gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Adaptive techniques for overcoming performance degradation due to aging in digital circuits (2009)

Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) in PMOS transistors has become a major reliability concern in present-day digital circuit design. Further, with the recent usage of Hf-based high-k dielectrics for gate leakage reduction, Positive Bias Temperature Instability (PBTI), the dual effect in NMOS transistors has also reached significant levels. Consequently, designers are required to build in substantial guard-bands into their designs, leading to large area and power overheads, in order to guarantee reliable operation over the lifetime of a chip. We propose a guard-banding technique based on adaptive body bias (ABB) and adaptive supply voltage (ASV), to recover the performance of an aged circuit, and compare its merits over previous approaches.
Assembly of layered double hydroxide on multi‐walled carbon nanotubes as reinforcing hybrid nanofiller in thermoplastic polyurethane/nitrile butadiene rubber blends (2015)

Abstract An efficient approach has been applied to assemble MgAl layered double hydroxide onto pristine carbon nanotubes using sodium dodecylsulfate. The assembling process and formation of such hybrid nanostructures were established using X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy. Subsequently, the hybrid was used as nanofiller in the development of high‐performance thermoplastic polyurethane/acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (1:1 w/w) blend nanocomposites. Measurements of mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties show that tensile strength, elongation at break and storage modulus improve significantly by 171%, 1.8 times and 241% in a blend with 0.50 wt% loading of hybrid filler. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the thermal stability of the blend with 0.50 wt% hybrid filler compared to neat material is maximally improved by 20 °C determined at 50% weight loss. Differential scanning calorimetry shows the maximum enhancement in melting temperature (7 °C) and crystallization temperature (31 °C) due to significant nucleation efficiency of the filler, homogeneous dispersion and strong interfacial interaction between polymer matrix and filler. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Reduced binding and phagocytosis of Pneumocystis carinii by alveolar macrophages from persons infected with HIV-1 correlates with mannose receptor downregulation. (1998)

The macrophage mannose receptor, a pattern recognition molecule and component of innate immunity, mediates binding and phagocytosis of Pneumocystis carinii and likely represents an important clearance mechanism in the lungs of immunocompetent hosts. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of alveolar macrophages from HIV-infected individuals to bind and phagocytose P. carinii, and to investigate the role of the macrophage mannose receptor in mediating this interaction. Compared with healthy individuals, alveolar macrophage phagocytosis of P. carinii from HIV+ persons was reduced up to 74% (P = 0.02), primarily reflecting a reduction in the number of organisms associated with each macrophage (P = 0.019). Furthermore, macrophages from HIV+ individuals demonstrated up to an 80% (P < 0.05) reduction in mannose receptor surface expression and endocytosis. Mannose receptor affinity was unaltered, and mRNA levels were modestly reduced (P < 0.05). Cells from HIV+ individuals with CD4(+) counts < 200 cells/mm3 (representing individuals at high clinical risk for P. carinii pneumonia) demonstrated the lowest levels of P. carinii phagocytosis and mannose receptor endocytosis. In vitro HIV infection of alveolar macrophages from healthy individuals reduced mannose receptor endocytosis to 53.2% (P < 0.05) and P. carinii binding and phagocytosis to 67.4% (P < 0.05) of control. Our studies suggest that HIV infection may alter innate immunity in the lungs, and that impaired alveolar macrophage mannose receptor-mediated binding and phagocytosis of P. carinii may contribute to the susceptibility of HIV-infected individuals to this opportunistic pulmonary pathogen.
Decline in skin collagen content and metacarpal index after the menopause and its prevention with sex hormone replacement (1987)

The thigh skin collagen content and the metacarpal index were measured in 69 untreated postmenopausal women and in 37 postmenopausal women who had been receiving oestradiol and testosterone implants for 2-10 years. There was a significant positive correlation between the skin collagen content and the metacarpal index in both groups of patients. In the untreated group, there was a statistically significant decrease both in the thigh skin collagen content and in the metacarpal index with the years since the menopause. This decrease was preventable in women who were on sex hormone replacement therapy.
Misfolding of the Prion Protein at the Plasma Membrane Induces Endocytosis, Intracellular Retention and Degradation (2004)

