gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Scalable Failure Management for Peer-to-Peer Networks (2012)

Failure management is a key component in the attempt to provide a reliable environment. This article proposes a solution to increase the reliability of distributed systems based on the Chord Peer-to-Peer overlay. our solution is aimed at providing accurate failure information about the nodes in the system. This is a very difficult task in Peer-to-peer networks due to their dynamic nature and the inability to obtain reliable data from failure detectors. We propose a failure history service used to share failure information between peer-to-peer nodes. This novel service ensures that the information about the current state of a node, as well as its failure history, is as accurate as possible even when facing a large number of node failures. This solution aims to increase the reliability of distributed systems based on the Chord peer-to-peer overlay by providing accurate data which can be used to analyze failures over time.
A New <sup>18</sup>F-Labeled Folic Acid Derivative with Improved Properties for the PET Imaging of Folate Receptor–Positive Tumors (2010)

2'-(18)F-fluorofolic acid, obtained via an integrated approach, is a promising PET agent for folate receptor-positive tumors and outperforms previously reported (18)F-labeled folates.
Position-movable lens driven by dielectric elastomer actuator (2016)

A position-movable lens driven by a dielectric elastomer (DE) actuator is demonstrated. With the aid of stretching/contracting of the DE actuator, the lens can do a reciprocating motion in the direction perpendicular to its optical axis. For our DE with 1-mm thick, a voltage pulse of V=5.5 kV can cause the lens to shift ∼1.7 mm. The stretching time and contracting time of the actuator are ∼3.5 and ∼4 s, respectively. When the lens integrates with another solid lens, a variable focal length can be obtained. Although the driving voltage is relatively high, the actuator is electrically stable and the power consumption is extremely low. Our lens with movable position has potential applications in imaging, information storage, beam steering, and bifocal technology.
MECHANICALLY RECHARGEABLE, METAL--AIR BATTERIES FOR AUTOMOTIVE PROPULSION (1978)

A systems study is reported concerning the application of mechanically refuelable, metal--air batteries to electric vehicle propulsion. The batteries are refueled by the addition of anode plates and water, while the reaction product is withdrawn to be recycled at fixed industrial sites. Aluminum is most attractive for this application because of the large domestic industry expected in the 1980's. Battery performance is projected from reported cell data for a hardware designed for rapid addition of electrodes. The reaction product is processed in the battery to form a purified, dry powder of trihydrated alumina--a feedstock of the current aluminum industry. For a 30-kW peak battery weighing 220 to 250 kg, ranges of 500 to 750 km are estimated for a one-ton vehicle. Costs of recycled aluminum and air-cathode modules comprise 85 percent of the total cost (ca 5 cents/km) of battery ownership and operation. 7 figures, 5 tables. (ERA citation 03:050367)
Prevention of tissue calcification on bioprosthetic heart valve by using epoxy compounds: A study of calcification tests <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> (1992)

Calcification is the principal cause of the clinical failures of the bioprosthetic heart valves fabricated from glutaraldehyde pretreated porcine aortic valves or bovine pericardium. In this paper, we compared the calcification on various types of bovine pericardiums pretreated with two hydrophilic epoxy compounds adding GA post-treatment (EP 1 and EP 2), glutaraldehyde (GA)- and nontreated pericardium (Fresh), respectively, by in vitro and in vivo tests. Significant decrease of calcification was found by pretreatment with both epoxy compounds rather than with glutaraldehyde: 0.250 +/- 0.001 (Fresh), 0.276 +/- 0.058 (EP 1), 0.302 +/- 0.071 (EP 2), and 0.478 +/- 0.172 (GA) micrograms (Ca)/mg (dried tissue), respectively, after 20 days dipping in a simulating serum solution in vitro; 115.13 +/- 60.11 (Fresh), 129.84 +/- 51.08 (EP 1), 167.39 +/- 20.81 (EP 2), and 205.19 +/- 16.86 (GA) micrograms/mg, respectively, after 3 months subcutaneous implantation in rabbits. The in vitro method for evaluating calcification designed by us gave the similar order among four samples with that obtained by in vivo test. Because the bovine pericardium pretreated with the epoxy compounds adding GA post-treatment possesses the greater tenacity than that pretreated only with epoxy compounds or GA, meanwhile the calcification is also significantly decreased with this pretreatment, it may be expected that the bovine pericardium with this pretreatment will have the greater anticalcification and durability in dynamic stress.
Design, implementation, and evaluation of a software-based real-time Ethernet protocol (1995)

