gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Embedded VLSI Accelerators for Fingerprint Signal Processing (2007)

Personal identification based on biometrics is nowadays an emerging research subject. Several physiological and behavioral human characteristics have been suggested in the last decades as discriminating features to be used in personal recognition. Among them, fingerprint is the most widely used technique due to its high discriminating power. However, matching fingerprints in an automatic way is still a technical challenge. A compromise in the system performance exists: accuracy, security, real-time and cost are some of the critical points to face up to. The main contribution of this work is focused on the physical implementation of the recognition system. The design of an embedded system developed by means of hardware/software co-design techniques highlights much more advantages than those traditional software-based solutions. The introduction of programmable logic into the system permits the synthesis of application-specific hardware accelerators to speed up those computationally-expensive signal processing tasks, while keeping the rest of less expensive tasks under the control of a general-purpose microprocessor. The selected system architecture and the proper hardware-software partitioning of the application have made possible the development of an automatic fingerprint matcher system featuring real-time performance at an affordable cost, what is not guaranteed when developing the same matching algorithm under a purely-software platform.
Whole‐Body‐Vibration Training Increases Knee‐Extension Strength and Speed of Movement in Older Women (2004)

WBV is a suitable training method and is as efficient as conventional RES training to improve knee-extension strength and speed of movement and counter-movement jump performance in older women. As previously shown in young women, it is suggested that the strength gain in older women is mainly due to the vibration stimulus and not only to the unloaded exercises performed on the WBV platform.
Streetlights and shadows: searching for the keys to adaptive decision making (2010)

In making decisions, when should we go with our gut and when should we try to analyze every option? When should we use our intuition and when should we rely on logic and statistics? Most of us would probably agree that for important decisions, we should follow certain guidelines -- gather as much information as possible, compare the options, pin down the goals before getting started. But in practice we make some of our best decisions by adapting to circumstances rather than blindly following procedures. In Streetlights and Shadows, Gary Klein debunks the conventional wisdom about how to make decisions. He takes ten commonly accepted claims about decision making and shows that they are better suited for the laboratory than for life. The standard advice works well when everything is clear, but the tough decisions involve shadowy conditions of complexity and ambiguity. Gathering masses of information, for example, works if the information is accurate and complete -- but that doesn't often happen in the real world. (Think about the careful risk calculations that led to the downfall of the Wall Street investment houses.) Klein offers more realistic ideas about how to make decisions in real-life settings. He provides many examples -- ranging from airline pilots and weather forecasters to sports announcers and Captain Jack Aubrey in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander novels -- to make his point. All these decision makers saw things that others didn't. They used their expertise to pick up cues and to discern patterns and trends. We can make better decisions, Klein tells us, if we are prepared for complexity and ambiguity and if we will stop expecting the data to tell us everything.
Chronic Pelvic Pain (2003)

Chronic pelvic pain is a common and significant disorder of women. It is estimated to have a prevalence of 3.8% in women. Often the etiology of chronic pelvic pain is not clear, as there are many disorders of the reproductive tract, gastrointestinal system, urological organs, musculoskeletal system, and psychoneurological system that may be associated with chronic pelvic pain. The history and physical examination are crucial in evaluating a woman with chronic pelvic pain and must address all of the possible systems potentially involved in chronic pelvic pain, not just the reproductive system. Laboratory and imaging studies should be selectively utilized, as should laparoscopy. Conscious laparoscopic pain mapping has been proposed as a way to improve information derived from laparoscopic evaluations. Treatment of chronic pelvic pain may consist of two approaches. One is to treat chronic pain itself as a diagnosis, and the other is to treat diseases or disorders that might be a cause of or a contributor to chronic pelvic pain. These two approaches are not mutually exclusive, and in many patients effective therapy is best achieved by using both approaches. Treatment of chronic pain as well as treatment of four of the more common disorders associated with chronic pelvic pain (endometriosis, adhesions, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis) are discussed in this review.
A cell for the study of the electrolytic conductivity at high temperature in aqueous solutions (1993)

