gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
CC chemokine concentrations increase in respiratory distress syndrome and correlate with development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (2004)

Inflammation is one of the primary processes underlying respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and its evolution into bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Recruitment and subsequent activation of macrophages in the lung are mediated by CC chemokines. The role of CC chemokines has not been extensively studied in the course of RDS. Serial tracheal aspirates (TA) were obtained from 56 mechanically ventilated infants with birth weights less than 1,500 g during intervals in the first 21 days of life. Tracheal aspirate concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant proteins-1,2,3 (MCP-1,2,3) and macrophage inflammatory proteins-1alpha and -1beta (MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Tracheal aspirate concentrations of MCP-1, MCP-2, MCP-3, and MIP-1beta increased during the first week of life in infants with RDS, whereas MIP-1alpha concentrations did not increase appreciably. Increased TA cytokine concentrations were associated with the development of BPD. Maximal TA concentrations of MCP-1, MCP-2, MCP-3, MIP-1alpha, and MIP-1beta were significantly higher in infants who were oxygen-dependent at 28 postnatal days compared to infant who were not. Similarly, maximal TA MCP-1, MCP-2, and MCP-3 but not MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta concentrations were significantly higher in infants who were oxygen-dependent at 36 weeks of postconceptional age (PCA) than those who were not oxygen-dependent at 36 weeks PCA. Histologic chorioamnionitis and isolation of Ureaplasma urealyticum from the airways were associated with higher maximal TA concentrations of MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta. Pulmonary hemorrhage was associated with increased maximal concentrations of MCP-1, MCP-2, and MCP-3. These data suggest a role for CC chemokines in the development of BPD in the newborn infant.
Batteries (2005)

Abstract Economic Aspects Thermodynamics Electrolytes Electrical Double Layer Kinetics and Transport Practical Battery Systems
Recombinant Plasmodium Falciparum Glutamate Rich Protein; Purification and use in Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (1991)

A method for purification of a recombinant Plasmodium falciparum protein produced in E. coli and its use in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is described. The cloned gene fragment encodes GLURP,489-1271 the carboxy-terminal 783 amino acid residue portion of a 1271 amino acid residue P. falciparum glutamate rich protein (GLURP), with a molecular weight of 220 kilodalton. The protein is associated with all parasite stages in the human host. Examination of sera from 105 adult Liberians living in a malaria endemic area revealed anti-GLURP IgG antibodies in 98% of the sera. The recombinant GLURP489-1271 was expressed as a chimeric protein, fused with E. coli beta-galactosidase. However, antibodies in sera were directed only against the malaria part of the fusion protein and not against beta-galactosidase. Antigen from in vitro P. falciparum cultures of isolates from Tanzania (F32), Papua New Guinea (MAD20) and Honduras (HB3) completely absorbed specific antibodies, indicating the presence of conserved epitopes produced by all isolates of P. falciparum. Recombinant GLURP489-1271 ELISA is sensitive and rapid, and therefore well-suited for sero-epidemiological studies, and for control of the immunogenicity of a possible future P. falciparum vaccine utilizing epitopes from GLURP.
Hybrid Commissioning - Speeding-up Commissioning of Field Bus Driven Production Plants (2007)

The commissioning of complex mechatronical industrial systems like production plants is still a critical phase and represents a high percentage of the overall engineering process. The Hybrid Commissioning method is a new approach to increase the efficiency of the commissioning, i.e. to reduce the costs and the danger of damages. Hybrid Commissioning starts with a simulation of the complete plant and the components of the simulated plant are substituted stepwise by their real counterparts. Especially for field bus driven production plants, this kind of parallel operation poses a challenge. Therefore, a supporting tool system with a specific architecture is necessary. In order to combine signal values of real and simulated components within this architecture in a useful way, a so called merge tool has been developed. In this paper, the Hybrid Commissioning method is introduced by means of an example of a PROFIBUS driven production plant.
Improving the effectiveness of warehousing operations: a case study (1999)

The warehouse is the interface area for production lines, market, customers and suppliers, and the business environment in general. Goods inwards (GI), constituting part of the warehouse activities, is the department responsible for booking‐in the incoming parts from external suppliers. After the production process is improved, the resources in the warehouse are balanced to link the internal/ external transfer of physical items. With a broader view of the GI activities, and a look into its future, the actual problems may become clear, understandable, and hence easy to solve. The aim of this paper is to study the problem areas in GI and provide solutions to increase the performance of warehousing operations. First, a conceptual framework has been developed to improve the effectiveness of warehousing operations. Second, a case study has been conducted with the help of the model to minimize the through‐put time in warehousing operations. Finally, a summary of findings and recommendations are presented.
Association of Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyase, Catecholase, Peroxidase, and Total Phenolic Content with Brown-end Discoloration of Snap Bean Pods1 (1974)

