gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide as a biochemical marker of long-term interventional success after radiofrequency catheter ablation of paroxysmal supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (2004)

Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation has been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardias. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (B-type natriuretic peptide; BNP) are secreted by the heart mainly in response to myocardial stretch induced by volume load. The aim of the present study was to determine the time course of the N-terminal prohormone forms of ANP (NT-proANP) and BNP (NT-proBNP) in patients undergoing radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias. Serial blood samples were taken from 13 patients with symptomatic paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias undergoing RF ablation and from 13 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Blood was taken before ablation (day 0, baseline), and at day one and day 120 after ablation. Levels of NT-proANP were significantly higher before RF ablation (4862+/-726 pmol/l) as compared to day one (2021+/-220 pmol/l) and day 120 after RF ablation (2470+/-349 pmol/l) (with p<0.01 on day one and p<0.05 on day 120; n=13). The size of the left atrium decreased from 41.0+/-5.5 mm before ablation to 34.9+/-5.9 mm (n=13; p<0.05) on day 120 as measured by M-mode echocardiography. Levels of NT-proBNP showed comparable values before and on day one and day 120 after ablation and were not significantly elevated as compared to healthy controls. NT-proANP levels are increased in patients presenting with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias and decrease one day after radiofrequency catheter ablation, possibly reflecting a transient reduction of ANP secretion from injured myocardial cells. Lower NT-proANP levels in the long-term time course may result from reduction of atrial volume load and reconstitution of atrial architecture after successful treatment of supraventricular tachycardias. NT-proANP may serve as a useful laboratory marker to describe the long-term interventional success after RF ablation.
Normal Cochlear Function in <i>mdx</i> and <i>mdx</i><sup>Cv3</sup> Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Mouse Models (1999)

Both mdx and mdx(Cv3) mouse models have normal hearing by ABR. The authors' data suggest that dystrophin and its carboxyl terminus isoforms do not play a critical role in hearing in the mouse. This was unexpected, as previous studies using the brainstem auditory evoked response method suggested that the mdx mouse has an increased threshold for hearing.
Speech Repairs, Intonational Boundaries and Discourse Markers: Modeling Speakers' Utterances in Spoken Dialog (1997)

In this thesis, we present a statistical language model for resolving speech repairs, intonational boundaries and discourse markers. Rather than finding the best word interpretation for an acoustic signal, we redefine the speech recognition problem to so that it also identifies the POS tags, discourse markers, speech repairs and intonational phrase endings (a major cue in determining utterance units). Adding these extra elements to the speech recognition problem actually allows it to better predict the words involved, since we are able to make use of the predictions of boundary tones, discourse markers and speech repairs to better account for what word will occur next. Furthermore, we can take advantage of acoustic information, such as silence information, which tends to co-occur with speech repairs and intonational phrase endings, that current language models can only regard as noise in the acoustic signal. The output of this language model is a much fuller account of the speaker's turn, with part-of-speech assigned to each word, intonation phrase endings and discourse markers identified, and speech repairs detected and corrected. In fact, the identification of the intonational phrase endings, discourse markers, and resolution of the speech repairs allows the speech recognizer to model the speaker's utterances, rather than simply the words involved, and thus it can return a more meaningful analysis of the speaker's turn for later processing.
New Solenoid Mechanism for Magne-Blast Breaker (1945)

The existence of relatively high electromagnetic forces in circuit breakers when subjected to fault currents of appreciable magnitude has long been recognized. One of the problems in the design of a cir-cuit-breaker operating mechanism is to pro-vide smooth and effective closing perform-ance, even though the breaker be closed against a short circuit and is thereby sub-jected to these high electromagnetic retarding forces during the final portion of the closing stroke. The greater the magnitude of the short-circuit current, the higher these electromagnetic retarding forces become and the more serious the effects of any tendency to ``stall'' or, worse, to reverse momentarily the closing motion of the contacts. This paper describes a solenoid mechanism with novel design features developed to operate a new Magne-Blast circuit breaker of high interrupting rating and capable of closing that breaker against fault currents as high as 80,000 amperes rms.
Effects of speckle/pixel size ratio on temporal and spatial speckle-contrast analysis of dynamic scattering systems: Implications for measurements of blood-flow dynamics (2013)

Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) is an optical technique used to generate blood flow maps with high spatial and temporal resolution. It is well known that in LSCI, the speckle size must exceed the Nyquist criterion to maximize the speckle's pattern contrast. In this work, we study experimentally the effect of speckle-pixel size ratio not only in dynamic speckle contrast, but also on the calculation of the relative flow speed for temporal and spatial analysis. Our data suggest that the temporal LSCI algorithm is more accurate at assessing the relative changes in flow speed than the spatial algorithm.
Accuracy in Multiangle Light Scattering Measurements for Molar Mass and Radius Estimations. Model Calculations and Experiments (2003)

Multiangle light scattering (MALS) is a well-established technique used to determine the size of macromolecules and particles. In this study, different extrapolation procedures used in MALS were investigated with regard to accuracy and robustness in the obtained molar mass and rms radius. Three different mathematical transformations of the light scattering function referred to as the Debye, Zimm, and Berry methods for constructing the Debye plot were investigated for two idealized polymer shapes, homogeneous spheres and random coils, with radii from 25 to 250 nm. The effect of the angular interval used for the extrapolation was investigated, as was the robustness of the different transformations toward errors in the measured light scattering intensity at low angles. For an rms radius less than 50 nm, the relative error in molar mass due to extrapolation was less than 1% independent of the method used. For larger radii, the error increased and the extrapolation procedure became more critical. For random coil polymers, the Berry method was superior in terms of accuracy and robustness. For spheres, the Debye method was superior. The Zimm method was inferior to the others. The different extrapolation methods were evaluated and compared on experimental data from a size exclusion chromatography-MALS analysis of an ultrahigh molar mass poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The PEO data qualitatively verified the calculations and stressed the importance of optimizing the extrapolation procedure after careful evaluation of the experimental data. A discussion of how to detect erroneous data in an experimental Debye plot is given.
Mutational Analysis of the CD6 Binding Site in Activated Leukocyte Cell Adhesion Molecule (1996)

The interaction between CD6 and its ligand activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) mediates adhesion of thymocytes to thymic epithelial cells. The extracellular region of ALCAM includes five Ig-like domains, and its N-terminal V-like domain specifically binds to the membraneproximal scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain of CD6. Previously, six ALCAM residues were identified by alanine scanning mutagenesis to contribute to the interaction with CD6. All of these residues mapped to the predicted A'GFCC'C" face of ALCAM's N-terminal domain. Here we describe the results of experiments designed to further study the CD6 binding site. Other mutagenesis experiments at four previously studied sites were carried out to better understand their importance for the interaction with CD6, and different receptor binding assays were employed to compare the contribution of these and other ALCAM residues to the CD6-ligand interaction. A total of ten new ALCAM mutants were prepared, and three additional residues were identified as critical for CD6 binding. These studies have enabled us to classify ALCAM residues according to their importance for binding and to describe the CD6 binding site in some detail.
Automated fluid mixing in glass capillaries (1998)