In this paper the authors describe the construction and operation of a conductivity setup for high-temperature measurements. In the new conductivity equipment a direct current input signal and a high performance computer-controlled air oven were employed to measure the electrolyte conductance of dilute NaOH aqueous solutions up to 150 °C.
Erythrocyte porphobilinogen synthase (delta-aminolaevulinate dehydratase) activity: a reliable and quantitative indicator of lead exposure in humans. (1977)

We assessed optimal conditions for assay of porphobillinogen synthase (EC 4.2.1.24) activity in human blood containing abnormally high concentrations of lead. Zn2+and -SH, both required for complete activation of the enzyme, had additive effects. Using a modified method based on these studies, we found blood lead concentration to be strictly proportional to ln(activated/nonactivated) enzyme activity. One brand of commercially available "lead-free" tubes contained a substance that interfered with this relationship. In vitro studies, with the modified assay, showed ALAD to be activated by low concentrations but inactivated by high concentrations of Hg2+, Cd2+, and ethylenediaminetetraacetate. We fouund no genetically influenced differences among unexposed individuals when in(activated/nonactivated) enzyme activities were compared. The technique is suitable for use in screening for lead poisoning in humans.
SUC1 and SUC2: two sucrose transporters from <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>; expression and characterization in baker's yeast and identification of the histidine‐tagged protein (1994)

An important, most likely essential step for the long distance transport of sucrose in higher plants is the energy-dependent, uncoupler-sensitive loading into phloem cells via a sucrose-H+ symporter. This paper describes functional expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of two cDNAs encoding energy-dependent sucrose transporters from the plasma membrane of Arabidopsis thaliana, SUC1 and SUC2. Yeast cells transformed with vectors allowing expression of either SUC1 or SUC2 under the control of the promoter of the yeast plasma membrane ATPase gene (PMA1) transport sucrose, and to a lesser extent also maltose, across their plasma membranes in an energy-dependent manner. The KM-values for sucrose transport are 0.50 mM and 0.77 mM, respectively, and transport by both proteins is strongly inhibited by uncouplers such as carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) and dinitrophenol (DNP), or SH-group inhibitors. The VMAX but not the KM-values of sucrose transport depend on the energy status of transgenic yeast cells. The two proteins exhibit different patterns of pH dependence with SUC1 being much more active at neutral and slightly acidic pH values than SUC2. The proteins share 78% identical amino acids, their apparent molecular weights are 54.9 kDa and 54.5 kDA, respectively, and both proteins contain 12 putative transmembrane helices. A modified SUC1-His6 cDNA encoding a histidine tag at the SUC1 C-terminus was also expressed in S. cerevisiae. The tagged protein is fully active and is shown to migrate at an apparent molecular weight of 45 kDa on 10% SDS-polyacrylamide gels.
Robust place recognition with stereo cameras (2010)

Place recognition is a challenging task in any SLAM system. Algorithms based on visual appearance are becoming popular to detect locations already visited, also known as loop closures, because cameras are easily available and provide rich scene detail. These algorithms typically result in pairs of images considered depicting the same location. To avoid mismatches, most of them rely on epipolar geometry to check spatial consistency. In this paper we present an alternative system that makes use of stereo vision and combines two complementary techniques: bag-of-words to detect loop closing candidate images, and conditional random fields to discard those which are not geometrically consistent. We evaluate this system in public indoor and outdoor datasets from the Rawseeds project, with hundred-metre long trajectories. Our system achieves more robust results than using spatial consistency based on epipolar geometry.
Macroporous Biodegradable Cryogels of Synthetic Poly(α-amino acids) (2015)

