gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Heat-Killed Lactic Acid Bacteria in Alleviating Allergic Diseases (2006)

Allergic diseases are reported to be caused by a skew in the balance between T helper type 1 and 2 cells. Because some lactic acid bacteria have been shown to stimulate IL-12 (p70) production, which in turn shifts the balance between the T helper type 1 and 2 cell response from the latter to the former, they have the potential to either prevent or ameliorate disease conditions or both. They have therefore been extensively studied in the recent past for their probiotic activities. Nevertheless, much less information is available concerning the microbial factors that determine the strain-dependent ability to affect the production of cytokines. The objectives of our study were first to select potentially probiotic lactobacilli that strongly stimulate cytokine production in vitro, and then to determine whether the selected Lactobacillus strains could suppress antigen-specific IgE production in vivo by using allergic model animals. Finally, our investigation was extended to analyze which bacterial components were responsible for the observed biological activity. Twenty strains of heat-killed lactobacilli isolated from humans were screened for their stimulatory activity for the production of IL-12 (p70) by murine splenocytes in vitro. The results showed that some strains of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus gasseri had a higher stimulatory activity for IL-12 (p70) production than the other lactobacilli tested; however, this effect was strain dependent rather than species dependent. Oral administration of the heat-killed strains that showed higher stimulatory activity for IL-12 (p70) production tended to reduce the serum antigen-specific IgE levels in ovalbumin-sensitized BALB/c mice compared with the controls. Among the lactobacilli tested, L. gasseri OLL2809 showed the highest activity in reducing the level of antigen-specific IgE. Furthermore, the stimulatory activity for IL-12 (p70) production was found to be reduced after treating the lactobacilli with N-acetyl-muramidase and to be positively correlated with the amount of peptidoglycan in the cells. The present data suggest that L. gasseri OLL2809 is a good candidate for potential probiotics in terms of either the prevention or amelioration of allergic diseases or both. In addition, the strain-dependent stimulatory activity for IL-12 (p70) production was found to be due, at least in part, to the amount of peptidoglycan present in the cells.
The fate of anergic T cells in vivo (1993)

The kinetics of Staphylococcal enterotoxin B-(SEB) induced peripheral tolerance has been investigated. Ten days after SEB injection, thymectomized BALB/cByJ mice showed suppressed spleen cell proliferative responses to SEB. After 2 mo the SEB-specific response was partly recovered. Four months later the response of spleen cells of SEB-primed mice was comparable to those of control mice. The proportion of CD4+, V beta 8+ T cells was diminished in the tolerized mice and was not restored even after the response was recovered. Purified CD4+, V beta 8+ T cells from SEB-primed mice after 4 mo responded similarly to SEB as control CD4+, V beta 8+ T cells. These expressed a similar profile of surface markers compared with that of unprimed control cells, except a homing receptor was slightly lower. An experiment that addressed the possibility that non-anergic T cells expand over time and are in fact responsible for the recovery of the proliferative response showed that such events unlikely occur in vivo. Therefore, the data indicate that T cell anergy is reversible in vivo. It is also suggested that the challenge with superantigen results in neither clonal expansion nor specific CD4+, V beta 8+ T cell memory.
Amino acid clearance and prognosis in surgical patients with cirrhosis. (1984)