Suramin induces misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) and interferes with the propagation of infectious scrapie prions. A mechanistic analysis of this effect revealed that suramin-induced misfolding occurs at the plasma membrane and is dependent on the proximal region of the C-terminal domain (aa 90-158) of PrP(C). The conformational transition induces rapid internalization, mediated by the unstructured N-terminal domain, and subsequent intracellular degradation of PrP(C). As a consequence, PrP Delta N adopts a misfolded conformation at the plasma membrane; however, internalization is significantly delayed. We also found that misfolding and intracellular retention of PrP(C) can be induced by copper and that, moreover, copper interferes with the propagation of the pathogenic prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in scrapie-infected N2a cells. Our study revealed a quality control pathway for aberrant PrP conformers present at the plasma membrane and identified distinct PrP domains involved.
Benchmarking Private Cloud Performance with User-Centric Metrics (2014)

Cloud computing is a new paradigm for the delivery of IT services. It has enabled many promising opportunities for features that cannot be easily implemented in traditional IT environments, such as elastic scalability, self-service deployment, resiliency and recovery, and so forth. Benchmarking the cloud requires a well-defined set of cloud performance metrics that should be able to sensitively distinguish the capabilities of cloud systems that enable those features. One way of defining benchmark metrics is based on observations of the internal mechanisms in a cloud. For example, an elasticity evaluation may be based on measuring a resource provisioning interval in the cloud. However, a more meaningful evaluation should be based on user-centric metrics. In this article, we will introduce a set of performance metrics that can be directly measured, calculated and compared by the cloud users, including workload consumers and the users who deploy and manage the workload life cycles. We will also discuss ways to organize the user-centric metrics, with different emphasis, into a benchmark that represents different use cases.
Protease II from Escherichia coli. Purification and characterization. (1975)

We have previously demonstrated the existence of two types of endopeptidase in Escherichia coli. A purification procedure is described for one of these, designated protease II. It has been purified about 13,500-fold with a recovery of 24%. The isolated enzyme appears homogeneous by electrophoresis and gel filtration. Its molecular weight is estimated by three different methods to be about 58,000. Its optimal pH is around 8. Protease II activity is unaffected by chelating agents and sulfhydryl reagents. Amidase and proteolytic activities are stimulated by calcium ion, which decreases the enzyme stability. Like pancreatic trypsin, this endopeptidase catalyses the hydrolysis of alpha-amino-substituted lysine and arginine esters. It appears distinct from the previously isolated protease I, which is a chymotrypsin-like enzyme. The apparent Michaelis constant for hydrolysis of N-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester is 4.7 X 10(-4) M. The esterase activity is inhibited by diisopryopylphosphorofluoridate (Ki(app) equals 2.7 X 10(-3) M) and tosyl lysine chloromethyl ketone (Ki(app) equals 1.8 X 10(-5) M), indicating that serine and histidine residues may be present in the active site. However, protease II is insensitive to phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride and several natural trypsin inhibitors. Its amidase and esterase activities are competitively inhibited by free arginine and aromatic amidines. The proteolytic activity measured on axocasein is very low. In contrast to trypsin, protease II is without effect on native beta-galactosidase. It easily degrades aspartokinase I and III. Nevertheless both enzymes are resistant to proteolysis in the presence of their respective allosteric effectors. These results provide further evidence that such differences in protease susceptibility can be related to the conformational state of the substrate. The possible implication of structural changes in the mechanism of preferential proteolysis in vivo, is discussed.
Head tracking stereoscopic display (1986)

This paper describes a full-color stereoscopic display using two field sequential CRT projection modules combined with a simple head position sensor with servo-controlled moveable exit pupils. The position sensor has a lens imaging the user's head on a two-segment detector. This reasults in an optimized system permitting a moving observer to view a high-contrast high-resolution high-brightness full-color stereoscopic presentation without using special glasses.
Molecular Identification of an IgE-Dependent Histamine-Releasing Factor (1995)

An immunoglobulin E (IgE)-dependent histamine-releasing factor (HRF) produced by lymphocytes of atopic children and present in biological fluids of allergic patients has been identified and purified. Amino-terminal sequencing revealed extensive homology to a mouse protein, p21, and its human homolog, p23. Both recombinant proteins caused histamine release from the human basophils of a subpopulation of donors, and this release was dependent on IgE. Polyclonal antibodies recognized and removed the biological activity of recombinant and native HRF. HRF identifies a heterogeneity of IgE and is believed to play a prominent role in chronic allergic disease processes.
The Cre–loxP System: A Versatile Tool for Targeting Genes in a Cell- and Stage-Specific Manner (2000)

