gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Recognition of natural and time/intensity altered CVs by young and elderly subjects with normal hearing (1986)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of three acoustic modifications derived from clear speech for improving consonant recognition by young and elderly normal-hearing subjects. Percent-correct nonsense syllable recognition was measured for four stimulus sets: unmodified stimuli; stimuli with consonant duration increased by 100%; stimuli with consonant-vowel ratio increased by 10 dB; and stimuli with both consonant duration and consonant-vowel ratio increased. Analyses of overall nonsense syllable recognition, consonant feature recognition, and consonant confusion patterns demonstrated that the consonant-vowel ratio increase modification produced better performance than the other acoustic modifications by both subject groups. However, elderly subjects exhibited poorer performance than young subjects in most conditions. These results and their implications are discussed.
Synthesis and characterization of novel push-pull thiophene and thienylpyrrole derivatives functionalized with indanonedicyanovinyl acceptor moiety as efficient NLO-chromophores (2011)

The synthesis and characterization of new chromophores with second-order nonlinearities containing thienylpyrrole 1a, 2a-b, bithiophene 3 and arylthiophene 4 as π-conjugated bridges and indanonedicyanovinyl acceptor group are reported. The effect of placing the acceptor group at thiophene or pyrrole rings on the optoelectronic properties was also evaluated for thienylpyrrole derivatives 1a and 2a-b. The linear optical properties (absorption and emission) for all compounds were evaluated in dioxane solutions. In addition, the hyperpolarizabilities β of chromophores 1-4 were measured using hyper-Rayleigh scattering in dioxane solutions and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to evaluate their thermal stability. The experimental results indicate that chromophores 1-4 are endowed with both excellent optical nonlinearities and high thermal stability making them interesting candidates for nonlinear optical (NLO) applications.
The effect of interleukin‐1 on cytokine gene expression in cultured human articular chondrocytes analyzed by messenger rna phenotyping (1993)

Using PCR, it was possible to demonstrate gene expression for several cytokines in human articular chondrocytes in culture. It was evident that some cytokine genes were expressed constitutively and some were inducible by IL-1 beta.
Multi-channel photonic frequency upconverter using a single electro-absorption modulator for generating WDM RoF signals (2011)

Generation of wavelength division multiplexing radio-over-fiber (WDM RoF) signals utilizing a multi-channel photonic frequency upconverter using an electro-absorption modulator (EAM) was investigated. Eight WDM optical radio frequency (RF) signals having the RF frequency of 28.5 GHz within the wavelength range of 1545.26 - 1550.92 nm were generated simultaneously by mixing eight WDM optical intermediate frequency (IF) signals having the IF frequency of 4.5 GHz with an electrical local oscillator (LO) signal of 24 GHz in the EAM. The simultaneously generated eight channels of WDM optical RF signals showed the variation of receiver sensitivity (at BER of 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-9</sup> ) less than 0.5 dB, indicating that there exists negligible crosstalk.
A Measurement Study of BLE iBeacon and Geometric Adjustment Scheme for Indoor Location-Based Mobile Applications (2016)

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and the iBeacons have recently gained large interest for enabling various proximity-based application services. Given the ubiquitously deployed nature of Bluetooth devices including mobile smartphones, using BLE and iBeacon technologies seemed to be a promising future to come. This work started off with the belief that this was true: iBeacons could provide us with the accuracy in proximity and distance estimation to enable and simplify the development of many previously difficult applications. However, our empirical studies with three different iBeacon devices from various vendors and two types of smartphone platforms prove that this is not the case. Signal strength readings vary significantly over different iBeacon vendors, mobile platforms, environmental or deployment factors, and usage scenarios. This variability in signal strength naturally complicates the process of extracting an accurate location/proximity estimation in real environments. Our lessons on the limitations of iBeacon technique lead us to design a simple class attendance checking application by performing a simple form of geometric adjustments to compensate for the natural variations in beacon signal strength readings. We believe that the negative observations made in this work can provide future researchers with a reference on how well of a performance to expect from iBeacon devices as they enter their system design phases.
In vivo and in vitro analysis of transcriptional activation mediated by the human cytomegalovirus major immediate-early proteins. (1993)

