gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Constitutive activation of 5-lipoxygenase in the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. (1996)

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disorder characterized by inflammation, fibroblast proliferation, and accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins. Leukotrienes (LTs) are pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic mediators derived from the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism. They are thought to play a role in a number of disease processes, but have received relatively little attention in investigations into the pathogenesis of IPF. In this study, we measured the levels of immunoreactive LTs B(4) and C(4) in homogenates of lung tissue obtained from patients with newly diagnosed, untreated IPF, as compared to levels measured in homogenates of uninvolved nonfibrotic lung tissue from patients undergoing resectional surgery for bronchogenic carcinoma. Compared to homogenates on nonfibrotic control lung, homogenates from IPF patients contained 15-fold more LTB(4) and 5-fold more LTC(4). IPF homogenate levels of LTB(4) were significantly correlated with histologic indices of both inflammation (r=0.861) and fibrosis (r=0.926). Activation of 5-LO is known from in vitro studies to be associated with localization of the enzyme at the nuclear membrane. Immunohistochemical staining for 5-LO protein in alveolar macrophages (AMs) demonstrated that such an "activated" localization pattern was significantly more frequent in IPF lung (19.2+/-3.3% of cells) than in control lung (9.3+/-0.9%); this localization pattern was rarely seen (3.2%) in sections from a truly normal transplant donor lung. Consistent with these data, AMs obtained from IPF patients by bronchoalveolar lavage, purified by adherence, and cultured in the absence of a stimulus for 16 h elaborated significantly greater amounts of LTB(4) and LTC(4) than did control AMs obtained from normal volunteers. These data indicate that the 5-LO pathway is constitutively activated in the lungs of patients with IPF, and the AM represents at least one cellular source of LT overproduction in this disorder. We speculate that LTs participate in the pathogenesis of IPF, and their overproduction in this disorder may be amenable to specific pharmacotherapy.
A PC-Style Markov Blanket for High Dimensional Datasets (2018)

For classification in high-dimensional datasets, it is often helpful to know not just the Markov blanket MB(t) of the target variable t but also the Markov blanket DAG MBD(t) of t. The Markov Blanket Fan Search (MBFS) is a local adaption of the PC algorithm (Spirtes <em>et al</em>., 2000) that searches directly for possible MBD(t) from conditional independence information over a set of casually sufficient acyclically related variables in a dataset D containing t. MBFS is scalable, just-in-time and allows adjacency search to be performed in flexible order. The algorithm requires one parameter, maximum depth of search, though conditional independence tests used by the algorithm may require other parameters, such as significance level. Simulation results for datasets of up to 10,000 variables are given.
Development of GEM-based detector for thermal neutron (2012)

We have developed a two-dimensional imaging detector with a gas electron multiplier (GEM) for thermal neutron detection. The basic characteristics of the GEM-based detector have already been measured. In order to improve the detector performance such as the nγ discrimination capability and the position resolution, a neutron irradiation test was performed at BL21 in the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF). This paper describes the potential for improving the detector performance on the basis of the results of the neutron irradiation test.
Flip-flop resolving time test circuit (1982)

Integrated circuit flip-flop resolving time parameters, required for calculation of synchronizer performance and reliability, are measured by wafer probing, without the need for dicing or bonding, by incorporation of test structures on an IC along with the flip-flop to be measured. The circuit has five digital inputs, five digital outputs, including one for frequency measurements, and two analog inputs plus power and ground connections. Several delays that are fabricated as part of the test circuit, including a voltage controlled delay with a few picosecond resolution, are calibrated as part of the test procedure by grating them into and out of the delay path of a ring oscillator. Each of the delay values is calculated by subtracting the period of the ring oscillator with the delay omitted, from the period of the ring oscillator with the delay included. A frequency divider is fabricated as part of the test structure to reduce the output of the ring oscillator to less than 200 kHz so no high-frequency inputs of outputs from the IC are required.
QoS-based adaptive modulation under rainfall environment in gigabit millimeter-wave broadband wireless-access system (2004)