Gene-targeted mice, derived from embryonic stem cells, are useful tools to study gene function during development. However, if the inactivation of the target gene results in embryonic lethality, the postdevelopmental function of the gene cannot be further studied. The Cre recombinase-loxP (Cre-loxP) system was developed to overcome this limitation as well as to confine the inactivation of the target gene in a cell- or tissue-specific manner. This system allows for the inactivation of the target gene in a single cell type, thereby allowing the analysis of physiological and pathophysiological consequences of the genetic alteration in mature animals. A unique property of the insulin gene to be expressed only in pancreatic beta cells has allowed using the beta-cell-specific rat insulin promoter (RIP) for Cre recombinase expression to inactivate genes in beta cells. The RIP has been used to inactivate genes in beta cells and analysis of these genetically altered mice has provided important information regarding the role of potential transcription factors and the receptors in vivo, for regulation of insulin gene transcription and in the development of beta cells. The Cre-loxP system is at a relatively early stage of development, and the ability of this technique to virtually target any gene in any tissue at any stage of development makes the study of gene function in a single cell type in vivo an attainable goal. It is anticipated that the continued experience with this system will provide an important tool to determine the role of the transcription factors involved in insulin gene regulation and islet cell differentiation and ultimately provide the basis for novel therapy to treat diabetes.
Delayed angiogenesis and VEGF production in CCR2−/− mice during impaired skeletal muscle regeneration (2007)

The regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and angiogenic events during skeletal muscle regeneration remains largely unknown. This study examined angiogenesis, VEGF levels, and muscle regeneration after cardiotoxin (CT)-induced injury in mice lacking the CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2). Muscle regeneration was significantly decreased in CCR2-/- mice as was the early accumulation of macrophages after injury. In both mouse strains, tissue VEGF was similar at baseline (no injections) and significantly decreased at day 3 post-CT. Tissue VEGF in wild-type (WT) mice was restored within 7 days postinjury but remained significantly reduced in CCR2-/- mice until day 21. Capillary density (capillaries/mm(2)) within regenerating muscle was maximal in WT mice at day 7 and double that of baseline muscle. In comparison, maximal capillary density in CCR2-/- mice occurred at 21 days postinjury. Maximal capillary density developed concurrent with the restoration of tissue VEGF in both strains. A highly significant, inverse relationship existed between the size of regenerated muscle fibers and capillaries per square millimeter. Although this relationship was comparable in WT and CCR2-/- animals, there was a significant decrease in the magnitude of this response in the absence of CCR2, reflecting the observation that regenerated muscle fiber size in CCR2-/- mice was only 50% of baseline at 42 days postinjury, whereas WT mice had attained baseline fiber size by day 21. Thus CCR2-dependent events in injured skeletal muscle, including impaired macrophage recruitment, contribute to restoration of tissue VEGF levels and the dynamic processes of capillary formation and muscle regeneration.
Effect of fiber weight fraction on mechanical properties of carbon–carbon composites (2012)

Abstract This article presents the synthesis of carbon–carbon (C/C) composites by preformed yarn (PY) method, by varying the percentage of carbon fiber weight fraction. The PY used was carbon fiber bundle surrounded by coke and pitch which was enclosed in nylon‐6. Three types of samples with fiber weight fractions of 30, 40, and 50%, respectively, are fabricated and mechanical properties were studied. In each case, the PY was chopped and filled into a die of required shape and hot pressed at 500°C to get the preform composite. To obtain the carbonized and graphitic structure, the specimen was heat treated at 2500°C followed by soaking for 10 to 12 hrs. Further, two cycles pitch impregnation was done by hot isostatic pressing, to eliminate the voids and to increase the density hence to obtain good mechanical properties. The characteristics such as hardness, flexural strength, and impact strengths were studied. It is observed that, as the carbon fiber percentage increases, the properties also get improved, provided sintering is done at fairly higher temperatures such as 2700°C. The superiority of the new class of C/C composites made by the proposed PY technique over those obtained by the conventional methods is also demonstrated. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Semantic Predictive Control for Explainable and Efficient Policy Learning (2019)

Visual anticipation of ego and object motion over a short time horizons is a key feature of human-level performance in complex environments. We propose a driving policy learning framework that predicts feature representations of future visual inputs; our predictive model infers not only future events but also semantics, which provide a visual explanation of policy decisions. Our Semantic Predictive Control (SPC) framework predicts future semantic segmentation and events by aggregating multi-scale feature maps. A guidance model assists action selection and enables efficient sampling-based optimization. Experiments on multiple simulation environments show that networks which implement SPC can outperform existing model-based reinforcement learning algorithms in terms of data efficiency and total rewards while providing clear explanations for the policy's behavior.
Factors limiting the performance of CdZnTe detectors (2005)

