gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Increased expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in astrocytes and macrophages in the spinal cord of Lewis rats with autoimmune encephalomyelitis (2001)

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is constitutively expressed in neurons of the central nervous system, where it plays a physiological role in neurotransmission. In this study, we examined the functional role of nNOS in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis(EAE). The effects of the specific nNOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole on normal and EAE rats were studied by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. We found that nNOS is constitutively expressed in the spinal cords of normal rats, whilst in the spinal cords of EAE rats, nNOS expression slightly increased, concomitant with the infiltration of T cells and macrophages. Immunohistochemical studies showed that nNOS expression in macrophages and astrocytes increased at the peak stage of EAE and declined thereafter. Treatment with 7-nitroindazole (30 mg/kg) significantly delayed the onset of EAE paralysis, but had no effect on either the incidence or the severity of the paralysis. These findings suggest that nNOs inhibition has a limited role in the induction of rat EAE, and that constitutive nNOS in the spinal cord functions as a novel neurotransmitter, rather than a pro-inflammatory agent.
Feature extraction from ECG for classification by artificial neural networks (2003)

The ability of properly trained artificial neural networks to correctly classify patterns makes them particularly suitable for the interpretation of ECG (electrocardiography) signals. Attention was given to three classes of ECGs, namely, normal and two cardiac myopathies, and anterior and inferior infarctions. Suitable features were extracted from the digitized bipolar limb lead ECG signals, and results are presented to show that a multilayer perceptron can correctly discriminate between the three chosen classes.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Lifetime Health and Economic Consequences of Obesity (1999)

The lifetime health and economic consequences of obesity are substantial and suggest that efforts to prevent or reduce this problem might yield significant benefits.
Ethanol Production by Thermophilic Bacteria: Relationship Between Fermentation Product Yields of and Catabolic Enzyme Activities in <i>Clostridium thermocellum</i> and <i>Thermoanaerobium brockii</i> (1980)

Significant quantitative differences in end-product yields by two strains of Clostridium thermocellum and one strain of Thermoanaerobium brockii were observed during cellobiose fermentation. Most notably, the ethanol/H(2) and lactate/acetate ratios were drastically higher for T. brockii as compared with C. thermocellum strains LQRI and AS39. Exogenous H(2) addition (0.4 to 1.0 atm) during culture growth increased the ethanol/acetate ratio of both T. brockii and AS39 but had no effect on LQRI. All strains had an operative Embden-Meyerhof glycolytic pathway and displayed catabolic activities of fructose-1,6-diphosphate-activated lactate dehydrogenase, coenzyme A acetylating pyruvate and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, hydrogenase, ethanol dehydrogenase, and acetate kinase. Enzyme kinetic properties (apparent K(m), V(max), and Q(10) values) and the specificity of electron donors/acceptors for different oxidoreductases involved in pyruvate conversion to fermentation products were compared in the three strains. Both species contained ferredoxin-linked pyruvate dehydrogenase and pyridine nucleotide oxidoreductases. Ferredoxin-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) reductase activity was significantly higher in T. brockii than in AS39 and was not detectable in LQRI. H(2) production and hydrogenase activity were inversely related to ferredoxin-NAD reductase activity in the three strains. Ferredoxin-NAD phosphate reductase activity was present in cell extracts of both species. Alcohol dehydrogenase activity in C. thermocellum was NAD dependent, unidirectional, and inhibited by low concentrations of NAD and ethanol. Ethanol dehydrogenase activity of T. brockii was both NAD and NADP linked, reversible, and not inhibited by low levels of reaction products. The high lactate yield of T. brockii correlated with increased fructose-1,6-diphosphate. The relation of catabolic enzyme activity and quantitative differences in intracellular electron flow and fermentation product yields of these thermophilic bacteria is discussed.
Survival after stem-cell transplant in pediatric and young-adult patients with relapsed and refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (2017)

