gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
A Greedy Approach to Adapting the Trace Parameter for Temporal Difference Learning (2016)

One of the main obstacles to broad application of reinforcement learning methods is the parameter sensitivity of our core learning algorithms. In many large-scale applications, online computation and function approximation represent key strategies in scaling up reinforcement learning algorithms. In this setting, we have effective and reasonably well understood algorithms for adapting the learning-rate parameter, online during learning. Such meta-learning approaches can improve robustness of learning and enable specialization to current task, improving learning speed. For temporal-difference learning algorithms which we study here, there is yet another parameter, $λ$, that similarly impacts learning speed and stability in practice. Unfortunately, unlike the learning-rate parameter, $λ$ parametrizes the objective function that temporal-difference methods optimize. Different choices of $λ$ produce different fixed-point solutions, and thus adapting $λ$ online and characterizing the optimization is substantially more complex than adapting the learning-rate parameter. There are no meta-learning method for $λ$ that can achieve (1) incremental updating, (2) compatibility with function approximation, and (3) maintain stability of learning under both on and off-policy sampling. In this paper we contribute a novel objective function for optimizing $λ$ as a function of state rather than time. We derive a new incremental, linear complexity $λ$-adaption algorithm that does not require offline batch updating or access to a model of the world, and present a suite of experiments illustrating the practicality of our new algorithm in three different settings. Taken together, our contributions represent a concrete step towards black-box application of temporal-difference learning methods in real world problems.
Two-level, many-paths generation (1995)

Large-scale natural language generation requires the integration of vast amounts of knowledge: lexical, grammatical, and conceptual. A robust generator must be able to operate well even when pieces of knowledge are missing. It must also be robust against incomplete or inaccurate inputs. To attack these problems, we have built a hybrid generator, in which gaps in symbolic knowledge are filled by statistical methods. We describe algorithms and show experimental results. We also discuss how the hybrid generation model can be used to simplify current generators and enhance their portability, even when perfect knowledge is in principle obtainable.
Tn antigen is expressed on leukosialin from T-lymphoid cells. (1994)

Various T-lymphoid cells were labeled with [3H] glucosamine and then cell lysates were prepared from them. The Tn antigen was immunoprecipitated and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by fluorography. The Tn antigen was found to be expressed on leukosialin, a major glycoprotein of T-lymphoid cells. The carbohydrate moieties of leukosialin were isolated from Jurkat and Molt 4 cells by alkaline borohydride treatment. The leukosialin in both cases predominantly contained single N-acetylgalactosamine residues, consistent with expression of the Tn antigen. Tryptic glycopeptides containing antigenic sites were isolated using an MLS 128 immunoaffinity column and purified by gel filtration and reverse phase column chromatographies. Sequence analyses revealed that all the glycopeptides obtained contained three consecutive residues of N-acetylgalactosamine-Ser/Thr, supporting the idea that the epitopic structure is a cluster of N-acetylgalactosamine-Ser/Thr.
Efficient inhibition of miR-155 function in vivo by peptide nucleic acids (2010)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in diverse physiological processes and are potential therapeutic agents. Synthetic oligonucleotides (ONs) of different chemistries have proven successful for blocking miRNA expression. However, their specificity and efficiency have not been fully evaluated. Here, we show that peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) efficiently block a key inducible miRNA expressed in the haematopoietic system, miR-155, in cultured B cells as well as in mice. Remarkably, miR-155 inhibition by PNA in primary B cells was achieved in the absence of any transfection agent. In mice, the high efficiency of the treatment was demonstrated by a strong overlap in global gene expression between B cells isolated from anti-miR-155 PNA-treated and miR-155-deficient mice. Interestingly, PNA also induced additional changes in gene expression. Our analysis provides a useful platform to aid the design of efficient and specific anti-miRNA ONs for in vivo use.
Oil palm fibers: Morphology, chemical composition, surface modification, and mechanical properties (1997)

