gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Prognostic value of sST2 in heart failure patients with diabetes (2021)

Abstract Background Soluble suppression of tumorigenesis-2 (sST2) is released in response to inflammation and vascular injury, and holds prognostic value in heart failure (HF). Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by a pro-inflammatory status and is highly prevalent among HF patients, with adverse impact on outcomes. The clinical value of sST2 in HF patients with T2D has never been characterized. Purpose We aimed to assess sST2 clinical correlates and prognostic value in HF patients with T2D. Methods Individual data of 3476 patients with stable chronic HF from 5 cohorts from the BIOS (Biomarkers In Heart Failure Outpatient Study) dataset were analysed, with available N-terminal fraction of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT), and sST2 levels. Results Mean age was 65±12 years (75% males). T2D was present in 1386 patients (40%), who had higher body mass index (BMI, 27 [24–30] vs. 26 [23–29] kg/m2, p&amp;lt;0.001), lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, 56±22 vs. 60±19 mL/min/1,73 m2, p&amp;lt;0.001), higher sST2 (33 [24–47] vs. 27 [20–40] ng/mL, p&amp;lt;0.001), NT-proBNP (1735 [742–3963] vs. 1450 [514–3299] ng/L, p&amp;lt;0.001), hs-TnT (28 [16.2–51.5] vs. 17 [9–31] ng/L, p&amp;lt;0.001) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP, 6 [2–11] vs. 4. [2–9] mg/L, p=0.003) (Figure). Differences between sST2 levels in patients with or without T2D were influenced by hs-CRP (p for interaction=0.010) and hs-TnT (p=0.031), but not by NT-proBNP and eGFR. At multivariate linear regression analysis, NT-proBNP, hs-TnT and hs-CRP were independently associated with sST2 levels in both T2D and non-T2D patients. Compared with patients without T2D, those with T2D showed higher 1-year all-cause mortality (12% vs. 10%, p=0.034), cardiovascular mortality (9% vs. 7%, p=0.011), and HF hospitalization rate (22% vs. 12%, p&amp;lt;0.001). In a prognostic model including age, sex, eGFR, ischemic vs- non-ischemic aetiology, left ventricular ejection fraction class, New York Heart Association class, NT-proBNP, hs-TnT, and hs-CRP, sST2 retained independent prognostic value in both patients with or without T2D for 1-year all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and 1-year HF hospitalization, with higher optimal cut-offs for mortality prediction in T2D vs. non-T2D (39 and 45 vs. 29 and 29 ng/mL respectively for 1-year all-cause and cardiovascular mortality). Conclusions sST2 is higher in HF patients with T2D and likely linked to a pro-inflammatory status. sST2 maintains its prognostic value both in diabetic and non-diabetic HF patients, independently of NT-proBNP, hs-TnT and hs-CRP. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1
Probing phase transitions in a soft matter system using a single spin quantum sensor (2019)

Abstract Phase transitions in soft matter systems reveal some of the interesting structural phenomena at the levels of individual entities constituting those systems. The relevant energy scales in soft matter systems are comparable to thermal energy ( k B T ∼ 10 −21 J). This permits one to observe interesting structural dynamics even at ambient conditions. However, at the nanoscale most experimental probes currently being used to study these systems have been either plagued by low sensitivity or are invasive at molecular scales. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is emerging as a robust quantum probe for precision metrology of physical quantities (e.g. magnetic field, electric field, temperature, and stress). Here, we demonstrate by using NV sensors to probe spin-fluctuations and temperature simultaneously to obtain information about controlled phase changes in a soft matter material as a function of temperature. The soft matter system chosen for the study is a standard liquid crystalline (LC) material which shows distinct phases close to room temperature. Individual NV centers at depths of a few nm are used as a probe to detect magnetic signals emanating from a few molecular layers of sample on the surface of the diamond. The organization and collective dynamics of LC molecules in nanoscopic volumes are discussed. Our study aims to extend the areas of application of quantum sensing using NV centers to probe the soft matter systems, particularly those exhibiting mesophases and interesting interfacial properties.
Synthesis of 5-Substituted 1-Hydroxy-1,2,3-triazoles through Directed Lithiation of 1-(Benzyloxy)-1,2,3-triazole (1997)