To define mechanistically how the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) major immediate-early (IE) proteins induce early-gene transcription, the IE1 72-kDa protein, the IE2 55-kDa protein, and the IE2 86-kDa protein were analyzed for their ability to activate transcription from an HCMV early promoter in vivo and in vitro. In transient-expression assays in U373MG astrocytoma/glioblastoma and HeLa cells, only the IE2 86-kDa protein was able to activate the HCMV early promoter to high levels. In HeLa cells, the IE1 72-kDa protein was able to activate the promoter to a low but detectable level, and the level of promoter activity observed in response to the IE2 86-kDa protein was increased synergistically following cotransfection of the constructs expressing both IE proteins. To examine the interaction of the HCMV IE proteins with the RNA polymerase II transcription machinery, we assayed the ability of Escherichia coli-synthesized proteins to activate the HCMV early promoter in nuclear extracts prepared from U373MG cells, HeLa cells, and Drosophila embryos. The results of the in vitro experiments correlated well with those obtained in vivo. The basal activity of the promoter was minimal in both the HeLa and U373MG extracts but was stimulated 6- to 10-fold by the IE2 86-kDa protein. With a histone H1-deficient extract from Drosophila embryos, the HCMV early promoter was quite active and was stimulated two- to fourfold by the IE2 86-kDa protein. Addition of histone H1 at 1 molecule per 40 to 50 bp of DNA template significantly repressed basal transcription from this promoter. However, the IE2 86-kDa protein, but none of the other IE proteins, was able to counteract the H1-mediated repression and stimulate transcription at least 10- to 20-fold. The promoter specificity of the activation was demonstrated by the inability of the IE2 86-kDa protein to activate the Drosophila Krüppel promoter in either the presence or absence of histone H1. These results suggest that one mechanism of transcription activation by the IE2 86-kDa protein involves antirepression.
OCT1 polymorphism is associated with response and survival time in anti-Parkinsonian drug users (2010)

Substrates for the Organic Cation Transporter 1, encoded by the SLC22A1 gene, are metformin, amantadine, pramipexole, and, possibly, levodopa. Recently, we identified that the rs622342 A > C polymorphism is associated with the HbA1c lowering effect in metformin users. In the Rotterdam Study, we associated this polymorphism with higher prescribed doses of all anti-Parkinsonian drugs. Between the first and fifth prescriptions for levodopa, for each minor rs622342 C allele, the prescribed doses were 0.34 defined daily dose higher (95% CI 0.064, 0.62; p=0.017). The mortality ratio after start of levodopa therapy was 1.47 times higher (95% CI 1.01, 2.13; p=0.045).
Signal duration and the Fourier transform (1980)

Using the variance measure of duration, it is shown that the duration of a signal is composed of two terms. The first term is the duration of the zero-phase equivalent signal, and the second term is the variance of the phase derivative of the Fourier transformed signal.
Plasticizing polylactide—the effect of different plasticizers on the mechanical properties (1999)

Abstract Poly(lactide) (PLA), a biodegradable aliphatic polyester with excellent property profiles for different polymer applications, will play a major role in future markets for biodegradable polymers from renewable resources. PLA is a very brittle and stiff polymer with a glass transition temperature of around 58°C. The mechanical properties of PLA are comparable to those of polystyrene, with an elasticity modulus of 3500 MPa, a maximum tensile strength of 50 MPa, and an elongation at break of 4%. To introduce PLA into other applications requiring other mechanical property profiles, especially higher flexibility and higher impact resistance, it is necessary to use plasticizers. In this study the influence of several biocompatible plasticizer systems on the mechanical properties of PLA is determined. Poly(ethylene glycol), glucosemonoesters and partial fatty acid esters are introduced at 2.5, 5, and 10 wt% into polylactide. The mechanical properties, such as impact strength and the stress‐strain‐interrelationship of tensile tests, show changes, which are discussed.
Purification of Prorennin mRNA and Its Translation<i>in Vitro</i> (1980)

Prorennin-specific messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) has been purified by a combination of sizing techniques, including Sepharose 2B chromatography and sucrose density gradient centrifugation, and affinity chromatography with poly (U)-Sepharose, from total nucleic acid extracted from dry ice-pulverized, fourth stomach of a calf. This mRNA bound to poly (U)-Sepharose, indicating that it contained a poly (A) sequence. The total translation product in the mRNA-dependent wheat germ system, upon addition of this mRNA, was identified as authentic prorennin by gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of this mRNA was about 3.5 × 105 as determined by gel electrophoresis. These results indicate that the synthesis of prorennin is directed by this mRNA 1,020 nucleotides in length and requires the full coding capacity of the molecule.
Controlling cell adhesion on polyurethanes (2007)

Cell attractive or non-attractive surface properties of polyurethane devices can be controlled by treating them with zirconium tetra(tert-butoxide). This gives reactive interfacial zirconium complex species that can be used subsequently to bond cell attractive peptides such as arg-gly-asp (RGD) or cell non-attractive organics such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the device surface. Control of the surface properties of the polyurethane occurs on the nanoscale, and does not compromise the physical properties of the polymer. Interfacial Zr complex formation occurs at N-H sites of the polyurethane; therefore surface loadings of the Zr complex depend on the spatial separation of these N-H groups in the polymer backbone. A complex loading of 110 ± 15 pmol cm-2 is achieved on poly(hexamethylenehexylene)urethane, and 40 ± 10 pmol cm-2 is bound on the medically relevant polyurethane, tecoflex®. About 25% and 10% of these polymer surfaces, respectively, can be covered by RGD via the zirconium complex interface; because of its greater size, about 100% of both polymer surfaces is covered by PEG. The response of 3T3 fibroblasts to surface-treated and untreated tecoflex® is described.
Resonant reflection and absorption in grating waveguide structures (2004)