Oil palm fiber is an important lignocellulosic raw material for the preparation of cost-effective and environment-friendly composite materials. The morphology and properties of these fibers have been analyzed. The properties of two important types of fibers, the oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber and the oil palm mesocarp fiber (fruit fiber) have been described. The surface topology of the fibers has been studied by scanning electron microscopy. Thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis were used to determine the thermal stability of the fibers. Fiber surface modifications by alkali treatment, acetylation, and silane treatment were tried. The modified surfaces were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The chemical constituents of the fibers were estimated according to ASTM standards. Mechanical performance of the fibers was also investigated. Microfibrillar angle of the fibers was theoretically predicted. The theoretical strength of the fibers was also calculated and compared with the experimental results. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 821–835, 1997
Measurement of reduction in SHG coefficient of LINbO <sub>3</sub> by proton exchanging (1989)

The SHG coefficient of a proton-exchanged layer of LiNbO3, relative to the bulk value, has been measured for the first time by non-phase-matched SHG using a grating sample. It was found that the d33 coefficient is reduced to approximately 0.5 of the bulk value by proton exchanging in pure benzoic acid.
A novel suite of cyclotides from <i>Viola odorata</i>: sequence variation and the implications for structure, function and stability (2006)

Cyclotides are a fascinating family of plant-derived peptides characterized by their head-to-tail cyclized backbone and knotted arrangement of three disulfide bonds. This conserved structural architecture, termed the CCK (cyclic cystine knot), is responsible for their exceptional resistance to thermal, chemical and enzymatic degradation. Cyclotides have a variety of biological activities, but their insecticidal activities suggest that their primary function is in plant defence. In the present study, we determined the cyclotide content of the sweet violet Viola odorata, a member of the Violaceae family. We identified 30 cyclotides from the aerial parts and roots of this plant, 13 of which are novel sequences. The new sequences provide information about the natural diversity of cyclotides and the role of particular residues in defining structure and function. As many of the biological activities of cyclotides appear to be associated with membrane interactions, we used haemolytic activity as a marker of bioactivity for a selection of the new cyclotides. The new cyclotides were tested for their ability to resist proteolysis by a range of enzymes and, in common with other cyclotides, were completely resistant to trypsin, pepsin and thermolysin. The results show that while biological activity varies with the sequence, the proteolytic stability of the framework does not, and appears to be an inherent feature of the cyclotide framework. The structure of one of the new cyclotides, cycloviolacin O14, was determined and shown to contain the CCK motif. This study confirms that cyclotides may be regarded as a natural combinatorial template that displays a variety of peptide epitopes most likely targeted to a range of plant pests and pathogens.
Chiral Catalyst Optimization Using Both Solid-Phase and Liquid-Phase Methods in Asymmetric Aza Diels−Alder Reactions (2000)

[formula: see text] In the presence of 1-5 mol % of a chiral zirconium catalyst, aza Diels-Alder reactions of aldimines with Danishefsky's dienes proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding piperidine derivatives in high yields with high enantioselectivities. For the catalyst optimization, solid-phase and liquid-phase methods were successfully used. In the solid-phase approach, polymer-supported (R)-1,1'-binaphthols (BINOLs) have been synthesized and rapid optimization using the solid-phase reactions has been achieved. On the other hand, novel chiral zirconium cyanides were developed as excellent catalysts using the liquid-phase approach.
Organization and function of the <i>mcrBC</i> genes of <i>Escherichia coli</i> K‐12 (1992)

Many natural DNA sequences are restricted in Escherichia coli K-12, not only by the classic Type I restriction system EcoK, but also by one of three modification-specific restriction systems found in K-12. The McrBC system is the best studied of these. We infer from the base composition of the mcrBC genes that they were imported from an evolutionarily distant source. The genes are located in a hypervariable cluster of restriction genes that may play a significant role in generation of species identity in enteric bacteria. Restriction activity requires the products of two genes for activity both in vivo and in vitro. The mcrB gene elaborates two protein products, only one of which is required for activity in vitro, but both of which contain a conserved amino acid sequence motif identified as a possible GTP-binding site. The mcrC gene product contains a leucine heptad repeat that could play a role in protein-protein interactions. McrBC activity in vivo and in vitro depends on the presence of modified cytosine in a specific sequence context; three different modifications are recognized. The in vitro activity of this novel multi-subunit restriction enzyme displays an absolute requirement for GTP as a cofactor.
Characterization of Single- and Multiple-Layer Films by X-Ray Reflectometry (1991)