Distributed multimedia applications require performance guarantees from the underlying network subsystem. Ethernet has been the dominant local area network architecture in the last decade, and we believe that it will remain popular because of its cost-effectiveness and the availability of higher-bandwidth Ethernets. We present the design, implementation and evaluation of a software-based timed-token protocol called RETHER that provides real-time performance guarantees to multimedia applications without requiring any modifications to existing Ethernet hardware. RETHER features a hybrid mode of operation to reduce the performance impact on non-real-time network traffic, a race-condition-free distributed admission control mechanism, and an efficient token-passing scheme that protects the network against token loss due to node failures or otherwise. To our knowledge, this is the first software implementation of a real-time protocol over existing Ethernet hardware. Performance measurements from experiments on a 10 Mbps Ethernet indicate that up to 60% of the raw bandwidth can be reserved without deteriorating the performance of non-real-time traffic. Additional simulations for high bandwidth networks and faster workstation hardware indicate that the protocol allows reservation of a greater percentage of the available bandwidth.
Repair of topoisomerase I covalent complexes in the absence of the tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase Tdp1 (2002)

Accidental or drug-induced interruption of the breakage and reunion cycle of eukaryotic topoisomerase I (Top1) yields complexes in which the active site tyrosine of the enzyme is covalently linked to the 3' end of broken DNA. The enzyme tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase (Tdp1) hydrolyzes this protein-DNA link and thus functions in the repair of covalent complexes, but genetic studies in yeast show that alternative pathways of repair exist. Here, we have evaluated candidate genes for enzymes that might act in parallel to Tdp1 so as to generate free ends of DNA. Despite finding that the yeast Apn1 protein has a Tdp1-like biochemical activity, genetic inactivation of all known yeast apurinic endonucleases does not increase the sensitivity of a tdp1 mutant to direct induction of Top1 damage. In contrast, assays of growth in the presence of the Top1 poison camptothecin (CPT) indicate that the structure-specific nucleases dependent on RAD1 and MUS81 can contribute independently of TDP1 to repair, presumably by cutting off a segment of DNA along with the topoisomerase. However, cells in which all three enzymes are genetically inactivated are not as sensitive to the lethal effects of CPT as are cells defective in double-strand break repair. We show that the MRE11 gene is even more critical than the RAD52 gene for double-strand break repair of CPT lesions, and comparison of an mre11 mutant with a tdp1 rad1 mus81 triple mutant demonstrates that other enzymes complementary to Tdp1 remain to be discovered.
Metal–organic frameworks in mixed-matrix membranes for gas separation (2012)

Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as additives (fillers) exhibit enhanced gas permeabilities and possibly also selectivities when compared to the pure polymer. Polyimides (Matrimid®) and polysulfones are popular polymer matrices for MOF fillers. Presently investigated MOFs for MMMs include [Cu(SiF(6))(4,4'-BIPY)(2)], [Cu(3)(BTC)(2)(H(2)O)(3)] (HKUST-1, Cu-BTC), [Cu(BDC)(DMF)], [Zn(4)O(BDC)(3)] (MOF-5), [Zn(2-methylimidazolate)(2)] (ZIF-8), [Zn(purinate)(2)] (ZIF-20), [Zn(2-carboxyaldehyde imidazolate)(2)] (ZIF-90), Mn(HCOO)(2), [Al(BDC)(μ-OH)] (MIL-53(Al)), [Al(NH(2)-BDC)(μ-OH)] (NH(2)-MIL-53(Al)) and [Cr(3)O(BDC)(3)(F,OH)(H(2)O)(2)] (MIL-101) (4,4'-BIPY = 4,4'-bipyridine, BTC = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate, BDC = benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate, terephthalate). MOF particle adhesion to polyimide and polysulfone organic polymers does not represent a problem. MOF-polymer MMMs are investigated for the permeability of the single gases H(2), N(2), O(2), CH(4), CO(2) and of the gas mixtures O(2)/N(2), H(2)/CH(4), CO(2)/CH(4), H(2)/CO(2), CH(4)/N(2) and CO(2)/N(2) (preferentially permeating gas named first). Permeability increases can be traced to the MOF porosity. Since the porosity of MOFs can be tuned very precisely, which is not possible with polymeric material, MMMs offer the opportunity of significantly increasing the selectivity compared to the pure polymeric matrix. Additionally in most of the cases the permeability is increased for MMM membranes compared to the pure polymer. Addition of MOFs to polymers in MMMs easily yields performances similar to the best polymer membranes and gives higher selectivities than those reported to date for any pure MOF membrane for the same gas separation. MOF-polymer MMMs allow for easier synthesis and handability compared to pure MOF membranes.
Metal cofactors play a dual role in Mycobacterium tuberculosis inorganic pyrophosphatase (2008)

