gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Drying of Pigment-Cellulose Nanofibril Substrates (2014)

A new substrate containing cellulose nanofibrils and inorganic pigment particles has been developed for printed electronics applications. The studied composite structure contains 80% fillers and is mechanically stable and flexible. Before drying, the solids content can be as low as 20% due to the high water binding capacity of the cellulose nanofibrils. We have studied several drying methods and their effects on the substrate properties. The aim is to achieve a tight, smooth surface keeping the drying efficiency simultaneously at a high level. The methods studied include: (1) drying on a hot metal surface; (2) air impingement drying; and (3) hot pressing. Somewhat surprisingly, drying rates measured for the pigment-cellulose nanofibril substrates were quite similar to those for the reference board sheets. Very high dewatering rates were observed for the hot pressing at high moisture contents. The drying method had significant effects on the final substrate properties, especially on short-range surface smoothness. The best smoothness was obtained with a combination of impingement and contact drying. The mechanical properties of the sheets were also affected by the drying method and associated temperature.
Technological Level of the North Korean Steel Industry and Its Implications for Inter-Korean Cooperation (2011)

North Korea is now under the pressure of international sanctions due to its nuclear tests, firing of long-range ballistic missiles, the sinking of the ROK naval frigate the Cheonan, and the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island that killed four people. To overcome the burden of sanctions North Korea has exerted various efforts to reconstruct its industries. However, it is very unlikely that these reconstruction efforts would produce significant results due to the structural problems of the antiquated infrastructure of North Korean industries. In the future, it is expected that South Korea will have to cooperate with North Korea for the reconstruction of the North Korean economy after the North Korean nuclear issue will be peacefully resolved. South Korean government has to prepare for the reconstruction with careful planning based on analysis of North Korean industries. But, the number of previous studies that have analyzed the technological level of North Korean industries are quite limited. In preparation for the future inter-Korean industrial cooperation, this study tries to analyze the technological level of North Korean industries. The steel industry has been selected as the focus for the main analysis of this study due to the importance of the steel industry as one of key infrastructure industries. Additionally, this study tests the sustainability of the North Korean steel industry by looking into the possibility of whether the North Korean steel industry can sustain or grow while maintaining global competitiveness in the future when the market opens to the world. Such analysis is expected to contribute to the joint prosperity of two Koreas in the short term and the reduction of unification costs in long term.
The α-Bungarotoxin-binding Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor from Rat Brain Contains Only the α7 Subunit (1997)

When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, the rat alpha7 subunit forms homo-oligomeric nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which are blocked by alpha-bungarotoxin. Since the pharmacological and physiological properties of the alpha7 receptor expressed in oocytes are similar to those of the alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive nicotinic currents recorded from neuronal preparations and the distribution patterns of alpha7 mRNA and alpha-bungarotoxin-binding sites in the rat brain are very similar, alpha7 is thought to be the main component of the alpha-bungarotoxin-binding nicotinic receptor in the mammalian brain. However, while alpha7 is found in purified alpha-bungarotoxin-binding complexes from rat brain or PC12 cells, other proteins copurify with it. Therefore, the question whether alpha7 forms a homo-oligomeric alpha-bungarotoxin-binding nicotinic receptor in the mammalian brain remains. We have developed and characterized affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies and used these antibodies in Western blot analyses of alpha-bungarotoxin-binding proteins purified from rat brains. We report here that our experimental data support the current working hypothesis that the alpha-bungarotoxin-binding nicotinic receptor is a homo-oligomer of alpha7 subunits in the rat brain.
Metric learning for synonym acquisition (2008)

The distance or similarity metric plays an important role in many natural language processing (NLP) tasks. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of a number of metrics such as the Jaccard coefficient, especially in synonym acquisition. While the existing metrics perform quite well, to further improve performance, we propose the use of a supervised machine learning algorithm that fine-tunes them. Given the known instances of similar or dissimilar words, we estimated the parameters of the Mahalanobis distance. We compared a number of metrics in our experiments, and the results show that the proposed metric has a higher mean average precision than other metrics.
Critical role for calcium mobilization in activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome (2012)

The NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-repeat-containing family, pyrin domain-containing 3) inflammasome mediates production of inflammatory mediators, such as IL-1β and IL-18, and as such is implicated in a variety of inflammatory processes, including infection, sepsis, autoinflammatory diseases, and metabolic diseases. The proximal steps in NLRP3 inflammasome activation are not well understood. Here we elucidate a critical role for Ca(2+) mobilization in activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by multiple stimuli. We demonstrate that blocking Ca(2+) mobilization inhibits assembly and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome complex, and that during ATP stimulation Ca(2+) signaling is pivotal in promoting mitochondrial damage. C/EPB homologous protein, a transcription factor that can modulate Ca(2+) release from the endoplasmic reticulum, amplifies NLRP3 inflammasome activation, thus linking endoplasmic reticulum stress to activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Our findings support a model for NLRP3 inflammasome activation by Ca(2+)-mediated mitochondrial damage.
A Long-Term Follow-Up Study of Intravenous Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Ischemic Stroke (2010)

We previously evaluated the short-term follow-up preliminary data of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation in patients with ischemic stroke. The present study was conducted to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of i.v. MSCs transplantation in a larger population. To accomplish this, we performed an open-label, observer-blinded clinical trial of 85 patients with severe middle cerebral artery territory infarct. Patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups, those who received i.v. autologous ex vivo cultured MSCs (MSC group) or those who did not (control group), and followed for up to 5 years. Mortality of any cause, long-term side effects, and new-onset comorbidities were monitored. Of the 52 patients who were finally included in this study, 16 were the MSC group and 36 were the control group. Four (25%) patients in the MSC group and 21 (58.3%) in the control group died during the follow-up period, and the cumulative surviving portion at 260 weeks was 0.72 in the MSC group and 0.34 in the control group (log-rank; p = .058). Significant side effects were not observed following MSC treatment. The occurrence of comorbidities including seizures and recurrent vascular episodes did not differ between groups. When compared with the control group, the follow-up modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score was decreased, whereas the number of patients with a mRS of 0-3 increased in the MSC group (p = .046). Clinical improvement in the MSC group was associated with serum levels of stromal cell-derived factor-1 and the degree of involvement of the subventricular region of the lateral ventricle. Intravenous autologous MSCs transplantation was safe for stroke patients during long-term follow-up. This therapy may improve recovery after stroke depending on the specific characteristics of the patients.
Hydrogen-Bond-Promoted Hetero-Diels−Alder Reactions of Unactivated Ketones (2002)

We report the first examples of hydrogen-bond-promoted acceleration of hetero-Diels-Alder reactions and the use of such catalysis for the hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of simple, unactivated ketones. Several spiro-fused dihydropyans were synthesized in good yields using this procedure. This activation protocol represents an attractive and operationally simple alternative to conventional, Lewis acid catalysis.
Plasticity in epithelial cell phenotype: modulation by expression of different cadherin cell adhesion molecules. (1995)

A primary function of cadherins is to regulate cell adhesion. Here, we demonstrate a broader function of cadherins in the differentiation of specialized epithelial cell phenotypes. In situ, the rat retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) forms cell-cell contacts within its monolayer, and at the apical membrane with the neural retina; Na+, K(+)-ATPase and the membrane cytoskeleton are restricted to the apical membrane. In vitro, RPE cells (RPE-J cell line) express an endogenous cadherin, form adherens junctions and a tight monolayer, but Na+,K(+)-ATPase is localized to both apical and basal-lateral membranes. Expression of E-cadherin in RPE-J cells results in restriction and accumulation of both Na+,K(+)-ATPase and the membrane cytoskeleton at the lateral membrane; these changes correlate with the synthesis of a different ankyrin isoform. In contrast to both RPE in situ and RPE-J cells that do not form desmosomes, E-cadherin expression in RPE-J cells induces accumulation of desmoglein mRNA, and assembly of desmosome-keratin complexes at cell-cell contacts. These results demonstrate that cadherins directly affect epithelial cell phenotype by remodeling the distributions of constitutively expressed proteins and by induced accumulation of specific proteins, which together lead to the generation of structurally and functionally distinct epithelial cell types.
Creation of Highly Stable Selenium Nanoparticles Capped with Hyperbranched Polysaccharide in Water (2010)