Survival rates are low in pediatric and young-adult patients who relapse after first and second allo-SCT, and new therapies are needed to improve outcomes in this population. This data can be used as a historical comparison for single-arm trials of novel therapies for this patient population, including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.
Analysis of micro-Doppler signatures for vital sign detection using UWB impulse Doppler radar (2016)

The joined range-time-frequency representation of ultra-wideband (UWB) Doppler radar signatures from a walking human subject is processed with a state space method (SSM) in which micro-Doppler (m-D) features are extracted for vital sign analysis. To clearly distinguish respiration rates from moving subjects, the SSM, originally developed for radar target identification and sensor fusion, is applied in a sliding short-time window for enhanced resolution in vital sign detection. This application of SSM to sliding short-time data, termed hereafter as short-time SSM (STSSM), is validated with a full-wave electromagnetic simulation of a walking subject using the Boulic model to represent the kinematics. The scattering model is utilized to calibrate the state space system parameters before it is applied to experimental UWB radar data. The cross correlation and weight functions are utilized to cancel the random motions attributed by walking from a human subject, prior to the application of STSSM to UWB signal. The results show that STSSM can be successfully utilized to accurately measure vital signs in real experimental data, thus demonstrating the capability to positively identify respiration rates even in a low signal-to-noise ratio environment.
Systemic Elimination of <i>de novo</i> Capsid Protein Synthesis from Replication-Competent AAV Contamination in the Liver (2011)

The capsid protein synthesis in targeted tissues resulting from residual contaminating replication-competent adeno-associated virus particles (rcAAV) remains a concern for hazardous immune responses that shut down the factor IX expression in the hemophilia B clinical trial. To systematically reduce/eliminate the effects of potential contaminating rcAAV particles, we designed a novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) helper (pH22mir) with a microRNA binding cassette containing multiple copies of liver-specific (hsa-mir-122) and hematopoietic-specific (has-mir-142-3p) sequences to specifically control cap gene expression. In 293 cells, the rep and cap gene from pH22mir functioned similarly to that of conventional helper pH22. The vector yields and compositions from pH22mir and pH22 were indistinguishable. The performance of vector produced in this new system was comparable to that of similar vectors produced by conventional methods. In the human hepatic cell line, the capsid expression was reduced significantly from cap-mir cassette driven by a cytomegalovirus promoter. In the liver, 99.9% of capsid expression could be suppressed and no cap expression could be detected by western blot. In summary, we demonstrated a new concept in reducing de novo capsid synthesis in the targeted tissue. This strategy may not only help AAV vectors in controlling undesirable capsid gene expression, but can also be adopted for lentiviral or adenoviral vector production.
Discovery of myopodin methylation in bladder cancer (2008)

Myopodin is an actin-binding protein that shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. After identifying an enriched CpG island encompassing the transcription site of myopodin, we aimed at evaluating the potential relevance of myopodin methylation in bladder cancer. The epigenetic silencing of myopodin by hypermethylation was tested in bladder cancer cells (n=12) before and after azacytidine treatment. Myopodin hypermethylation was associated with gene expression, being increased in vitro by this demethylating agent. The methylation status of myopodin promoter was then evaluated by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) analyses. Myopodin was revealed to be frequently methylated in a large series of 466 bladder tumours (68.7%). Myopodin methylation was significantly associated with tumour stage (p<0.0005) and tumour grade (p=0.037). Myopodin expression patterns were analysed by immunohistochemistry on tissue arrays containing bladder tumours for which myopodin methylation was assessed (n=177). The presence of low nuclear myopodin expression alone (p = 0.031) or combined with myopodin methylation (p=0.008) was associated with poor survival. Moreover, myopodin methylation in 164 urinary specimens distinguished patients with bladder cancer from controls with a sensitivity of 65.0%, a specificity of 79.8%, and a global accuracy of 75.3%. Thus, myopodin was identified to be epigenetically modified in bladder cancer. The association of myopodin methylation and nuclear expression patterns with cancer progression and clinical outcome, together with its ability to detect bladder cancer patients using urinary specimens, suggests the utility of incorporating myopodin methylation assessment in the clinical management of patients affected by uroepithelial neoplasias.
Enzymatic Cleavage of the ϵ-Peptide Bond in α- and ϵ-Substituted Glycyl- and Phenylaianyl-Lysine Peptides (1982)

