gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of the ER-Kinase Cascade by PD98059 and UO126 Counteracts Ischemic Preconditioning in Pig Myocardium (2000)

Our previous studies suggested a protective role of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) cascade in ischemic preconditioning (IP) in the porcine heart. To test this hypothesis further, we studied the influence of the novel specific inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MEK 1/2) PD98059 (PD) and UO126 (UO) in IP. The substances were infused intramyocardially and UO also systemically in anesthetized, ventilated, open-chested, male pigs. The local intramyocardial PD and UO infusions occurred before IP and during both reperfusion (RP) phases of IP via four pairs of needles (three pairs verum, one solvent) into the risk area (RA). The IP design included two cycles of 10-min left anterior descending artery (LAD) occlusion and 10 min RP, followed by 40 min of occlusion (index ischemia) and of 60 min of RP. Biopsies of the areas of drug infusion were taken after the second RP cycle of IP. By Western blot analysis, the phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 and of the downstream transcription factor Elk-1 were measured, and the activities of the ERKs were tested by in gel phosphorylation. Only small infarcts were detected in the control group animals with the IP period [infarct size (IS), infarct area/risk area; IS, 2.5+/-0.1%]. Significant wedge-shaped infarcts were seen around the area of the PD and UO infusions. The effects of PD and UO were concentration dependent. The maximal dose of UO126 (7.5 mg systemically) was associated with an IS of 68.7+/-2.0%. At the end of IP, we observed a significant increase in phosphorylation and activities of ERKs. PD (50 microM) induced a 50% inhibition of ERK-1 and 56% of ERK-2 activities. Phosphorylated ERK-1 and ERK-2 were decreased after microinfusion of both PD and UO (50 microM). Microinfusion of 50 microM PD also significantly decreased the phosphorylation of Elk-1 (to 59.2+/-8.3% of control conditions). We demonstrate for the first time in vivo that the inhibition of ERKs by PD and UO results in a complete cancellation of IP.
Hashing-Based Traffic Splitting Algorithms for Internet Load Balancing (1999)

Replication of resources is a key technique for improving Internet\nperformance. Effective use of replicated resources requires good load \ndistribution schemes. We study the performance of several hashing schemes\nfor distributing traffic while preserving the order of packets within a\nflow. Traffic distribution with per-flow ordering has applications that\ninclude balancing traffic across multiple Internet access links and\nbalancing HTTP request load in a web server farm. While hashing schemes for\nload balancing have been proposed in the past, this is the first\ncomprehensive study of performance using real traffic traces.\n\nWe evaluate five direct hashing methods and one table-based hashing method. \nWe find that hashing using a 16-bit CRC over the TCP five-tuple gives\nexcellent load balancing performance. Further, load-adaptive table-based\nhashing using the exclusive OR of the source and destination IP addresses\nachieves comparable performance to the 16-bit CRC. Table-based hashing can\nalso distribute load according to unequal weights. We also report on four\nother schemes with poor to moderate performance.
Mathematical possibility of certain systems in geometrical optics (1994)

A system of functional differential equations arising from Fermat’s principle is used to study qualitative questions concerning the mathematical possibility of certain rotationally symmetric piecewise homogeneous optical systems. In particular, it is shown that, given two pairs of points on the optical axis, there exist precisely two systems of single-element lenses having prescribed axial thickness and index of refraction such that these points are perfect foci. This finding sharpens an earlier result. Embedding the solution in a one-parameter family permits the construction of an asymptotic solution that requires the solution of a single nonlinear ordinary differential equation. The leading-order solution corresponds to an optical system satisfying the Herschel condition. The existence and uniqueness results are extended to optical systems having three lens boundaries such as achromatic doublets.
Large Predicted Self-Field Critical Current Enhancements In Superconducting Strips Using Magnetic Screens (1999)