Water-dispersible selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were created by using natural hyperbranched polysaccharide (HBP) as the stabilizer and capping agent under extremely safe conditions. The structure, morphology, size, and stability of the nanocomposites were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and static and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. The results revealed that the spherical selenium nanoparticles (mean particle size of about 24 nm) were ligated with HBP to form nanocomposites (Se-HBP) in aqueous solution and were stable for over one month. In our findings, supported by the results of FTIR, TEM, AFM, and DLS, SeNPs were capped with the HBP macromolecules, as a result of strong physical adsorption of OH groups on Se surfaces, leading to a highly stable structure of Se nanoparticles in water. This work provided reaction sites for the complexation between HBP and Se to fabricate well-dispersed Se nanoparticles in aqueous system with potential bioapplications.
The idiotypic characteristics of human antibodies to factor VIII (1984)

We have prepared an antiidiotype antibody that specifically reacts with and inactivates a human autoantibody to factor VIII (VIII:C). The antiidiotype specificity of this rabbit antibody was evident in solution, as specific inhibition of anti-VIII:C activity, and in solid- phase studies. The antiidiotype antibody inhibited both plasma anti- VIII:C and Fab' fragments prepared from that plasma's IgG. Although the antibody had a greater inhibitory effect on the anti-VIII:C used for immunization than it did for other anti-VIII:C, partial inhibition was identified with ten of 25 other human anti-VIII:C. The demonstration that antiidiotype antibodies can be prepared to human anti-VIII:C indicates the feasibility of this approach to the immunochemical characterization of human anti-VIII:C inhibitors. Moreover, antiidiotype reagents have a potential role in the treatment of inhibitor patients.
Comparison of inflammatory cytokine concentration and physiologic parameters in septic shock. (1997)

Cytokine-related systemic intravascular inflammation may represent a common pathogenic link between initial insult and multiple organ failure in septic shock patients. We conducted a prospective study with controls in the National Taiwan University Hospital intensive care unit to compare plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and circulating intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (cICAM-1) with clinical physiologic parameters in the outcome of patients with septic shock. Healthy volunteers (n = 37) and patients with septic shock admitted to the unit from January to December 1994 (n = 31) were enrolled. Clinical data, APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) III scores, multiple organ failure scores, the presence of acute respiratory distress syndrome, and outcome were evaluated. The plasma levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and cICAM-1 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Subgroups of survivors and nonsurvivors were compared for plasma levels of these factors or days 1, 2, 3, 7, and 14 after diagnosis of septic shock. Of the patients with septic shock, 20 survived and 11 died. The initial plasma levels of IL-6 were significantly higher in nonsurvivors (p < 0.05). There was a significant inverse correlation between plasma IL-6 level and survival in the first week (r = 0.4297-0.7242, p < 0.05). APACHE III score (r = 0.4335, p = 0.015), acute respiratory distress syndrome (r = 0.5913, p < 0.001), and multiple organ failure score (r = 0.736, p < 0.001) were more strongly (negatively) correlated with survival than the concentrations of TNF-alpha and cICAM-1 by Spearman's rank sum test. Our results showed that in patients with septic shock, of the inflammatory cytokines, only IL-6 showed significantly higher plasma levels in the nonsurvivor group. Inflammatory cytokine levels were not more strongly correlated with the outcome of patients with septic shock than physiologic parameters.
Hemagglutination with Aldehyde-Fixed Erythrocytes for Assay of Antigens and Antibodies. (1967)