1-(Benzyloxy)-1,2,3-triazole, prepared by selective benzylation of 1-hydroxy-1,2,3-triazole or by oxidative cyclization of 2-hydrazonoglyoxal O-benzyloxime, was metalated exclusively at the 5-position upon treatment with n-butyllithium. The anion formed reacted with a series of electrophiles. In this way carbon, halogen, sulfur, silicon, and tin substituents could be introduced at the 5-position. Subsequent removal of the benzyl group by palladium-catalyzed hydrogenolysis or by treatment with hydrochloric acid afforded the corresponding 5-substituted 1-hydroxy-1,2,3-triazoles.
Impaired SorLA maturation and trafficking as a new mechanism for SORL1 missense variants in Alzheimer disease (2021)

The SorLA protein, encoded by the SORL1 gene, is a major player in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology. Functional and genetic studies demonstrated that SorLA deficiency results in increased production of Aβ peptides, and thus a higher risk of AD. A large number of SORL1 missense variants have been identified in AD patients, but their functional consequences remain largely undefined. Here, we identified a new pathophysiological mechanism, by which rare SORL1 missense variants identified in AD patients result in altered maturation and trafficking of the SorLA protein. An initial screening, based on the overexpression of 70 SorLA variants in HEK293 cells, revealed that 15 of them (S114R, R332W, G543E, S564G, S577P, R654W, R729W, D806N, Y934C, D1535N, D1545E, P1654L, Y1816C, W1862C, P1914S) induced a maturation and trafficking-deficient phenotype. Three of these variants (R332W, S577P, and R654W) and two maturation-competent variants (S124R and N371T) were further studied in details in CRISPR/Cas9-modified hiPSCs. When expressed at endogenous levels, the R332W, S577P, and R654W SorLA variants also showed a maturation defective profile. We further demonstrated that these variants were largely retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in a reduction in the delivery of SorLA mature protein to the plasma membrane and to the endosomal system. Importantly, expression of the R332W and R654W variants in hiPSCs was associated with a clear increase of Aβ secretion, demonstrating a loss-of-function effect of these SorLA variants regarding this ultimate readout, and a direct link with AD pathophysiology. Furthermore, structural analysis of the impact of missense variants on SorLA protein suggested that impaired cellular trafficking of SorLA protein could be due to subtle variations of the protein 3D structure resulting from changes in the interatomic interactions.
Controlled Water Uptake in Fuel Cell Membranes with Dual Chemistry Confinement (2021)

Nafion is one of the most commonly used materials for proton exchange membranes in polymer-electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) due to its stability and high ion-transport capabilities. However, its dehydration problem as well as dimensional instability limits its application in high-temperature, low-humidity environments. In this paper, we propose a potential solution to this problem by introducing nanoscale confinements to the Nafion chains. In particular, a coarse grain molecular dynamics model is developed that reproduces the water absorption curve of the pristine Nafion membrane. The model enables us to perform systematic studies on the effects of confinement to the absorption behavior of the Nafion membrane at different activities. Confinement of different chemistries and sizes has been introduced in the simulation system in order to investigate its effects on water absorption on different activities. It is found that confinement of dual chemistry (consisting of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic confinements) offers a solution to its drawbacks. The hydrophobic confinement helps flatten the absorption curve and decrease the water absorption at high activity, while the hydrophilic confinement acts as a water reservoir, which increases the water absorption at low activity. The Nafion membrane with dual chemistry confinement in general has higher water absorption with smaller dimensional instability, which makes it suitable to operate in a high-temperature, low-humidity environment.
A class of differential-mode single/dual-band bandpass planar filters based on signal-interference techniques (2016)

