participated in the study. The blood titers of PAA were evaluated in a single-blind fashion using an optimized ELISA test scored by optical density (OD) units. A positive test was defined as a value above 1.3 OD units. &lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt; The titers of PAA in the group of schizophrenic patients (1.1 ± 0.55 OD units, range: 0.360–2.285 OD units) were significantly higher in comparison to those of the healthy control subjects (0.81 ± 0.37 OD units, range: 0.360–1.704 OD units; p = 0.004, two-tailed unpaired t-test). Significantly more schizophrenic patients showed a positive test (15 patients out of 46) than the control subjects (5 out of 43). However, significantly higher OD values of 1.55 ± 0.5 were recorded in the group of patients with less than 3 years of registered disease (n = 16, age 19–30 years), while in the group with 4–20 years of hospitalization (n = 30, age 24–45 years) the recorded OD values (0.85 ± 0.4 OD units) were practically indistinguishable from those of the control group. &lt;i&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/i&gt; In the adult schizophrenic patients, the PAA blood test remains valid for patients who were hospitalized for less than 3 years. Drug treatment, length of disease and age can be assumed to reduce the PAA level considerably.
On the use of neural networks in articulatory speech synthesis (1993)

A long-standing problem in the analysis and synthesis of speech by articulatory description is the estimation of the vocal tract shape parameters from natural input speech. Methods to relate spectral parameters to articulatory positions are feasible if a sufficiently large amount of data is available. This, however, results in a high computational load and large memory requirements. Further, one needs to accommodate ambiguities in this mapping due to the nonuniqueness problem (i.e., several vocal tract shapes can result in identical spectral envelopes). This paper describes the use of artificial neural networks for acoustic to articulatory parameter mapping. Experimental results show that a single feed-forward neural net is unable to perform this mapping sufficiently well when trained on a large data set. An alternative procedure is proposed, based on an assembly of neural networks. Each network is designated to a specific region in the articulatory space, and performs a mapping from cepstral values into tract areas. The training of this assembly is executed in two stages: In the first stage, a codebook of suitably normalized articulatory parameters is used, and in the second stage, real speech data are used to further improve the mapping. During synthesis, neural networks are selected by dynamic programming using a criterion that ensures smoothly varying vocal tract shapes while maintaining a good spectral match. The method is able to accommodate nonuniqueness in acoustic-to-articulatory mapping and can be bootstrapped efficiently from natural speech. Results on the performance of this procedure compared to other mapping procedures, including codebook look-up and a single multilayered network, are presented.
Translating Cyber-Physical Control Application Requirements to Network\n level Parameters (2020)

Cyber-physical control applications impose strict requirements on the\nreliability and latency of the underlying communication system. Hence, they\nhave been mostly implemented using wired channels where the communication\nservice is highly predictable. Nevertheless, fulfilling such stringent demands\nis envisioned with the fifth generation of mobile networks (5G). The\nrequirements of such applications are often defined on the application layer.\nHowever, cyber-physical control applications can usually tolerate sparse packet\nloss, and therefore it is not at all obvious what configurations and settings\nthese application level requirements impose on the underlying wireless network.\nIn this paper, we apply the fundamental metrics from reliability literature to\nwireless communications and derive a mapping function between application level\nrequirements and network level parameters for those metrics under deterministic\narrivals. Our mapping function enables network designers to realize the\nend-to-end performance (as the target application observes it). It provides\ninsights to the network controller to either enable more reliability\nenhancement features (e.g., repetition), if the metrics are below requirements,\nor to enable features increasing network utilization, otherwise. We evaluate\nour theoretical results by realistic and detailed simulations of a factory\nautomation scenario. Our simulation results confirm the viability of the\ntheoretical framework under various burst error tolerance and load conditions.\n
Pancreatic Cancer Cell DNA Content Correlates With Long-term Survival After Pancreatoduodenectomy (1991)

The DNA content of 47 adenocarcinomas arising in the head of the pancreas from patients who had undergone successful pancreatoduodenectomy was measured. The DNA measurements of each tumor were made without knowledge of the clinical course by absorption cytometry performed on Feulgen-stained nuclei that had been disaggregated from pancreatic cancer tissue blocks. Forty-seven evaluable DNA distributions were obtained from specimens taken between 1975 and 1988. Of the 47 tumors, 19 (40%) were diploid and 28 (60%) were aneuploid cancers. The 19 patients with diploid cancers had a median survival time of 25 months. Median survival of the 28 patients with aneuploid cancers was 10.5 months. This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.003). A multivariate life table regression analysis demonstrated that the ploidy and proliferative index as determined by absorption cytometry were independent prognostic factors, as strong as or stronger than the number of positive nodes and tumor size. Thus cellular DNA content appears to be one of the most important predictors of survival in patients with adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas who have successfully undergone a pancreaticoduodenectomy.
An atomic-scale view at the composition of amyloid-beta fibrils by atom probe tomography (2018)