To measure the effects of cirrhosis on amino acid (AA) flux and to assess the value of the central plasma clearance rate of amino acids (CPCR-AA) as a hepatocyte function test, 35 patients with cirrhosis were studied before and after operation. Fourteen of these patients died after the operation. CPCR-AA measures the number of milliliters of plasma cleared of AA per minute by the liver and other visceral tissues. It is the ratio of AA entry rate into plasma (from peripheral tissues plus infusion) to the arterial AA plasma concentration. Preoperative CPCR-AA measurements in 21 fasted patients with cirrhosis who were not infected revealed a pattern of AA plasma concentration and exchange similar to that previously observed in patients with sepsis with normal liver function. Whereas the concentration of AA in both groups was slightly lower than normal, the CPCR-AA of each was more than four times that of normal postabsorptive people (p less than 0.01). However, preoperative values of CPCR-AA in patients with cirrhosis who survived was 220 +/- 26 ml/M2/min while that in those who died was 97 +/- 16 ml/M2/min (p less than 0.001). Postoperative measurements remained relatively unchanged: survivors 212 +/- 24 ml/M2/min and those who died 89 ml/M2/min (p less than 0.0005). Measurements in vitro of the hepatic protein synthetic rate in liver biopsy specimens taken at operation correlated well with CPCR-AA values obtained immediately before operation in 10 patients (r = 0.73; p less than 0.01). Thus in patients with cirrhosis visceral amino acid uptake and hepatic protein synthesis are maximally stimulated. Nevertheless, if the preoperative CPCR-AA does not approach the value of 284 +/- 76 ml/M2/min previously observed in patients with sepsis who recover, the patient with cirrhosis is prone postoperatively to die of overwhelming infection and multisystem failure.
Direction finding after blind identification of the source steering vectors: the Blind-Maxcor and Blind-MUSIC methods (1996)

International audience
Current and Future Therapies for Hepatitis C Virus Infection (2013)

Only 20 years after the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, a cure is now likely for most people with chronic infection. This review considers current therapy and the present landscape of drug development for hepatitis C.
Thermal engineering of FAPbI3 perovskite material via radiative thermal annealing and in situ XRD (2017)

Lead halide perovskites have emerged as successful optoelectronic materials with high photovoltaic power conversion efficiencies and low material cost. However, substantial challenges remain in the scalability, stability and fundamental understanding of the materials. Here we present the application of radiative thermal annealing, an easily scalable processing method for synthesizing formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI<sub>3</sub>) perovskite solar absorbers. Devices fabricated from films formed via radiative thermal annealing have equivalent efficiencies to those annealed using a conventional hotplate. By coupling results from in situ X-ray diffraction using a radiative thermal annealing system with device performances, we mapped the processing phase space of FAPbI<sub>3</sub> and corresponding device efficiencies. Our map of processing-structure-performance space suggests the commonly used FAPbI<sub>3</sub> annealing time, 10 min at 170 °C, can be significantly reduced to 40 s at 170 °C without affecting the photovoltaic performance. The Johnson-Mehl-Avrami model was used to determine the activation energy for decomposition of FAPbI<sub>3</sub> into PbI<sub>2</sub>.
Side-by-side comparison between infrared and thermoreflectance imaging using a thermal test chip with embedded diode temperature sensors (2012)

A side-by-side comparison between thermoreflectance imaging (TR) and infrared (IR) imaging is made using a specially designed thermal test chip with an embedded diode sensor array. IR thermal imaging is commonly used in industry. However, due to the infrared wavelength and the diffraction limit, IR has limited spatial resolution for chip level thermal characterization. In this paper we compare the spatial, thermal, and temporal resolutions of IR and TR methods and verify the results with integrated diode temperature sensors in the test chip. Thermoreflectance imaging showed higher spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and temperature accuracy on the metal heater. Infrared imaging showed to be less accurate on the metal without any coating to improve the emissivity. The TR measurement on the diode was within 1.7% of the diode reading, while the IR measurement was within 6%.
Differential roles of PDK1- and PDK2-phosphorylation sites in the yeast AGC kinases Ypk1, Pkc1 and Sch9 (2004)