A fast method and compact device for mixing sub-microliter fluid samples contained in glass capillaries is presented. The fluid is rapidly moved back and forth by air volume displacement driven by a piezo-ceramic actuator. Rapid mixing of different fluids is achieved via diffusion between the main fluid volume in the capillary and the thin fluid film it deposits on the capillary wall through its motion. Bubbles in the fluid are processed out of the capillary by use of an asymmetric velocity profile. A simple analysis model is used to optimize the design of the device and to elucidate the mechanisms involved in mixing. The mixing time is found to be inversely proportional to the fraction of the fluid volume that is left in the film layer for each cycle, which is determined by the wetting properties and the viscosity. The mixing time is therefore controlled by the dead-air volume of the system, the fluid volume, the capillary size, and the displacement limits of the piezo-ceramic actuator, in addition to the intrinsic properties of the fluid being mixed. The device described can mix two 1 μl water solutions in under 3 s. The possible shear breakage of DNA in solution is investigated, and λ-DNA is found to remain intact at aggressive mixing parameters. No evidence of aerosol contamination in polymerase chain reaction reactions was found to date.
Citrus Viroids: Symptom Expression and Effect on Vegetative Growth and Yield of Clementine Trees Grafted on Trifoliate Orange (2004)

Citrus are natural hosts of five viroid species: Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd), Citrus bent leaf viroid (CBLVd), Hop stunt viroid (HSVd), Citrus viroid III (CVd-III), and Citrus viroid IV (CVd-IV). CEVd and specific sequence variants of HSVd are the causal agents of the wellknown diseases of citrus, exocortis and cachexia. Other viroids have been found to induce different degrees of stunting. Since commercial citrus trees are commonly infected with mixtures of these viroids, only limited information is available on their effect in species other than Etrog citron. A field assay was conducted to establish the effect of each viroid on Commune clementine trees grafted on Pomeroy trifoliate orange. Infected trees were periodically monitored over a 12-year period (1990 to 2002) for symptom expression, growth, and fruit yield. Only CEVd caused bark scaling on the trifoliate orange rootstock and marked dwarfing, both characteristic of exocortis disease as initially described. In addition, very conspicuous bumps were observed in the wood of the rootstock after removing the bark. Only those HSVd variants, previously characterized as pathogenic in several cachexia-sensitive species, induced pits and gum deposits characteristic of this disease in the clementine scion. Bark cracking symptoms on the trifoliate orange rootstock were also observed. They were associated with CVd-IV, HSVd, or CEVd infection, but in the latter, they were only clearly observed in trees that showed mild scaling. Other abnormalities (deep pits, crests, and gummy pits) were not associated with viroid infection. No specific symptoms resulted from infection with CBLVd and CVd-III. HSVd, CVd-IV, and CBLVd had little or no effect in growth and yield, whereas CEVd and CVd-III caused a significant reduction of growth and yield, which became more pronounced over time with CEVd infection. Yield reduction was associated mainly with loss of production of large fruits. In general, there was a good correlation between reduction in vegetative growth and yield.
QoS Routing in OLSR with Several Classes of Service (2006)

The optimized link state routing (OLSR) protocol is a proactive link-state protocol for ad-hoc networks. It uses an optimization called multi-point relays (MPRs) to provide an efficient broadcast structure and to reduce the number of link advertisements. Various propositions have been made to enhance the quality of service (QoS) of the routes that OLSR provides, selecting routes according to metrics such as their expected loss rate or throughput. This paper analyzes the existing propositions and finds them lacking. By building upon OLSR's link announcement mechanism, these solutions permit the advertisement of links with non desirable properties and can only support one class of service. We propose ways to improve one of the propositions, QOLSR. Our QOLSR <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">+</sup> uses MPRs only to create a reliable broadcast structure and employs modified link announcements to increase the number of advertised links
Sulfur‐containing polymers. XVIII. Preparation and properties of thiuram polysulfide polymers (1977)

Abstract Thiuram polysulfide polymers have been prepared from alkali metal bisdithiocarbamates either by oxidation with ammonium persulfate or by polycondensation with sulfur chlorides. In some cases, isothiocyanate formation and/or thiourea formation were noticed. The polymer properties were significantly affected by the diamines used. Polymers derived from p ‐phenylenediamine decomposed gradually at room temperature with the liberation of elemental sulfur. Polymers based on aliphatic primary diamines were more stable. Piperazine gave the most stable polymer.
Genetic Engineering of Recombinant Hypoallergenic Oligomers of the Major Birch Pollen Allergen, Bet v 1: Candidates for Specific Immunotherapy (1999)

no abstract
Scaling-Out Pharmaceutical Reactions in an Automated Stop-Flow Microwave Reactor (2008)

