gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Decimation for bandpass sigma-delta analog-to-digital conversion (2002)

The authors explain their view of Sigma Delta modulation and use this understanding to develop bandpass Sigma Delta from lowpass Sigma Delta . The problem of narrow bandpass filtering and decimation of a bit stream is examined. It is shown that with the proposed scheme the digital filter is only marginally more complex than in the low-pass case. The scheme does filtering and translation to baseband, thus simultaneously accomplishing channel-selection, demodulation, and analog-to-digital conversion of AM signals.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Thiocyanate concentration in saliva of cystic fibrosis patients. (2008)

Thiocyanates (SCN-) are ubiquitous in nature. There are indispensable part of host defense system that act as a substrate for lactoperoxidase (LPO). In our study we present initial data on SCN- concentration in saliva of CF patients in comparison to healthy non-smokers and healthy smokers. 5 ml of saliva was collected from each subject to a sterile tube and thiocyanate concentration was measured in each sample. The results of the measurements are presented on Fig. 1. Mean concentration of SCN- in saliva of CF patients was 0.031 +/- 0.0052 g/l, in healthy non-smokers 0.039 +/- 0.0048 g/l and in healthy smokers 0.048 +/- 0.0161 g/l. The differences between each group were statistically significant. Studies on larger group of patients and probably on different material (BALF or induced sputum) should present interesting data complementing the in vitro studies.
Gerade Kanten für schnelle Prozesse (2019)

Abstract Der Drang zur ständigen Verbesserung ist in manchen Unternehmen besonders ausgeprägt. Bei der Progroup etwa ist man allein durch den sehr dynamischen Verpackungsmarkt immer an Optimierungen im Produktionsprozess interessiert. In diesem Zusammenhang überzeugte auch der Vegapuls 64, der verglichen mit den riesigen Papiermaschinen zwar nur ein kleines, aber dennoch entscheidendes Rädchen im Gesamtprozess darstellt.
Effects of natural sequence variation on recognition by monoclonal antibodies neutralize simian immunodeficiency virus infectivity (1994)

The determinants of immune recognition by five monoclonal antibodies (KK5, KK9, KK17, Senv7.1, and Senv101.1) that neutralize simian immunodeficiency virus infectivity were analyzed. These five neutralizing monoclonal antibodies were generated to native SIVmac251 envelope glycoprotein expressed by a vaccinia virus recombinant vector. All five recognize conformational or discontinuous epitopes and require native antigen for optimal recognition. These monoclonal antibodies also recognize SIVmac239 gp120, but they do not recognize gp120 of two natural variants of SIVmac239, 1-12 and 8-22, which evolved during the course of persistent infection in vivo (D.P.W. Burns and R.C. Desrosiers, J. Virol. 65:1843-1854, 1991). Recombinant viruses which were constructed by exchanging variable regions between SIVmac239 and variant 1-12 were used to define domains important for recognition. Radioimmunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that sequence changes in variable regions 4 and 5 (V4/V5) were primarily responsible for the loss of recognition of the 1-12 variant. Site-specific mutants were used to define precise changes that eliminate recognition by these neutralizing antibodies. Changing N-409 to D, deletion of KPKE, and deletion of KEQH in V4 each resulted in loss of recognition by all five monoclonal antibodies. SIVs with these natural sequence changes are still replication competent and viable. Changing A-417 to T or A/N-417/418 to TK in V4 or Q-477 to K in V5 did not alter recognition detectably. These results define specific, naturally occurring sequence changes in V4 of SIVmac that result in loss of recognition by one class of SIVmac neutralizing antibodies.
A Molecular Description of the Gelation Mechanism of Konjac Mannan (2000)

A molecular level description of the time course of the gelation of the polysaccharide konjac mannan (KM) is presented and the role of alkali addition is considered in detail. NMR relaxometry is utilized as a complementary methodology to mechanical spectroscopy in order to probe events occurring as a prelude to network formation, and high-resolution NMR is used to follow the deactetylation process. It is shown that the addition of alkali plays an important solubilizing role in addition to facilitating the deacetylation of the chain. Deacetylation is important both in reducing the inherent aqueous solubility of the polymer and in progressively negating the alkali-induced polyelectrolytic nature of the polysaccharide chain via reaction induced pH changes. It is proposed that observed induction periods following alkali addition (during which the elastic modulus does not rise) are not simply deacetylation delays but are related to the aggregation kinetics of the deacetylated material.
Design of a Family of Ultra-Precision Linear Motion Mechanisms (2012)