Resonant grating waveguide structures (GWS) are candidates for extreme narrow line reflection filters. In contrast to conventional dielectric mirror designs, a GWS may be composed from a single high refractive index film with a diffraction grating on top or bottom. In the high-refractive index film, a guided-mode resonance mechanism may theoretically lead to 100% reflection efficiency, while the system is only merely reflective off-resonance. The theoretical treatment of these systems is complicated because it combines optical interference coatings theory with the theory of diffraction gratings. Hence, typical thin film design programs are at stake here and must be replaced by grating solver software, which performs these calculations within the rigorous coupled wave approximation (RCWA), but is not always convenient for reverse search tasks, among them the system design. We derived approximation formulae that allow to <i>analytically</i> estimate film thickness and grating period necessary for a required peak reflection wavelength, assuming a vanishingly small grating profile depth. The estimation formulae work for normal as well as oblique incidence and both types of light polarization. In addition to all-dielectric GWS, we discussed the case of a GWS with metal components. In this case, instead of selective high reflectivity, the system woks as a selective high absorber. The derived formulae allow a straightforward and simple estimation of the film thickness for any resonant GWS. All results have been confirmed with RCWA-calculations and first experimental data. We discuss the merit of peak wavelength and width estimation, as well as the effects caused by absorption of the high refractive index film material.
Linkage of early-onset osteoarthritis and chondrocalcinosis to human chromosome 8q. (1995)

Calcium pyrophosphate-deposition disease (CPDD), also called "chondrocalcinosis" or "pseudogout," is a disorder characterized by the deposition of calcium-containing crystals in joint tissue, which leads to arthritis-like symptoms. The presence of these crystals in joint tissue is a common finding in the elderly, and, in this population, there is a poor correlation with joint pain. In contrast, early-onset CPDD has been described in several large families in which the disease progresses to severe degenerative osteoarthritis (OA). In these families, an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance is observed, with an age at onset between the 2d and 5th decades of life. In this report, we describe a large New England family with early-onset CPDD and severe degenerative OA. We found genetic linkage between the disease in this family and chromosome 8q, with a multipoint lod score of 4.06. These results suggest that a defective gene at this location causes the disease in this family.
Precision of cephalometric analysis<i>via</i>fully and semiautomatic evaluation of digital lateral cephalographs (2009)

The fully automatic determination of the cephalometric landmarks has led to relevant errors up to now, so that it is mandatory to check all automatically set landmarks and to correct them if required. In the case of the semiautomatic method, all relevant angles can be determined with the same reliability as hand drawing.
Tactical Missile Warheads (1993)

By marrying warhead fundamentals with more modern design approaches, this book will assist new members of the warhead community to learn more rapidly, as well as provide a reference text for those working actively in the field. The book's chapters are each self-contained articles; however, the topics are linked and may be divided into three groups. The first group provides a broad introduction, as well as four fundamental technology areas, namely, explosives, dynamic characterization of materials, explosive-metal interaction physics, and hydrocodes. The second group presents the mechanics of three major types of warheads, shaped charges, explosively formed projectiles, and fragmentation warheads. The interaction with various types of targets is also presented. The third group addresses test methodology. Flash radiography and high-speed photography are covered extensively, especially from an applications point of view. Special methods are also presented, including the use of tomographic reconstruction of flash radiographs and the use of laser interferometry.
<title>Diagnostic potentialities of plasmon-resonant nanoparticles as contrast agents for the diffuse back scattering spectroscopy of biotissues</title> (2007)

The study is aimed at evaluation of diagnostic potential of plasmon-resonant nanoparticles as contrast agents for various techniques based on backward diffuse light scattering from biotissues. We consider the theoretical spectra of diffuse backscattering from a plane layer of gold nanospheres embedded into a plane layer of scattering dielectric spheres that mimic a strongly scattering sample of a biotissue. It is shown that the backscattering spectra contain information about 35-nm gold spheres provided the location depth is less than 600 mkm. The simulated color characteristics resemble the measured characteristics of a rat skin. The measured diffuse reflection spectra of 35-nm gold colloid are close to the spectra of 70/15-nm silica/gold nanoshells although the plasmon resonance wavelengths (520 and 630 nm) differ significantly.
Hybrid transcoding for QoS adaptive video-on-demand services (2004)