A transport current distribution over a wide superconducting sheet is shown to strongly change in the presence of bulk magnetic screens of a soft magnet with a high permeability. Depending on the geometry, the effect may drastically suppress or protect the Meissner state of the sheet through the enhancement or suppression of the edge barrier critical current. The total transport current in the magnetically screened Meissner state is expected to compete with the critical current of the flux-filled sheet only for samples whose critical current is initially essentially controlled by the edge barrier effect.
Distribution of cannabinoid synthase genes in non-Cannabis organisms (2019)

The discovery of phytocannabinoid synthesizing enzymes, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase (THCAs) and cannabidiolic acid synthase (CBDAs) was a breakthrough in Cannabis research. However, their evolutionary aspects and distribution across organisms has not been adequately studied. We searched for THCAs and CBDAs genes in organisms other than Cannabis plants using the database available in NCBI. Both cannabinoid synthases seem to be widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Of several complete or partial sequences of cannabinoid synthases-likes, CBDAs-like from Morus notabilis matched closely to CsCBDAs and CsTHCAs. When amino acid sequences of CsTHCAs, CsCBDAs and MnCBDAs-like were compared to each other, and to the motif database stored in Expasy, all three proteins contained the FAD_PCMH (PCMH-type FAD-binding) domain indicating the conservation of this domain in cannabinoid synthases. Apart from FAD binding, Berberine Bridge Enzyme (BBE-likes), which catalyzes the synthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids in many plants such as mulberry, poplas and citrus, were the other most closely related enzymes to CsTHCAs and CsCBDAs. We also searched for THCAs and CBDAs in fungal and bacterial kingdom but could not find any notably similar sequence. However, partial mRNA from FAD binding enzyme from Trametes versicolor and 6-hydroxy D nicotine oxidase from Aspergillus saccharolyticus matched the CsTHCA sequence and a partial mRNA from a hypothetical protein in Pneumocystis carinii was the most closely matched fungal enzyme to the CsCBDA. Our database search showed that Morus notabilis from mulberry family could be the candidate plant for further studies. Comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic studies for mulberry and Cannabis plants could provide a much clear concepts on the co-evolution of these syanthases. Moreover, the understanding of cannabinoid synthesis pathway is still evolving, in-depth bioinformatics and functional analysis of the enzymes involved are required for pharmaceutical research and industrial advancement.
Teleconference using stereo voice and an electronic OHP (2003)

An electronic overhead projector (OHP) using a transparent LCD (liquid crystal display) can project character and graphic images generated by a personal computer. Stereo audioconferencing equipment can be combined with the electronic OHP to realize an audiographic conferencing system. A 64 kb/s channel is normally divided into two 32 kb/s subchannels for left and right side voices. When displayed data or control data are transmitted, one of the 32 kb/s subchannels is converted into a control channel and the voices become monaural. It is emphasized that the stereo effect is quite important in detecting which conferee at the other site is speaking.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Eliminating Distance in Scientific Computing: an Experiment in Televisualization (1990)

The utility of video distribution of visualization results was demonstrated. Phillips had shown this previously in a local area. However, with the satellite connection and projection screen, the authors were able to demonstrate the concept over a long distance to 1,000 people in an evening. This form of image distribution is certainly feasible over campus- or community-wide geographies today. Many academic and industry facilities are already wired for video distribution. One of the authors (R.A.E.) lives in a community where the cable service is implemented with fiber- optic distribution of up to 120 channels. Video displays fully integrated into computer workstations are rapidly becoming a reality. While full-motion video in a window is still expensive, video interfaces at slower rates are readily available. A separate video monitor adjacent to the workstation can also be used. Finally, video compression and decompression techniques make possible transmission at less than the full broadcast bandwidths. The capabilities the authors demonstrated will not become routine until there are wide-geography, fiber-optic networks dedicated to supporting scientific computing. These networks will carry image (both compressed and uncompressed), graphical, and numerical data at high speeds from centralized sources of computation, and image generation to users located around themore » country. The first high-speed network facilities are currently being implemented. The development of computer software and hardware to implement and take advantage of these local networks will prepare us for the day when they can be expanded nationally and internationally.« less
A Parametric Study of Inter-Track Interference in Bit Patterned Media Recording (2010)

