gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Obstructed Defecation Symptom Severity and Degree of Rectal Hypermobility and Folding Detected by Dynamic Ultrasound (2021)

We used dynamic pelvic floor ultrasound to investigate the relationship between obstructed defecation symptom (ODS) severity and the degree of rectal hypermobility/folding. In this retrospective study, women who presented with ODS from October 2017 to January 2019 and underwent an interview, pelvic examination, and pelvic floor ultrasound were recruited. Patients were diagnosed with abdominal constipation, dyssynergia, or pelvic constipation. Pelvic constipation patients were categorized based on their reported frequency of incomplete emptying of stool (<50% or ≥50% of bowel movements) representing mild and severe ODS, respectively. Using dynamic ultrasound, rectal hypermobility was quantified via rectovaginal septum length at rest and Valsalva and its compression ratio, where shorter lengths and larger compression ratios are indicative of increased rectal hypermobility. One hundred twenty-one patients (41 with abdominal constipation, 7 with dyssynergia, and 73 with pelvic constipation) were included. Compression ratios were higher in women with severe versus mild ODS (17.36 ± 16.89 vs 36.38 ± 25.82, P = 0.0039). The risk of having severe symptoms was 4 times greater (odds ratio = 4.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.4 to 12.6, P = 0.01) among those with a high compression ratio (≥20%) after controlling for age, body mass index, and levator plate descent angle. Incomplete emptying was weakly, positively, linearly correlated with rectal hypermobility/folding (r = -0.2724, -0.3767 to 0.3922, and P = 0.0197, 0.0010, 0.0006, respectively). Women with more severe ODS experienced more rectal hypermobility/folding as measured via dynamic ultrasound-a cheaper, effective alternative to magnetic resonance defecography for evaluation of obstructed defecation.
Recondensation of nano-sized perfluorocarbon droplets after acoustic droplet vaporization for blinking ultrasound localization microscopy (2021)

Ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) is a promising super-resolutionimaging technique based on the build-up of subwavelength localizations of gas-filled ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) within the microvascular space. Slow flow regions can reduce localization rates and diminish the isolation of microbubble signals from tissue. This work compares the blinking contrast dynamics of nano-sized perfluorocarbon droplets to the slowly changing contrast dynamics of traditional gas-filled UCAs. A 16-MHz linear array connected to a Verasonics research ultrasound system was used to capture high-frame rate acquisitions of contrast agents flowing through an in vitro- flow phantom. Nano-sized droplets produced an on and off contrast signal due to vaporization/recondensation events which enhanced microbubble separation from tissue. This allows for higher localization rates for droplets at slow flow speeds, since a new population of bubbles was localized with each ultrasound pulse and was independent of flow speed. This could improve ULM at slow flow speeds, where UCAs require long acquisition times for adequate microbubble movement via flow to produce sufficient localization rates. Preliminary in-vivo experiments comparing UCAs to nano-sized droplets for contrast-enhanced imaging of a mouse kidney will also be discussed. [This work was supported by NIH grant R21 HD097485.]
Ultra-low-loss (&#38;#60; 0.1 dB/m) Planar Silica Waveguide Technology (2011)

We demonstrate record low (0.045 dB/m) total propagation loss in silica-on-silicon planar waveguides fabricated with wafer-bonded thermal oxide upper claddings.
Deterministic Coupling of a Single Silicon-Vacancy Color Center to a Photonic Crystal Cavity in Diamond (2014)

Deterministic coupling of single solid-state emitters to nanocavities is the key for integrated quantum information devices. We here fabricate a photonic crystal cavity around a preselected single silicon-vacancy color center in diamond and demonstrate modification of the emitters internal population dynamics and radiative quantum efficiency. The controlled, room-temperature cavity coupling gives rise to a resonant Purcell enhancement of the zero-phonon transition by a factor of 19, coming along with a 2.5-fold reduction of the emitter's lifetime.
Nanoscale measurements of proton tracks using fluorescent nuclear track detectors (2016)

