gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Investigation of large field-of-view transmission imaging for SPECT attenuation compensation with Gd-153, Tc-99m and Ce-139 sources (2000)

A recently developed, large field-of-view (FOV), dual head SPECT system was investigated for fast sequential fan-beam (FB) transmission computed tomography (TCT) with various transmission sources. For TCT, the system utilizes a fixed line source at the 77 cm focal line of asymmetric FB collimator. The TCT maps are used for non-uniform attenuation compensation (NUAC) of Tc-99m myocardial SPECT. The heads each have three degrees of freedom (transaxial tilt, radial linear and transaxial linear travel). When the heads are tilted and height adjusted to accommodate different size FOVs (34-53 cm diameter), the symmetric FB geometry only samples part of the FOV. Thus, with full 360 degree acquisitions, the pseudo-asymmetric FB TCT detector utilizes measured conjugate views to avoid truncation artifacts without sacrificing spatial resolution, and minimizes emission contamination compared with other TCT geometries. Transmission line source energies of 100 to 166 keV (from Gd-153, Tc-99m, and Ce-139 line sources) were utilized with rod and sphere, and anthropsmorphic phantoms. The TCT images were reconstructed with iterative ordered subsets estimation maximization (OSEM). Comparisons were made between the emission reconstructions utilizing filtered backprojection (without and with iterative and multiplicative Chang NUAC) and OSEM (without and with NUAC). Based on a derived noise equivalent count rate determination of the three sources, the highest energy yet weakest intensity TCT source outperforms the other sources in the primary myocardial region of interest by approximately a factor of two. The emission contamination for the highest energy transmission source was an order of magnitude smaller than for the other sources with this acquisition geometry. These line sources each demonstrate the potential for suitably compensated images and quantitative myocardial activity profiles with this geometry. Higher energy transmission sources in particular result in more physically accurate attenuation maps useful for SPECT quantitation.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase and nitrotyrosine in human metastatic melanoma tumors correlate with poor survival. (2000)

Despite recognition of the malignant potential of human melanomas, the mechanisms responsible for the pathobiological characteristics contributing to tumor growth, vascular invasiveness, and distant organ metastasis remain undefined. Recent studies have shown that various human tumors express an inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and nitrotyrosine (NT), which suggests a mechanistic role of tumor-associated nitric oxide (NO) in tumorigenesis. We investigated iNOS and NT expression by immunohistochemistry in 20 human metastatic melanoma tissue specimens specifically with respect to iNOS-expressing cell types in the tumor area, pathological and clinical response to systemic therapy, potential role as a prognostic indicator, and NT formation. Our results showed that melanoma cells from 12 of 20 tumors express iNOS, yet the expression of this molecule in the tumor did not correlate with pathological or clinical response to therapy. More importantly, iNOS and NT expression by the melanoma cells strongly correlated with poor survival in patients with stage 3 disease (P < 0.001 and P = 0.020, respectively), suggesting a pathway whereby iNOS might contribute to enhanced tumor progression. In conclusion, our findings strongly suggest that iNOS expression has potential to be considered as a prognostic factor and NO as a critical mediator of an aggressive tumor phenotype in human metastatic melanomas.
Hierarchical Nanostructures of Bent-Core Molecules Blended with Poly(styrene-<i>b</i>-4-vinylpyridine) Block Copolymer (2007)

We report the phase structures observed in blends of poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) block copolymer (BCP) and a bent-core molecule 1-[4‘-(3‘ ‘,4‘ ‘,5‘ ‘-tridecyloxybenzoyloxy)phenyleneoxycarbonyl]-3-[(4‘-hydroxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]benzene (BP). Hydrogen bonding between the terminal −OH group of BP and pyridine of P4VP led to the formation of P4VP(BP)n complex, which exhibited liquid crystalline (LC) order. This LC ordering, combined with microphase separation of the BCP, led to the formation of hierarchical nanostructures. The phase structures of the blend samples were investigated as a function of the concentration of BP using small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques. By increasing the BP content, BCP phase morphology transformed from lamellae to cylinders. In the two cases investigated, the P4VP/BP complex formed a bilayer smectic A LC structure within the BCP domains, and these layered structures were oriented perpendicular to the BCP interface. A detailed structural and morphological study will be reported.
Inherited predisposition to glioma (2009)

