gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Intranigral Lentiviral Delivery of Dominant-negative TNF Attenuates Neurodegeneration and Behavioral Deficits in Hemiparkinsonian rats (2008)

Neuroinflammatory processes have been implicated in the progressive loss of ventral midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons that give rise to Parkinson's disease (PD), a late-onset movement disorder that affects 2% of the population over the age of 70 years. We have shown earlier, in two rat models of PD, that inhibition of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) through nigral infusion of dominant-negative (DN-TNF) protein (XENP345) attenuates DA neuron loss. The objectives of this study were to develop a constitutive lentiviral vector encoding dominate-negative TNF, and to determine whether a gene therapy approach to deliver DN-TNF directly into the rodent substantia nigra could prevent or attenuate neurotoxin-induced DA neuron loss and associated behavioral deficits. Here we demonstrate that a single injection of lentivirus-expressing DN-TNF into rat substantia nigra, administered concomitant with a striatal 6-hydroxydopamine lesion, results in sufficiently high expression of inhibitor in vivo to attenuate both DA neuron loss and behavioral deficits resulting from striatal dopamine depletion. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of dominant-negative TNF gene transfer as a novel neuroprotective strategy to prevent or delay nigrostriatal pathway degeneration. This strategy holds the potential for therapeutic application in the treatment of PD.
C-Type Natriuretic Peptide Modulates Permeability of the Blood–Brain Barrier (2014)

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is abundant in brain and is reported to exert autocrine function in vascular cells, but its effect on blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability has not been clarified yet. Here, we examined this effect. Transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) of in vitro BBB model, composed of bovine brain microvascular endothelial cells and astrocytes, was significantly dose dependently decreased by CNP (1, 10, and 100 nmol/L). C-type natriuretic peptide treatment reduced both the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions of tight junction (TJ) protein zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). The effects on TEER, mRNA, and protein expressions of ZO-1 were mimicked by cyclic GMP (cGMP) analog 8-bromo-cGMP (1 μmol/L) and reversed by protein kinase G (PKG) inhibitor Rp-8-CPT-cGMPS (100 μmol/L), thus implying the role of PKG and cGMP signaling in BBB function. Transcription factor JunD knockdown by small interfering RNA resulted in no change of permeability by CNP. In vivo study of mouse brain by fluorimetric analysis with intravenous administration of sodium fluorescein (40 mg/kg) also showed a significant increase in BBB permeability by CNP (10 nmol/kg, intravenously). These findings suggest that CNP modulates the BBB permeability by altering ZO-1 expression.
Influence of sol and surface properties onin vitro bioactivity of sol-gel-derived TiO2 and TiO2-SiO2 films deposited by dip-coating method (1998)

Different sol-gel-derived titania and titania-silica films were prepared and their properties related to in vitro bioactivity. The films were prepared by depositing the sols on the substrate surface using a dip-coating method. The sols were monitored carefully as a function of time, using rheological techniques and dynamic light scattering. The topography of the films was characterized using atomic force microscopy, and thicknesses and refractive indexes of the films were evaluated by fitting transmittance spectra measured in a wave length region of 370-1100 nm with a spectrophotometer. The in vitro bioactivity tests were performed in simulated body fluid. Surface topography was found to be of great importance with respect to the bioactivity of the studied films.
Long Circulating Liposomes Encapsulating Organophosphorus Acid Anhydrolase in Diisopropylfluorophosphate Antagonism (2000)

These studies are focused on antagonizing organophosphorous (OP) intoxications by a new conceptual approach using recombinant enzymes encapsulated within sterically stabilized liposomes to enhance diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) degradation. The OP hydrolyzing enzyme, organophosphorous acid anhydrolase (OPAA), encapsulated within the liposomes, was employed either alone or in combination with pralidoxime (2-PAM) and/or atropine. The recombinant OPAA enzyme, from the ALTEROMONAS: strain JD6, has high substrate specificity toward a wide range of OP compounds, e.g., DFP, soman, and sarin. The rate of DFP hydrolysis by liposomes containing OPAA (SL)* was measured by determining the changes in fluoride-ion concentration using a fluoride ion-selective electrode. This enzyme carrier system serves as a biodegradable protective environment for the OP-metabolizing enzyme (OPAA), resulting in an enhanced antidotal protection against the lethal effects of DFP. Free OPAA alone showed some antidotal protection; however, the protection with 2-PAM and/or atropine was greatly enhanced when combined with (SL)*.
Design Feasibility of an Active Ankle-Foot Stabilizer (2010)