Methods have been described for the preservation of sheep erythrocytes by brief treatment with glutaraldehyde. These cells could be conjugated to proteins in the presence or absence of coupling reagents and were specifically agglutinated by specific anti-protein sera. These antigen-conjugated cells were stable for at least 6 months. Utilizing these cells, the inhibition of hemagglutination was found to be a sensitive technique for detection of small amounts of antigen.
<i>N-O-</i>Isopropyl Sulfonamido-Based Hydroxamates: Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Selective Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutic Agents for Osteoarthritis (2009)

Matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) is a key enzyme implicated in the degradation of the extracellular matrix in osteoarthritis (OA). For this reason, MMP-13 synthetic inhibitors are being sought as potential therapeutic agents to prevent cartilage degradation and to halt the progression of OA. Herein, we report the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of a new series of selective MMP-13 inhibitors possessing an arylsulfonamidic scaffold. Among these potential inhibitors, a very promising compound was discovered exhibiting nanomolar activity for MMP-13 and was highly selective for this enzyme compared to MMP-1, -14, and TACE. This compound acted as a slow-binding inhibitor of MMP-13 and was demonstrated to be effective in an in vitro collagen assay and in a model of cartilage degradation. Furthermore, a docking study was conducted for this compound in order to investigate its binding interactions with MMP-13 and the reasons for its selectivity toward MMP-13 versus other MMPs.
Efficient population coding of naturalistic whisker motion in the ventro-posterior medial thalamus based on precise spike timing (2015)

The rodent whisker-associated thalamic nucleus (VPM) contains a somatotopic map where whisker representation is divided into distinct neuronal sub-populations, called "barreloids". Each barreloid projects to its associated cortical barrel column and so forms a gateway for incoming sensory stimuli to the barrel cortex. We aimed to determine how the population of neurons within one barreloid encodes naturalistic whisker motion. In rats, we recorded the extracellular activity of up to nine single neurons within a single barreloid, by implanting silicon probes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the barreloids. We found that play-back of texture-induced whisker motion evoked sparse responses, timed with millisecond precision. At the population level, there was synchronous activity: however, different subsets of neurons were synchronously active at different times. Mutual information between population responses and whisker motion increased near linearly with population size. When normalized to factor out firing rate differences, we found that texture was encoded with greater informational-efficiency than white noise. These results indicate that, within each VPM barreloid, there is a rich and efficient population code for naturalistic whisker motion based on precisely timed, population spike patterns.
An energy-efficient 17-bit noise-shaping Dual-Slope Capacitance-to-Digital Converter for MEMS sensors (2016)

A noise-shaping Dual-Slope (DS) Capacitance-to-Digital Converter (CDC), specifically designed for interfacing capacitive MEMS sensors, is presented. In particular, this work proposes a design with a MEMS sensor built with a bridge of capacitors. In this bridge, some capacitors are function of the pressure in order to obtain a variation in the output of the bridge related with the change of pressure. Then, the capacitive to digital conversion is realized using two steps. First, a Switched-Capacitor (SC) preamplifier is used to make the capacitive to voltage (C-V) conversion. Second, a time domain noise-shaping Dual-Slope ADC is used to digitalize the magnitude of the capacitive bridge. The use of time instead of amplitude resolution leads to the following strengths: 1) intrinsically small sensitivity to temperature and process variations; 2) simplicity of trimming offset and gain to correct the sensor parameter spread; and 3) area and energy efficient implementation. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by measurements performed on a prototype, designed and fabricated using standard digital 0.13μm CMOS technology. Experimental results show that it achieves a resolution of 17-bit, which corresponds to a capacitive resolution of 5.4aF, while consuming only 146μA from a 1.5V power supply, with an effective area of 0.317mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> .
Unexplained decrease in measured oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry following injection of Lymphazurin 1% (isosulfan blue) during a lymphatic mapping procedure (1999)