Inorganic pyrophosphatase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt-PPase) is one of the possible targets for the rational design of anti-tuberculosis agents. In this paper, functional properties of this enzyme are characterized in the presence of the most effective activators--Mg2+ and Mn2+. Dissociation constants of Mt-PPase complexed with Mg2+ or Mn2+ are essentially similar to those of Escherichia coli PPase. Stability of a hexameric form of Mt-PPase has been characterized as a function of pH both for the metal-free enzyme and for Mg2+- or Mn2+-enzyme. Hexameric metal-free Mt-PPase has been shown to dissociate, forming monomers at pH below 4 or trimers at pH from 8 to 10. Mg2+ or Mn2+ shift the hexamer-trimer equilibrium found for the apo-Mt-PPase at pH 8-10 toward the hexameric form by stabilizing intertrimeric contacts. The pK(a) values have been determined for groups that control the observed hexamer-monomer (pK(a) 5.4), hexamer-trimer (pK(a) 7.5), and trimer-monomer (pK(a) 9.8) transitions. Our results demonstrate that due to the non-conservative amino acid residues His21 and His86 in the active site of Mt-PPase, substrate specificity of this enzyme, in contrast to other typical PPases, does not depend on the nature of the metal cofactor.
Tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. (1986)

Drug resistance has long been identified as a major reason for therapy failure in cancer patients. Concurrently, work from many laboratories in the past 10 years has established tumor heterogeneity as a phenomenon of critical importance in the natural history of individual neoplasms. The two most sinister aspects of intraneoplastic diversity in human solid tumors are the genesis of clones with metastatic potential, and the existence of drug-resistant variants in primary cancers and their metastases. Thus, recent investigations on drug resistance and on tumor heterogeneity have converged to focus attention on the clonal organization of primary tumors and their metastases as the underlying basis for anticancer drug resistance. This review examines the degree of heterogeneity observed within tumors and the relationship of this diversity to resistance that might be anticipated for any given agent. A question critical to our discussion is "How many subpopulations are there?" The impact of multiple tumor clones on therapy is next discussed in relationship to normal tissue tolerance, the barrier clinicians face regardless of the specific agent used in treatment. Finally, laboratory and clinical approaches are presented for addressing a drug resistance problem that is seemingly overwhelming because of its complex biological roots.
Response Patterns of Recurrent Glioblastomas Treated With Tumor-Treating Fields (2014)