Walking is the most common form of mobility in humans. For lower limb mobility impairments, a common treatment is to prescribe an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) or brace, which is a passive device designed to resist undesired ankle-foot motion. Recent advances in actuator technology have led to the development of active AFOs (AAFOs). However, these devices are generally too bulky for everyday use and are limited to applications such as gait training for rehabilitation. The aim of this research was to investigate the feasibility of developing a novel Active Ankle-Foot Stabilizer (AAFS). The design criteria were mainly based on the strengths and limitations of existing AFOs. The sagittal plane functional requirements were determined using simulated gait data for elderly individuals and drop foot patients; however, it is intended that the device would be suitable for a wider range of disabilities including ankle sprains. A model of the foot was introduced to modify the moment of a deficient ankle where young healthy adult kinematics and kinetics were assumed. A moment deficit analysis was performed for different gait periods resulting in an AAFS model with two components: a linear rotational spring to modify the ankle joint rotational stiffness, and a torque source. The frontal plane functional requirements for the AAFS were modeled as a linear rotational spring which responded to particular gait events. A novel Variable Rotational Stiffness Actuator (VSRA) AFO was also investigated. It consisted of an actuated spring medial and lateral to the ankle to control sagittal plane ankle stiffness and a passive leafspring posterior to the ankle to control frontal plane ankle stiffness. Due to high forces and profile limitations, a spring and rotation actuator that satisfied the design criteria could not be developed, resulting in an infeasible design. Considering the high forces and moments required by the AAFS, a pneumatic approach was adopted. A novel Airbeam AFO, which consisted of a shank cuff and a foot plate to which airbeams were attached proximally and distally to the ankle, was examined. The joint rotational stiffness of the ankle would be controlled by the inflation of these individual cylindrical airbeams. To satisfy the functional requirements, the airbeam diameters and pressures were too large to meet the design criteria and were unrealistic for a portable device. Finally, a Pneumatic Sock AFO, which proved to best satisfy the functional requirements within the design criteria, was examined. The design consisted of an inner sock worn on the ankle, surrounded by anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral bladders which inflate against outer fabric shells. Although promising, the Pneumatic Sock AFO requires further investigation in regards to manufacturing and behaviour characterization before a functional prototype can be developed. Mechanical test methods to characterize the behaviour of the Pneumatic Sock AFO in the sagittal and frontal planes were developed including the control components required, the configuration of a test rig, and test procedures.
A classifier ensemble based on fusion of support vector machines for classifying hyperspectral data (2010)

Classification of hyperspectral data using a classifier ensemble that is based on support vector machines (SVMs) are addressed. First, the hyperspectral data set is decomposed into a few data sources according to the similarity of the spectral bands. Then, each source is processed separately by performing classification based on SVM. Finally, all outputs are used as input for final decision fusion performed by an additional SVM classifier. Results of the experiments underline how the proposed SVM fusion ensemble outperforms a standard SVM classifier in terms of overall and class accuracies, the improvement being irrespective of the size of the training sample set. The definition of the data sources resulting from the original data set is also studied.
Mucosal (Secretory) Immune System Responses to Exercise of Varying Intensity and During Overtraining (1994)

Athletes are susceptible to upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) during intense training and after major competition; high rates of URTI have also been associated with the overtraining syndrome (staleness). Secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), the predominant immunoglobulin in mucosal secretion, is a major effector of resistance against pathogenic microorganisms causing URTI. Previous work has shown that salivary IgA levels decrease after a single bout of intense prolonged exercise. The purpose of these studies was to examine the IgA response to various exercise conditions. Whole, unstimulated saliva was obtained before and after exercise. IgA concentration (microgram.mg protein-1) was measured by ELISA and IgA secretion rate (microgram.min-1) calculated. Study 1: Recreational joggers ran on a treadmill for 40 min at 55% and 75% VO2peak and competitive distance runners ran for 90 min at the same intensites. In both groups, IgA secretion rate did not change significantly after exercise at either intensity. Study 2: Competitive runners ran on a treadmill for 90 min at 75% VO2peak on 3 consecutive days. IgA secretion rate decreased 20 to 50% after exercise (p < .001). Post-exercise IgA secretion rates were significantly lower (p < .05) on days 2 and 3 compared with day 1. Study 3: Elite swimmers were followed over a 6 month season, with IgA concentration measured at 5 times. Throughout the season, IgA concentration was significantly (p < .05) lower in stale compared with well-trained swimmers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Substrate specificity for catalysis of phosphodiester cleavage by a dinuclear Zn(ii) complex (2003)

The 2.4 kcal mol(-1) greater stabilization of the transition state for cleavage of the minimal substrate HpPNP compared to the nucleoside substrate UpPNP by the efficient dinuclear metal ion catalyst Zn2(L2O) provides evidence that access to the cationic core of Zn2(L2O) is sterically blocked for the bulkier nucleoside substrates, a flaw that will need to be dealt with in later generations of metal ion catalysts of RNA cleavage.
Noninvasive Measurement of Compartment Syndrome (2003)