The design of RF/microwave planar differential-mode single/dual-band bandpass filters (BPFs) based on signal-interference principles is addressed in this work. To this aim, transversal filtering sections (TFSs) that consist of bi-path in-parallel-transmission-line-type cells are embedded into the two identical parts of a balanced circuit. The engineered filtering devices feature sharp-rejection capabilities in their differential-mode transfer function through multi-transmission-zero (TZ) generation along with higher in-band power attenuation levels in their common mode of operation when compared to most of the related prior-art architectures. Furthermore, the proposed concept of balanced BPF can be extrapolated to other classes of signal-interference TFSs as well as to configurations with more-than-two passbands. For experimental verification, a demonstrative two-stage single-band balanced BPF centered at 2 GHz is synthesized, manufactured in microstrip technology, and characterized.
Diffractive optics fabricated by direct write methods with an electron beam (1993)

State-of-the-art diffractive optics are fabricated using e-beam lithography and dry etching techniques to achieve multilevel phase elements with very high diffraction efficiencies. One of the major challenges encountered in fabricating diffractive optics is the small feature size (e.g. for diffractive lenses with small f-number). It is not only the e-beam system which dictates the feature size limitations, but also the alignment systems (mask aligner) and the materials (e-beam and photo resists). In order to allow diffractive optics to be used in new optoelectronic systems, it is necessary not only to fabricate elements with small feature sizes but also to do so in an economical fashion. Since price of a multilevel diffractive optical element is closely related to the e-beam writing time and the number of etching steps, we need to decrease the writing time and etching steps without affecting the quality of the element. To do this one has to utilize the full potentials of the e-beam writing system. In this paper, we will present three diffractive optics fabrication techniques which will reduce the number of process steps, the writing time, and the overall fabrication time for multilevel phase diffractive optics.
Impact of Network Topology Knowledge on Fairness: A Geometric Approach (2009)

In this paper, we examine how the precision of network topology knowledge impacts the achievable degree of max-min fairness. We focus on time-division multiple access (TDMA) networks, and employ a model based on physical-layer events that sufficiently describes the topology effects with respect to TDMA. Using Jain's fairness index, our key contribution is a characterization of the fairness loss resulting from allocation of resources (in our case time-divisions) based on imprecise knowledge of topology. We find loss is more pronounced when a single link has low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); i.e. links which have poor throughput also make the allocation more unfair. Conversely, our analysis suggests that if the relative error in estimating link qualities is identical for all links in the network, no one link dominates the fairness loss.
Encapsulation of probiotics: insights into academic and industrial approaches (2016)

The natural inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract play a key role in the maintenance of human health. Over the last century, the changes on the behavior of our modern society have impacted the diversity of this gut microbiome. Among the strategies to restore gut microbial homeostasis, the use of probiotics has received a lot of attention. Probiotics are living microorganisms that promote the host health when administered in adequate amounts. Its popularity increase in the marketplace in the last decade draws the interest of scientists in finding suitable methods capable of delivering adequate amounts of viable cells into the gastrointestinal tract. Encapsulation comes into the scene as an approach to enhance the cells survival during processing, storage and consumption.<br />This paper provides a comprehensive perspective of the probiotic field at present time focusing on the academia and industry scenarios in the past few years in terms of encapsulation technologies employed and research insights including patents. The analysis of the encapsulation technologies considering food processing costs and payload of viable bacteria reaching the gastrointestinal tract would result into successful market novelties. There is yet a necessity to bridge the gap between academia and industry.
MR Elastography of Liver Tumors: Preliminary Results (2008)

MR elastography is a promising noninvasive technique for assessing solid liver tumors. Use of MRE may lead to new quantitative tissue characterization parameters for differentiating benign and malignant liver tumors.
Choosing a Renal Replacement Therapy in Acute Kidney Injury (2016)

Abstract Renal replacement therapy is the last treatment resort when all “conservative”, non-dialytic therapies have been ineffective. Timing of application, modality of choice and dose are the main variables to consider. All three variables have recently been object of research. While solid evidence has been made available on the adequate dose of RRT, timing and modality remain areas of ongoing controversy.
Revealing Uncertainty for Information Visualization (2009)

