gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Polar stroking (2020)

Stroking and filling are the two basic rendering operations on paths in vector graphics. The theory of filling a path is well-understood in terms of contour integrals and winding numbers, but when path rendering standards specify stroking, they resort to the analogy of painting pixels with a brush that traces the outline of the path. This means important standards such as PDF, SVG, and PostScript lack a rigorous way to say what samples are inside or outside a stroked path. Our work fills this gap with a principled theory of stroking. Guided by our theory, we develop a novel polar stroking method to render stroked paths robustly with an intuitive way to bound the tessellation error without needing recursion. Because polar stroking guarantees small uniform steps in tangent angle, it provides an efficient way to accumulate arc length along a path for texturing or dashing. While this paper focuses on developing the theory of our polar stroking method, we have successfully implemented our methods on modern programmable GPUs.
An RNA Aptamer That Selectively Recognizes Symmetric Dimethylation of Arginine 8 in the Histone H3 N-Terminal Peptide (2011)

Epigenetic modifications of N-terminal histone tails, especially histone H3, are important for the regulation of the target genes in chromatin. Specific methods for detection of these modifications in histone H3 N-terminal peptides are valuable tools for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. As an alternative to antibodies, RNA aptamers display compatible binding affinities and selectivites against various biologically relevant targets. Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) was performed against histone H3R8Me2sym. A 14-amino acid peptide that mimics this modified histone tail was prepared in a biotinylated form and 10 selection cycles of SELEX were carried out. This produced 4 aptamers, one of which (clone 1) was observed to have low nanomolar binding affinity (K(d)=12 nM) against the cognate peptide. The affinity of this aptamer is comparable to 2 commercially available antibodies against differently modified histone H3 peptides and it displays a greater selectivity than the antibodies.
Experimental Study on Rankine Cycle Using Ammonia-Water Mixture as a Working Fluid (1992)

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The Rankine cycle using ammonia-water mixture as a working fluid has been studied theoretically by several researches. Analytically, its plant efficiency is higher than that of a conventional steam Rankine cycle operating at relatively low temperatures. Typical applications are gas turbine combined cycles, geothermal power plants and ocean thermal power plants.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The purpose of this study is to investigate experimentally the applicability of this cycle to a bottoming cycle of a gas turbine combined plant. Authors' major concerns are plant efficiency, durability of materials and stability of ammonia-water at relatively high temperature region, as well as plant economy.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">This paper describes the results of the experimental studies on the above problems.</div>
Minimally invasive convection-enhanced delivery of biologics into dorsal root ganglia: validation in the pig model and prospective modeling in humans (2014)

Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are critical anatomical structures involved in nociception. Intraganglionic (IG) drug delivery is therefore an important route of administration for novel analgesic therapies. Although IG injection in large animal models is highly desirable for preclinical biodistribution and toxicology studies of new drugs, no method to deliver pharmaceutical agents into the DRG has been reported in any large species. The present study describes a minimally invasive technique of IG agent delivery in domestic swine, one of the most common large animal models. The technique utilizes CT guidance for DRG targeting and a custom-made injection assembly for convection enhanced delivery (CED) of therapeutic agents directly into DRG parenchyma. The DRG were initially visualized by CT myelography to determine the optimal access route to the DRG. The subsequent IG injection consisted of 3 steps. First, a commercially available guide needle was advanced to a position dorsolateral to the DRG, and the dural root sleeve was punctured, leaving the guide needle contiguous with, but not penetrating, the DRG. Second, the custom-made stepped stylet was inserted through the guide needle into the DRG parenchyma. Third, the stepped stylet was replaced by the custom-made stepped needle, which was used for the IG CED. Initial dye injections performed in pig cadavers confirmed the accuracy of DRG targeting under CT guidance. Intraganglionic administration of adeno-associated virus in vivo resulted in a unilateral transduction of the injected DRG, with 33.5% DRG neurons transduced. Transgene expression was also found in the dorsal root entry zones at the corresponding spinal levels. The results thereby confirm the efficacy of CED by the stepped needle and a selectivity of DRG targeting. Imaging-based modeling of the procedure in humans suggests that IG CED may be translatable to the clinical setting.
A quantitative comparison of machined commercially pure titanium and titanium-aluminum-vanadium implants in rabbit bone. (1998)