FNTDs can be used to directly visualize proton tracks and their delta rays at the nanoscale level. Because the track intensities in the FNTDs correlate with LET, they could be used further to measure LET of individual proton tracks. This method may be useful for measuring nanoscale radiation quantities and for measuring the LET of individual proton tracks in radiation biology experiments.
A probabilistic framework for combining tracking algorithms (2004)

For the past few years researches have been investigating enhancing tracking performance by combining several different tracking algorithms. We propose an analytically justified, probabilistic framework to combine multiple tracking algorithms. The separate tracking algorithms considered output a probability distribution function of the tracked state, sequentially for each image. The algorithms may output either an explicit probability distribution function, or a sample-set of it via condensation. The proposed framework is general and allows the combination of any set of separate tracking algorithms of this kind, even on different state spaces of different dimensionality, under a few reasonable assumptions. In many of the investigated settings, our approach allows us to treat the separate tracking algorithms as "closed boxes ". In other words, only the state distributions in the input and output are needed for the combination process. The suggested framework was successfully tested using various state spaces and datasets.
Magnetic Field Dependence of Ballistic Heat-Pulse Scattering in As-Doped Ge (1981)

Heat-pulse propagation along the [100] axis of As (1.5 ×10 14 /cm 3 and 0.9 ×10 15 /cm 3 )-doped Ge has been studied as a function of the magnetic field H //[100] and of the heat-pulse temperatures ranging from 6.6 K to 9.3 K. It is shown that the transmitting heat-pulse intensity detected by CdS bolometer increases with increasing magnetic field up to 60 kG at sample temperatures ranging from 1.8 K to 4.2 K. The magnetic field dependence of the detected heat-pulse amplitude is compared with a calculation based on the Suzuki-Mikoshiba theory.
Millisecond synthesis of CoS nanoparticles for highly efficient overall water splitting (2019)

High performance and low-cost electrocatalysts for overall water splitting, i.e., catalyzing hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions with the same material, are of great importance for large-scale, renewable energy conversion processes. Here, we report an ultrafast (~ 7 ms) synthesis technique for transition metal chalcogenide nanoparticles assisted by high temperature treatment. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that cobalt sulfide (~ 20 nm in diameter)@ few-layer graphene (~ 2 nm in thickness) core-shell nanoparticles embedded in RGO nanosheets exhibit remarkable bifunctional electrocatalytic activity and stability for overall water splitting, which is comparable to commercial 40 wt.% platinum/carbon (Pt/C) electrocatalysts. After 60 h of continuous operation, 10 mA·cm−2 water splitting current density can still be achieved at a low potential of ~ 1.77 V without any activity decay, which is among the most active for non-noble material based electrocatalysts. The presented study provides prospects in synthesizing highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for large-scale energy conversion application via a simple yet efficient technique.
Lavender, a chick melanocyte mutant with defective melanosome translocation: a possible role for 10nm filaments and microfilaments but not microtubules (1981)

Lavender is a mutation of chick neural-crest-derived melanocytes showing dilute feather pigmentation. This defect, previously attributed to a lack of attenuation of dendrites, was found to be due to a defect in melanosome translocation. The mutant phenotype, of melanincongested perikarya and pigmentless dendrites is expressed both in vivo and in vitro. Studies with colcemid and cytochalasin B suggest that the avian melanocyte resembles a dispersing amphibian melanophore in its requirement for microfilaments but not microtubules. Ultrastructural analysis revealed a normal complement of intracellular filaments. Microtubules, however, are scarce. Intermediate (10 nm) filaments surround and are closely associated with intracellular organelles, while microfilaments interconnect all filaments and organelles. While-cell centrifugation at 300 g showed that 10 nm filaments stream behind and appear to attach to mobile membrane-bound organelles including the nucleus, lipid granules and mitochondria, as well as melanosomes. It is suggested that all intracellular filaments, especially microfilaments and intermediate filaments, interconnect forming a network responsible for organelle motility.
VAIL (2010)