Abstract Precision X-ray reflectivity data were obtained with a high-resolution reflectometer equipped with a rotating anode X-ray source and Ge 220 channel monochromators (one placed before and the other after the specimen). The surfaces and buried interfaces of thin films were characterized by ieast-squares refinement of experimental data. Values of thickness, density, and/or roughness of Pt “single-layer” and Pt/Co based multiple-layer films were determined.
Secretory leukoprotease inhibitor: a native antimicrobial protein presenting a new therapeutic option? (1998)

Secretory leukoprotease inhibitor (SLPI) is a low molecular weight serine protease inhibitor found on various mucosal surfaces and has been ascribed an important role in maintaining the protease-anti-protease balance of the airways. Recent scientific evidence has suggested that SLPI may also have a broad spectrum antibiotic activity that includes antiretroviral, bactericidal, and antifungal activity. Given the unpropitious development of drug resistance to infectious micro-organisms in the human population, the need for therapeutic alternatives in the treatment of infectious diseases has become clear. SLPI may prove valuable in the prophylaxis and future treatment of infectious diseases, yet the clinical efficacy of SLPI remains largely to be elucidated.
Exploring Unsupervised Pretraining and Sentence Structure Modelling for Winograd Schema Challenge (2019)

Winograd Schema Challenge (WSC) was proposed as an AI-hard problem in testing computers' intelligence on common sense representation and reasoning. This paper presents the new state-of-theart on WSC, achieving an accuracy of 71.1%. We demonstrate that the leading performance benefits from jointly modelling sentence structures, utilizing knowledge learned from cutting-edge pretraining models, and performing fine-tuning. We conduct detailed analyses, showing that fine-tuning is critical for achieving the performance, but it helps more on the simpler associative problems. Modelling sentence dependency structures, however, consistently helps on the harder non-associative subset of WSC. Analysis also shows that larger fine-tuning datasets yield better performances, suggesting the potential benefit of future work on annotating more Winograd schema sentences.
The Good Friday Agreement, the Decommissioning of IRA Weapons and the Unionist Veto (1999)

‘Tony Blair’s attempts to appease the Unionists on IRA decommissioning were always a waste of time. ... And the IRA was never ever going to hand over one bullet. ... To allow the Unionists to dominate the agenda with this one issue is to allow the Unionists a political veto. And allowing the Unionists a veto is just another way of collapsing the political negotiations about the future of Ireland. ... It is time for Tony Blair to put the squeeze on the Unionists and persuade them that those who don’t play painfully lose out. ... The clock is indeed running out in Ulster and the only thing left to lose is the peace itself’. Kevin Toolis, Guardian, 23/7/99
Rate and molecular spectrum of spontaneous mutations in the bacterium <i>Escherichia coli</i> as determined by whole-genome sequencing (2012)

Knowledge of the rate and nature of spontaneous mutation is fundamental to understanding evolutionary and molecular processes. In this report, we analyze spontaneous mutations accumulated over thousands of generations by wild-type Escherichia coli and a derivative defective in mismatch repair (MMR), the primary pathway for correcting replication errors. The major conclusions are (i) the mutation rate of a wild-type E. coli strain is ~1 × 10(-3) per genome per generation; (ii) mutations in the wild-type strain have the expected mutational bias for G:C > A:T mutations, but the bias changes to A:T > G:C mutations in the absence of MMR; (iii) during replication, A:T > G:C transitions preferentially occur with A templating the lagging strand and T templating the leading strand, whereas G:C > A:T transitions preferentially occur with C templating the lagging strand and G templating the leading strand; (iv) there is a strong bias for transition mutations to occur at 5'ApC3'/3'TpG5' sites (where bases 5'A and 3'T are mutated) and, to a lesser extent, at 5'GpC3'/3'CpG5' sites (where bases 5'G and 3'C are mutated); (v) although the rate of small (≤4 nt) insertions and deletions is high at repeat sequences, these events occur at only 1/10th the genomic rate of base-pair substitutions. MMR activity is genetically regulated, and bacteria isolated from nature often lack MMR capacity, suggesting that modulation of MMR can be adaptive. Thus, comparing results from the wild-type and MMR-defective strains may lead to a deeper understanding of factors that determine mutation rates and spectra, how these factors may differ among organisms, and how they may be shaped by environmental conditions.
Crystal structure of human dihydrofolate reductase complexed with folate (1988)