We present a parametric study of inter-track interference (ITI) in the context of bit patterned media (BPM) recording channels. Bit error rate (BER) simulation results for optimal bit detection at moderate-to-high signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) show that, in a certain range of ITI levels, increased ITI does not necessarily degrade performance. This observation applies to channels both with and without intersymbol interference (ISI) as well as in the absence and presence of track misregistration (TMR). In the case of no ISI, an exact analysis of the BER performance of optimal bit detection provides a complete explanation of the observed effect of ITI. For channels with ISI, error event analysis of a joint-track maximum-likelihood sequence detector provides insight into the observed impact of varying levels of ITI on BER performance.
Extracting crime information from online newspaper articles (2014)

Information extraction is the task of extracting relevant information from unstructured data. This paper aims to 'mine' (or extract) crime information from online newspaper articles and make this information available to the public. Baring few, many countries that possess this information do not make them available to their citizens. So, this paper focuses on automatic extraction of public yet 'hidden' information available in newspaper articles and make it available to the general public. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of such an approach, this paper focuses on one type of crime, the theft crime. This work demonstrates how theft-related information can be extracted from newspaper articles from three different countries. The system employs Named Entity Recognition (NER) algorithms to identify locations in sentences. However, not all the locations reported in the article are crime locations. So, it employs Conditional Random Field (CRF), a machine learning approach to classify whether a sentence in an article is a crime location sentence or not. This work compares the performance of four different NERs in the context of identifying locations and their subsequent impact in classifying a sentence as a 'crime location' sentence. It investigates whether a CRF-based classifier model that is trained to identify crime locations from a set of articles can be used to identify articles from another newspaper in the same country (New Zealand). Also, it compares the accuracy of identifying crime location sentences using the developed model in newspapers from two other countries (Australia and India).
Do endotoxin aggregates intercalate into phospholipid membranes in a nonspecific, hydrophobic manner? (1995)

The interaction of endotoxin aggregates with phospholipid liposomes of different composition was investigated applying fluorescence polarization spectroscopy with the fluorophore diphenylhexatriene and the resonance energy transfer technique using N-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)-PE and N-(Rhodamine B sulfonyl)-PE. Fluorescence polarization data at constant temperature could be interpreted in favor of an intercalation of lipopolysaccharide into phospholipid liposomes even in the absence of Ca 2+ . Intercalation, however, could be clearly excluded from determinations performed as a function of temperature. Experiments employing the resonance energy transfer technique clearly showed that a nonspecific, hydrophobic intercalation of endotoxin aggregates into phospholipid liposomes only takes place in the presence of excess molar concentrations of divalent cations and/or after long-term incubation at elevated temperature (37°C). These findings indicate that under (near) physiological conditions nonspecific intercalation of aggregated lipopolysaccharide into phospholipid membranes represents an unlikely event. The significance of these results for an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of cell activation by endotoxin is discussed.
Liver as the primary site of erythropoietin formation in the fetus. (1977)

Fetal sheep produced significant amounts of erythropoietin in response to bleeding. Bilateral nephrectomy prior to bleeding failed to influence the formation of erythropoietin. Removal of the spleen, in addition to kidneys, was also without effect. Subtotal hepatectomy prior to bleeding, however, inhibited erythropoietin formation in these fetuses. In situ perfusion of the liver, but not the kidney, resulted in the appearance of significant quantities of the hormone in the perfusate. These results suggest that the liver is the primary site of erythropoietin production in the mammalian fetus.
A novel strategy for MALDI-TOF MS analysis of small molecules (2009)