Six pharmaceutically relevant reactions were assessed for scale-out in an automated stop-flow microwave reactor. Daily through-puts of between 50 and 250 g were achieved at typical reaction concentrations; for more concentrated reactions, or with 24 h processing, productivity of 0.5−1.5 kg per day was achievable. This study confirms that the stop-flow approach in combination with rapid microwave heating can be equivalent to conventional continuous flow technology with comparable productivities.
Gold for CC Coupling Reactions: A Swiss‐Army‐Knife Catalyst? (2011)

For organic chemists, the construction of C-C bonds is the most essential aspect of the assembly of molecules. Transition-metal-catalyzed coupling reactions have evolved as one of the key tools for this task. Lately, gold has also emerged as a catalyst for this kind of transformation. Gold, with its special properties as a mild carbophilic π Lewis acid, its ability to insert into C-H bonds, and, as discovered recently, its ability to undergo redox transformations, offers the opportunity to apply all this potent proficiency for the construction of compounds in an efficient and economical way. This Minireview critically presents the C-C coupling reactions enabled by gold catalysts to encourage further research activities in this promising area of oxidation/reduction gold catalysts.
Human immunodeficiency virus-1 envelope glycoproteins and anti-CD4 antibodies inhibit interleukin-2-induced Jak/STAT signalling in human CD4 T lymphocytes (2003)

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection leads to a profound T cell dysfunction well before the clinical onset of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We have been accumulating evidence that one of the mechanisms responsible for this T cell deficiency may be the dysregulation of signal transduction via the interleukin (IL)-2/IL-2 receptor (R) complex. In CD4 T cells, we have observed previously that viral envelope (env) glycoproteins induce IL-2 unresponsiveness and the down-regulation of the three chains making up the IL-2R (alpha, beta, gamma) in vitro. We have now established further that this disruption of the IL-2/IL-2R system manifests itself in defective signal propagation via the Janus kinase (Jak)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway in response to IL-2. The treatment of CD4 T cells with HIV env or surface ligation of CD4 with anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies inhibited the IL-2-induced activation of Jak-1 and Jak-3, as well as their targets, STAT5a and STAT5b. This Jak/STAT deficiency may contribute to the crippling of CD4 T cell responses to a cytokine central to the immune response by HIV.
Estimation of blood velocity using the wideband maximum likelihood estimator (ultrasonic measurement) (2003)

The local accuracy of the wideband point MLE (maximum likelihood estimator) is evaluated through the use of the Cramer-Rao bound. This evaluation shows that this new estimation strategy results in a reduced bound on the estimator variance in comparison with traditional strategies. In order to study global accuracy the expected estimator output is evaluated and the width of the mainlobe and the height of subsidiary peaks are reduced through the use of this estimator. In an experimental study, the predictions are compared with actual values computed from ultrasonic data. Through this investigation, the assumptions of the model are verified and the predicted improvements in local and global accuracy are confirmed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Young people and ICT 2002: findings from a survey conducted in Autumn 2002 (2002)

This report describes a survey that explored the attitudes and experiences of young people aged 5-18 and their parents, in relation to the use of information and communications technology (ICT) at home and at school
Transfer of Male or Female Primordial Germ Cells of Quail into Chick Embryonic Gonads. (1996)