Uncertainty in data occurs in domains ranging from natural science to medicine to computer science. By developing ways to include uncertainty in our information visualizations, we can provide more accurate depictions of critical data sets so that people can make more informed decisions. One hindrance to visualizing uncertainty is that we must first understand what uncertainty is and how it is expressed. We reviewed existing work from several domains on uncertainty and created a classification of uncertainty based on the literature. We empirically evaluated and improved upon our classification by conducting interviews with 18 people from several domains, who self-identified as working with uncertainty. Participants described what uncertainty looks like in their data and how they deal with it. We found commonalities in uncertainty across domains and believe our refined classification will help us in developing appropriate visualizations for each category of uncertainty.
Neural network based friction compensation in motion control (2004)

Frictional uncertainties are known to be a major cause of performance degradation in motion control systems. Artificial neural network based modelling and compensation of nonlinear friction in direct drive servo mechanisms have been investigated. The proposed method is successfully tested experimentally on a direct-drive single-link arm and its performance is compared to different friction modelling techniques.
Imaging through Partially Occluding Media Using Compressive Sensing (2012)

The imaging of a partially occluded target object is an active area of research. It is usually addressed using multi-aperture systems in which different views of the object can be revealed by applying synthesis algorithms. These techniques often require substantial scanning and are limited by the numerical aperture of a single perspective, which may yield low-resolved object details.
State-of-the-art of HF Soft Magnetics and HV/UHV Silicon Carbide Semiconductors (2016)

The post silicon era has begun with the introduction of wide bandgap semiconductors. Among wide bandgap semiconductors being researched, Silicon Carbide (SiC) has been shown so far as the best candidate to high power and high voltage applications. SiC have a superior performance compared to its counterpart (Si) and this brings new challenges to vital ancillary components such as transformers, inductors, drivers as well as addressing issues such as leakage, clearance, EMI and material challenges. A particular challenge for the magnetics components are increasing demands being placed upon higher operational frequency and higher operational temperature conditions. This paper briefly discusses the current status of high voltage SiC devices and soft magnetic materials and cores for high power and high frequency (1-50kHz) applications comprised of amorphous and nanocrystaline nanocomposite alloys.
SANSALVAMIDE ANALOG INDUCES G1 CELL-CYCLE ARREST THROUGH UP REGULATION OF P21 AND DOWN REGULATION OF CDK4 AND CYCLIN E IN PANCREATIC CANCER CELLS (2008)

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer survival remains limited due to inadequate chemotherapeutic options. Sansalvamide A, a cyclic depsipeptide produced by a marine fungus, has demonstrated significant anti-cancer activity. We previously tested a series of analogs in pancreatic cancer cells and chose the most potent for this study. Materials and Methods: Two human pancreatic cancer cell lines (AsPC-1 and S2-013) were incubated with increasing concentrations (0.1-100 μM) of the Sansalvamide analog. Cell cycle analysis was determined by flow cytometry with propidium iodide staining. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate expression of CDK2, cyclin E, cyclin D, E2F, CDK4, CDK6, and p21 at varying time points (3-24 hr). mRNA expression of p21 and cyclin E mRNA expression levels were measured by real-time RT-PCR. Results: At 10 μM concentration, treatment with the analog caused G1 cell-cycle arrest in both cell lines. Western blot analysis demonstrated up regulation of p21 and CDK4, down regulation of cyclin E, and no effect on E2F, CDK6, or cyclin D after treatment in both cell lines. At the transcriptional level, cyclin E was down regulated by treatment while p21 was up regulated. Conclusions: Sansalvamide A causes G1 arrest in pancreatic cancer and represents a promising anti-cancer therapy.
Piezoelectric Injectors for Automotive Applications: Modeling and Experimental Validation of Hysteretic Behavior and Temperature Effects (2012)