In gliomas, germline gene alterations play a significant role during malignant transformation of progenitor glial cells, at least for families with occurrence of multiple cancers or with specific hereditary cancer syndromes. Scientific evidence during the last few years has revealed several constitutive genetic abnormalities that may influence glioma formation. These germline abnormalities are manifested as either gene polymorphisms or hemizygous mutations of key regulatory genes that are involved either in DNA repair or in apoptosis. Such changes, among others, include hemizygous alterations of the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) and p53 genes that are involved in apoptotic pathways, and alterations in multiple DNA repair genes such as mismatch repair (MMR) genes, x-ray cross-complementary genes (XRCC), and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) genes. Subsequent cellular changes include somatic mutations in cell cycle regulatory genes and genes involved in angiogenesis and invasion, leading eventually to tumor formation in various stages. Future molecular diagnosis may identify new genomic regions that could harbor genes important for glioma predisposition and aid in the early diagnosis of these patients and genetic counseling of their families.
Real-time implementation of digital signal processing for coherent optical digital communication systems (2010)

Digital signal-processing-based coherent optical communication systems are widely viewed as the most promising next-generation long-haul transport systems. One of the biggest challenges in building these systems is the implementation of signal processors that are able to deal with signaling rates of a few tens of giga-samples per second. In this paper, we discuss implementation options and design considerations with respect to hardware realization and DSP implementation.
Wafer level batch packaging (WLBP): incorporation of air pores/foams in a polyimide matrix using a low modulus sacrificial commercial polymer (2002)

This research focuses on using polycaprolactone (PCL-sacrificial polymer) as the thermally labile component that decomposes and diffuses our of the polyimide (PI) matrix at elevated temperatures forming pores (pores are in the micrometer nearing the nanometer range) in the PI matrix. This diffusion evolves pores/foams, which lowers the dielectric constant (via air-filled pores) and minimizes crosstalk and the transmission delay between metal interconnects. Research focuses on how the chemical compositions of the PI-PCL film effect the distribution and size of the pores. The effect of variation of the molecular weight and functionality of the PCL moiety is studied to better optimize the pore size. Controlling the pore size is the focal point since an enlarged pore can cause contaminants to diffuse into the PI passivation layer, which has an adverse effect on the material's mechanical property. Optimizing the rheological properties during polymer cure are studied. Characterization of the porous polyimide film is evaluated via Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) to follow the degradation of the sacrificial polymer. The use of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is used to give information about the pore size front a quantitative standpoint. The premise of the research is based on adhering to the specifications of Wafer Level Batch Packaging (WLBP).
Vanadium and Plant Nutrition (1973)

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants were grown in purified nutrient solutions with and without the addition of 50 nanograms per milliliter V. These experiments showed that lettuce and tomato plants can be grown to maturity on nutrient solutions containing less than 0.04 nanogram per milliliter V with tissue concentrations of less than 2 to 18 nanograms per gram V. Growth and dry matter yield were comparable to those of plants grown on nutrient solutions containing 50 nanograms per milliliter with tissue levels of V from 117 to 418 nanograms per gram. Thus if V is an essential element for lettuce and tomato plants, the adequate tissue level would be less than 2 nanograms per gram V derivable from a growth medium containing less than 0.04 nanogram per milliliter V.
Synthesis of well-defined conjugated copolymers by RAFT polymerization using cysteine and glutathione-based chain transfer agents (2007)