In the past few years, significant progress has been achieved in the development of room-temperature semiconductor detectors, particularly those based on CdZnTe (CZT) crystals. Several types of electron-transport-only detectors have been developed: pixel, coplanar-grid, cross-strip, drift-strip, orthogonal coplanar strip, and virtual Frisch grid, many of which are now commercially available. Despite all these varieties in the detector designs, they have many common features and problems. This review summarizes the common detector design constraints and related factors limiting performance of CZT detectors: bulk and surface leakage currents, surface effects, properties of Schottky contacts and surface interfacial layers, charge sharing and loss in multielectrode devices, charge transport nonuniformities, and fluctuations in the pulse height for long-drift-length devices. We also describe unique capabilities at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, for CZT device characterization and recent progress utilizing these tools.
Nonlinear data analysis of experimental (EEG) data and comparison with theoretical (ANN) data (2002)

Abstract In this article, nonlinear dynamical tools such as largest Lyapunov exponents (LE), fractal dimension, correlation dimension, pointwise correlation dimension will be used to analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) data obtained from healthy young subjects with eyes open and eyes closed condition with the view to compare brain complexity under this two condition. Results of similar calculations from some earlier works will be produced for comparison with present results. Also, a brief report on difference of opinion among coworkers regarding such tools will be reported; particularly applicability of LE will be reviewed. The issue of nonlinearity will be addressed by using surrogate data technique. We have extracted another data set that represented chaotic state of the system considered in our earlier work of mathematical modeling of artificial neural network. We further attempt to compare results to find nature of chaos arising from such theoretical models. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Privacy Preserving Data Mining: Techniques, Classification and Implications - A Survey (2016)

Privacy has become crucial in knowledge based applications. Proper integration of individual privacy is essential for data mining operations. This privacy based data mining is important for sectors like Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Research, and Security Service Providers, to name a few. The main categorization of Privacy Preserving Data Mining (PPDM) techniques falls into Perturbation, Secure Sum Computations and Cryptographic based techniques. There exist tradeoffs between privacy preservation and information loss for generalized solutions. The authors of the paper present an extensive survey of PPDM techniques, their classification and give a preliminary implication of technique to be used under specific scenarios.
Dual<scp>PDE</scp>3/4 and<scp>PDE</scp>4 Inhibitors: Novel Treatments For<scp>COPD</scp>and Other Inflammatory Airway Diseases (2014)

Selective phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 and dual PDE3/4 inhibitors have attracted considerable interest as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of respiratory diseases, largely by virtue of their anti-inflammatory (PDE4) and bifunctional bronchodilator/anti-inflammatory (PDE3/4) effects. Many of these agents have, however, failed in early development for various reasons, including dose-limiting side effects when administered orally and lack of sufficient activity when inhaled. Indeed, only one selective PDE4 inhibitor, the orally active roflumilast-n-oxide, has to date received marketing authorization. The majority of the compounds that have failed were, however, orally administered and non-selective for either PDE3 (A,B) or PDE4 (A,B,C,D) subtypes. Developing an inhaled dual PDE3/4 inhibitor that is rapidly cleared from the systemic circulation, potentially with subtype specificity, may represent one strategy to improve the therapeutic index and also exhibit enhanced efficacy versus inhibition of either PDE3 or PDE4 alone, given the potential positive interactions with regard to anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator effects that have been observed pre-clinically with dual inhibition of PDE3 and PDE4 compared with inhibition of either isozyme alone. This MiniReview will summarize recent clinical data obtained with PDE inhibitors and the potential for these drugs to treat COPD and other inflammatory airways diseases such as asthma and cystic fibrosis.
Blockade of glucagon signaling prevents or reverses diabetes onset only if residual β-cells persist (2016)

Glucagon secretion dysregulation in diabetes fosters hyperglycemia. Recent studies report that mice lacking glucagon receptor (Gcgr(-/-)) do not develop diabetes following streptozotocin (STZ)-mediated ablation of insulin-producing β-cells. Here, we show that diabetes prevention in STZ-treated Gcgr(-/-) animals requires remnant insulin action originating from spared residual β-cells: these mice indeed became hyperglycemic after insulin receptor blockade. Accordingly, Gcgr(-/-) mice developed hyperglycemia after induction of a more complete, diphtheria toxin (DT)-induced β-cell loss, a situation of near-absolute insulin deficiency similar to type 1 diabetes. In addition, glucagon deficiency did not impair the natural capacity of α-cells to reprogram into insulin production after extreme β-cell loss. α-to-β-cell conversion was improved in Gcgr(-/-) mice as a consequence of α-cell hyperplasia. Collectively, these results indicate that glucagon antagonism could i) be a useful adjuvant therapy in diabetes only when residual insulin action persists, and ii) help devising future β-cell regeneration therapies relying upon α-cell reprogramming.