With increasing parameter variations, functional units (FUs) in a chip experience considerable local variations in maximum operating frequency. Effect of such within-die variations in a superscalar processor if addressed by worst-case frequency assignment, results in overly pessimistic yield in high-frequency bins. In this paper, we propose VAIL - a novel low-overhead instruction scheduling strategy that assigns best-case frequency by issuing the narrow-width (NW) operations to slower units. This exploits the abundance of NW operations (>70%) in a typical program and the fact that the critical path in FUs are not activated for these operations. Compared to existing vari-cycle approach, the proposed scheme demonstrates a large improvement in yield (~ 27% at highest performance bin) and profit (10-15%) for a set of benchmark applications. It also improves the thermal profile for the FUs. Finally, it provides large opportunistic power saving (~ 43%) in the slow units using supply gating of inactive bit-slices.
Spatiotemporal signalling in G-protein coupled receptors (2018)

In order to elucidate the spatial and temporal patterns of activation and signaling by G-protein coupled receptors, we have developed a series of optical assays to image receptor activation and the subsequent signaling steps in intact cells with high spatial and temporal resolution. Many of these assays are based on fluorescence or bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (FRET or BRET) between two labels placed at suitable sites within a single protein or in two different proteins. These assays allow the determination of conformational changes (such as receptor activation) or of changes in protein-protein interactions (such as receptor/G-protein interactions or changes within the three subunits of the G-protein heterotrimer). To study the very rapid initial steps of receptor activation, we have developed procedures to use rapid and localized triggering of these signaling events can be triggered by stimulation via light-induced release or activation of photo-sensitive agonists. An alternative approach to this is the piezo-driven change of superfusion of outside-out patches. Both methods detect millisecond activation of receptors.
Fabrication of a nanoelectromechanical switch using a suspended carbon nanotube (2005)

Fabrication and characterization of a nanoelectromechanical switching device consisting of a suspended multiwalled carbon nanotube and self-aligned electrodes is reported. The device has a triode structure and is designed so that a suspended carbon nanotube is mechanically switched to one of two self-aligned electrodes by repulsive electrostatic forces between the nanotube and the other self-aligned electrode. Carbon nanotubes are dispersed on an SiO2 coated Si wafer and their locations recorded using a scanning electron microscope mapping process. Contact electrodes and self-aligned deflection electrodes are formed by a process comprising electron beam lithography, metallic thin film deposition, and lift-off. The electrical measurements show well-defined ON and OFF states with change of gate voltage. The measured threshold voltage for electromechanical switching is ∼3.6V.
Pulse inversion Doppler for blood flow detection in the macro- and microcirculation (2004)

Current techniques for imaging ultrasound contrast agents make no distinction between low velocity microbubbles in the microcirculation and higher velocity microbubbles in the larger vasculature. A combination of RF and Doppler filtering on a low-MI pulse inversion acquisition is presented that differentiates low velocity microbubbles, perfusion, from the higher velocity microbubbles in larger vessels. Both fundamental and harmonic Doppler signals from microbubbles are compared against conventional color Doppler signals. Due to the lower transmit amplitude and enhanced backscatter from microbubbles, the signal to clutter ratios for both the fundamental (-11 dB) and harmonic (-4 dB) vascular flow signals were greater than conventional power Doppler (-51 dB) without contrast agent. Clinical results demonstrated the feasibility and potential utility of displaying in real-time both perfusion and vascular flow using ultrasound contrast agents.
A brushless ironless DC machine (1990)

A novel brushless DC machine which features an 'ironless' internal stator wound with a three phase slotless winding, and an external rotor comprising a drum of low-cost ceramic magnets, is described. A theoretical analysis of the machine's magnetic field is shown to produce phase voltages which are in close agreement with experimentally determined results so that the performance of the machine may be calculated by a simple computer model. Measured performance curves are shown to be in good agreement with such theoretical results and peak efficiencies of approximately=65% are observed for a 100 watt machine. The machine uses a simple single-ended electronic commutator to achieve a low-cost, low-noise variable speed drive suitable for a variety of applications.
Myocardial mechanical, biochemical, and structural alterations induced by chronic ethanol ingestion in rats. (1992)