Direct acting piezoelectric injectors seem to be a promising alternative to the electromagnetic ones because they permit a continuous control of the aperture. This characteristic can improve the performances and minimize the emissions of diesel engines. To exploit the potentialities of this kind of actuation, it is necessary to minimize the effects of the hysteretic behavior of piezoelectric materials. For this reason, the behavior of the actuator has to be modeled taking this effect into account. Additionally, the effects of the temperature must be considered, given the particularly critical position of the injectors near the engine. A modeling approach of piezoelectric injectors, including hysteresis and temperature effects as well as the electromechanical dynamic, is described in this paper. The model is based on a linear finite element (FE) discretization of the piezoelectric stack and the injector case. The hysteretic behavior is included in a second step by means of additional nonlinear state equations while the temperature effects are taken into account considering the temperature dependence of the material characteristics. A dedicated test bench has then been realized and experimental tests have been performed on piezoelectric injectors, with driving voltages and temperatures commonly used in automotive environment. The collected data allow to tune the model and to verify its validity even out of the tuning conditions.
Complex vs Band Formation in Perovskite Oxides (1965)

It is argued that there is a critical cation-anion covalent mixing parameter λc such that ligand-field theory is appropriate for λ&amp;lt;λc, but band theory must be used for λ&amp;gt;λc. This provides, therefore, a criterion for distinguishing metallic vs magnetic compounds in those structures, like perovskite, where cation-cation interactions are negligible. It is also argued that λσ&amp;gt;λc can be anticipated where the cations are in a low-spin state. The fact that LaNiO3 contains low-spin NiIII and exhibits no Jahn-Teller distortion suggested that λσ&amp;gt;λc in this compound. Metallic conductivity from −200° to 300°C and Pauli paramagnetism from 4° to 300°K seem to confirm this suggestion. Where λ≈λc, there is the possibility of a phase change in which λ&amp;lt;λc in some directions, λ&amp;gt;λc in others. LaCoO3 seems to illustrate this situation. It undergoes a transition at 1210°K, the cobalt ordering into alternate (111) planes of high-spin Co3+ and planes containing low-spin CoIII. Below 400°K the latter planes contain only CoIII ions. The magnetic Co3+ ions couple antiferromagnetically via Co3+-``diamagnetic CoIIIO6 complex''-Co3+ superexchange to give TN≈90°K.
A computational model for grounding words in the perception of agents (2010)

In this paper we present a computational model for incremental word meaning acquisition. It is designed to rapidly build category representations which correspond to the meaning of words. In contrast to existing approaches, our model further extracts word meaning-relevant features using a statistical learning technique. Both category learning and feature extraction are performed simultaneously. To achieve the contradictory needs of rapid as well as statistical learning, we employ mechanisms inspired by Complementary Learning Systems theory. Therefore, our framework is composed of two recurrently coupled components: (1) An adaptive Normalized Gaussian network performs a one-shot memorization of new word-scene associations and uses the acquired knowledge to categorize novel situations. The network further reactivates memorized associations based on its internal representation. (2) Based on the reactivated patterns an additional component subsequently extracts features which facilitate the categorization task. An iterative application of the learning mechanism results in a gradual memory consolidation which let the internal representation of a word meaning become more efficient and robust. We present simulation results for a scenario in which words for object relations concerning position, size, and color have been trained. The results demonstrate that the model learns from few training exemplars and correctly extracts word meaning-relevant features.
Wavelength-dependent crosstalk in trench-assisted multi-core fibers (2014)

Analytical expressions for wavelength-dependent crosstalk in homogeneous trench-assisted multi-core fibers are derived. The calculated results from the expressions agree well with the numerical simulation results based on finite element method.
High power and high linearity electroabsorption modulator for high speed analog RF link (2004)

High power electroabsorption modulator using intra-step-barrier quantum well and peripheral coupled waveguide are designed and tested for analog fiber link applications. The resulting device has demonstrated high optical power handling and low V/sup /spl pi// properties.
New Dopant and Host Materials for Blue‐Light‐Emitting Phosphorescent Organic Electroluminescent Devices (2005)

Efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) incorporating IrIII bis(4,6-difluorophenylpyridinato)-3-(trifluoromethyl)-5- (pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazolate (FIrtaz) and IrIII bis(4,6-difluorophenylpyridinato)-5-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-tetrazolate (FIrN4) demonstrate higher-purity blue-light emission than the long-known IrIII bis(4,6-difluorophenylpyridinato)picolate (FIrpic) phosphorophore. New host materials with higher glass-transition temperatures were also found to enhance the OLED performance.