Abstract Brown-end discoloration (BED) of broken snap beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) occurs whenever pods are held for several hours before processing. Increases in phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), catecholase, and peroxidase activities as well as total phenolic content coincided with the development of BED. The intensity of BED and catecholase activity declined with increasing incubation temperatures (40 to 70°C). Perosidase activity did not decline until after 60° and PAL activity was stable through 70°. We therefore believe that catecholase oxidation of phenolic substances are directly associated with BED of snap beans.
Gut microbiota composition correlates with changes in body fat content due to weight loss (2015)

Genetics, lifestyle, and dietary habits contribute to metabolic syndrome, but also an altered gut microbiota has been identified. Based on this knowledge it is suggested that host bacterial composition tends to change in response to dietary factors and weight loss. The aim of this study was to identify bacteria affecting host metabolism in obesity during weight loss and to correlate them with changes of the body composition obtained from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). We recruited obese individuals receiving a dietary intervention according DACH (German, Austrian, and Swiss Society of Nutrition) reference values and guidelines for 'prevention and therapy of obesity' of DAG e.V., DDG, DGE e.V., and DGEM e.V. over three months. Faecal microbiota and BIA measurements were conducted at three time points, before, during, and after the intervention. Gut microbiota was analysed on the basis of 16S rDNA with quantitative real time PCR. Additionally, a food frequency questionnaire with questions to nutritional behaviour, lifestyle, and physical activity was administered before intervention. After weight reduction, obese individuals showed a significant increase of total bacterial abundance. The ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes significantly decreased during intervention. Lactobacilli significantly increased between the first and the second time point. These differences also correlated with differences in weight percentage. During the intervention period Clostridium cluster IV increased significantly between the second and the third time point. In contrast Clostridium cluster XIVa showed a decreased abundance. The dominant butyrate producer, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, significantly increased as did the abundance of the butyryl-CoA: acetate CoA-transferase gene. Archaea and Akkermansia were significantly more prevalent after weight reduction. Our results show a clear difference in the gut bacterial composition before and after dietary intervention with a rapid change in gut microbial composition after a few weeks, but also indicate that a major shift requires long term dietary treatment.
Behavioral and neurobiological implications of sex‐determining factors in<i>Drosophila</i> (1994)

The function of the central nervous system as it controls sex-specific behaviors in Drosophila has been studied with renewed intensity, in the context of genetic factors that influence the development of sexually differentiated aspects of this insect. Three categories of genetic variations that cause anomalies in courtship and mating behaviors are discussed: (1) mutants isolated with regard to courtship defects, of which putatively courtship-specific variants such as the fruitless mutant are a subset; (2) general behavioral and neurological variants (including sensory and learning mutants), whose defects include subnormal reproductive performance; and (3) mutations of genes within the sex-determination regulatory hierarchy of Drosophila, the analysis of which has included studies of reproductive behavior. Recent studies of mutations in two of these categories have provided new insights into the control of neuronally based aspects of sex-specific behavior. The doublesex gene, the final factor acting in the sex-determination hierarchy, had been previously thought to regulate all aspects of sexual differentiation. Yet, it has been recently shown that doublesex does not control at least one neuronally-determined feature of sex-specific anatomy--a muscle in the male's abdomen, whose normal development is, however, dependent on the action of fruitless. These considerations prompted us to examine further (and in some cases re-examine) the influences exerted by sex-determination hierarchy genes on behavior. Our results--notably those obtained from assessments of doublesex mutations' effects on general reproductive actions and on a particular component of the courtship sequence (male "singing" behavior)--lead to the suggestion that there is a previously unrecognized branch within the sex-determination hierarchy, which controls the differentiation of the male- and female- specific phenotypes of Drosophila. This new branch separates from the doublesex-related one immediately before the action of that gene (just after transformer and transformer-2) and appears to control as least some aspects of neuronally determined sexual differentiation of males.
Permeation Control through Porous Membranes Immobilized with Thermosensitive Polymer (1998)