The parasitic motion of a parallel four-bar mechanism (PFBM) is undesirable for designers. In this paper, the rigid joints in PFBM are replaced with their flexural counterparts, and the center shift of rotational flexural pivots can be made full use of in order to compensate for this parasitic motion. First, three schemes are proposed to design a family of ultraprecision linear-motion mechanisms. Therefore, the generalized cross-spring pivots are utilized as joints, and six configurations are obtained. Then, for parasitic motion of these configurations, the compensation condition is presented, and the design space of geometric parameters is given. Moreover, the characteristic evaluation of these configurations is implemented, and an approach to improve their performances is further proposed. In addition, a model is developed to parametrically predict the parasitic motion and primary motion. Finally, the analytic model is verified by finite element analysis (FEA), so these linear-motion mechanisms can be employed in precision engineering.
A Review of the Cognitive and Behavioral Sequelae of Parkinson's Disease: Relationship to Frontostriatal Circuitry (2003)

The current review suggests that the neuropsychological profile of Parkinson's disease, which predominantly reflects frontal/executive dysfunction, may be attributed to disruption of the frontostriatal circuitry. The information generated from this review can serve as a guide in the assessment of frontal/executive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease with suggestions for a clinical neuropsychological test battery.
Amyloid β protein is internalized selectively by hippocampal field CA1 and causes neurons to accumulate amyloidogenic carboxyterminal fragments of the amyloid precursor protein (1998)

A critical issue concerning Alzheimer's disease is its selectivity, which leads to cellular degeneration in certain brain areas but not in others, and whether this pathogenic selectivity involves products of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Here, we show that the amyloid β protein Aβ1–42 is accumulated gradually and is retained intact by field CA1, but not by other subdivisions, of organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. In contrast, the slightly shorter Aβ1–40 peptide was not sequestered selectively. Sequestration of Aβ1–42 was followed by the build-up of carboxyterminal fragments of the endogenous precursor protein that were identified by immunoprecipitation. Unlike the peptide uptake, this induction appeared to be stochastic at the cellular level. In addition, the APP fragments were distributed more broadly within the CA1 pyramidal neurons than the sequestered Aβ1–42, and they appeared to be localized to synaptic terminals in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus and in the stratum lacunosum-moleculare of the subfield CA3. Concentrations of synaptophysin, a presynaptic marker, decreased as the number of neurons producing amyloidogenic species increased. These results indicate that exogenous Aβ1–42 sets into motion a sequence that involves 1) selective uptake of the peptide by vulnerable cells at risk in Alzheimer's disease, 2) markedly enhanced production of amyloidogenic precursor material, and 3) slow deterioration of central synapses. J. Comp. Neurol. 397:139–147, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cell-type Phylogenetics and the Origin of Endometrial Stromal Cells (2015)

A challenge of genome annotation is the identification of genes performing specific biological functions. Here, we propose a phylogenetic approach that utilizes RNA-seq data to infer the historical relationships among cell types and to trace the pattern of gene-expression changes on the tree. The hypothesis is that gene-expression changes coincidental with the origin of a cell type will be important for the function of the derived cell type. We apply this approach to the endometrial stromal cells (ESCs), which are critical for the initiation and maintenance of pregnancy. Our approach identified well-known regulators of ESCs, PGR and FOXO1, as well as genes not yet implicated in female fertility, including GATA2 and TFAP2C. Knockdown analysis confirmed that they are essential for ESC differentiation. We conclude that phylogenetic analysis of cell transcriptomes is a powerful tool for discovery of genes performing cell-type-specific functions.
Self‐Assembly of Tunable Nanocrystal Superlattices Using Poly‐(NIPAM) Spacers (2011)

Abstract Understanding and controlling 3D nanocrystal self‐assembly is a fundamental challenge in materials science. Assembly enables the unique optical and electronic properties of nanocrystals to be exploited in macroscopic materials, and also opens up the possibility to couple the optical response of nanocrystals to the optical modes of the superlattice. To date, assembly of such nanocrystal superlattices (NCSL) has focussed on fixed, close packed structures with particle separations of just 1–3 nm. To achieve highly crystalline structures with tunable optical response, the nanocrystal interparticle separation needs to be precise and easily variable but >50 nm. Here, we show the preparation of nanocrystal superlattices with spacings of 50–500 nm assembled from gold‐poly‐ N ‐isopropylacrylamide core‐shell particles and the characterization of their fascinating diffraction behavior by means of UV‐vis spectroscopy. These nanocrystal superlattices exhibit pronounced diffraction in the visible (440‐560 nm) with peak half‐widths of the order of 10 nm. The position of the Bragg peak is simply tuned by adjusting the particle volume fraction. Due to the thermoresponsive nature of the polymer shell, temperature is used to initiate crystallization or melting of the superlattice. Heating and cooling cycles cause highly reversible melting/recrystallization in less than a minute.
An adaptive microphone array topology for target signal extraction with humanoid robots (2014)