Screw-shaped implants made from rods of commercially pure titanium (grade 1) and titanium-aluminum-vanadium (grade 5) were machined, and the implant surface structures were numerically described before being placed in rabbit tibiae for healing periods of 1 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Quantitative comparisons of the removal torque (Ncm) necessary to loosen the implants from the bone bed were performed. Short-term (1 month) observations revealed no significant differences between the two tested materials. However, after 6 and 12 months, the commercially pure titanium implants were significantly more stable in the bone bed, as compared to the alloy samples. After 6 months, the commercially pure titanium had a mean removal torque of 29 Ncm versus 23 for the alloy (P = .01), and after 12 months, the mean removal torque was 38 Ncm for commercially pure titanium as compared to 35 Ncm for the alloy (P = .01). Quantifications of the bone tissue response to the materials did not show any significant differences; however, the commercially pure titanium showed a tendency to have a higher percentage of bone in contact with the implant as compared to the alloy screws. Bone volumes in the threads were similar. The absence of any quantitative light microscopic difference after 1 month following placement may relate to the fact that there was a sparse amount of bone, since the tissue was in the organization/granulation phase. After 6 and 12 months of follow-up, substantial bone formation had occurred, resulting in significantly increased removal torques for the commercially pure titanium samples.
Auditory Awakening Thresholds in Rem and Nrem Sleep Stages (1966)

The auditory awakening thresholds of the major electroencephalographically defined sleep stages were compared. A modification of the method of constant stimuli was used in an apparently successful attempt to minimize the incorporation of the experimental stimuli into the mental activity of the sleeper. A total of 319 experimental trials were distributed among seven human Ss who served for about six experimental nights each. The sequence and timing of experimental trials were counterbalanced to control for nights, habituation, amount of accumulated sleep, and amount of sleep since last awakening. The results showed approximately equal awakening thresholds during REM periods (the rapid eye movement stage of sleep) and stage 2 (low voltage EEG and 12 to 14 cps “sleep spindles”). Both these stages had lower awakening thresholds than delta sleep (large slow EEG waves). Awakening thresholds became lower with accumulated sleep, independent of sleep stage. There were no significant stage independent relationships between awakening threshold and time since last awakening or time since last body movement, although the latter were varied over a relatively narrow range which limits the generality of these findings. There was no stage independent relationship between heart rate and awakening threshold. The possible physiological determinants of the awakening response were discussed.
Operation of a catalytic reverse flow reactor for the purification of air contaminated with volatile organic compounds (1997)

Abstract Catalytic oxidation in a reverse flow reactor is an attractive process for the decontamination of air polluted with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this paper several aspects of operating this type of reactor for air purification under strongly varying conditions will be discussed. For a successfit operation of such reactor a minimum amount of combustibles is required, and a simple theory is developed to predict this minimum value. This minimum amount is strongly influenced by the reaction kinetics, the heat transport in the packed bed and the adiabaticity of the reactor. To cope with a too low temperature level in the reactor for a complete conversion, an electrical heating device should be installed in the centre of the reactor bed to increase locally the temperature rapidly and efficiently. To control the maximum temperature in case of too high concentrations, extra air should be added to the feed.
The YadA Protein of<i>Yersinia pseudotuberculosis</i>Mediates High-Efficiency Uptake into Human Cells under Environmental Conditions in Which Invasin Is Repressed (2002)