Permeation through a porous polycarbonate membrane, on which a thermosensitive polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), was immobilized, was investigated. For photoimmobilization of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), photoreactive azidophenyl group was connected to the polymer either at a chain terminal or in side chains. The two types of derivatized polymers had different lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Prescribed amounts of the derivatized polymer were cast on the polycarbonate membrane and photoirradiated. When a small amount of polymer was used, a thin layer of immobilized polymer was not enough to cover pores of the polycarbonate membrane, while a thick gel layer of immobilized polymer was formed on the polycarbonate membrane to cover pores when a large amount of polymer was used. The former is represented by “porous membrane”, and the latter by “nonporous membrane”. The rate of water permeation through the porous membranes changed at different temperatures, although permeation through nonimmobilized membrane was independent of temperature. Water permeation through the porous membrane increased above the LCST of graft polymers. Hydraulic permeation through the nonporous membrane was not observed at any temperature. On the other hand, tryptophan permeation through the polymer-immobilized porous membrane became slower above the LCST, whereas that through the nonporous membrane became faster above the LCST. The permeation rate through the porous membrane was much higher than that through the nonporous membrane. The different temperature dependences of permeation can be explained as follows. In the case of the porous membrane, the graft chains expand below the LCST to close pores but contract at above the LCST to open pores. On the other hand, the nonporous membrane swells below the LCST to enhance diffusion of tryptophan and deswells above the LCST to reduce the diffusion. The present study demonstrated that the signal responsiveness of intelligent membrane can be controlled by the mode of device fabrication as well as by the nature of the sensoring unit.
Tunicamycin treatment of CHO cells abrogates multiple blocks to retrovirus infection, one of which is due to a secreted inhibitor (1992)

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are resistant to infection by all of the major classes of murine retroviruses and are partially resistant to infection by gibbon ape leukemia virus. Treatment of CHO cells with the glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin rendered these cells susceptible to infection by retroviral vectors with ecotropic, xenotropic, and amphotropic host ranges and increased the titer of gibbon ape leukemia virus pseudotyped vectors 10-fold. Vectors having a polytropic host range did not infect CHO cells in the presence or absence of tunicamycin, showing that the effect of tunicamycin was specific and related to the pseudotype of the vector. We present evidence for three mechanisms of resistance to infection: lack of viral receptors on CHO cells, the presence of nonfunctional receptors which can be made functional by treatment with tunicamycin, and the secretion of a protein factor that blocks retroviral infection of CHO cells. Several criteria indicate that the secreted inhibitor is not an interferon, and secretion of this factor was not detected in several other cell lines that were examined.
Ophthalmology in preventive and predictive medicine. (1975)

Soft switching power amplifiers have the disadvantage of high current stress on power components. High output current and resonant operation can result in high peak currents and high di/dt, compromising reliability. This paper proposes a technique using multilevel topology with the flying capacitor as current source, reducing the voltage and current stress in softswitching power amplifiers. The intermediate level in multilevel topologies is often active only a short time for commutation of the switchnode. When the capacity of the flying capacitor is increased, it can be actively used as a current source which results in a trapezoidal current shape with lower peak current and thus lower RMS current, making the power amplifier more efficient. A power amplifier prototype is designed and built to demonstrate this technique. Soft switching power amplifiers have the disadvantage of high current stress on power components. High output current and resonant operation can result in high peak currents and high di/dt, compromising reliability. This paper proposes a technique using multilevel topology with the flying capacitor as current source, reducing the voltage and current stress in softswitching power amplifiers. The intermediate level in multilevel topologies is often active only a short time for commutation of the switchnode. When the capacity of the flying capacitor is increased, it can be actively used as a current source which results in a trapezoidal current shape with lower peak current and thus lower RMS current, making the power amplifier more efficient. A power amplifier prototype is designed and built to demonstrate this technique.
Insulin-like growth factor I expression by tumors of neuroectodermal origin with the t(11;22) chromosomal translocation. A potential autocrine growth factor. (1990)

Expression of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) mRNA by some tumor cell lines of neuroectodermal origin has been described. To further explore the significance of IGF-I mRNA expression in these tumors, a more extensive analysis was performed. Most (9 of 10) neuroectodermal tumor cell lines with a t(11;22) translocation (primitive neuroectodermal tumor [PNET], Ewing's sarcoma, esthesioneuroblastoma) expressed IGF-I mRNA, whereas 0 of 15 cell lines without the translocation (PNET, neuroblastoma) expressed IGF-I. Furthermore, inasmuch as all neuroblastoma (12 of 12) cell lines examined expressed IGF-II RNA, the pattern of IGF expression could distinguish between these closely related tumors. CHP-100, a PNET cell line with the t(11;22) translocation, was shown to secrete both IGF-I protein and an IGF binding protein, IGFBP-2. This cell line also expressed the type I IGF receptor mRNA, and blockade of this receptor by a monoclonal antibody (alpha IR3) inhibited serum-free growth. These data demonstrate that IGF-I expression is a property of neuroectodermal tumors with a t(11;22) translocation and that interruption of an IGF-I autocrine loop inhibits the growth of these tumor cells.
Enhanced Direction Estimation Using Microphone Arrays for Directional Audio Coding (2008)