ABSTRACT Amyloid-beta (A β ) proteins play an important role in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. A β is found in senile plaques in brains of Alzeimer’s disease patients. The 42 residues of the monomer form dimers which stack to fibrils gaining several micrometers in length. Using A β fibrils with 13 C and 15 N marker substitution, we developed an innovative approach to obtain insights to structural and chemical information of the protein. We deposited the modified protein fibrils to pre-sharped aluminium needles with &gt;100-nm apex diameters and, using the position-sensitive mass-to-charge spectrometry technique of atom probe tomography, we acquired the chemically-resolved three dimensional information for every detected ion evaporated in small fragments from the protein. We also discuss the influence of experimental parameters such as pulse energy and pulse frequency of the used Laser beam which lead to differences in the size of the gained fragments, developing the capability of localising metal atom within A β plaques.
Single element spectral splitting solar concentrator for multiple cells CPV system (2012)

Shockley Read Hall equation poses a limit to the maximum conversion efficiency of broadband solar radiation attainable by means of a single bandgap converter. A possible approach to overcome such a limit is to convert different parts of the broadband spectrum using different single junction converters. We consider here a different modus operandi where a single low-cost optimized plastic prismatic structure performs simultaneously the tasks of concentrating the solar light and, based on the dispersive behavior of the employed material, spatially splitting it into its spectral component. We discuss its approach, optical simulations, fabrication issues and preliminary experimental results demonstrating its feasibility for cost effective high efficiency Concentrated Photovoltaic Systems (CPV) systems.
High-gain low-noise tunable EDFA over S- and C+L-bands with double-pass configuration (2007)

We demonstrate high-gain low-noise double-pass EDFA over S- and C+L-bands using fundamental-mode cutoff filters in a 16-m-long standard C-band Er <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3+</sup> -doped fiber. Under S-band operation, a 37 dB small signal gain and a minimum 4.84 dB noise figure at 1486.9 nm are achieved with a 980-nm pump power of 154 mW.
Dynamic Modeling and Optimal Design for Net Zero Energy Houses Including Hybrid Electric and Thermal Energy Storage (2020)

Net zero energy (NZE) houses purchase zero net metered electricity from the grid over a year. Technical challenges brought forth by NZE homes are related to the intermittent nature of solar generation, and are due to the fact that peak solar generation and load are not coincident. This leads to a large rate of change of load, and in case of high PV penetration communities, often requires the installation of gas power plants to service this variability. This article proposes a hybrid energy storage system including batteries and a variable power electric water heater which enables the NZE homes to behave like dispatchable generators or loads, thereby reducing the rate of change of the net power flow from the house. A co-simulation framework, INSPIRE+D, which enables the dynamic simulation of electricity usage in a community of NZE homes, and their connection to the grid is enabled. The calculated instantaneous electricity usage is validated through experimental data from a field demonstrator in southern Kentucky. It is demonstrated that when the operation of the proposed hybrid energy storage system is coordinated with solar PV generation, the required size and ratings of the battery would be substantially reduced while still maintaining the same functionality. Methodologies for sizing the battery and solar panels are developed.
EA5, novel EphA2-targeted monoclonal antibody, inhibits growth and metastasis in human breast cancer xenografts (2005)

561 Rationale: Overexpression and altered function of EphA2 receptor tyrosine kinase are critical in the progression of breast cancer and may provide a novel target for breast cancer therapy. EA5, a novel monoclonal EphA2 antibody, mimics binding of the natural ligand and induces EphA2 phosphorylation and degradation. We have previously demonstrated that EA5 decreases breast cancer cell growth and restores tamoxifen sensitivity in EphA2-transfected MCF-7 cells in vitro . In this study, we evaluated the in vivo anti-tumor efficacy of the EA5 antibody using both transfected MCF-7 EphA2 and naturally EphA2-overexpressing MDA-MB-231 xenografts in athymic mice. Methods: 1x10 6 MCF7 EphA2 or MDA-MB-231 cells were implanted into mammary fat pad (20 mice per group) of athymic mice treated with supplemental estrogen. The EphA2 antibody EA5 (2 mg/kg twice weekly to 14 mg/kg daily) or vehicle (PBS) control were administered as an intraperitoneal injection once tumors reached an average volume of 100 mm 3 (∼day 18 post-implantation). To determine the impact of EA5 on spontaneous metastases, MDA-MB-231 tumors were allowed to reach a volume of ∼500 mm 3 , then resected. Treatment with EA5, 2 mg/kg/d or PBS was initiated two days following resection. Lung metastases were assayed by Bouins solution after 6 weeks of therapy. Results: Daily administration provided superior control of primary tumor growth in both models. Maximum inhibition of the MCF-7 EphA2 xenografts was achieved at 2 mg/kg (67% inhibition, p≤ 0.05). In contrast, 7 mg/kg was required to provide maximal inhibition in the MDA-MB-231 xenografts (66% inhibition, p=0.05); increasing the dose to 14 mg/kg did not alter results. As predicted by our in vitro studies, EphA2 expression was decreased in EA5 treated tumors in vivo in both models. Additional analysis of resected tumors, including proliferation (Ki-67) and microvessel density (CD31) is ongoing. EA5 treated mice had fewer lung metastasis (mean 6 vs. 10.18; p=0.02). EA5 treated mice remained active and displayed no obvious toxicity or weight loss. Conclusion: Our results suggest that EA5 has inhibits primary tumor growth and metastasis of EphA2-overexpressing breast cancers.
Figure S6 from Delivering Type I Interferon to Dendritic Cells Empowers Tumor Eradication and Immune Combination Treatments (2023)