We present an investigation of the preparation of highly porous hydrogels based on biodegradable synthetic poly(α-amino acid) as potential tissue engineering scaffolds. Covalently cross-linked gels with permanent pores were formed under cryogenic conditions by free-radical copolymerization of poly[N(5)-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-glutamine-stat-N(5)-(2-methacryloyl-oxy-ethyl)-L-glutamine] (PHEG-MA) with 2-hydrohyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and, optionally, N-propargyl acrylamide (PrAAm) as minor comonomers. The morphology of the cryogels showed interconnected polyhedral or laminar pores. The volume content of communicating water-filled pores was >90%. The storage moduli of the swollen cryogels were in the range of 1-6 kPa, even when the water content was >95%. The enzymatic degradation of a cryogel corresponded to the decrease in its storage modulus during incubation with papain, a model enzyme with specificity analogous to wound-healing enzymes. It was shown that cryogels with incorporated alkyne groups can easily be modified with short synthetic peptides using azide-alkyne cycloaddition "click" chemistry, thus providing porous hydrogel scaffolds with biomimetic features.
Kinetics of Growth and Amylase Production of <i>Saccharomycopsis fibuligera</i> on Potato Processing Wastewater (1980)

The kinetics of growth and amylase production of Saccharomycopsis fibuligera were studied in a chemostat on a synthetic potato processing blancher water. Dilution rates (D) from 0.101 to 0.480 h were examined. A mathematical model based on the Monod equation was developed. The yield of cell mass from carbohydrates was constant and equal to 0.84. The maximum specific growth rate and the Monod constant were determined to be 0.596 h and 0.226 mg/ml, respectively. An equation for the steady-state starch concentrations was empirically derived. The steady-state noncarbohydrate carbon levels rose linearly with D. Reducing sugars were the growth-limiting substrate, and their steady-state levels conformed to Monod kinetics. The yield of amylase from the cell mass (Y(z)) declined as D rose and was described by the equation Y(z) = (-8.005D + 4.076). The model predicted that the maximum production of cell mass should occur at D = 0.35 h and the maximum production of amylase should occur at D = 0.22 h. The mathematical model presented agreed with the experimental results in its prediction of the steady-state level of reducing sugar, starch, cell mass, and amylase concentrations as well as the productivity of amylase.
Long-term immunological reconstitution by peripheral blood leucocytes in severe combined immune deficiency disease: implications for the role of mature lymphocytes in histocompatible bone marrow transplantation. (1986)

A 7 month old girl with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) received a single transfusion of peripheral blood leucocytes from her histocompatible grandfather in an attempt to achieve immunological reconstitution. There was rapid restoration of humoral and cellular immunity which has persisted undiminished over a 54 month follow-up period and the patient has remained free of any significant infections. Lymphocytes of donor karyotype were repeatedly demonstrated in the patient's peripheral blood. In contrast, no evidence of donor cell engraftment in her bone marrow could be obtained by karyotypic, antigenic or enzyme phenotypic analyses. These observations suggest that long term immunological reconstitution may be achieved solely by peripheral engraftment of mature lymphocytes. A review of the literature reveals that this mechanism of immunological reconstitution may not be uncommon following histocompatible bone marrow transplantation for treatment of SCID.
Echinocandins - an update (2002)

Echinocandins and echinocandin-like compounds are non-competitive inhibitors of the synthesis of 1,3-β-D-glucan, a major and essential component in the wall of many important fungal pathogens. Since this polysaccharide is not present in mammalian cells the glucan synthase became an attractive target for the development of new antifungal agents. In the last 25 years, several research institutes claimed new synthetic derivatives of echinocandin B and related natural cyclic hexapeptides with antifungal activity. The main goal is to find glucan synthesis inhibitors with a broad spectrum of fungicidal activity and useful oral bioavailability. In the last 3 years several patents have been filed and papers published, most of them claim novel echinocandin-like compounds, a few present processes for preparing oral echinocandin formulations and others include combinations of echinocandins with other antifungal agents, calcineurin inhibitors or human effector cells.
Biomarkers for Homologous Recombination Deficiency in Cancer (2018)