This study compared the effectiveness of a commercially available invasive intracompartmental pressure measuring device with an investigational noninvasive hardness measuring device in 75 patients undergoing examination for possible compartment syndrome. Legs, forearms, thighs, and arms were tested. Pressure values and hardness ratios were compared to one another as continuous variables and to the clinical diagnosis of compartment syndrome as discrete variables. The compartment with the highest pressure reading within a limb diagnosed with compartment syndrome was compared to limbs without compartment syndrome. Due to the low specificity of the noninvasive measurement of hardness compared to the invasive pressure measurement (0.82 versus 0.96), this study does not support the use of the hardness monitor in the diagnosis of compartment syndrome.
Algorithms for Hardware-Based Pattern Recognition (2004)

Nonlinear spatial transforms and fuzzy pattern classification with unimodal potential functions are established in signal processing. They have proved to be excellent tools in feature extraction and classification. In this paper, we will present a hardware-accelerated image processing and classification system which is implemented on one field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Nonlinear discrete circular transforms generate a feature vector. The features are analyzed by a fuzzy classifier. This principle can be used for feature extraction, pattern recognition, and classification tasks. Implementation in radix-2 structures is possible, allowing fast calculations with a computational complexity of up to . Furthermore, the pattern separability properties of these transforms are better than those achieved with the well-known method based on the power spectrum of the Fourier Transform, or on several other transforms. Using different signal flow structures, the transforms can be adapted to different image and signal processing applications.
Embedded Assessment of Cognitive Performance with Elders ’ Use of Computer Games in a Residential Environment (2014)

Elders are the fastest growing demographic of new computer users, and those over the age of 75 are at risk for medically related cognitive decline and confusion. The early detection of cognitive problems enables earlier treatment that may be much more effective. To address this issue, we have developed a method for embedding cognitive assessment algorithms within computer games that are enjoyable for elders to play on a routine basis. The cognitive assessment algorithms also serve as input to tailored automated hints and help functions for users of various cognitive abilities. In this paper we describe a software architecture and methodology for monitoring cognitive performance using data from a suite of computer games designed to assess multiple dimensions of cognitive performance.
A case study on recommending reusable software components using collaborative filtering (2004)

The demand for quality, highly functional software reinforces the need for reusable software components. However, as repositories of reusable components increase in size and complexity, the challenge for developers to remain conversant with all components becomes greater. This paper proposes a software recommendation system based on collaborative filtering, which has been shown to be effective in other domains. Based on the usage patterns of existing classes and the class currently being developed, our system proposes a set of reuse candidates to the programmer. We present the results of our analysis of the usage of Swing classes in several open-source applications and find that the collaborative filtering technique is promising in providing recommendations in this context.
Comparing deep neural networks against humans: object recognition when the signal gets weaker (2017)

Human visual object recognition is typically rapid and seemingly effortless, as well as largely independent of viewpoint and object orientation. Until very recently, animate visual systems were the only ones capable of this remarkable computational feat. This has changed with the rise of a class of computer vision algorithms called deep neural networks (DNNs) that achieve human-level classification performance on object recognition tasks. Furthermore, a growing number of studies report similarities in the way DNNs and the human visual system process objects, suggesting that current DNNs may be good models of human visual object recognition. Yet there clearly exist important architectural and processing differences between state-of-the-art DNNs and the primate visual system. The potential behavioural consequences of these differences are not well understood. We aim to address this issue by comparing human and DNN generalisation abilities towards image degradations. We find the human visual system to be more robust to image manipulations like contrast reduction, additive noise or novel eidolon-distortions. In addition, we find progressively diverging classification error-patterns between humans and DNNs when the signal gets weaker, indicating that there may still be marked differences in the way humans and current DNNs perform visual object recognition. We envision that our findings as well as our carefully measured and freely available behavioural datasets provide a new useful benchmark for the computer vision community to improve the robustness of DNNs and a motivation for neuroscientists to search for mechanisms in the brain that could facilitate this robustness.
Novel therapies for malignant gliomas: a local affair? (2006)

Advances in medical and surgical treatments in the last few decades have resulted in quantum leaps in the overall survival of patients with malignant disease outside the central nervous system, whereas survival of patients with malignant gliomas (World Health Organization Grades III and IV) has remained essentially unchanged. Resection and external-beam fractionated radiotherapy remain the pillars of therapy for malignant gliomas and have shown significant beneficial effects on outcome in many clinical studies. On the other hand, numerous human trials with adjuvant agents, most of them administered systemically and causing serious complications and side effects, have not succeeded in achieving a noteworthy additional extension of survival duration, or have done so only with a considerable deterioration in the quality of life of the treated patients. The concept of local invasiveness of gliomas is not new, but only in the last one to two decades has significant attention been focused on the cell biology and molecular genetics of gliomas. Improved understanding of the fundamental features of tumor cells has resulted in the introduction and increasing clinical use of local therapies in which practitioners opt for spatially defined delivery methods and tumor-selective agents specifically designed to be used in the environment of a brain invaded by glioma. In this review, the authors summarize the key findings in some of the most important clinical studies of locally administered treatments for malignant glioma. A few such therapies have emerged in the last decade, and have shown considerable antitumor activity and a favorable profile of local and systemic side effects. These include biodegradable polymers for interstitial chemotherapy, targeted toxins administered by convection-enhanced delivery, and intra- and peritumorally injected genetically modified viruses conferring glioma-selective toxicity. In addition, areas of possible improvement of these therapies and essential further developments are outlined.
A current-sensed high-speed and low-power first-in-first-out memory using a wordline/bitline-swapped dual-port SRAM cell (2002)