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pkh1 and Pkh2 (orthologues of mammalian protein kinase, PDK1) are functionally redundant. These kinases activate three AGC family kinases involved in the maintenance of cell wall integrity: Ypk1 and Ypk2, two closely related, functionally redundant enzymes (orthologues of mammalian protein kinase SGK), and Pkc1 (orthologue of mammalian protein kinase PRK2). Pkh1 and Pkh2 activate Ypk1, Ypk2 and Pkc1 by phosphorylating a Thr in a conserved sequence motif (PDK1 site) within the activation loop of these proteins. A fourth protein kinase involved in growth control and stress response, Sch9 (orthologue of mammalian protein kinase c-Akt/PKB), also carries the conserved activation loop motif. Like other AGC family kinases, Ypk1, Ypk2, Pkc1 and Sch9 also carry a second conserved sequence motif situated in a region C-terminal to the catalytic domain, called the hydrophobic motif (PDK2 site). Currently, there is still controversy surrounding the identity of the enzyme responsible for phosphorylating this second site and the necessity for phosphorylation at this site for in vivo function. Here, genetic and biochemical methods have been used to investigate the physiological consequences of phosphorylation at the PDK1 and PDK2 sites of Ypk1, Pkc1 and Sch9. It was found that phosphorylation at the PDK1 site in the activation loop is indispensable for the essential functions of all three kinases in vivo, whereas phosphorylation at the PDK2 motif plays a non-essential and much more subtle role in modulating the ability of these kinases to regulate the downstream processes in which they participate.
Human hematopoietic stem cell adherence to cytokines and matrix molecules. (1992)

The hematopoietic microenvironment is a complex structure in which stem cells, progenitor cells, stromal cells, growth factors, and extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules each interact to direct the coordinate regulation of blood cell development. While much is known concerning the individual components of this microenvironment, little is understood of the interactions among these various components or, in particular, the nature of those interactions responsible for the regional localization of specific developmental signals. We hypothesized that cytokines act together with ECM molecules to anchor stem cells within the microenvironment, thus modulating their function. In order to analyze matrix-cytokine-stem cell interactions, we developed an ECM model system in which purified stem cell populations and plastic-immobilized individual proteins are used to assess the role of various matrix molecules and/or cytokines in human hematopoietic cell development. Analysis of these interactions revealed that a single ECM protein, thrombospondin, in conjunction with a single cytokine (e.g., c-kit ligand), constitutes a developmental signal that synergistically modulates hematopoietic stem cell function.
Performance modeling of distributed and replicated databases (2000)

The paper surveys performance models for distributed and replicated database systems. Over the last 20 years (1980-2000), a variety of such performance models have been developed and they differ in: (1) which aspects of a real system are or are not captured in the model (e.g., replication, communication, nonuniform data access, etc.); and (2) how these aspects are modeled. We classify the different alternatives and modeling assumptions and discuss their interdependencies and expressiveness for the representation of distributed databases. This leads to a set of building blocks for analytical performance models. To illustrate the work that is surveyed, we select a combination of these proven modeling concepts and give an example of how to compose a balanced analytical model of a replicated database. We use this example to show how to derive meaningful performance values and to discuss the applicability and expressiveness of performance models for distributed and replicated databases. Finally, we compare the analytical results to measurements in a distributed database system.
Probing the chemical structure of monolayer covalent-organic frameworks grown via Schiff-base condensation reactions (2016)

Two-dimensional covalent-organic frameworks (2D-COFs) on surfaces offer a facile route to new 2D materials. Schiff-base condensation reactions have proven to be an effective fabrication route for such materials. We present scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies of porphyrin 2D-COFs grown at a solid-vapour interface. XPS shows that covalent links between porphyrins consist of a mixture of imines and hemiaminals, a non-conjugated intermediate in the Schiff-base condensation reaction. These results demonstrate that environmental conditions during growth can have an important impact on the chemical composition of Schiff-base 2D-COFs.
Ultra-high vacuum compatible induction-heated rod casting furnace (2016)

We report the design of a radio-frequency induction-heated rod casting furnace that permits the preparation of polycrystalline ingots of intermetallic compounds under ultra-high vacuum compatible conditions. The central part of the system is a bespoke water-cooled Hukin crucible supporting a casting mold. Depending on the choice of the mold, typical rods have a diameter between 6 mm and 10 mm and a length up to 90 mm, suitable for single-crystal growth by means of float-zoning. The setup is all-metal sealed and may be baked out. We find that the resulting ultra-high vacuum represents an important precondition for processing compounds with high vapor pressures under a high-purity argon atmosphere up to 3 bars. Using the rod casting furnace, we succeeded to prepare large high-quality single crystals of two half-Heusler compounds, namely, the itinerant antiferromagnet CuMnSb and the half-metallic ferromagnet NiMnSb.
Potato guard cells respond to drying soil by a complex change in the expression of genes related to carbon metabolism and turgor regulation (1997)