The crystal structure of recombinant human dihydrofolate reductase with folate bound in the active site has been determined and the structural model refined at 0.2-nm resolution. Preliminary studies of the binding of the inhibitors methotrexate and trimethoprim to the human apoenzyme have been performed at 0.35-nm resolution. The conformations of the chemically very similar ligands folate and methotrexate, one a substrate the other a potent inhibitor, differ substantially in that their pteridine rings are in inverse orientations relative to their p-aminobenzoyl-L-glutamate moieties. Methotrexate binding is similar to that previously observed in two bacterial enzymes but is quite different from that observed in the enzyme from a mouse lymphoma cell line [Stammers et al. (1987) FEBS Lett. 218, 178-184]. The geometry of the polypeptide chain around the folate binding site in the human enzyme is not consistent with conclusions previously drawn with regard to the species selectivity of the inhibitor trimethoprim [Matthews et al. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 392-399].
Heavy metal monitoring of Rameswaram coast by some Sargassum species. (2009)

Abstract: Seaweeds have a high capacity to bind trace metals. Seaweeds are generally considered as the best bioindicator of aquatic bodies for nutrients as well as heavy metals. The use of organisms like algae to identify areas of trace metal contamination is attractive as these organisms concentrate metals from the ambient water. Accumulation of cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel and zinc were determined in Sargassum species collected from Rameswaram coast. The concentration of the heavy metals is varied significantly in between the species and also their parts. The results showed that all the metals are lower in airbladder than in receptacle, stem and leaf. Chromium, iron and manganese content were higher in a1l the parts than in other metals studied. According to these findings Sargassum wightii were effectively used as the bioaccumulation study from the polluted sites. Key words: Pollution Heavymetal Sargassumspecies Bioaccumulation INTRODUCTION S.polycystum were collected from the coast. All the thalli The presence of heavy metals in the environment is running tapwater to remove adhering particulate matters. a major concern because of their toxicity to flora and Sargassum species were separated into different portions fauna. Moreover, recovery of heavy metals from industrial like stem, leaf, airbladder and receptacle and oven dried at waste streams is becoming increasingly important as 30°C to constant weight and then pulverised to ensure
Mild Hypothermia Reduces Zinc Translocation, Neuronal Cell Death, and Mortality after Transient Global Ischemia in Mice (2002)

The authors sought to determine whether Zn translocation associated with neuronal cell death occurs after transient global ischemia (TGI) in mice, as has been previously shown in rats, and to determine the effect of mild hypothermia on this reaction. To validate the TGI model, carbon-black injection and laser-Doppler flowmetry were compared in three strains of mice (C57BL/6, SV129, and HSP70 transgenic mice) to assess posterior communicating artery (PcomA) development and cortical perfusion. In C57BL/6 mice, optimal results were obtained when subjected to 20-minute TGI. Brain and rectal temperature measurements were compared to monitor hypothermia. Results of TGI were compared in normothermia (NT; 37 degrees C) and mild hypothermia groups (HT; 33 degrees C) by staining with Zn -specific fluorescent dye, -(6-methoxy-8-quinolyl)-para-toluenesulfonamide (TSQ) and hematoxylin-eosin 72 hours after reperfusion. The Zn translocation observed in hippocampus CA1, CA2, and Hilus 72 hours after 20 minutes of TGI was significantly reduced by mild hypothermia. The number of degenerating neurons in the HT group was significantly less than in the NT group. Mild hypothermia reduced mortality significantly (7.1% in HT, 42.9% in NT). Results suggest that mild hypothermia may reduce presynaptic Zn release in mice, which protects vulnerable hippocampal neurons from ischemic necrosis. Future studies may further elucidate mechanisms of Zn -induced ischemic injury.
Relationship between delta checks for selected chemistry tests (1990)