In the gigabit millimeter-wave broadband wireless access (Gb MMW BWA) system. Quality of MMW is strongly affected by rainfall hence the MMW link may fall down in the case of heavy rainfall. The making of route detour to avoid that heavy rain zone is expected to improve the quality. For that matter, however, it may be not sufficient to provide the high-traffic demands. Therefore, in this paper, we propose the QoS-based adaptive modulation scheme to compensate for rain attenuation, and thus to improve the spectrum efficiency of system.
Final results of the phase III, randomized, double-blind AVOREN trial of first-line bevacizumab (BEV) + interferon-α2a (IFN) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) (2009)

5020 Background: In the AVOREN trial, BEV (Avastin) + IFN significantly improved PFS and ORR compared with placebo + IFN in pts with mRCC [Escudier, Lancet. 2007]. The study was unblinded after interim analysis due to significant superiority of BEV + IFN and the DSMB recommended crossover of pts from placebo to BEV (n = 13). We report here the results of the final analysis. Methods: Eligible pts had predominantly clear-cell mRCC, prior nephrectomy, no prior systemic therapy for metastatic disease, KPS ≥70%, no CNS metastases and adequate organ function. Pts were randomised to IFN (9MIU tiw) + BEV (10 mg/kg q2w) or placebo until disease progression. Primary endpoint was OS, with pre-planned stratified and unstratified analyses according to regional regulatory requirements. Results: 649 pts were randomised to BEV + IFN (n = 327) or placebo + IFN (n = 322). An independent radiological review confirmed previous investigator assessments, showing PFS of 10.4 vs 5.5 months (HR 0.57) and a response rate of 31% vs 12% in the two arms, verifying the robustness of the investigator analysis. At the time of final OS analysis (444 events), median follow-up was 22.9 months in the BEV arm and 20.6 months in the placebo arm. Final median OS stratified for region and Motzer score was 23.3 months in the BEV + IFN arm and 21.3 months in the IFN + placebo arm (HR 0.86 [95% CI: 0.72–1.04], p = 0.1291). No new or unexpected AEs were observed. More pts in the IFN + placebo arm than the BEV + IFN arm received post-protocol therapy, including TKIs, mTOR inhibitors, cytokines and chemotherapy: 180 (55%) in the BEV + IFN arm and 202 (63%) in the IFN + placebo arm. Exploratory analysis showed that median OS in pts receiving second-line TKI therapy (BEV + IFN, n = 96; IFN + placebo, n = 81) was 38.6 months vs 33.2 months (HR = 0.77 [95% CI: 0.51–1.15], p = 0.1948). Further subgroup analyses will be presented. Conclusions: BEV + IFN is a first-line standard of care for pts with mRCC, improving PFS and ORR, with a trend toward improved OS, compared with IFN. The observed OS results may have been influenced by subsequent anti-neoplastic therapy, which was not prespecified in the protocol and represents an uncontrolled element of the OS analysis. [Table: see text]
Neuronal Differentiation of Adipose Derived Stem Cells: Progress So Far (2014)

The nervous system is essential for normal physiological function of all systems within the human body. Unfortunately the nervous system has a limited capacity for self-repair and there are a plethora of disorders, diseases, and types of trauma that affect the central and peripheral nervous systems; however, current treatment modalities are unable to remedy them. Stem cell therapy using easily accessible mesenchymal stem cells, such as those found in the adipose stroma, has come to the fore in a number of biomedical disciplines as a potential therapeutic regime. In addition to substantial research already having been conducted on the in vitro differentiation of stem cells for the treatment of neurological repair, numerous strategies for the induction and culture of stem cells into terminal neural lineages have also been developed. However, none of these strategies have yet been able to produce a fully functional descendent suitable for use in stem cell therapy. Due to the positive effects that low level laser irradiation has shown in stem cell studies to date, we propose that it could enhance the processes involved in the differentiation of adipose derived stem cells into neuronal lineages.
High Quality SiO<sub>2</sub>‐like Layers by Large Area Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Enhanced CVD: Deposition Process Studies by Surface Analysis (2009)