Novel cysteine and glutathione-based chain transfer agents were synthesized and successfully applied to the straightforward synthesis of well-defined conjugates via a RAFT process.
Gene Delivery in Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells Using Recombinant Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors (2003)

Gene therapy has the potential to provide a therapeutic strategy for numerous renal diseases such as diabetic nephropathy, chronic rejection, Alport syndrome, polycystic kidney disease, and inherited tubular disorders. In previous studies using cationic liposomes or adenoviral or retroviral vectors to deliver genes into the kidney, transgene expression has been transient and often associated with adverse host immune responses, particularly with the use of adenoviral vectors. The unique properties of recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors permit long-term stable transgene expression with a relatively low host immune response. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate gene expression in the rat kidney after intrarenal arterial infusion of a rAAV (serotype 2) vector encoding green fluorescence protein (GFP) induced by a cytomegalovirus-chicken beta-actin hybrid promoter. The left kidney of experimental animals was treated with either saline or transduced with rAAV2-GFP (0.125 ml/100 g body wt, 1 x 10(10)/ml infectious units) through the renal artery. A time-dependent expression of GFP was observed in all kidneys injected with rAAV2-GFP, with maximal expression observed at 6 wk posttransduction. The expression of GFP was restricted to cells in the S(3) segment of the proximal tubule and intercalated cells in the collecting duct, the latter identified by co-localization with H(+)-ATPase. No transduction was observed in the glomeruli or the intrarenal vasculature. These studies demonstrate successful transgene expression in tubular epithelial cells, specifically in the S(3) segment of the proximal tubule and intercalated cells, after intrarenal administration of a rAAV vector and provide the impetus for further studies to exploit its use as a tool for gene therapy in the kidney.
A study on RFID adoption for vehicle tracking in container terminal (2012)

Purpose: Numerous studies discuss that Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology can provide better container handling efficiency; however, relative lack of research concerns the tracking and monitoring the movement of vehicle in the container terminal environment. Thus, this study aims at discussing the feasibility of applying RFID for vehicle tracking purpose in a container terminal. Design/methodology/approach: This study makes use of a series of experiments in a container terminal to discuss the factors that affect the use of RFID in the terminal. The possibility and accuracy of using RFID in such challenging environment is also investigated. These propositions are investigated by a case study. Findings: The experimental results indicate that the RFID communication is good at the containers area which occupies nearly all the area in the container terminal. However, in other area such as sea side and free area, the performance is not good and 100% readability only achieved in 5m and 10m in free area and sea side respectively. Originality/value: The container terminal environment, which consists of different transport vehicles for onward transportation, will affect the performance of RFID readability. Poor setup of the RFID reader and tag will lower the feasibility of RFID adoption as well as increase the cost. In order to address the challenges of implementing RFID in the container terminal environment, this paper provides a series of real site testing experiments to study the RFID performance in the container terminal environment. This represents an original contribution of value to future research and practice in the RFID adoptions in container terminal environment.
A soft on‐column metal coating procedure for robust sheathless electrospray emitters used in capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry (2005)

An on-column metal coating procedure was developed for sheathless electrospray emitters, based on Justus von Liebig's electroless silver mirror reaction followed by electrochemical deposition of gold onto the silver layer. The coating procedure is straightforward, mild, inexpensive, and can be performed with standard laboratory equipment. A long-term (600 h) stability investigation of the conductive coating was carried out by continuous electrospray in the positive electrospray mode, and no degradation in performance was found. The simplicity of the coating procedure and the robustness of the spray tips makes the spray tips highly suitable to couple delicate wall-coated or monolithic capillary columns to mass spectrometry. Peptide mixtures were separated by capillary electrophoresis and injected into either a Hadamard-transform time-of-flight mass analyzer or a commercial quadrupole mass analyzer using the described sheathless electrospray emitters. The performance was judged to be excellent.
Cache-Aware Real-Time Scheduling on Multicore Platforms: Heuristics and a Case Study (2008)