Modern home entertainment systems offer surround sound audio playback. This progress over known mono and stereo devices is also intended for high quality hands-free telephony to enhance intelligibility of speech in group conversation. Directional Audio Coding (DirAC) provides an efficient and well-established way to record and encode spatial sound and to render it at an arbitrary loudspeaker setup. On the recording site, DirAC is based on B-format microphone signals. These signals can be obtained by one omnidirectional and three figure-of-eight microphones pointing along the axes of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. However, a grid of omnidirectional microphones is more appropriate for consumer applications due to economic reasons. Arrays can provide the required figure-of-eight directionality only for a certain frequency range. However, in this contribution we show that a straightforward direction estimator is biased. After formulating the bias analytically we propose an unbiased estimator and derive the theoretical limits for unique direction estimation. The results are illustrated by means of simulations and measurements.
Active Damping Control of a High-Power PWM Current-Source Rectifier for Line-Current THD Reduction (2005)

The use of active damping to reduce the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the line current for medium-voltage (2.3-7.2 kV) high-power pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) current-source rectifiers is investigated. The rectifier requires an LC filter connected at its input terminals, which constitutes an LC resonant mode. The lightly damped LC filter is prone to series and parallel resonances when tuned to a system harmonic either from the utility or from the PWM rectifier. These issues are traditionally addressed at the design stage by properly choosing the filter resonant frequency. This approach may result in a limited performance since the LC resonant frequency is a function of the power system impedance, which usually varies with power system operating conditions. In this paper, an active damping control method is proposed for the reduction in line current THD of high-power current-source rectifiers operating at a switching frequency of only 540 Hz. Two types of LC resonances are investigated: the parallel resonance excited by harmonic currents drawn by the rectifier and the series resonance caused by harmonic pollution in the source voltage. It is demonstrated through simulation and experiments that the proposed active damping control can effectively reduce the line-current THD caused by both parallel and series resonances.
Conversion of decision tables to computer programs by rule mask techniques (1966)

The rule mask technique is one method of converting limited entry decision tables to computer programs. Recent discussion suggests that in many circumstances it is to be preferred to the technique of constructing networks or trees. A drawback of the technique as hitherto presented is its liability to produce object programs of longer run time than necessary. In this paper a modification of the technique is discussed which takes into account both rule frequencies and the relative times for evaluating conditions. This can materially improve object program run time.
A COMBINED FLEXI-RULE/HYDROGONIOMETER FOR MEASUREMENT OF LUMBAR SPINE AND ITS SAGITTAL MOVEMENT (1975)

A portable device is described which can record contours of the spine when standing normally and in extreme postures of flexion and extension. It can also give a numerical record of the range of lumbar movement and of the angles to the vertical in which the sacrum and upper spine are held in relation to the lordotic curve. It is felt that the device may be useful for clinical reports, ongoing assessments of therapy, and for epidemiological studies. Its use as a predictor of those at risk to develop low-back pain or for prognosis in established cases remains to be tested. The device has been used in a back-pain clinic and in an epidemiological survey, where it has been found to be assay and quick to use. Further adaptations may be found to be desirable; these would not detract from the usefulness of the device in that successive readings would still be comparable.
Ducted Fan Aerodynamics and Modeling, with Applications of Steady and Synthetic Jet Flow Control (2011)

Ducted fan vehicles possess a superior ability to maximize payload capacity while minimizing vehicle size. Their ability to both hover and fly at high speed is a key advantage for information-gathering missions, particularly when close proximity to a target is essential. However, the ducted fan's aerodynamic characteristics pose difficulties for stable vehicle flight and therefore require complex control algorithms. In particular, they exhibit a large nose-up pitching moment during wind gusts and when transitioning from hover to forward flight. Understanding ducted fan aerodynamic behavior and how it can be altered through flow control techniques are the two prime objectives of this work. This dissertation provides a new paradigm for modeling the ducted fan's nonlinear behavior and new methods for changing the duct aerodynamics using active flow control. Steady and piezoelectric synthetic jet blowing are employed in the flow control concepts and are compared. The new aerodynamic model captures the nonlinear characteristics of the force, moment, and power data for a ducted fan, while representing these terms in a set of simple equations. The model attains excellent agreement with current and legacy experimental data using twelve non-dimensional constants. Synthetic jet actuators (SJA) have potential for use in flow control applications in UAVs with limited size, weight, and power budgets. Piezoelectric SJAs for a ducted fan vehicle were developed through two rounds of experimental designs. The final SJA design attained peak jet velocities in the range of 225 ft/sec (69 m/s) for a 0.03â x 0.80â rectangular slot. To reduce the magnitude of the nose-up pitching moment in cross-winds, two flow control concepts were explored: flow separation control at the duct lip, and flow turning at the duct trailing edge using a CoandÄ surface. Both concepts were experimentally proven to be successful. Synthetic jets and steady jets were capable of modifying the ducted fan flow to reduce pitching moment, but some cases required high values of steady blowing to create significant responses. Triggering leading edge separation on the duct lip was one application where synthetic jets showed comparable performance to steady jets operating at a blowing coefficient an order of magnitude higher.