Abstract This work reports on the main competing processes and their contribution to the properties of SiO 2 layers on polymers in large area AP‐PE‐CVD from ArN 2 O 2 ‐HMDSO mixtures. The detailed space resolved surface analysis on the statically deposited films showed smooth SiO x films in the vicinity of the gas injection, as deposited by HMDSO radicals. At the gas effluent, due to HMDSO depletion, non‐depositing species interact with the polymer and induce rough deposits with high carbon content. The competition of plasma–polymer surface interaction with HMDSO radicals deposition, is further confirmed from the analysis of films grown on polymers with a “protecting” layer and with reverse gas flow direction. Under web roll conditions, HMDSO radicals deposition is dominant, resulting in high quality SiO x layers along the whole electrode length. magnified image
One-stage stimulation of human T-lymphocyte colony-forming units (TL-CFU) in a micro agar culture in glass capillaries. (1979)

A one-stage micro-culture assay in glass capillary tubes was developed for colony growth of human T lymphocytes. Colony growth by this method did not depend on the addition of growth factors, human serum and erythrocytes. Advantages of this method are its low consumption of materials and the fact that high numbers of cultures can be prepared and evaluated within a relatively short period of time. Compared to the two-stage method, the one-stage method requires a higher number of seeded cells and a reduced agar concentration, suggesting that cell interactions are required for human T-lymphocyte colony formation.
A Method of Accelerating LDA Program with GPU (2012)

LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) is a text modeling algorithm based on a generative probabilistic model. It is widely used to discover latent topics among a set of documents. Mahout has implemented LDA algorithm, however, the execution time of the LDA program is very long when processing a large amount of documents, because the documents are processed in sequence. This paper introduces a method to modify this program with CUDA toolkit provided by NVIDIA, in order that a group of documents could be processed in parallel on GPU. Using this method, the LDA program could be accelerated greatly.
Large-bore copper-vapor lasers: Kinetics and scaling issues (1983)

The scaling characteristics of large diameter (6≤d≤12 cm) high repetition-rate copper-vapor lasers are investigated using a radially dependent laser-discharge model. Results of the model are verified with experimental data obtained on several devices including an 8-cm-diam 100-W copper-vapor laser. Two effects, penetration of the applied electric field into the plasma and gas heating, which we show are the primary considerations in volumetric scaling, are discussed in detail. Thermal constriction of the discharge resulting from gas heating is prevented by plasma skin effects that allow stable performance at large diameters. These same effects are shown to explain the sequential excitation of the laser levels, resulting in both temporally and spatially dependent behavior of the laser pulse. Projections of output power and light-pulse characteristics are made for lasers up to 12 cm in diameter.
Comparison of Binding Platforms Yields Insights into Receptor Binding Differences between Shiga Toxins 1 and 2 (2010)

Protein-glycan interactions are typically very weak, and avid binding is achieved when proteins express multiple glycan binding sites. Shiga toxin (Stx) uses glycan receptors to enter cells. Stx has five identical binding subunits, each with three nonidentical glycan binding sites. Previous studies examined binding to biantennary glycans expressing Pk trisaccharide mimics immobilized on streptavidin, resulting in display of four trisaccharides per streptavidin face. Stx1 preferred the Pk trisaccharide of its native receptor, globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), while the more potent and clinically relevant variant, Stx2, preferred the Pk trisaccharide with the terminal galactose replaced with N-acetylgalactosamine (NHAc-Pk). In the present study, binding of Stxs to Pk analogues was examined using two experimental platforms, ELISA and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). ELISA was more sensitive than SPR. Sensitivity in the ELISA was due to high streptavidin density, suggesting that avid binding may require engagement of more than four trisaccharides. Selectivity for the Pk analogues was maintained in both experimental platforms. Glycan preference was mapped to binding site 2, since reciprocal mutation of a single amino acid (asparagine 32 of Stx1 B-subunit/serine 31 of Stx2 B-subunit) reversed binding preference. However, native Stx1 bound well to plates loaded with a 50:50 mixture of Pk-NHAc-Pk, while Stx2 bound less efficiently, suggesting that one of the Stx1 binding sites may only engage Pk, while another may tolerate either Pk or NHAc-Pk. Varying glycan structure and density across different in vitro binding platforms revealed important differences in receptor binding properties between Stx1 and Stx2.
Lipoprotein abnormalities associated with lipopolysaccharide-induced lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase and lipase deficiency (1989)