&lt;p&gt;Combination treatments of s.c. 4T1 tumors with Clec9A-mAFN do not cause toxicity.&lt;/p&gt;
On the Feasibility of Remotely Triggered Automotive Hardware Trojans (2022)

Modern vehicles are comprised of many separate computer systems running on Electronic Control Units, or ECUs. These ECUs allow for functionalities as diverse as advanced computer-aided safety features to browsing the web. However, the explosion of ECU-enabled capabilities has presented flaws that allow adversaries to literally stop vehicles in their tracks without physical access to said vehicles. Normally, causing of unintended behavior would require physical access to the ECU and/or exploitation of vulnerabilities present in the ECU's software. In this paper, we discuss how Hardware Trojans can act as the physical access intermediates to allow the remote triggering of malicious payloads embedded in ECUs, through seemingly benign wireless communication. We demonstrate a proof of concept ECU hardware trojan (HT) on a RISC-V based processor emulating an ECU. The HT takes advantage of benign radio functionality, emulated by TCP packet transmission, to provide a triggering pathway for disabling the ECU and thus, the host vehicle. This attack vector, enabled by deep and often opaque international supply chains common in the automotive industry, provides a stealthy way to conduct both targeted and fleet-wide remote attacks against vehicles.
Effect of the insonification angle on the Doppler backscattered power under red blood cell aggregation conditions (1996)

It has been reported that power color Doppler ultrasound has important advantages over conventional color Doppler flow imaging. Some of these advantages are the aliasing free capability, the increased sensitivity to flow, and the angular independence. This last characteristic of power Doppler ultrasound was evaluated to verify if it was still valid in some well-defined flow conditions where porcine whole blood, calf red cells suspended in saline solution, and carbon fibers suspended in a water-glycerol mixture were used as scattering particles. Experiments were conducted under steady flow conditions (mean shear rates across the tube between 8.5 and 102 s/sup -1/) for insonification angles between 40 and 80/spl deg/. Different hematocrit values (5, 10, 20, and 40%) were specifically tested for porcine whole blood. Results indicated no angular dependence for the saline suspension of calf red cells while a strong anisotropy was observed for the carbon fibers. In this last situation, the Doppler power in decibels increased linearly with the insonification angle. The maximum found at 800 suggests that the fibers were aligned with the direction of the flow. For porcine whole blood, an angular dependence was observed at some specific shear rate conditions. At 40% hematocrit, the anisotropy was about 5 dB for shear rates between 17 and 51 s/sup -1/, while for a lower (8.5 s/sup -1/) or higher shear rate (102 s/sup -1/), the anisotropy was reduced to approximately 2 dB. In all of these situations, the maximum Doppler power was observed for an insonification angle between 45 and 60/spl deg/, For hematocrit values of 5, 10, and 20%, the anisotropy was respectively on the order of 2, 3, and 4 dB or less, depending on the shear rate conditions. Among the possible mechanisms that may explain the anisotropic effect observed in the present study, the structure of the red cell aggregates is believed to be the determinant factor. A hypothesis concerning the structure of the aggregates under flowing conditions in large diameter tubes is proposed.
Inhibition of RXR and PPARγ ameliorates diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes (2001)

PPARγ is a ligand-activated transcription factor and functions as a heterodimer with a retinoid X receptor (RXR). Supraphysiological activation of PPARγ by thiazolidinediones can reduce insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, but these drugs can also cause weight gain. Quite unexpectedly, a moderate reduction of PPARγ activity observed in heterozygous PPARγ-deficient mice or the Pro12Ala polymorphism in human PPARγ, has been shown to prevent insulin resistance and obesity induced by a high-fat diet. In this study, we investigated whether functional antagonism toward PPARγ/RXR could be used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. We show herein that an RXR antagonist and a PPARγ antagonist decrease triglyceride (TG) content in white adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver. These inhibitors potentiated leptin's effects and increased fatty acid combustion and energy dissipation, thereby ameliorating HF diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Paradoxically, treatment of heterozygous PPARγ-deficient mice with an RXR antagonist or a PPARγ antagonist depletes white adipose tissue and markedly decreases leptin levels and energy dissipation, which increases TG content in skeletal muscle and the liver, thereby leading to the re-emergence of insulin resistance. Our data suggested that appropriate functional antagonism of PPARγ/RXR may be a logical approach to protection against obesity and related diseases such as type 2 diabetes.