In this paper, an unsupervised adaptation algorithm for the microphone array topology of a humanoid robot is proposed, so that the spatial filtering performance is improved. In the given exemplary case, the target suppression (`blocking') performance of a geometrically-constrained BSS (GC-BSS) algorithm is shown to improve by the adaptation of the array topology. As a decisive feature, an online performance measure for blind source separation is introduced which provides a robust and reliable estimate of the instantaneous signal separation performance based on currently observable data. Experimental results based on simulated environments confirm the efficacy of the concept.
Functional and structural imaging of phototrophic microbial communities and symbioses (2008)

Author: Kuehl, M. et al.; Genre: Journal Article; Issued: 2008-09-18; Open Access; Keywords: Imaging; Microenvironment; Photosynthesis; Oxygen; Planar optodes; Hyperspectral; Variable chlorophyll fluorescence; Photopigments; Title: Functional and structural imaging of phototrophic microbial communities and symbioses
Awareness During Anesthesia: Risk Factors, Causes and Sequelae: A Review of Reported Cases in the Literature (2009)

Our review suggested light anesthesia and a history of awareness as risk factors. Obesity and avoidance of nitrous oxide use did not seem to increase the risk. Light anesthesia was the most common cause. Our findings suggest preventive procedures that may lead to a decrease in the incidence of awareness.
Therapeutic Usages of Oxygen Radical Scavengers in Human Diseases: Myths and Realities (1991)

Some distinct advances in pharmacologic manipulation of oxygen radical scavengers have been made which could ultimately greatly enhance the use of these reagents as drugs, as well as some innovative techniques for drug delivery. Unfortunately, most of the therapeutic reports in the literature, almost all of which are based on usage of standard (native) SOD and/or catalase, are still anecdotal and/or uncontrolled. A review of the human disease/treatment literature suggests that further tightening of the scientific design of such trials is still badly needed; hopefully better experimental design will be applied when products such as PEG conjugates or genetically engineered polymers are ready for testing.
An unusual way to use an endobronchial blocker. (2001)

The techniques for lung isolation in infants are, endobronchial intubation and bronchical blockade with Fogarty catheter or a univent tube. Unlike endobronchial intubation, bronchial blockade has the advantage that lung can be segregated at will. Endobronchial blocker is usually placed as a planned procedure just after induction of anaesthesia either under vision with the help of a fibreoptic bronchoscope or alternatively a rigid bronchoscope is used to position it in either bronchus and later the trachea. We report here a rather unusual and desperate way of using a Fogarty catheter halfway through the surgery due to unforeseen bleeding during thoracotomy. The pros and cons of attempting selective segregation and regional ventilation of lung under these circumstances is discussed.
A versatile electrowetting-based digital microfluidic platform for quantitative homogeneous and heterogeneous bio-assays (2011)

Electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) lab-on-a-chip systems have already proven their potential within a broad range of bio-assays. Nevertheless, research on the analytical performance of those systems is limited, yet crucial for a further breakthrough in the diagnostic field. Therefore, this paper presents the intrinsic possibilities of an EWOD lab-on-a-chip as a versatile platform for homogeneous and heterogeneous bio-assays with high analytical performance. Both droplet dispensing and splitting cause variations in droplet size, thereby directly influencing the assay's performance. The extent to which they influence the performance is assessed by a theoretical sensitivity analysis, which allows the definition of a basic framework for the reduction of droplet size variability. Taking advantage of the optimized droplet manipulations, both homogeneous and heterogeneous bio-assays are implemented in the EWOD lab-on-a-chip to demonstrate the analytical capabilities and versatility of the device. A fully on-chip enzymatic assay is realized with high analytical performance. It demonstrates the promising capabilities of an EWOD lab-on-a-chip in food-related and medical applications, such as nutritional and blood analyses. Further, a magnetic bio-assay for IgE detection using superparamagnetic nanoparticles is presented whereby the nanoparticles are used as solid carriers during the bio-assay. Crucial elements are the precise manipulation of the superparamagnetic nanoparticles with respect to dispensing and separation. Although the principle of using nano-carriers is demonstrated for protein detection, it can be easily extended to a broader range of bio-related applications like DNA sensing. In heterogeneous bio-assays the chip surface is actively involved during the execution of the bio-assay. Through immobilization of specific biological compounds like DNA, proteins and cells a reactive chip surface is realized, which enhances the bio-assay performance. To demonstrate this potential, on-chip adhesion islands are fabricated to immobilize MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Viability studies are performed to assess the functionalization efficiency.
A cluster of four genes encoding enzymes for five steps in the folate biosynthetic pathway of Streptococcus pneumoniae (1995)