The correlation between delta differences for 20 serum chemistry tests was calculated for 2400 samples from 288 patients. There were 12 pairs of chemistry tests for which correlation coefficients of the delta checks exceeded 0.25; aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase had the highest Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.915. The highest negative, indirect, correlation was between the delta checks of bicarbonate and chloride (-0.219). The relationship between delta differences may be used as a quality-control technique to detect analytical errors.
How Many GNSS Satellites are Too Many? (2012)

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are growing from the current US GPS and Russian GLONASS to additional European Galileo and Chinese Compass systems. Along with the growth of the systems, the number of satellites will also increase. The whole family of GNSS is projected to consist of about 120 satellites by 2030. Moreover, the new satellites are capable of transmitting multiple signals in multiple frequency bands. Altogether there will be more than 300 GNSS signals broadcast in the future. The growing number of GNSS satellites and signals enable greater redundancy for positioning. On the other hand, the signals interfere with each other due to overlapping frequency bands. Here we answer the question: how many satellites are too many? We assess the self-interference within GNSS, and hence establish their multiple access capacity, by examining the code interactions between satellites. This analysis considers cross-correlation properties of the codes at all possible Doppler frequency offsets between satellites. We first approach the question theoretically by calculating auto- and cross-correlation properties of random sequences with binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation and binary offset carrier (BOC) modulation. With the theoretical result of pure random sequences as a guideline, we then use real broadcast pseudorandom noise (PRN) codes of the current Galileo GIOVE and Compass-M1 satellites to further analyze various correlation properties over a range of Doppler frequency offset. We ultimately establish the multiple access capacity of GNSS.
Thiophene aus Alkinen, I (1962)

Abstract Di‐, Tri‐ und Tetraine lagern bei schwach alkalischer Reaktion und Temperaturen von 20–80° Schwefelwasserstoff unter Thiophenbildung an. Auf diesem Wege lassen sich auch die in Pflanzen aufgefundenen Thiophene darstellen, so α‐Terthienyl aus Dithienylbutadiin, 5‐Propinyl‐2‐formyl‐thiophen‐(Junipal) aus Octatriin‐(2.4.6)‐ol‐(1) und cis‐bzw. trans ‐ 5‐Propinyl‐thiophen‐acrylsäure‐(2)‐methylester aus cis ‐bzw. trans Dehydromatricariaester.
MRI reveals differential effects of amphetamine exposure on neuroglia <i>in vivo</i> (2012)

How amphetamine affects the neuroglia in living brains is not well understood. In an effort to elucidate this effect, we investigated neuroglia in response to amphetamine exposure using antisense (AS) or sense (S) phosphorothioate-modified oligodeoxynucleotide (sODN) sequences that correspond to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mRNA (AS-gfap or S-gfap, respectively) expression. The control is a random-sequence sODN (Ran). Using cyanine 5.5-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (Cy5.5-SPION) labeling and fluorescent microscopy, we demonstrated that living neural progenitor cells (PC-12.1), as well as the cells in fresh brain slices and intact brains of male C57BL6 mice, exhibited universal uptake of all of the sODNs but rapidly excluded all sODN-Ran and most S-gfap. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy revealed electron-dense nanoparticles only in the neuroglia of normal or transgenic mice [B6;DBA-Tg(Fos-tTA, Fos-EGFP*)1MmayTg(tetO-lacZ,tTA*)1Mmay/J] that had been administered AS-gfap or Cy5.5-SPION-gfap. Subtraction R2* maps from mice with acute and chronic amphetamine exposure demonstrated, validated by postmortem immunohistochemistry, a reduction in striatal neuroglia, with gliogenesis in the subventricular zone and the somatosensory cortex in vivo. The sensitivity of our unique gene transcript targeted MRI was illustrated by a positive linear correlation (r(2)=1.0) between in vivo MRI signal changes and GFAP mRNA copy numbers determined by ex vivo quantitative RT-PCR. The study provides direct evidence for targeting neuroglia by antisense DNA-based SPION-gfap that enables in vivo MRI of inaccessible tissue with PCR sensitivity. The results enable us to conclude that amphetamine induces toxicity to neuroglia in vivo, which may cause remodeling or reconnectivity of neuroglia.