Multicore architectures, which have multiple processing units on a single chip, have been adopted by most chip manufacturers. Most such chips contain on-chip caches that are shared by some or all of the cores on the chip. To effectively use the available processing resources on such platforms,scheduling methods must be aware of these caches. In this paper, we explore various heuristics that attempt to improve cache performance when scheduling real-time workloads. Such heuristics are applicable when multiple multithreaded applications exist with large working sets. In addition, we present a case study that shows how our best-performing heuristics can improve the end-user performance of video encoding applications.
Isoprenyl carboxyl methyltransferase inhibitors: a brief review including recent patents (2017)

Among the enzymes involved in the post-translational modification of Ras, isoprenyl carboxyl methyltransferase (ICMT) has been explored by a number of researchers as a significant enzyme controlling the activation of Ras. Indeed, inhibition of ICMT exhibited promising anti-cancer activity against various cancer cell lines. This paper reviews patents and research articles published between 2009 and 2016 that reported inhibitors of ICMT as potential chemotherapeutic agents targeting Ras-induced growth factor signaling. Since ICMT inhibitors can modulate Ras signaling pathway, it might be possible to develop a new class of anti-cancer drugs targeting Ras-related cancers. Researchers have discovered indole-based small-molecular ICMT inhibitors through high-throughput screening. Researchers at Duke University identified a prototypical inhibitor, cysmethynil. At Singapore University, Ramanujulu and his colleagues patented more potent compounds by optimizing cysmethynil. In addition, Rodriguez and Stevenson at Universidad Complutense De Madrid and Cancer Therapeutics CRC PTY Ltd., respectively, have developed inhibitors based on formulas other than the indole base. However, further optimization of chemicals targeted to functional groups is needed to improve the characteristics of ICMT inhibitors related to their application as drugs, such as solubility, effectiveness, and safety, to facilitate clinical use.
Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Initiated by a Combined Action of Trichloroacetic Acid and Dimethylaniline (1958)

Abstract The polymerization of methyl methacrylate is initiated even at room temperature by a combined action of trichloroacetic acid and dimethylaniline. In case of bulk polymerization, the initial rate of polymerization is proportional to each of the square roots of the concentrations of trichloroacetic acid and dimethylaniline. In case of polymerization in benzene, the initial rate depends upon the concentration of methyl methacrylate. These relationships can be reasonably explained by assuming a bimolecular reaction between trichloroacetic acid and dimethylaniline to form radicals as the initial reaction of the polymerization. Hydroquinone acts as an inhibitor for this reaction.
Solid-Interpolating Deformations: Construction and animation of PIPs (1991)

Computer programs that simulate the deformations of geometric shapes have played a key role in the increasing popularity of software tools for artistic animation. Previously published techniques for specifying and animating deformations are either limited in their domain or ill suited for interactive editing and visualization. This is because the effects of alterations performed by the animator on the model's parameters may not always be anticipated, and because realtime animation may only be produced by visualizing pre-computed sequences of 3D frames, which are obtained by a slow process and require vast amounts of storage. To support an interactive environment for animation design, we have developed a new, simple, and efficient animation primitive: a Parameterized Interpolating Polyhedron, or PIP for short. PIPs are easily specified and edited by providing their initial and final shapes, which may be any polyhedra, and need not have corresponding boundary elements. PIPs may be efficiently animated on standard graphic hardware because a PIP is a smoothly varying family of polyhedra bounded by faces that evolve with time. The faces have constant orientations and vertices that each move on a straight line between a vertex of the initial shape and a vertex of the final one. The cost of recalculating the time dependant information of a PIP is small in comparison to the display cost. We provide simple and efficient algorithms, based on Minkowski sum operations, for computing PIPs. When both the initial and final shapes are convex, the resulting faces are the true boundary of the deforming object, otherwise subsets of the resulting faces may lie inside the object. In both cases, correct images are automatically generated using standard depth-buffer hardware. The tools we have developed are convenient for interactively designing animation sequences that show the metamorphosis of 3D shapes. They may also be used to simulate the geometric effect of a variety of manufacturing operations, and for interactively selecting the optimal compromise between two or more shapes. They are being integrated in the LAMBADA design and inspection environment for animated assemblies, where deformations and rigid-body motions may be easily combined and synchronized using a hierarchical representation.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Annulation of <i>vic</i>‐Bis(pinacolatoboryl)alkenes and ‐phenanthrenes with 2,2′‐Dibromobiaryls: Facile Synthesis of Functionalized Phenanthrenes and Dibenzo[<i>g</i>,<i>p</i>]chrysenes (2008)