A rare case of alteration in measured pulse oximetry during a lymphatic mapping procedure for cervical carcinoma is reported. Over a 5-min period following injection of perilesional Lymphazurin 1% dye (3 ml total), a profound pulse oximetry desaturation was observed. Concomitant arterial blood gas determinations confirmed patient's well-being. Interaction of this agent's absorptive spectroscopy and wavelengths used to measure oxygen saturation by commercial pulse oximetry devices is suspected. J. Surg. Oncol. 1999;70:126–129. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cardiolipin Binds to CD1d and Stimulates CD1d-Restricted γδ T Cells in the Normal Murine Repertoire (2011)

Cardiolipin (CL), a major phospholipid in bacterial cell walls, is sequestered from the immune system in mammalian mitochondria and is, therefore, a potential danger signal. Based on growing evidence that phospholipids constitute natural ligands for CD1 and that CD1d-restricted T cells recognize phospholipids, we hypothesized that CD1d binds and presents CL and that T cells in the normal immune repertoire respond to CL in a CD1d-restricted manner. We determined the murine CD1d-CL crystal structure at 2.3 Å resolution and established through additional lipid loading experiments that CL, a tetra-acylated phospholipid, binds to murine CD1d with two alkyl chains buried inside the CD1d binding groove and the remaining two exposed into the solvent. We furthermore demonstrate the functional stimulatory activity of CL, showing that splenic and hepatic γδ T cells from healthy mice proliferate in vitro in response to mammalian or bacterial CL in a dose-dependent and CD1d-restricted manner, rapidly secreting the cytokines IFN-γ and RANTES. Finally, we show that hepatic γδ T cells are activated in vivo by CD1d-bearing dendritic cells that have been pulsed with CL, but not phosphatidylcholine. Together, these findings demonstrate that CD1d is able to bind and present CL to a subset of CL-responsive γδ T cells that exist in the spleen and liver of healthy mice and suggest that these cells could play a role in host responses to bacterial lipids and, potentially, self-CL. We propose that CL-responsive γδ T cells play a role in immune surveillance during infection and tissue injury.
Effects of <i>BRCA1</i> Transgene Expression on Murine Mammary Gland Development and Mutagen-Induced Mammary Neoplasia (2007)

To characterize the role of BRCA1 in mammary gland development and tumor suppression, a transgenic mouse model of BRCA1 overexpression was developed. Using the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter/enhancer, transgenic mice expressing human BRCA1 or select mutant controls were generated. Transgenic animals examined during adolescence were shown to express the human transgene in their mammary glands. The mammary glands of 13-week-old virgin homozygous MMTV-BRCA1 mice presented the morphology of moderately increased lobulo-alveolar development. The mammary ductal trees of both hemizygous and homozygous MMTV-BRCA1t340 were similar to those of control non-transgenic littermates. Interestingly, both hemi- and homozygous mice expressing a splice variant of BRCA1 lacking the N-terminal RING finger domain (MMTV-BRCA1sv) exhibited marked mammary lobulo-alveolar development, particularly terminal end bud proliferation. Morphometric analyses of mammary gland whole mount preparations were used to measure epithelial staining indices of ~35% for homozygous MMTV-BRCA1 mice and ~60% for both hemizygous and homozygous MMTV-BRCA1sv mice versus ~25% for non-transgenic mice. Homozygous MMTV-BRCA1 mice showed delayed development of tumors when challenged with 7,12 dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA), relative to non-transgenic and homozygous BRCA1t340 expressing mice. In contrast, homozygous MMTV-BRCA1sv transgenic animals were sensitized to DMBA treatment and exhibited a very rapid onset of mammary tumor development and accelerated mortality. MMTV-BRCA1 effects on mortality were restricted to DMBA-induced tumors of the mammary gland. These results demonstrate in vivo roles for BRCA1 in both mammary gland development and in tumor suppression against mutagen-induced mammary gland neoplasia.
Parallel Processing in Structural Engineering (1993)

New generation multiprocessor computers and parallel processing provide an opportunity to improve the computing efficiency by orders of magnitude. Parallel processing is evolving as one of the most promising approaches for large-scale engineering computations. The first of its kind, this book presents applications of parallel processing in structur