To determine the effects of moderate ethanol consumption on the mechanical, biochemical, and structural characteristics of the heart, myocardial mechanical performance, contractile protein enzyme activity, and the number and size of myocytes were measured in male Fischer 344 rats after the ingestion of 30% oral ethanol. Papillary muscles removed from the left ventricle were greater in length, weight, and cross-sectional area than the corresponding muscles from the right side. However, no differences were found between control and ethanol-treated myocardium when either the left or right side was compared separately. Chronic ethanol ingestion resulted in an increase in resting tension in left ventricular muscles, with no alteration in peak developed tension. Moreover, time to peak tension was significantly prolonged, whereas a depression was observed in the peak rate of isometric tension development. Isotonically, left muscles from ethanol-treated rats revealed a prolongation of time to peak shortening and a marked depression in the velocity of shortening at physiological loads. No changes were noted in muscles from the right ventricle. Contractile protein enzyme activity revealed no differences in myofibrillar Mg(2+)-ATPase activity in right and left ventricular myocardium between control and ethanol-treated rats in the presence of EGTA. However, at physiological activating levels of calcium, an upward shift of the myofibrillar Mg(2+)-ATPase activity-calcium curve occurred in left myocardium, whereas a depression in this relation was seen in the right ventricle. As a result of chronic ethanol intake, a decrease was noted in the volume percent of myocardium occupied by myocytes, and that myocyte cell volume per nucleus was found to remain essentially constant throughout the various layers of the ventricular wall. Importantly, a 14% significant decrease in the total number of myocyte nuclei was demonstrated in the left ventricular myocardium of rats on chronic ethanol consumption. Thus, chronic but moderate alcohol ingestion resulted in depressed contractile performance, alterations in myofibrillar Mg(2+)-ATPase activity, and myocyte loss. These events may serve to function as preliminary indicators of the onset of heart failure of alcoholic origin in this animal model.
Sense-able Lunch Recommendations (2019)

An ideal mobile user interface provides users with just the information they want, when they want it. We believe that sensors in the ambient environment can help automatically showcase this information. In this paper, we describe how we inferred users' favorite lunch stations using indoor location trajectories. We had 109 users participate in our study over an eight month period and we were able to predict their lunch station choices with 85% accuracy using a heuristic algorithm. We describe our system, the data we collected and our post-hoc user assessment.
Hybrid laser written waveguides in fused silica for low loss and polarization independence (2017)

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) written with an ultrashort pulsed laser provide advantages in a range of applications, such as photon-based quantum information processing, where low insertion loss and low polarization dependence are critical concerns. Here we demonstrate the inscription of hybrid waveguides in fused silica at a pulse repetition rate of 1MHz that fulfill both these criteria. The mechanisms for propagation and coupling losses are identified and decoupled, with separate sections of the waveguide minimizing for each and an adiabatic mode conversion between the two. Moreover, differing sources of birefringence were revealed to be non-parallel for the waveguides, such that structures can be designed where these competing sources cancel to remove any polarization dependence.
Stabilizing Single-Atom and Small-Domain Platinum via Combining Organometallic Chemisorption and Atomic Layer Deposition (2017)