The YadA protein is a major adhesin of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis that promotes tight adhesion to mammalian cells by binding to extracellular matrix proteins. In this study, we first addressed the possibility of competitive interference of YadA and the major invasive factor invasin and found that expression of YadA in the presence of invasin affected neither the export nor the function of invasin in the outer membrane. Furthermore, expression of YadA promoted both bacterial adhesion and high-efficiency invasion entirely independently of invasin. Antibodies against fibronectin and beta(1) integrins blocked invasion, indicating that invasion occurs via extracellular-matrix-dependent bridging between YadA and the host cell beta(1) integrin receptors. Inhibitor studies also demonstrated that tyrosine and Ser/Thr kinases, as well as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, are involved in the uptake process. Further expression studies revealed that yadA is regulated in response to several environmental parameters, including temperature, ion and nutrient concentrations, and the bacterial growth phase. In complex medium, YadA production was generally repressed but could be induced by addition of Mg(2+). Maximal expression of yadA was obtained in exponential-phase cells grown in minimal medium at 37 degrees C, conditions under which the invasin gene is repressed. These results suggest that YadA of Y. pseudotuberculosis constitutes another independent high-level uptake pathway that might complement other cell entry mechanisms (e.g., invasin) at certain sites or stages during the infection process.
Assessment of aldehyde dehydrogenase in viable cells (1995)

Cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), an enzyme responsible for oxidizing intracellular aldehydes, has an important role in ethanol, vitamin A, and cyclophosphamide metabolism. High expression of this enzyme in primitive stem cells from multiple tissues, including bone marrow and intestine, appears to be an important mechanism by which these cells are resistant to cyclophosphamide. However, although hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) express high levels of cytosolic ALDH, isolating viable HSC by their ALDH expression has not been possible because ALDH is an intracellular protein. We found that a fluorescent aldehyde, dansyl aminoacetaldehyde (DAAA), could be used in flow cytometry experiments to isolate viable mouse and human cells based on their ALDH content. The level of dansyl fluorescence exhibited by cells after incubation with DAAA paralleled cytosolic ALDH levels determined by Western blotting and the sensitivity of the cells to cyclophosphamide. Moreover, DAAA appeared to be a more sensitive means of assessing cytosolic ALDH levels than Western blotting. Bone marrow progenitors treated with DAAA proliferated normally. Furthermore, marrow cells expressing high levels of dansyl fluorescence after incubation with DAAA were enriched for hematopoietic progenitors. The ability to isolate viable cells that express high levels of cytosolic ALDH could be an important component of methodology for identifying and purifying HSC and for studying cyclophosphamide-resistant tumor cell populations.
Interrelations between pulmonary liquid volumes and lung compliance (1975)

We have investigated the relative effects of lung edema and of increases in pulmonary blood volume (PBV) on lung compliance (CL), and also the effects of selective elevations of pulmonary arterial (Ppa) and left atrial (Pla) pressures on PBV and on CL, using an isolated, perfused, and ventilated rabbit lung preparation. Lung weight was continuously recorded. A step rise in Pla at constant flow caused a rapid rise in PBV accompanied by an immediate fall in CL. With maintained high vascular pressures interstitial edema accumulated with no further fall in CL. Not until 3 times the normal amount of extra-vascular fluid had accumulated did a further, secondary reduction in CL occur. When Ppa was elevated to the same level by 1) a rise in flow and 2) a rise in Pla, the latter type of experiment gave 3-5 times larger increases in PBV. Pla elevations with or without rise in Ppa (flow adjusted) gave almost the same rises in PBV. The fall in CL was related to rises in PBV regardless of how such rises were obtained. Our conclusion is that increases in PBV, but not accumulation of interstitial edema, reduced CL in this preparation.
Effects of seed layer on the performance of microcrystalline silicon germanium solar cells (2013)