Two genes, sulB and sulC, in a folate biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptococcus pneumoniae were identified after determination of the DNA sequence between two previously reported genes, sulA and sulD, in a cloned segment of chromosomal DNA containing a mutation to sulfonamide resistance. The gene products, SulB and SulC, correspond to polypeptides of 49 and 21 kDa, respectively. SulC has GTP cyclohydrolase activity and catalyzes the first step in the folate biosynthetic pathway. SulB apparently has dihydrofolate synthetase activity in that it complements a folC mutant of Escherichia coli and thus catalyzes the last step in the pathway. Prior work showed that SulA, a dihydropteroate synthase, and SulD, a bifunctional enzyme, catalyze three intervening steps. Mapping of the mRNA transcribed from the operon was consistent with its beginning at a promoter with a -35 site (gTGtCc) and an extended -10 site (T-TG-TAaAAT) and its termination at the end of a hairpin structure, which would give a transcript 3,745 nucleotides in length. SulC showed a considerable conservation of sequence by comparison with proven or putative GTP cyclohydrolases from four unrelated species, with 38 to 53% of the residues being identical. A similar comparison of SulB with dihydrofolate synthetases showed an identity of only 26 to 37%. Overall, comparisons of the five folate biosynthetic enzymes in different species suggest that S. pneumoniae is related more closely to other gram-positive bacteria, less closely to eucaryotes, and least closely to the gram-negative E. coli. The varied arrangements of folate biosynthetic genes in different species imply an early evolutionary period of fluidity in genomic rearrangement.
Towards robust conversational speech recognition and understanding (2014)

While significant progress has been made in automatic speech recognition (ASR) during the last few decades, recognizing and understanding unconstrained conversational speech remains a challenging problem. In this dissertation, five methods/systems are proposed towards a robust conversational speech recognition and understanding system.\n\nI. A non-uniform minimum classification error (MCE) approach is proposed which can achieve consistent and significant keyword spotting performance gains on both English and Mandarin large-scale spontaneous conversational speech tasks (Switchboard and HKUST Mandarin CTS).\n\nII. A hybrid recurrent DNN-HMM system is proposed for robust acoustic modeling and a new way of backpropagation through time (BPTT) is introduced. The proposed system achieves state-of-the-art performances on two benchmark datasets, the 2nd CHiME challenge (track 2) and Aurora-4, without front-end preprocessing, speaker adaptive training or multiple decoding passes.\n\nIII. To study the specific case of conversational speech recognition in the presence of competing talkers, several multi-style training setups of DNNs are investigated and a joint decoder operating on multi-talker speech is introduced. The proposed combined system improves upon the previous state-of-the-art IBM superhuman system by 2.8% absolute on the 2006 speech separation challenge dataset.\n\nIV. Latent semantic rational kernels (LSRKs) are proposed for spotting the semantic notions on conversational speech. The proposed framework is generalized using tf-idf weighting, latent semantic analysis, WordNet, probabilistic topic models and neural network learned representations and is shown to achieve substantial topic spotting performance gains on two conversational speech tasks, Switchboard and AT&T HMIHY initial collection.\n\nV. Non-uniform sequential discriminative training (DT) of DNNs with LSRKs is proposed which directly links the information of the proposed LSRK framework to the objective function of the DT. The experimental results on the subset of Switchboard show the proposed method can lead the acoustic modeling to a more robust system with respect to the semantic decoder.
Role for granulocyte colony–stimulating factor in the generation of human T regulatory type 1 cells (2002)

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) may affect T-cell homeostasis by multiple mechanisms, inducing polarization of cytokine secretion, inhibition of T-cell proliferation, and enhancement of T-cell apoptosis. We analyzed the production of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) by T cells from healthy volunteer donors treated with recombinant human G-CSF. Highly purified CD4(+) T cells obtained before and after G-CSF administration (pre-G and post-G, respectively) were activated using the allogeneic mixed leukocyte reaction. Post-G CD4(+) T cells produced high levels of IL-10 but undetectable levels of IL-2 and IL-4, whereas the level of TGF-beta1 release was comparable to that of pre-G CD4(+) T cells. Notably, post-G CD4(+) T cells proliferated poorly in response to alloantigens and to recall antigens and suppressed the proliferation of autologous CD4(+) T cells in a cell contact-independent and an antigen-nonspecific manner. TGF-beta1 and IL-10 were not dispensable for post-G CD4(+) T cells to mediate suppression, as shown by neutralization studies. Compared with pre-G CD4(+) T cells, alloantigen-activated post-G CD4(+) T cells preferentially expressed markers associated with memory T cells, in conjunction with reduced levels of CD28 and CD62L. Collectively, these data demonstrate that CD4(+) T cells exposed to G-CSF in vivo acquire the properties of T regulatory (Tr) cells once triggered in vitro through the T-cell receptor, including a peculiar cytokine production profile (IL-10(++)TGF-beta1(+)IL-2(low/-)IL-4(low/-)), an intrinsic low proliferative capacity, and a contact-independent suppression of antigen-driven proliferation. Tr cells generated ex vivo after exposure to G-CSF might be clinically relevant for transplantation medicine and for the treatment of human immune-mediated diseases.