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) does not work efficiently on small molecules (usually with molecular weight below 500 Da) because of the interference of matrix-related peaks in low m/z region. The previous methods developed for this problem focused on reducing the peaks caused by the traditional matrices. Here, we report a novel strategy to analyze small molecules in a high and interference-free mass range by using metal-phthalocyanines (MPcs) as matrices which should be capable of forming matrix-analyte adducts. The mass of the target analyte was calculated by subtracting the mass of MPc from the mass of the MPc-analyte adduct. MPcs were also detectable and could serve as internal standards. Various MPcs with aromatic or aliphatic groups and different metal centers were then synthesized and explored. Aluminum-phthalocyanines (AlPcs), gallium-phthalocyanines (GaPcs), and indium-phthalocyanines (InPcs) were efficient matrices to form MPc-analyte adducts in either the positive or negative ion mode. The detection limits varied from 17 to 75 fmol, depending on analyte types. The mechanism of adducts formation was also proposed. Collectively, our strategy provides a novel and efficient way to analyze small molecules by MALDI-TOF MS.
Reaction of 2, 2′‐dithiodianiline with 2‐alkyl‐1, 3‐diketones. Synthesis and chemical behaviour of some 2‐acyl‐2<i>h</i>‐1, 4‐benzothiazines (1989)

Abstract The reactions of 2, 2′‐dithiodianiline 1 with 2‐alkyl‐1, 3‐diketones 2a‐d have been employed in order to synthesize 2‐acyl‐2 H ‐1, 4‐benzothiazines. In the cases of 2a, b the expected 2‐acyl‐2 H ‐1, 4‐benzothiazines, i.e. 3a, b were obtained, whereas the reactions of 1 with the 1, 3‐diketones 2c, d afforded the α‐ketosulfide 12 and the 1, 4‐benzothiazine 17 , respectively. The products 3a, b underwent the hydrolytic C 2 ‐C 3 bond cleavage of the thiazine nucleus to give the α‐ketosulfides 6 and 11 , respectively. Such an hydrolytic process explains the formation of the compound 12 in the reaction of 1 with 2c . The formation of 17 in the case of 2d is considered to be formed through a rearrangement involving the 1, 3‐sulfur shift of the preformed 1, 4‐benzothiazine 3d .
Roles of intracellular calcium and NF-kappa B in the Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced up-regulation and secretion of IL-8 from human monocytes. (1999)

Clostridium difficile causes an intense inflammatory colitis through the actions of two large exotoxins, toxin A and toxin B. IL-8 is believed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of C. difficile-mediated colitis, although the mechanism whereby the toxins up-regulate the release of IL-8 from target cells is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms through which toxin A induces IL-8 secretion in human monocytes. We found that cellular uptake of toxin A is required for the up-regulation of IL-8, an effect that is not duplicated by a recombinant toxin fragment comprising the cell-binding domain alone. Toxin A induced IL-8 expression at the level of gene transcription and this effect occurred through a mechanism requiring intracellular calcium and calmodulin activation. Additionally, the effects of toxin A were inhibited by the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein, but were unaffected by inhibitors of protein kinase C and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase. We determined that toxin A activates nuclear translocation of the transcription factors NF-kappa B and AP-1, but not NF-IL-6. NF-kappa B inhibitors blocked the ability of toxin A to induce IL-8 secretion, and supershift analysis indicated that the major isoform of NF-kappa B activated by the toxin is a p50-p65 heterodimer. This study is the first to identify intracellular signaling pathways and transcription factors involved in the C. difficile toxin-mediated up-regulation of IL-8 synthesis and release by target cells. This information should increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of C. difficile colitis and the nature of IL-8 gene regulation as well.
Native and Foreign Proteins Secreted by the Cupriavidus metallidurans Type II System and an Alternative Mechanism (2017)