Lysine peptides, X-Lys-OH (Formula: see text) were synthesized, following classic or non-classic routes. Some bacterial and mammalian enzymes, endo- and exo-peptide hydrolases of the enzyme nomenclature type EC 3.4., were tested for their ability to split the epsilon-peptide bond in the above substrates. Kinetic constants (Km,kcat) were evaluated with leucine aminopeptidase from hog kidney and eye lens with aminopeptidase I from yeast. Aminopeptidase M (hog pancreas) and hog intestinal aminopeptidase were additionally examined for their Ki values with the above substrates in comparison to the classic protease substrate leucine p-nitroanilide. Especially the intestinal mucosa hydrolases are shown to be efficient in cleaving epsilon-peptide bonds.
The role of p21 in regulating mammalian regeneration (2011)

The MRL (Murphy Roths Large) mouse has provided a unique model of adult mammalian regeneration as multiple tissues show this important phenotype. Furthermore, the healing employs a blastema-like structure similar to that seen in amphibian regenerating tissue. Cells from the MRL mouse display DNA damage, cell cycle G2/M arrest, and a reduced level of p21CIP1/WAF. A functional role for p21 was confirmed when tissue injury in an adult p21-/- mouse showed a healing phenotype that matched the MRL mouse, with the replacement of tissues, including cartilage, and with hair follicle formation and a lack of scarring. Since the major canonical function of p21 is part of the p53/p21 axis, we explored the consequences of p53 deletion. A regenerative response was not seen in a p53-/- mouse and the elimination of p53 from the MRL background had no negative effect on the regeneration of the MRL.p53-/- mouse. An exploration of other knockout mice to identify p21-dependent, p53-independent regulatory pathways involved in the regenerative response revealed another significant finding showing that elimination of transforming growth factor-β1 displayed a healing response as well. These results are discussed in terms of their effect on senescence and differentiation.
On test pattern compaction using random pattern fault simulation (2002)

Random pattern fault simulation is known to be an efficient method for accelerating test generation process but it is not suited for generating compact test sets because a test set generated by random pattern fault simulation contains many redundant test vectors. In this paper through a set of experiments we first demonstrate the inverse influence of the initial test set size on the final test set size obtained after compaction. We then propose a novel method of deriving compact test sets based on the random pattern fault simulation and compact test generation already proposed. Experimental results show that for the benchmark circuits our method produces minimum or near minimum test sets in substantially less run time than the methods that do not make use of random vectors.
On the application of parallel database technology for large scale document management systems (2002)

Modern document management systems administer an increasing amount of data. Unfortunately traditional database technology cannot satisfy the resulting performance requirements. We report on how parallel database technology can contribute to make large and scalable document management systems work. Our discussion clearly shows that simply substituting a sequential database system for a parallel one does not necessarily lead to scalability and high performance. In contrast, detailed knowledge of the application and document management system is necessary to decide on the optimal architecture of the parallel database system, its query optimization and parallelization strategies, as well as on its data fragmentation scheme and load balancing properties. All discussions are exemplified referring to an existing document management system developed at our university that is currently migrated from a sequential database system to a parallel one.
URINARY N-ACETYL-β-D-GLUCOSAMINIDASE ASSAY IN RENAL TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS (1978)

Urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities were measured in 181 patients with renal allografts during a 15-month period. Activities were high immediately after transplantation but decreased rapidly in the absences of complication. Urinary NAG activities increased by 50% or more in relation to 33 of 36 (92%) episodes of acute rejection diagnosed and treated by clinicians during the first 90 days after transplantation. The increase preceded clinical diagnosis in 70% of the cases, the median interval being 1.5 days. NAG activities decreased after treatment of rejection in 90% of the cases. Chronic rejection, renal vein thrombosis, renal artery stenosis, oliguria, hypotension, and the administraion of gentamicin may also cause increased NAG activity. Urinary NAG assay is simple and inexpensive, and is a useful aid to the early diagnosis of rejection of renal transplants. Results must, however, be interpreted by the clinician, bearing in mind other causes for increased activity.
Information assurance through Kolmogorov complexity (2002)

The problem of information assurance is approached from the point of view of Kolmogorov complexity and minimum message length criteria. Several theoretical results are obtained, possible applications are discussed and a new metric for measuring complexity is introduced. Utilization of Kolmogorov complexity like metrics as conserved parameters to detect abnormal system behavior is explored. Data and process vulnerabilities are put forward as two different dimensions of vulnerability that can be discussed in terms of Kolmogorov complexity. Finally, these results are utilized to conduct complexity-based vulnerability analysis.
Cooperative radar techniques: The two-step detector (2011)

In this paper we analyze a two-step detection scheme for use in distributed sensor systems (e.g. statistical MIMO radar). The scheme arises when a data rate restriction forces each of the distributed systems to sensor their detection statistics before sharing. We present the Neyman-Pearson (NP) two-step detection rule for the Swerling 2 target model case and expressions for the overall probability of detection and false alarm. We then analyze the performance of the Swerling 2 NP two-step detector, which requires a priori knowledge of the target SNR, and provide empirical evidence that it appears to be only weakly dependent on this a priori knowledge.
The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality for Administering Spatial Navigation Training to Firefighters (1997)

Because fire rescue personnel often enter unfamiliar buildings to perform critical tasks like rescues, the importance of finding new and improved ways to train route navigation is becoming paramount. This research was designed to compare three methods for training firefighters to navigate a rescue route in an unfamiliar building. Thirty firefighters from the Madison County, Alabama, area were trained to navigate through the Administrative Science Building at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. The firefighters, who had not had any experience with the Administrative Science Building prior to the experiment, were randomly assigned to one of three experimental training groups: Blueprint, Virtual Reality, or No Training (Control). After training, we measured the total navigation time and number of wrong turns exhibited by firefighters in the actual building. Participants were required to rescue a mock baby (a life-sized doll) following the specific trained route. Measures of test performance were compared among groups by using analyses of variance (ANOVAs). The results indicated that firefighters trained with virtual reality or blueprints performed a quicker and more accurate rescue than those without training. Furthermore, the speed and accuracy of rescue performance did not differ significantly between virtual reality and blueprint training groups. These results indicate that virtual reality training, if constructed and implemented properly, may provide an effective alternative to current navigation training methods. The results are discussed with regard to theories of transfer of training and human performance in virtual environments.
Novel medical image enhancement algorithms (2009)

In this paper, we present two novel medical image enhancement algorithms. The first, a global image enhancement algorithm, utilizes an alpha-trimmed mean filter as its backbone to sharpen images. The second algorithm uses a cascaded unsharp masking technique to separate the high frequency components of an image in order for them to be enhanced using a modified adaptive contrast enhancement algorithm. Experimental results from enhancing electron microscopy, radiological, CT scan and MRI scan images, using the MATLAB environment, are then compared to the original images as well as other enhancement methods, such as histogram equalization and two forms of adaptive contrast enhancement. An image processing scheme for electron microscopy images of Purkinje cells will also be implemented and utilized as a comparison tool to evaluate the performance of our algorithm.
The Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2<i>α</i> N-Terminal and C-Terminal Transactivation Domains Cooperate To Promote Renal Tumorigenesis In Vivo (2007)