Defective DNA repair is a common hallmark of cancer. Homologous recombination is a DNA repair pathway of clinical interest due to the sensitivity of homologous recombination-deficient cells to poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. The measurement of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in cancer is therefore vital to the appropriate design of clinical trials incorporating PARP inhibitors. However, methods to identify HRD in tumors are varied and controversial. Understanding existing and new methods to measure HRD is important to their appropriate use in clinical trials and practice. The aim of this review is to summarize the biology and clinical validation of current methods to measure HRD, to aid decision-making for patient stratification and translational research in PARP inhibitor trials. We discuss the current clinical development of PARP inhibitors, along with established indicators for HRD such as germline BRCA1/2 mutation status and clinical response to platinum-based therapy. We then examine newer assays undergoing clinical validation, including 1) somatic mutations in homologous recombination genes, 2) "genomic scar" assays using array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis or mutational signatures derived from next-generation sequencing, 3) transcriptional profiles of HRD, and 4) phenotypic or functional assays of protein expression and localization. We highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each of these assays, for consideration during the design of studies involving PARP inhibitors.
Particle packing. II: Review of packing of polydisperse particle systems (1992)

We deal with the packing of distributions of particles, or polydisperse systems. We will cover the various study from the early 1900's to the present. The papers contributing to the principles of packing will be discussed
Effect of molecular crowding on DNA polymerase activity (2006)

Live cells contain high concentrations of macromolecules, but almost all experimental biochemical data have been generated from dilute solutions that do not reflect conditions in vivo. To understand biomolecular behavior in vivo, properties studied in vitro are extrapolated to conditions in vivo; however, the molecular conditions within live cells are inherently crowded. The present study investigates the effect of molecular crowding on DNA polymerase activity using polyethylene glycol PEG of various molecular weights as a crowding agent. Polymerase activity assays under various conditions demonstrated that the activities of T7 and Taq DNA polymerases depend on the molecular weight and concentration of the crowding agent. Furthermore, equilibrium and kinetic analyses demonstrated that the binding affinity and catalytic activity of the polymerase increase and decrease, respectively, with increasing PEG concentrations. Based on quantitative parameters of the polymerase reactions, we improved the efficiency of PCR amplification under conditions of molecular crowding. These results suggest that quantitative measurements of biomolecular structure and function are useful for understanding the behavior of biomolecules in vivo and for biotechnology applications in vitro.
MFI Zeolite with Small and Uniform Intracrystal Mesopores (2006)

The nucleation of a ZSM-5 zeolite in the presence of silylated polyethylenimine polymers affords composite crystals that contain phase-segregated polymer. Calcination of the crystals results in zeolites with uniform intracrystal mesopores smaller than 10 nm, which are ideally suited for size-selective catalytic conversions of large molecules.
The rise of organic electrode materials for energy storage (2016)

Organic electrode materials are very attractive for electrochemical energy storage devices because they can be flexible, lightweight, low cost, benign to the environment, and used in a variety of device architectures. They are not mere alternatives to more traditional energy storage materials, rather, they have the potential to lead to disruptive technologies. Although organic electrode materials for energy storage have progressed in recent years, there are still significant challenges to overcome before reaching large-scale commercialization. This review provides an overview of energy storage systems as a whole, the metrics that are used to quantify the performance of electrodes, recent strategies that have been investigated to overcome the challenges associated with organic electrode materials, and the use of computational chemistry to design and study new materials and their properties. Design strategies are examined to overcome issues with capacity/capacitance, device voltage, rate capability, and cycling stability in order to guide future work in the area. The use of low cost materials is highlighted as a direction towards commercial realization.
Defensive Responses to Predator Threat in the Rat and Mouse (2005)