Altering stomatal function by a guard cell-targeted transgenic approach with the aim of increased stress tolerance and crop yield requires knowledge of the natural fluctuations of stomatal gene expression under stress conditions. We developed a fast method for the isolation of RNA from epidermal fragments of potato leaves (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Désirée), demonstrated that this RNA preparation is highly enriched in guard cell transcripts and used this method to investigate the response of gene expression in guard cells to mild drought stress. Drought was applied in planta by withholding water over a period of 2-4 days. In the following work responses observed under these conditions are called 'long-term' in contrast to immediate (short-term) stomatal opening and closing responses to environmental stress. We observed both gene-specific increases and decreases of steady-state transcript levels. In particular, the mRNA levels of sucrose synthase and sucrose-phosphate synthase were elevated 5.5-fold and 1.4-fold, respectively. In contrast, expression of an inwardly rectifying K+ channel from guard cells (kst1) and of a plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase (pha2) was reduced to 26% and 36%, respectively, of the expression in watered controls. In addition, expression of vacuolar invertase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (large subunit), cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a sucrose/H+ cotransporter, and a novel isoform of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase were also reduced. Other genes exhibited unaltered expression. Compared with the response in whole leaves, the transcript levels of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, vacuolar invertase, and cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were regulated guard cell specifically. Most importantly, changes in steady-state transcript levels were complete before the onset of a decrease in leaf water potential, when drought-induced stomatal closure was already obvious. These data support the hypothesis that a systemic drought-stress signal acts not only on short-term stomatal movements but also on long-term gene expression in guard cells. Such long-term changes in gene expression might contribute to the fine-tuning of guard cell responses to environmental stimuli.
Partial sleep deprivation reduces natural killer cell activity in humans. (1994)

Sleep disturbance, measured by either subjective report or electroencephalographic (EEG) assessment of sleep, correlates with a reduction of natural killer (NK) cell activity in major depression. To test whether sleep loss independent of mood disturbance alters daytime values of cellular immune function, the effect of late-night partial sleep deprivation on NK cell activity was studied in 23 medically and psychiatrically healthy male volunteers. After a night of sleep deprivation between 3 and 7 AM, NK cell activity was reduced in 18 of the 23 subjects with average lytic activity reduced significantly (p < .01) to a level 72% of the mean of three separate baseline values. After a night of resumed nocturnal sleep, NK cell activity had returned to baseline levels. These data implicate sleep in the modulation of natural immunity and demonstrate that even modest disturbances of sleep produce a reduction of NK cell activity.
Theoretical Study of the Diels−Alder Reactions between Singlet (<sup>1</sup>Δ<sub>g</sub>) Oxygen and Acenes (2005)

The G3(MP2) method has been employed to study the 1,4-addition reactions between singlet oxygen and five acenes, including benzene, naphthalene, anthrecene, tetracene, and pentacene. In all, nine pathways between O(2) and the five acenes have been investigated. Our calculated results indicate that all nine pathways are concerted and exothermic and that the most reactive sites on the acenes are the center ring's meso-carbons. In addition, reactivity increases along the series benzene < naphthalene < anthrecene < tetracene < pentacene. This trend is identical to that of aromaticity for the five acenes. A correlation between reactivity and aromaticity is briefly rationalized with natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis. Furthermore, some experimental kinetics data from the literature supporting the calculated results are cited.
A rapid interference detector for ultra wideband radio systems in 0.13&#x03BC;m CMOS (2008)