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a heterodimeric transcription factor, consisting of an alpha subunit and a beta subunit, that controls cellular responses to hypoxia. HIFalpha contains two transcriptional activation domains called the N-terminal transactivation domain (NTAD) and the C-terminal transactivation domain (CTAD). HIFalpha is destabilized by prolyl hydroxylation catalyzed by EglN family members. In addition, CTAD function is inhibited by asparagine hydroxylation catalyzed by FIH1. Both hydroxylation reactions are linked to oxygen availability. The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) is frequently mutated in kidney cancer and is part of the ubiquitin ligase complex that targets prolyl hydroxylated HIFalpha for destruction. Recent studies suggest that HIF2alpha plays an especially important role in promoting tumor formation by pVHL-defective renal carcinoma cells among the three HIFalpha paralogs. Here we dissected the relative contribution of the two HIF2alpha transactivation domains to hypoxic gene activation and renal carcinogenesis and investigated the regulation of the HIF2alpha CTAD by FIH1. We found that the HIF2alpha NTAD is capable of activating both artificial and naturally occurring HIF-responsive promoters in the absence of the CTAD. Moreover, we found that the HIF2alpha CTAD, in contrast to the HIF1alpha CTAD, is relatively resistant to the inhibitory effects of FIH1 under normoxic conditions and that, perhaps as a result, both the NTAD and CTAD cooperate to promote renal carcinogenesis in vivo.
Elimination of nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> with mupirocin during a hospital outbreak (1988)

During a hospital outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), involving more than 200 patients, 40 patients and 32 hospital staff who were stable nasal carriers of MRSA received topical application of 2% mupirocin, formulated in a white soft paraffin and lanolin ointment, to their anterior nares for five days. Nasal carriage was eliminated in all patients and staff, usually within the first 48 h of treatment. Of the 40 patients, 36 remained clear of nasal MRSA for the duration of their follow-up (mean = 2 weeks) and four became re-colonized one to five weeks after their course. Immediately after the course, the number of patients with MRSA isolated from wounds and wrists fell from 16 to 7, and from 16 to 3, respectively. Of the 32 staff, all were negative one week after the course, and of the 22 still available for follow-up at eight weeks, all were consistently negative (mean period of follow-up = 7.8, range = 1-20 weeks). Four patients and five staff were re-colonized with MRSA between one to five, and two to twelve weeks, respectively, after treatment. Overall, in the post-treatment follow-up, 98.6% of the staff-weeks and 90.1% of the patient-weeks were free of nasal MRSA. MICs of mupirocin for both pre and post treatment isolates were all 0.03 or 0.06 mg/l. The elimination of nasal MRSA by mupirocin, and the introduction of isolation facilities, were associated with the control of the outbreak.
Anticonvulsant effect of <i>Persea americana</i> Mill (Lauraceae) (Avocado) leaf aqueous extract in mice (2006)

Various morphological parts of Persea americana Mill (Lauraceae) (avocado) are widely used in African traditional medicines for the treatment, management and/or control of a variety of human ailments, including childhood convulsions and epilepsy. This study examined the anticonvulsant effect of the plant's leaf aqueous extract (PAE, 50-800 mg/kg i.p.) against pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-, picrotoxin (PCT)- and bicuculline (BCL)-induced seizures in mice. Phenobarbitone and diazepam were used as reference anticonvulsant drugs for comparison. Like the reference anticonvulsant agents used, Persea americana leaf aqueous extract (PAE, 100-800 mg/kg i.p.) significantly (p < 0.05-0.001) delayed the onset of, and antagonized, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures. The plant's leaf extract (PAE, 100-800 mg/kg i.p.) also profoundly antagonized picrotoxin (PCT)-induced seizures, but only weakly antagonized bicuculline (BCL)-induced seizures. Although the data obtained in the present study do not provide conclusive evidence, it would appear that 'avocado' leaf aqueous extract (PAE) produces its anticonvulsant effect by enhancing GABAergic neurotransmission and/or action in the brain. The findings of this study indicate that Persea americana leaf aqueous extract possesses an anticonvulsant property, and thus lends pharmacological credence to the suggested ethnomedical uses of the plant in the management of childhood convulsions and epilepsy.