Density gradient ultracentrifugation was used to isolate and characterize the plasma lipoproteins from African green monkeys before and 24 and 48 h after subcutaneous injection of 300 micrograms/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce an acute phase response. Compared with 0 h values, reductions occurred in plasma cholesterol (39%), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (54%), lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity (55%), and post-heparin plasma lipase activity (68%) 48 h after LPS injection while plasma triglyceride concentrations increased 700%. Cholesterol distribution among lipoproteins shifted from 7 to 41% in very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), 65 to 38% in low density lipoproteins (LDL), and 28 to 21% in HDL after LPS injection. At 48 h after LPS injection, all lipoprotein classes were relatively enriched in phospholipid and triglyceride and depleted of cholesteryl ester. The plasma concentration of all chemical constituents in VLDL was increased 3-9-fold within 48 h after LPS injection. By negative stain electron microscopy, HDL were discoidal in shape while VLDL and LDL appeared to have excess surface material present. Even though total HDL protein concentration in plasma was unaffected, the plasma mass of the smallest HDL subfractions (HDL3b,c) doubled while the mass of intermediate-sized subfractions (HDL3a) was dramatically decreased within 24 h after treatment. HDL became enriched in apoE, acquired apoSAA, and became depleted of apoA-I, A-II, and Cs by 48 h after LPS injection while apoB-100 remained the major apoprotein of VLDL and LDL. We conclude that administration of LPS to monkeys prevents normal intravascular metabolism of lipoproteins and results in the accumulation of relatively nascent forms of lipoproteins in plasma. These immature lipoproteins resemble those isolated from the recirculating perfusion of African green monkey livers, which are relatively deficient of LCAT activity and those isolated from the plasma of patients with familial LCAT deficiency.
Automated workflow for engineering services (2003)

In the future users will request engineering services automatically much like we request stock quotes and weather reports today. Rather than requesting an engineering service directly from an engineer, a user will request the service from an automated server, which can be accessed from a web browser or other computer applications. The engineer's duties will shift to maintaining and enhancing the automated services, and performing expert-level analysis. This paradigm shift is beneficial to the engineer who is currently burdened with providing repetitive services. It is also beneficial to the users, who will receive a faster response from an automated server than a person can provide. This paper argues that service technology is sufficiently mature to provide many engineering services reliably and securely. It also illustrates a methodology for creating engineering services using the engineering applications that today's engineers use to provide their services. Once automated engineering services are available, they can be used in conjunction with a workflow management system to transform engineering processes in the same way business processes have been transformed in the last decade. This paper describes a prototype of an automated workflow system, developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, that provides navigation and telecommunication services.
BEFESTIGUNG VON BUSHALTESTELLEN, BUSSONDERSPUREN UND BUSFAHRGASSEN IN HAMBURG (1989)