Using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at 13.56 MHz, a seed layer is fabricated at the initial growth stage of the hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon germanium (μc-Si1−xGex:H) i-layer. The effects of seeding processes on the growth of μc-Si1−xGex:H i-layers and the performance of μc-Si1−xGex:H p—i—n single junction solar cells are investigated. By applying this seeding method, the μc-Si1−xGex:H solar cell shows a significant improvement in short circuit current density (Jsc) and fill factor (FF) with an acceptable performance of blue response as a μc-Si:H solar cell even when the Ge content x increases up to 0.3. Finally, an improved efficiency of 7.05% is achieved for the μc-Si0.7Ge0.3:H solar cell.
Lack of habituation of the pattern of cardiovascular response evoked by sound in subjects with primary Raynaud's disease (1998)

1. The vasospasm of primary Raynaud's disease can be triggered by acute emotional stress. We have studied the pattern of cardiovascular response evoked by acute emotional stress, a sound stimulus of 90 dB, 2 kHz for 30 s, in eight subjects with primary Raynaud's disease and in eight age- and sex-matched controls, the sound being repeated five times on each of days 1, 3 and 5. 2. In controls, the first sound evoked the pattern of the alerting response that is characteristic of acute emotional stress: a rise in arterial pressure and heart rate, a decrease in vascular conductance in the cutaneous circulation of the digit, assessed by laser Doppler recording of erythrocyte (red cell) flux in the digit divided by arterial pressure, and an increase in forearm muscle vascular conductance, assessed from forearm blood flow recorded by venous occlusion plethysmography divided by arterial pressure. 3. In the subjects with primary Raynaud's disease, baselines of arterial pressure, digital cutaneous vascular conductance and forearm vascular conductance were not significantly different from those of the controls and they too showed the alerting response to the first sound, the magnitudes of the changes being comparable to those of the controls. 4. In both the controls and subjects with primary Raynaud's disease, the evoked responses were consistent on repetition of the sound on day 1. In contrast, judging from the means of the changes evoked on each day, the controls showed habituation of the individual components of the alerting response over days 1, 3 and 5, whereas the subjects with primary Raynaud's disease showed no habituation of either the forearm muscle vasodilatation or the digital vasoconstriction. Conversely, the decrease in digital cutaneous vascular conductance evoked by a single deep breath was fully reproducible in both controls and subjects with primary Raynaud's disease when tested at the beginning and end of each experimental day. 5. These results allow the novel conclusion that subjects with primary Raynaud's disease have an abnormality of the central neural modulation of the brain stem areas that integrate the cardiovascular components of the alerting response to acute emotional stress, such that habituation of the vasodilator and vasoconstrictor components of the response on repetition of the stimulus is impaired. We propose that such persistence of vasoconstrictor responses to stressful stimuli predisposes to vasospasm, particularly if neurally mediated vasoconstriction is reinforced by locally released vasoconstrictor factors.
Bandas de música en Colombia: la creación musical en la perspectiva educativa (2010)

Wind Bands in Colombia are historically recognized for their contribution to the production and distribution of music repertoires and styles, to the education of future generation of musicians, to the construction of collective projects, and to the appropriation of music in the communities. Because of its importance, public policy regarding music has supported the promotion of wind bands through programs at the local, regional, and national levels. For example, the National Plan of Music of the Ministry of Culture aims to promote a model of bands and schools in different municipalities of Colombia. The article presents diverse factors that have influenced the construction of such model in the last two centuries. These factors help to understand the current dynamics of the wind bands in the country and their perspectives. The analysis begins with the transformation of the bands from the military function to the social service. Second, the role of the band in the production and distribution of regional repertoires that serve as music patrimony and source of music education. Third, the support of the state and the models of bands and schools. Fourth, the production of repertoires as part of the educational mission of wind bands which is the musical, social, and cultural development of the country and the continent.
Introduction of digital narrow-band channel technology into the existing cellular spectrum in the United States (1987)