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common form of primary malignant brain cancer. Median overall survival (OS) for newly diagnosed patients is only about 12 to 18 months. GBM tumors invariably recur, and there is no widely recognized and effective standard treatment for recurrent GBM. NovoTTF Therapy is a novel and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antimitotic treatment for recurrent GBM with potential benefits compared with other options. Recurrent GBM patients from two prior trials with demonstrated radiologic tumor response to single-agent NovoTTF Therapy were analyzed to better characterize tumor response patterns and evaluate the associations between response, compliance, and OS. In addition, a compartmental tumor growth model was developed and evaluated for its ability to predict GBM response to tumor-treating fields (TTFields). The overall response rate across both trials was 15% (4% complete responses): 14% in the phase III trial (14/120) and 20% (2/10) in a pilot study. Tumor responses to NovoTTF Therapy developed slowly (median time to response, 5.2 months) but were durable (median duration, 12.9 months). Response duration was highly correlated with OS (r(2) = .92, P<.0001), and median OS for responders was 24.8 months. Seven of 16 responders exhibited initial tumor growth on magnetic resonance imaging. Compliance appeared to be linked with both improved response and survival. The tumor growth model predicted tumor arrest and shrinkage only after several weeks of continuous NovoTTF Therapy, consistent with the observed clinical findings of initial transient tumor growth in some patients. NovoTTF Therapy is a novel antimitotic treatment for recurrent GBM associated with slowly developing but durable tumor responses in approximately 15% of patients. Some responders exhibit initial tumor growth before shrinkage, indicating treatment should not be terminated prior to allowing for the full effect of NovoTTF Therapy to be realized. OS is longer in responders than in nonresponders. High daily compliance rates may be associated with increased likelihood of an objective response and are predictive of improved survival.
Temperature dependence of silicon nitride etching by atomic fluorine (1989)

The temperature dependence of the etch rate of silicon nitride by atomic fluorine has been measured using a discharge-flow reactor. The activation energy of this process is 3.55±0.28 kcal/mol, quite similar to activation energies of Si and SiO2 etching, which were also measured (3.02±0.31 and 3.36±0.40 kcal/mol, respectively).
Fluorescence Enhancement of Silver Nanoparticle Hybrid Probes and Ultrasensitive Detection of IgE (2011)

An ultrasensitive protein assay method was developed based on silver nanoparticle (AgNP) hybrid probes and metal-enhanced fluorescence. Two aptamer based silver nanoparticles, Aptamer/Oligomer-A/Cy3-modified AgNPs (Tag-A) and Aptamer/Oligomer-B/Cy3-modified AgNPs (Tag-B) were hybridized to form a silver nanoparticle aggregate that produced a red shift and broadening of the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) peak. The enhanced fluorescence resulted from the increased content of Cy3 molecules and their emission resonance coupled to the broadened localized surface plasmon (LSP) of AgNP aggregate. The separation distance between Cy3 and AgNPs was 8 nm which was the most optimal for metal enhanced fluorescence and the separation distance between adjacent AgNPs was about 16 nm and this was controlled by the lengths of oligomer-A and oligomer-B. The protein array was prepared by covalently immobilizing capture antibodies on aldehyde-coated slide. After addition of protein IgE sample, two kinds of aptamer-modified AgNPs (Tag-A and Tag-B) were employed to specifically recognize IgE and form the AgNP aggregate on the arrays based on their hybridization. The detection property of the aptamer-modified AgNP aggregate was compared to two other modified aptamer-based probes, aptamer-modified Cy3 and Tag-A. The modified AgNP hybrid probe (Tag-A and Tag-B) showed remarkable superiority in both sensitivity and detection limit due to the formed AgNP aggregate. The new hybrid probe also produced a wider linear range from 0.49 to 1000 ng/mL with the detection limit reduced to 40 pg/mL (211 fM). The presented method showed that the newly designed strategy of combining aptamer-based nanomaterials to form aggregates results in a highly sensitive optical detection method based on localized surface plasmon.
Axial movement and tibial fractures. A controlled randomised trial of treatment (1991)

Diaphyseal fractures of the tibia in 80 patients were treated by external skeletal fixation using a unilateral frame, either in a fixed mode or in a mode which allowed the application of a small amount of predominantly axial micromovement. Patients were allocated to each regime by random selection. Fracture healing was assessed clinically, radiologically and by measurement of the mechanical stiffness of the fracture. Both clinical and mechanical healing were enhanced in the group subjected to micromovement, compared to those treated with frames in a fixed mode possessing an overall stiffness similar to that of others in common clinical use. The differences in healing time were statistically significant and independently related to the treatment method. There was no difference in complication rates between treatment groups.
Distributed optimization for downlink broadband small cell networks (2015)