Oxide-supported single-atom Pt materials are prepared by combining surface organometallic chemisorption with atomic layer deposition (ALD). Here Pt is supported as a discrete monatomic “pincer” complex, stabilized by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) derived oxide overcoat, and then calcined at 400 °C under O2. ALD-derived Al2O3, TiO2, and ZnO overlayers are effective in suppressing Pt sintering and significantly stabilizing single Pt atoms. Furthermore, this procedure decreases the overall Pt nuclearity (∼1 nm average particle diameter) versus bare Pt (∼3.8 nm average diameter), as assayed by aberration corrected HAADF-STEM. The TiO2 and ZnO overcoats are significantly more effective at stabilizing single-atom Pt species and decreasing the overall Pt nuclearity than Al2O3 overcoats. Vibrational spectroscopy of adsorbed CO also shows that oxidized Pt species commonly thought to be single Pt atoms are inactive for catalytic oxidation of adsorbed CO. CO chemisorption measurements show site blockage by the ALD overcoats.
Microstructure characterization of metal interconnects and barrier layers: status and future (2002)

Metal interconnect and barrier characterization are challenged by reduced feature sizes, advanced materials, and new technologies. Microstructure characterization of new materials is done for thin films deposited on flat substrates and for on-chip interconnect structures. In this paper, both Al and Cu metallizations and respective barriers are discussed. Analytical requirements and advanced techniques for interconnect and barrier microstructure characterization will be covered. Specific topics will be composition and structure of interconnects and barriers, grain size, texture and stress in interconnect lines.
CAR-Engineered NK Cells for the Treatment of Glioblastoma: Turning Innate Effectors Into Precision Tools for Cancer Immunotherapy (2019)

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults and currently incurable. Despite multimodal treatment regimens, median survival in unselected patient cohorts is <1 year, and recurrence remains almost inevitable. Escape from immune surveillance is thought to contribute to the development and progression of GB. While GB tumors are frequently infiltrated by natural killer (NK) cells, these are actively suppressed by the GB cells and the GB tumor microenvironment. Nevertheless, <i>ex vivo</i> activation with cytokines can restore cytolytic activity of NK cells against GB, indicating that NK cells have potential for adoptive immunotherapy of GB if potent cytotoxicity can be maintained <i>in vivo</i>. NK cells contribute to cancer immune surveillance not only by their direct natural cytotoxicity which is triggered rapidly upon stimulation through germline-encoded cell surface receptors, but also by modulating T-cell mediated antitumor immune responses through maintaining the quality of dendritic cells and enhancing the presentation of tumor antigens. Furthermore, similar to T cells, specific recognition and elimination of cancer cells by NK cells can be markedly enhanced through expression of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which provides an opportunity to generate NK-cell therapeutics of defined specificity for cancer immunotherapy. Here, we discuss effects of the GB tumor microenvironment on NK-cell functionality, summarize early treatment attempts with <i>ex vivo</i> activated NK cells, and describe relevant CAR target antigens validated with CAR-T cells. We then outline preclinical approaches that employ CAR-NK cells for GB immunotherapy, and give an overview on the ongoing clinical development of ErbB2 (HER2)-specific CAR-NK cells currently applied in a phase I clinical trial in glioblastoma patients.
Synthesis of 16-Membered Cyclic Depsipeptidesvia Direct Amide Cyclization (2000)

The 2,2-disubstituted 2H-azirin-3-amines 5 (3-amino-2H-azirines) were used as synthons for α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids in the preparation of 16-membered cyclic depsipeptides 13. The linear precursors containing four α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids, the pentapeptides 12, were synthesized from β-hydroxy acids 4 via the `azirine/oxazolone method' (Scheme 2). The 16-membered cyclic depsipeptides 13 were prepared via `direct amide cyclization' in good-to-excellent yields (Schemes 3 and 4). In addition to the desired cyclic monomer 13, which was obtained as the main product, the cyclodimer 14 could also be isolated. The cyclization conditions were investigated and found to be optimum with HCl in toluene at 100°. The structure and conformation of the cyclic depsipeptide 13b was established by X-ray crystallography.
Supplementary Data from Colchicine-Binding Site Agent CH-2-77 as a Potent Tubulin Inhibitor Suppressing Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (2023)

Supplementary Data from Colchicine-Binding Site Agent CH-2-77 as a Potent Tubulin Inhibitor Suppressing Triple-Negative Breast Cancer