This paper shows that narrow-band digital channels of N×5 kHz bandwidth can be gracefully introduced into a fully utilized cellular spectrum. The impact of introducing this technology on system blocking levels for new digital channel users and old analog FM channel users is quantified as a function of system growth and technology migration time frame. The degree of channel reuse for the new digital channels, as well as the old FM channels, is shown to decrease significantly from the beginning of the migration period to the end of the migration period. With the large spectral efficiencies afforded by narrow-band digital channels, the number of radio site locations needed to serve a system can be significantly reduced during the migration period, while any increase in radio sites beyond the migration period is at a significantly lower rate than before. Radio site reduction during the migration period is shown to be a function of subscriber growth, migration time frame, and channel bandwidth. Radio site growth after the migration period is shown to be a function of channel bandwidth and subscriber growth.
A fast HEVC transcoder based on content modeling and early termination (2014)

In this paper, a fast transcoding solution from H.264/AVC to HEVC bitstreams is presented. This solution is based on two main modules: a coding unit (CU) classification module that relies on a machine learning technique in order to map H.264/AVC macroblocks into HEVC CUs; and an early termination technique that is based on statistical modeling of the HEVC rate-distortion (RD) cost in order to further speed-up the transcoding. The transcoder is built around an established two-stage transcoding. In the first stage, called the training stage, full re-encoding is performed while the H.264/AVC and the HEVC information are gathered. This information is then used to build both the CU classification model and the early termination sieves, that are used in the second stage (called the transcoding stage). The solution is tested with well-known video sequences and evaluated in terms of RD and complexity. The proposed method is 3.83 times faster, on average, than the trivial transcoder, and 1.8 times faster than a previous transcoding solution, while yielding a RD loss of 4% compared to this solution.
Study of threshold voltage fluctuation caused by source and drain extensions doping variation of tri-gate fin-type FET using three-dimensional device simulation (2014)

The threshold voltage (Vth) fluctuation becomes an emergency problem in the design of integrated circuits using scaled silicon transistors. Since the Vth fluctuation caused by random dopant fluctuation (RDF) in the channel region becomes seriously large, the RDF-induced Vth fluctuation has been studied so far. Although the tri-gate fin-type field-effect transistor (FinFET) is promising owing to the RDF-free intrinsic channel, the Vth fluctuation caused by source and drain extensions doping variation (SDEDV) has not been investigated yet. Therefore, we studied the SDEDV-induced Vth fluctuation of the tri-gate FinFET by three-dimensional (3D) device simulation for the first time. It is demonstrated first that 3D simulation is required for possible accurate analysis. Then it is shown that the SDEDV based on Gaussian doping causes a large Vth fluctuation with a standard deviation of 4.2 mV in the case of the tri-gate FinFET. The origin of the SDEDV-induced Vth fluctuation is the broadening variation of the 3D Gaussian doping profile in the source–drain direction. This result indicates that the broadening suppression of impurity in the ion-implantation and annealing processes is very important for the SDEDV-induced Vth fluctuation.
Composition of corncobs as a substrate for fermentation of biofuels. (2014)

Lignocellulosic residues as for instance corncobs can be used as substrates for the production of biofuels. The corncobs are usually pre-treated in a thermal-physical step (steam explosion) before enzymatic hydrolysis. The pre-treatment process increases the accessibility of the raw material for the hydrolysis. The products of the hydrolyses are used as substrates for the fermentation of bio-ethanol. As an alternative, the hydrolysates could be used for the fermentation of oleaginous yeasts. These yeasts produce and accumulate lipids from glucose during growth. For the energetic use in the form of bio-diesel, the lipids can be converted into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) in the same way as vegetable oils. The fibre composition of the raw material was determined in regard to the proportions of cellulose, hemicellulose und lignin. It was investigated whether different corn varieties show varying compositions. The fibre compositions before the pre-treatment of ten different varieties of corncobs (from locations in Upper Austria) were determined. No significant differences were observed (cellulose: 38.8% ± 2.5%, hemicellulose: 44.4% ± 5.2%, lignin: 11.9% ± 2.3% in the dry matter).