The type II secretion system (T2SS), which transports selected periplasmic proteins across the outer membrane, has rarely been studied in nonpathogens or in organisms classified as Betaproteobacteria. Therefore, we studied <i>Cupriavidus metallidurans</i> (<i>Cme</i>), a facultative chemilithoautotroph. Gel analysis of extracellular proteins revealed no remarkable differences between the wild type and the T2SS mutants. However, enzyme assays revealed that native extracellular alkaline phosphatase is a T2SS substrate, because activity was 10-fold greater for the wild type than a T2SS mutant. In <i>Cme</i> engineered to produce three <i>Ralstonia solanacearum</i> (<i>Rso</i>) exoenzymes, at least 95% of their total activities were extracellular, but unexpectedly high percentages of these exoenzymes remained extracellular in T2SS mutants cultured in rich broth. These conditions appear to permit an alternative secretion process, because neither cell lysis nor periplasmic leakage was observed when <i>Cme</i> produced a <i>Pectobacterium carotovorum</i> exoenzyme, and wild-type <i>Cme</i> cultured in minimal medium secreted 98% of <i>Rso</i> polygalacturonase, but 92% of this exoenzyme remained intracellular in T2SS mutants. We concluded that <i>Cme</i> has a functional T2SS despite lacking any abundant native T2SS substrates. The efficient secretion of three foreign exoenzymes by <i>Cme</i> is remarkable, but so too is the indication of an alternative secretion process in rich culture conditions. When not transiting the T2SS, we suggest that <i>Rso</i> exoenzymes are probably selectively packaged into outer membrane vesicles. Phylogenetic analysis of T2SS proteins supports the existence of at least three T2SS subfamilies, and we propose that <i>Cme</i>, as a representative of the Betaproteobacteria, could become a new useful model system for studying T2SS substrate specificity.
Relative Opsonic and Protective Activities of Antibodies against K1, O and Lipid A Antigens of Escherichia Coli (1979)

The K1 Escherichia coli capsular antigen has been implicated as a virulence factor because of the frequency of isolation of K1 containing strains from certain invasive human infections. In the study of the interaction between K1 strains, normal human polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) and fresh human serum, we have found varying susceptibility to phagocytosis and killing; thus, the in vitro opsonophagocytic and in vivo protective role of K1, somatic O and core glycolipid antibodies remain unclear. We have therefore examined strains of E. coli with defined susceptibility to phagocytosis by normal PMNs and sera and compared the effect of K1, somatic O and lipid A antibodies in opsonophagocytic tests and mouse protection experiments. K1 E. coli strains demonstrating relative resistance to phagocytosis and killing were effectively opsonized only with specific K1 capsular antisera. Similarly, K1 capsular antisera, but not anti-O or lipid A antisera, also provided protection in mice challenged with a LD100 of K1 E. coli that were "resistant" to phagocytosis. The ability of purified capsular antigens from Neisseria meningitidis group B and K1 "resistant" E. coli to inhibit the phagocytosis of a "sensitive" non-K1 and a K1 E. coli strain of "intermediate" susceptibility to opsonophagocytosis was also investigated. Purified K1 and group B capsular antigens were able to block specific capsular-antibody mediated opsonophagocytosis, yet these capsular antigens failed to inhibit the phagocytosis of non-K1 "sensitive" or K1 "intermediate" E. coli. These studies suggest that K1 antibodies are obligatory for the in vitro and in vivo opsonophagocytosis of "resistant" K1 E. coli and that the K1 antigen must remain in situ on the bacterial surface to exert an anti-phagocytic effect.
Perception space analysis: From color vision to odor perception (2017)

On the way to understanding complex perception tasks based on psychophysical data alone, we propose a general framework using multivariate analysis methods to derive a low-dimensional mapping of the underlying perception space. Psychophysical data can be interpreted in two fundamentally different ways: That is, the characterization of stimuli (e.g. colors) using several verbal descriptions (e.g. bright) - a stimuli-as-points view - and conversely, the characterization of the given verbal descriptions by several stimuli - a descriptors-as-points view. We argue that only the latter view enables us to reach an objective mapping of the perception space. For color perception, we show how it is possible to derive objective maps of the perception space, just based on non-comparative verbal descriptions of color stimuli. We also give an example where we analyze odor perception in the same way to derive a quantitative map of odor perception, a perceptual space that is still fairly unknown in its detailed structure.