Transcoding is a core technique that is used in providing quality-of-service (QoS) adaptive video-on-demand service. Many studies have examined how best is to perform transcoding and reduce computation overhead. However, the question of when to transcode has not been adequately studied in previous research. This paper addresses this question and presents a simple and intelligent approach that can be used to reduce both disk bandwidth and space requirements. Our approach determines the optimum time to apply transcoding by considering the potential benefits that can be realized. For instance, in order to save disk bandwidth for frequently accessed content, it pre-creates and stores multiple QoS versions. On the other hand, in order to save disk space for rarely accessed content, it stores only a single QoS version and performs transcoding on the fly. The key is to find the optimal threshold between pre-created multiple QoS versions and on-demand transcoding. We compute the optimal threshold by using a mathematical model. A simulation-based experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of our new approach highlights three advantages. First, our method effectively reduces both disk bandwidth and space requirements. Second, our technique is more efficient for skewed access patterns. Third, the threshold computed by our mathematical model results in improved performance regardless of environmental parameters.
Initium RJS: A Macintosh Screensaver in Java, Part 3. (2006)

We describe how to create a Java-based screensaver for a Macintosh. A screensaver is a program that automatically runs when the computer enters a quiescent state. Screensaver frameworks enable CPU scavenging. CPU scavenging enables the use of otherwise wasted CPU cycles.
A Smoothening Method for the Piecewise Linear Interpolation (2015)

We propose a method to smoothen a piecewise linear interpolation at a small number of nodes on a bounded interval. The method employs a sigmoidal type weight function having a property that clusters most points on the left side of the interval toward 0 and those on the right side toward 1. The proposed method results in a noninterpolatory approximation which is smooth over the whole interval. We provide an algorithm for implementing the presented smoothening method. To demonstrate usefulness of the presented method we introduce some numerical examples and investigate the results.
Tunable Internal Loop Antenna for DVB-H Service (2008)

In this paper, we proposed a tunable half loop antenna with two inductors and variable capacitance. To achieve the wide bandwidth required for DVB-H service, a variable capacitor is added between the transmission line and ground. In addition, the antenna gain is improved by using helical radiators. Even though the proposed antenna has very compact size of 40 mm x 5 mm x 5 mm, its gain is about 4 dB higher in average than reference gain. Due to the small size and simple structure properties, it can be a very attractive candidate for DVB-H application.
Dynamics of Bond Breaking in Ion Radicals. Mechanisms and Reactivity in the Reductive Cleavage of Carbon−Fluorine Bonds of Fluoromethylarenes (1997)

The reductive cleavage mechanism and reactivity of the carbon−fluorine bonds in fluoromethylarenes are investigated, in liquid ammonia and in DMF, by means of cyclic voltammetry and/or redox catalysis as a function of the number of fluorine atoms and of the structure of the aryl moiety. The reduction of the trifluoro compounds, eventually leading to complete defluorination, involves the di- and monofluoro derivatives as intermediates. Carbenes do not transpire along the reaction pathway. Application of the intramolecular dissociative electron transfer model allows the quantitative rationalization, in terms of driving force and intrinsic barrier, of the variation of the cleavage reactivity of the primary anion radical with the number of fluorine atoms and of the structure of the aryl moiety as well as with the solvating properties of the medium. When, related to the structural factors thus uncovered, the primary anion radical generates the di- and monofluoro intermediates far from the electrode surface, their reduction occurs homogeneously giving rise to an apparently direct six-electron process according to an internal redox catalysis mechanism. Conversely, with rapid cleavages, the reduction of the di- and monofluoro intermediates takes place at the electrode surface and the stepwise expulsion of the fluorides ions transpire in the cyclic voltammetric patterns.
Large dielectric constant (ε/ε&gt;6000) Ba0.4Sr0.6TiO3 thin films for high-performance microwave phase shifters (2000)

We deposited epitaxial Ba0.4Sr0.6TiO3 (BST) films via laser ablation on MgO and LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates for tunable microwave devices. Postdeposition anneals (∼1100 °C in O2) improved the morphology and overall dielectric properties of films on both substrates, but shifted the temperature of maximum dielectric constant (Tmax) up for BST/LAO and down for BST/MgO. These substrate-dependent Tmax shifts had opposite effects on the room-temperature dielectric properties. Overall, BST films on MgO had the larger maximum dielectric constant (ε/ε0⩾6000) and tunability (Δε/ε⩾65%), but these maxima occurred at 227 K. 30 GHz phase shifters made from similar films had figures of merit (ratio of maximum phase shift to insertion loss) of ∼45°/dB and phase shifts of ∼400° under 500 V (∼13 V/μm) bias, illustrating their utility for many frequency-agile microwave devices.
ChemInform Abstract: Lignin‐Feruloyl Ester Cross‐Links in Grasses. Part 1. Incorporation of Feruloyl Esters into Coniferyl Alcohol Dehydrogenation Polymers. (1993)

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.