Double-cross: An annulation approach to functionalized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons involving a palladium-catalyzed double cross-coupling reaction of vic-diborylalkenes and -phenanthrenes with 2,2′-dibromobiaryls led to a variety of phenanthrenes and dibenzo[g,p]chrysenes, as well as [5]helicenes, dithienobenzenes, and triphenyleno[1,2-b:4,3-b′]dithiophenes (see scheme; Bpin=pinacolatoboryl).
100 channel optical FDM technology and its applications to optical FDM channel-based networks (1993)

Optical frequency division multiplexing (optical FDM) technology, which allows the use of an extremely broad lightwave bandwidth (10-200 THz and over) and can realize transport systems that could replace the current digital (time division multiplexing based) transport networks, is described. The future outlook for communication networks based on optical FDM technology is assessed. Based on the technical results obtained from a 100-channel optical FDM experiment, of an optical FDM channel concept is proposed and a viable architecture for optical FDM-channel-based networks is developed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Endosperm genotyping as a strategy to differentiate the allele source in maize heterozygous progeny (2009)

The objective of this work was to distinguish the parental source of alleles in heterozygous progeny using semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in maize endosperm. Endosperms derived from direct and reciprocal single-cross hybrids between maize inbred lines L3 and L1113-01 were genotyped by semiquantitative PCR methodology (SQ-PCR) using fluorescent microsatellite primers. The amplification products were evaluated by the ratios of fluorescence intensity (RFI), calculated between the peaks corresponding to the alleles derived from each parental line. Based on the statistically significant contrast between RFI mean values of direct and reciprocal single-cross hybrids, it was possible to distinguish the number of alleles received from each parental line and, ultimately, to determine the origin of the alleles of each cross. Thus, endosperm genotyping using SQ-PCR is a promising strategy to map QTL in maize outbred populations.
Transcription Regulation, Initiation, and "DNA Scrunching" by T7 RNA Polymerase (1998)

Howard Hughes Medical Institute* and Departments of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry† and Chemistry,‡...
Inappropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks in fractured Sprint Fidelis leads associated with 'appropriate' interrogation (2008)

We present two patients with fractures within the pace-sense circuit of their Medtronic Sprint Fidelis leads who received inappropriate shocks from their Medtronic defibrillators during device interrogation. This was not simply a coincidence, but due to electromagnetic interference induced within the Sprint Fidelis lead by the device programmer during two-way communication with the defibrillator. Our subsequent investigations have uncovered at least two other similar incidents in Canada. We have also discovered that the Medtronic 'Auto-resume' feature may leave future patients uniquely vulnerable to such inappropriate shocks in the future.
The Importance of Biological Databases in Biological Discovery (2011)

Biological databases play a central role in bioinformatics. They offer scientists the opportunity to access a wide variety of biologically relevant data, including the genomic sequences of an increasingly broad range of organisms. This unit provides a brief overview of major sequence databases and portals, such as GenBank, the UCSC Genome Browser, and Ensembl. Model organism databases, including WormBase, the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR), and those made available through the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) resource are also covered. Non-sequence-centric databases, such as Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), the Protein Data Bank (PDB), MetaCyc, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) are also discussed.