Blood from an individual quail embryo at stages 13-16, when primordial germ cells (PGCs) were in circulation, was taken from its marginal vein and transfused into the marginal vein of a chick embryo at stages 13-16. Both donor and recipient embryos were cultured in vitro until day 8 of development and their sex was determined by morphological and histological observations of the gonads. Sections of recipient gonads were stained immunohistochemically with QCR1 monoclonal antibody positive for quail PGCs but negative for chick PGCs. Donor and recipient embryos were sexed in 17 pairs which included all four sex combinations. Transferred PGCs, either female-derived ZW type or male-derived ZZ type, were observed in the gonads of both sexes of 15 recipient embryos. The population of donor PGCs ranged from 20 to over 2500. In all four sex combinations, there was a higher population in the left than the right gonad of the embryos.
Measurements of organ volume by ultrasonography (1999)

In a clinical context, measurements of organ volume are often performed in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with a variety of diseases. Ultrasonography is a cheap, widely available and non-hazardous imaging modality to use for estimation of volumes, and a range of two- and three-dimensional methods have emerged to accomplish this task. This paper reviews some of the ultrasound methods available in cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology/urology and gynaecology/obstetrics. Using two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound, the simplest method of calculating the volume of an organ is based on the multiplication of three diameters perpendicular to each other. These 2D methods are often based on geometrical assumptions which may introduce significant errors in volume estimation. Therefore, volume estimation based on three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound has been developed to increase accuracy and precision. At present, the process of making 3D images based on ultrasonography is divided into five steps: data acquisition, data digitization, data storage, data processing and data display. In conclusion, ultrasonography is a useful and reliable tool to calculate volumes of organs. In particular, 3D ultrasonography seems promising in this respect and appears to be superior to 2D ultrasonography in accuracy and precision in volume measurements.
On minimum exit-burr in micro cutting (2004)

Advances in product miniaturization lead to size and weight reduction which can substantially increase the convenience and value of many products. Micro machining with mechanical cutting tools is capable of producing high profile accuracy, surface finish quality and sub-surface integrity at reasonably low cost. It is the primary choice amongst various manufacturing processes in fabricating micro components. However, in micro cutting, the main problem is the formation of burrs along the feature edges. This is because the relatively large size of burrs would more severely affect the functionality of the micro components. To reduce the burrs, an extensive study has been carried out both theoretically and experimentally. Nano indentation is employed to analyze the plastic and elastic deformation on the nanometre scale and the results applied to aid the interpretation of cutting experiments. Although the burrs were not eliminated completely, it is shown that they can be minimized to less than 25 nm in height.
Twenty‐four hour ambulatory antroduodenal manometry in normal subjects (co‐operative study) (2000)

Circadian antroduodenal motor activity was studied in 40 normal subjects by means of a portable recording system consisting of a computerized data logger and a probe with microtransducers. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics of contraction events during the interdigestive and digestive periods, as well as during the awake and asleep periods, were analysed. The composition and timing of meals and night recumbence were standardized. In spite of the high interindividual variability in motor parameters, significant differences in the characteristics of interdigestive and digestive periods between waking and sleep states were found. This paper confirms the existence of a circadian variation in antroduodenal motor activity and provides reference values from a large series of normal subjects that can be used for statistical comparisons with those obtained from patients recorded with the same method.
Deficiency of a Granulocyte-Membrane Glycoprotein (gp150) in a Boy with Recurrent Bacterial Infections (1982)

Investigation of the basis for increased susceptibility to infection with pyogenic organisms in an eight-year-old boy revealed a defect in receptor coupled polymorphonuclear-leukocyte functions. For example, phagocytosis of opsonized oil red O particles or particles coated with immunoglobulin, superoxide generation, and degranulation induced by opsonized zymosan were decreased. This defect in receptor-coupled function was not due to decreased receptor–ligand binding or to impaired superoxide generation or degranulation when these effects were elicited by soluble stimuli. The defect appeared to be associated with the absence of a normal granulocyte-surface-membrane glycoprotein with an approximate molecular weight of 150,000 daltons (gp150). This glycoprotein was present in reduced amounts (approximately 50 per cent of normal) in the granulocytes from each of the patient's parents, suggesting a genetic basis for its deficiency. (N Engl J Med. 1982; 306:693–9.)