Die Fahrbahndecken von Bushaltestellen werden besonders stark beansprucht. Hamburg hat 2.500 Bushaltestellen und 21 Kilometer Busspuren. Die im Laufe der Zeit entwickelten Deckenbauweisen werden kritisch betrachtet. Bei Bushaltestellen, die von der Fahrbahn getrennt sind, kommt die Asphaltbauweise nicht mehr zur Ausfuehrung. Bussonderspuren und einige Haltestellen in Fliessbeton haben bisher keine Verformungen gezeigt. Diese Bauweise erfordert jedoch Erfahrung. Ein Nachteil ist die Verschmutzung durch Tropfoel. Betonfertigteile kosten mehr als andere Bauweisen. Die Erfahrungenmit Pflaster sind in Hamburg immer gut. Grosspflaster sollte stets einenflexiblen Verguss erhalten. Die Verwendung von Kleinpflaster soll vermieden werden: Die Fugenfuellung wird durch den Sog des Verkehrs herausgerissen. Die bisherigen Erfahrungen haben unter Abwaegung aller Gesichtspunktezur Wahl von Granitgrosspflaster und Betonsteinpflaster in Regelbauweise gefuehrt. Die Ausfuehrung von Unterbau, Breite und Fugenfuellung der Standardbauweisen in Hamburg werden beschrieben.
The role of texture in the electromigration behavior of pure aluminum lines (1996)

The effects of microstructure on electromigration behavior were evaluated in three nominally 1 μm thick pure aluminum films, which were tested at temperatures from 423 to 523 K. The three Al films had essentially the same grain structure but different variants of an 〈111〉 texture. Texture had a very strong effect on the electromigration behavior in ∼2 μm wide polycrystalline lines, where both a reduced fraction of randomly oriented grains and a tighter 〈111〉 distribution increased the electromigration lifetime. The apparent activation energy for electromigration decreased as the texture strengthened. The near bamboo microstructure of 0.5 μm narrow lines showed extensive orientation clustering with an unusually high proportion of low angle boundaries in the most strongly 〈111〉 textured film. The electromigration damage in both 2 and 0.5 μm wide lines was correlated with the types of flux divergence sites in each film. The texture impacts the character of the grain boundaries and interfaces which control the mass transport during electromigration. A weaker texture has more juxtaposed ‘‘fast’’ and ‘‘slow’’ diffusivity grain boundaries and interfaces, which results in faster mass transport, more flux divergence sites, and a more rapid accumulation of damage.
Introduction (2015)

Child brain injury is a potentially catastrophic event for the child involved, their family and for wider society. This book is about how child neuropsychology can help.
On-chip non-equilibrium dissociation curves and dissociation rate constants as methods to assess specificity of oligonucleotide probes (2006)

Nucleic acid hybridization serves as backbone for many high-throughput systems for detection, expression analysis, comparative genomics and re-sequencing. Specificity of hybridization between probes and intended targets is always critical. Approaches to ensure and evaluate specificity include use of mismatch probes, obtaining dissociation curves rather than single temperature hybridizations, and comparative hybridizations. In this study, we quantify effects of mismatch type and position on intensity of hybridization signals and provide a new approach based on dissociation rate constants to evaluate specificity of hybridized signals in complex target mixtures. Using an extensive set of 18mer oligonucleotide probes on an in situ synthesized biochip platform, we demonstrate that mismatches in the center of the probe are more discriminating than mismatches toward the extremities of the probe and mismatches toward the attached end are less discriminating than those toward the loose end. The observed destabilizing effect of a mismatch type agreed in general with predictions using the nearest neighbor model. Use of a new parameter, specific dissociation temperature (T(d-w), temperature of maximum specific dissociation rate constant), obtained from probe-target duplex dissociation profiles considerably improved the evaluation of specificity. These results have broad implications for hybridization data obtained from complex mixtures of nucleic acids.
Factors influencing loan repayment performance among group borrowers in Bungoma West District, Bungoma County (2014)

Micro financing plays a key role in enabling small business organizations to expand their businesses and fund their operational costs. Micro finance is the supply of microloans, savings; micro insurance and other basic financial services to the poor-particularly those who have been left out by conventional banking institutions. Micro Financial Institutions lend small businesses both short term and long term loans. MFIs have embedded their operations in rural areas with the purpose of alleviating the poverty problem that affects many people. The lending philosophy of MFIs is based on the Grameen Bank model in which social groups form the collateral for receiving a loan. Without legal contractual obligations established to push members to adhere to a stipulated timeframe and interest rates many group members fail to pay back under the lenders' lending conditions. The purpose of this research is to investigate factors influencing loan payment ability of entrepreneurs accessing credit through groups.