A broadband low-power down-converter that can rapidly scan the UWB spectrum within several tens of nano-seconds to detect large interferers, is presented. The detector employs cascaded image-reject stages, each consisting of harmonic-rejection mixers, and decomposes the spectrum into 16 equal sub-bands. The LO path uses a single HF input with integer dividers. The IC is in 0.13μm CMOS. It requires 17mA in the signal path and 24mA for the LO path from a 1.2V VDD, while spanning 1.75 to 8.75GHz.
An Algorithm for High-Speed Digital Filters (1974)

This paper describes an algorithm that is suitable for fast implementations of nonrecursive and recursive digital filters. High speed is realized at the expense of memory; however, the memory-speed tradeoff is flexible so that many hardware and software implementations are practical. When memory is not limited, the time required to compute a filter output value is independent of the order of the filter.
Polyphosphazene microspheres: Preparation by ionic complexation of phosphazene polyacids with spermine (2006)

Abstract Polyphosphazene polyacids are potent immunostimulating compounds. Formulation of these water‐soluble macromolecules into a microparticulate form can extend their utility in vaccine delivery applications. A simple method for the preparation of microspheres and nanospheres using polyphosphazene polyacids is reported. The key element of the process is ionic complexation of polyphosphazenes in aqueous solutions with physiologically occurring amines, such as spermine. A phase diagram of poly[di(carboxylatophenoxy)phosphazene] (PCPP)–spermine–water system is established, which shows an extensive area of microsphere formation. Microsphere size distribution is studied as a function of reaction conditions and concentrations of reactants. This method can be applied to polyphosphazene polyacids containing carboxylic acid and sulfonic acid functionalities and can be used for protein encapsulation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 414–419, 2006
SARS-CoV2 Testing: The Limit of Detection Matters (2020)

Resolving the COVID-19 pandemic requires diagnostic testing to determine which individuals are infected and which are not. The current gold standard is to perform RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal samples. Best-in-class assays demonstrate a limit of detection (LoD) of ~100 copies of viral RNA per milliliter of transport media. However, LoDs of currently approved assays vary over 10,000-fold. Assays with higher LoDs will miss more infected patients, resulting in more false negatives. However, the false-negative rate for a given LoD remains unknown. Here we address this question using over 27,500 test results for patients from across our healthcare network tested using the Abbott RealTime SARS-CoV-2 EUA. These results suggest that each 10-fold increase in LoD is expected to increase the false negative rate by 13%, missing an additional one in eight infected patients. The highest LoDs on the market will miss a majority of infected patients, with false negative rates as high as 70%. These results suggest that choice of assay has meaningful clinical and epidemiological consequences. The limit of detection matters.
Superconducting Lines Fabricated from Epitaxial Y-Ba-Cu-O Films (1988)

High- T c superconducting lines as narrow as 0.8 µm, have been fabricated from Y-Ba-Cu-O films. The films were epitaxially grown on MgO (100) substrates heated at 740°C, by rf magnetron sputtering. The lines were patterned using focused ion-beam lithography and ion-beam etching. The resulting superconducting lines, 1.3 µm wide and 2 mm long, showed a zero resistance temperature of 81 K and a critical current density of 1.5×10 4 A/cm 2 at 77.3 K with smooth surfaces.
Thin-walled hollow Au–Cu nanostructures with high efficiency in electrochemical reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to CO (2018)

Thin-walled hollow Au–Cu nanostructures were synthesized <italic>via</italic> galvanic replacement and the Kirkendall effect between copper and gold, and they showed high efficiency for electro-reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to CO.
Communication Systems for Distribution Automation and Load Management Results of EPRI/DOE Research (1982)

The Electric Power Research Institute and the U. S. Department of Energy have completed a jointly sponsored program to develop and test communication systems for distribution automation and load management. The program included three power- line-carrier projects, an ultra-high- frequency radio project, and a, telephone project. For each project, a two-way (half-duplex) digital communication system was developed to perform such functions as fault location and isolation, distribution feeder switching, load control, time-of-day metering, remote meter reading, and equipment monitoring. The results of this research indicate that communication systems in all three technologies (power line carrier, radio, and telephone) have advanced closer to satisfying utility requirements for, distribution automation and load control. Research will continue to determine whether these technoiogies will be cost-effective.