Small cell networks have been recognized as a promising technology to realize high spectrum and energy efficiency communications in future wireless networks. However, the capacity of small cell networks is limited by the interference among the links communicating simultaneously. Efficient resource allocation and effective interference management is definitely imperative for small cells. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to optimize the power and subcarrier allocation jointly in order to maximize the weighted sum rate for dense small cell networks. Facing with a large amount of small cells, the optimization problem is in nature a large scale optimization problem. Using advanced decomposition theory, the proposed algorithm can effectively decompose the considered optimization problem into a series of much simpler subproblems which can be efficiently solved in parallel. Finally, simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm enjoys greater performance gain and faster convergence as compared to the existing schemes.
Parasympathetic Blockade Promotes Recovery from Atrial Electrical Remodeling Induced by Short‐term Rapid Atrial Pacing (2004)

The purpose of the present study was to assess the influence of autonomic blockade on shortening of effective refractory period (ERP) induced by short‐term rapid atrial pacing (RAP) and its recovery process. Fifteen patients (8 men, 7 women, age 52 ± 16 years) without structural heart disease and without a history of atrial fibrillation were included in this study. All patients underwent RAP at a cycle length of 300 ms for 5 minutes, after which the ERP was measured in all patients at 1, 3, 5, 7.5, and 10 minutes following cessation of RAP. In ten patients, these RAP and measurements of ERPs were repeated after administration of propranolol (P) and subsequent administration of atropine (P + A), respectively. In the remaining five patients atropine (A) was given first and then the administration of propranolol followed (P + A). Relative to the baseline value, the ERP immediately after RAP did not differ significantly from the Control(C), P, A, or P + A (C, 79%± 8%; P, 82%± 9%; A, 80%± 6%; P + A, 82%± 13%). However, the ERP 3 minutes after cessation of RAP was significantly (P < 0.05) longer in A (93%± 4%) and P + A (97%± 5%) than that in C (86%± 5%) and P (86%± 5%). The recovery time for ERP to return to pre‐RAP value was significantly shorter during A and P + A than during either C or P (C, 536 ± 161 s; P, 503 ± 172 s; A, 282 ± 111 s; P + A, 291 ± 147 s; P < 0.05). Parasympathetic blockade may promote recovery from ERP shortening induced by short‐term RAP. (PACE 2004; 27:33–37)
Perceptually relevant parameters for virtual listening simulation of small room acoustics (2009)

Various physical aspects of room-acoustic simulation techniques have been extensively studied and refined, yet the perceptual attributes of the simulations have received relatively little attention. Here a method of evaluating the perceptual similarity between rooms is described and tested using 15 small-room simulations based on binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) either measured from a real room or estimated using simple geometrical acoustic modeling techniques. Room size and surface absorption properties were varied, along with aspects of the virtual simulation including the use of individualized head-related transfer function (HRTF) measurements for spatial rendering. Although differences between BRIRs were evident in a variety of physical parameters, a multidimensional scaling analysis revealed that when at-the-ear signal levels were held constant, the rooms differed along just two perceptual dimensions: one related to reverberation time (T(60)) and one related to interaural coherence (IACC). Modeled rooms were found to differ from measured rooms in this perceptual space, but the differences were relatively small and should be easily correctable through adjustment of T(60) and IACC in the model outputs. Results further suggest that spatial rendering using individualized HRTFs offers little benefit over nonindividualized HRTF rendering for room simulation applications where source direction is fixed.
Synthesis of Diastereomeric 2,4‐Disubstituted Pyrano[2,3‐b]quinolines from 3‐Formyl‐2‐quinolones Through O—C Bond Formation via Intramolecular Electrophilic Cyclization. (2007)

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.
Retinotopic mapping of lateral geniculate nucleus in humans using functional magnetic resonance imaging (1999)

Subcortical nuclei in the thalamus, which play an important role in many functions of the human brain, provide challenging targets for functional mapping with neuroimaging techniques because of their small sizes and deep locations. In this study, we explore the capability of high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging at 4 Tesla for mapping the retinotopic organization in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). Our results show that the hemifield visual stimulation only activates LGN in the contralateral hemisphere, and the lower-field and upper-field visual stimulations activate the superior and inferior portion of LGN, respectively. These results reveal a similar retinotopic organization between the human and nonhuman primate LGN and between LGN and the primary visual cortex. We conclude that high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging is capable of functional mapping of suborganizations in small nuclei together with cortical activation. This will have an impact for studying the thalamocortical networks in the human brain.