First-in-first-out (FIFO) data storages are in great demand for telecommunication LSIs. This paper presents high-speed and low-power CMOS memory techniques specialized for FIFO operation. A size-configurable architecture using the tile methodology is employed to customize the word counts and/or data bits with a. short time of less than 30 min. Four flag bits are introduced to inform the internal state of FIFO memories. To obtain a higher operating speed, an SRAM-like memory cell with current-sense readout is used. The critical-path delay of the Gray-code up/down counter, indicating the stored data volume, is shortened to 6.0 ns (66%) by using a double-rail single-stage XOR circuit. As to the low-power techniques, a wordline/bitline-swapped dual-port memory-cell architecture is proposed to cut off the static power-supply current of unselected columns. By using the hidden blanket-precharged bitline scheme, the power dissipation of the writing circuitry is minimized without degrading the operating speed. A new data-driven gated-shift-pulse architecture is also proposed to reduce the power dissipation of shift-register-type address pointers (1.5 mW at 100 MHz). A 2K-words /spl times/ 8-bits FIFO memory test chip, fabricated with a 0.6-/spl mu/m CMOS process (a short effective channel length of 0.35 /spl mu/m is available for both the nMOS and pMOS), has demonstrated the 140-MHz operation at a typical 3.3-V power supply. The power dissipation in standby is less than 0.1 /spl mu/W and that at 100-MHz dual-port operation with single fan-out loads is in the range from 28 mW (in the best case with the M-scan test pattern) to 46 mW (in the worst case with the checkerboard test pattern).
Improved Procedure for Preparation of Covalently Bonded Cellulose Tris‐phenylcarbamate Chiral Stationary Phases (2005)

Abstract The classical method for preparation of covalently boned cellulose derivative chiral stationary phases (CSP) with diisocyanate as spacer was improved. Diisocyanate was firstly allowed to react with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane, and the resulting product was then applied as the spacer reagent to immobilize cellulose derivatives onto silica gel. Influences of the amount and the length of the spacer on the optical resolution ability of the CSP were investigated. Comparing improved procedure to classical diisocyanate method, the cross‐linking between the glucose units of the cellulose derivatives was avoided to the most extent. With the improved procedure, regio‐nonselective ways could be adopted to prepare covalently bonded CSP, which showed an advantage for the rapid preparation.
Calorimetric Dissection of Colicin DNase−Immunity Protein Complex Specificity (2006)

We explore the thermodynamic strategies used to achieve specific, high-affinity binding within a family of conserved protein-protein complexes. Protein-protein interactions are often stabilized by a conserved interfacial hotspot that serves as the anchor for the complex, with neighboring variable residues providing specificity. A key question for such complexes is the thermodynamic basis for specificity given the dominance of the hotspot. We address this question using, as our model, colicin endonuclease (DNase)-immunity (Im) protein complexes. In this system, cognate and noncognate complexes alike share the same mechanism of association and binding hotspot, but cognate complexes (K(d) approximately 10(-)(14) M) are orders of magnitude more stable than noncognate complexes (10(6)-10(10)-fold discrimination), largely because of a much slower rate of dissociation. Using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), we investigated the changes in enthalpy (DeltaH), entropy (-TDeltaS), and heat capacity (DeltaC(p)) accompanying binding of each Im protein (Im2, Im7, Im8, and Im9) to the DNase domains of colicins E2, E7, E8, and E9, in the context of both cognate and noncognate complexes. The data show that specific binding to the E2, E7, and E8 DNases is enthalpically driven but entropically driven for the E9 DNase. Analysis of DeltaC(p), a measure of the change in structural fluctuation upon complexation, indicates that E2, E7, and E8 DNase specificity is coupled to structural changes within cognate complexes that are consistent with a reduction in the conformational dynamics of these complexes. In contrast, E9 DNase specificity appears coupled to the exclusion of water molecules, consistent with the nonpolar nature of the interface of this complex. The work highlights that although protein-protein interactions may be centered on conserved structural epitopes the thermodynamic mechanism underpinning binding specificity can vary considerably.