Abstract Defensive responses include an array of specific behaviors, including flight, freezing, risk assessment, and defensive threat/attack, that are elicited by unconditioned threat stimuli such as predators or predator odors. Some individual defensive behaviors are selectively responsive to drugs effective against generalized anxiety disorder or panic, providing a rationale for their use in investigation of compounds that may be useful in treating these disorders. In addition, defensive behaviors toward predators and some predator odors show rapid conditioning to contextual stimuli, whereas other predator odors do not, although they too elicit defensiveness. This pattern suggests that the ability of a predator odor to predict danger may be a determinant of the degree to which that odor supports aversive conditioning. Predators and predator odors are also increasingly used in studies of brain systems potentially related to emotionality. These factors indicate the need for selective, reliable, and convenient tests of defensiveness to predators and predator odors using rat and mouse subjects.
Antiretroviral Therapy Initiated During Acute HIV Infection Fails to Prevent Persistent T-Cell Activation (2013)

Initiation of antiretroviral therapy during acute HIV-1 infection may prevent persistent immune activation. We analyzed longitudinal CD38+HLA-DR+ CD8+ T-cell percentages in 31 acutely infected individuals who started early (median 43 days since infection) and successful antiretroviral therapy, and maintained viral suppression through 96 weeks. Pretherapy a median of 72.6% CD8+ T cells were CD38+HLA-DR+, and although this decreased to 15.6% by 96 weeks, it remained substantially higher than seronegative controls (median 8.9%, P = 0.008). Shorter time to suppression predicted lower activation at 96 weeks. These results support the hypothesis that very early events in HIV-1 pathogenesis may result in prolonged immune dysfunction.
Nonverbal communication with a multimodal agent via facial expression recognition (2011)

Based on our previous work in the development of a multimodal animated avatar oriented to human-machine interaction and social robotics, a facial expression recognition system is presented in this paper. Both the avatar's architecture and facial recognition system have been oriented to FACS Action Units recognition and generation, so they can be easily integrated. The resulting animated system is able to maintain nonverbal and verbal bidirectional communication, enhancing the interaction with the avatar and making it more natural for the users.
Neutropenic Mice Can Be Protected from Fungus Infection by Ex Vivo Expanded Allogeneic Myeloid Progenitors. (2005)

Abstract Neutropenia induced by chemotherapy, hematopoietic cell transplantation, as well as radiation-induced neutropenia is accompanied by a significant morbidity and mortality due to increased susceptibility to a variety of pathogens. Despite clinical advances, such as the availability of growth factors that can stimulate granulopoiesis, like G-CSF, and new generations of antibiotics and antifungal agents, the problem persists. Direct cellular therapy with mature granulocytes has met with limited success, and would be difficult to implement due to the large number of cells needed, their very short lifespan and the inability to store the cells between harvesting and use. Our long-term goal is to develop a non-HLA-restricted cell-based short-term bridging therapy to reduce susceptibility to infection and enhance recovery from infections in the setting of neutropenia. The recent characterization of surface marker profiles of early myeloid progenitors has allowed the prospective testing of these cells. It has been clearly shown that the use of limited numbers of a combination of Common Myeloid Progenitors (CMP) and Granulocyte-Macrophage-Progenitors (GMP), purified from bone marrow, can protect mice from a normally lethal challenge with fungus or bacteria [Blood100:4660-7(2002)]. We have extended these observations and tested whether myeloid progenitors (MP) with similar properties can be obtained in large numbers from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in vitro. Here we report that a one week, serum-free culture can result in a 200-fold expansion of cells with myeloid progenitor activity with respect to the starting CD117+, CD90.1low, Linneg/low and Sca-1+ KTLS-HSC. Furthermore, these myeloid progenitor cells are as effective as Myeloid Progenitors sorted directly from bone marrow in preventing death due to invasive aspergillosis, even when the cells are fully allogeneic and have been cryopreserved prior to use. These results indicate a way in which myeloid progenitor cells, which can be stored frozen prior to use, can be obtained in large numbers. This process, once translated to human cells, would also open the way for the stockpiling of MP for use in nuclear disasters.