gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Stromal cell–derived factor 1 (CXCL12) induces monocyte migration into human synovium transplanted onto SCID Mice (2002)

This study demonstrates, for the first time, that SDF-1 is functional in vivo when injected into synovial grafts. In addition, SDF-1 is more potent than TNF alpha, and its mechanisms of action appear to be autonomous. Therefore, SDF-1 may be an important TNF-independent molecule involved in the migration to and retention of inflammatory effector cells in the joint.
EGFR-targeted poly(ethylene glycol)-distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine micelle loaded with paclitaxel for laryngeal cancer: preparation, characterization and<i>in vitro</i>evaluation (2014)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of using polymeric micelles modified with a peptide (termed GE11) ligand of epidermal growth factor receptor as the targeted carriers to achieve increased accumulation in laryngeal cancer and enhanced intracellular delivery for the encapsulated anticancer drugs. Poly (ethylene glycol)-distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (PEG-DSPE) micelles containing paclitaxel were prepared via film-hydration method followed by investigation of in vitro release of paclitaxel in phosphate-buffered saline. The average size of GE11-PEG-DSPE/paclitaxel micelle and mPEG-DSPE/paclitaxel were 35 ± 2.8 nm [the polydispersity index (PDI) = 0.207] and 28 ± 2.1 nm (PDI = 0.154), respectively. Micelles with or without GE11-modified had similar physicochemical properties. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the micelles were homogeneous and spherical in shape. Encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of the micelle were 74.11 ± 3.89% and 3.58 ± 2.82%, respectively. The in vitro targeting characteristic of GE11-modified micelles was investigated by observing the level of cellular uptake of fluorescent coumarin-6-loaded micelles on EGFR over-expressed human laryngeal cancer cell line Hep-2 and EGFR low-expressed human leukemic cell line U-937. Hep-2 cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by GE11-PEG-DSPE/paclitaxel micelle compared to mPEG-DSPE/paclitaxel micelle and Taxol in vitro. Our results suggested that GE11-PEG-DSPE micelle could be a promising strategy for enhancing paclitaxel's chemotherapeutic effects on EGFR over-expressed cancer cells.
Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy Technique for Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate (2003)

Background and purpose: The aim of this work is to describe segmental fields for the treatment of prostate cancer and compare the dose delivered to adjacent critical structures for varying numbers of segmental fields. Methods: Conformal treatment of static multisegmental fields was developed for adenocarcinoma of the prostate. It makes use of fixed fields to create intensity- modulated fields from several different-shaped beam portals of the same direction in order to minimize doses to the critical structures. First, the plan was six coplanar fields with gantry angles of 45°, 90°, 135°, 225°, 270°, and 315°. Then the multisegmental fields were added to the previous frame in order to create the second plan. It has three segment levels: sparing only the rectum portal, sparing only the bladder, and sparing both the rectum and bladder portals. Results: The isodose distributions of multisegment plan were more conformal to the planning target volume (PTV) and the rectum boundary than the conventional plan. For rectal normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), the segmental plans were superior to the non-segmental plan. Conclusion: The segmental plan represents a technical improvement in the treatment of prostate cancer by minimizing the dose delivered to adjacent structures. The number of segments depends on the complexity of the treatment planning protocol, dose constraints, and clinical situation.
A new collection method for the evaluation of nasal mucus proteins (1998)

With our method, the sample collections were taken with minimal stimulation of the mucosa and it was well tolerated by the subjects; the low known dilution factor is also adequate for analysing small quantities of mucus recovered, and the protein concentration can be measured as an absolute value.
Adsorption of Glucose Oxidase to 3‐D Scaffolds of Carbon Nanotubes: Analytical Applications (2011)

This study is the first to focus on the potential use of carbon nanotube (CNT) scaffolds as enzyme immobilization substrates for analytical purposes. Besides all the well-known advantages of CNT, three-dimensional scaffolds can significantly increase the amount of enzymes adsorbed per unit area, preserve the catalytic activity of the adsorbed molecules, and allow effective exposure to substrates present in the adjacent medium. Additionally, our results indicate that the sensitivity of analytical probes based on enzyme-loaded CNT scaffolds is proportional to the thickness of the scaffold providing 3-fold sensitivity improvements with respect to the control surfaces.
Human sensitivity to dynamic translational gains in head-mounted displays (2014)

Translational gains in head-mounted display (HMD) systems allow a user to walk at one rate in the real world while seeing themselves move at a faster or slower rate. Although several studies have measured how large gains must be for people to recognize them, little is known about how quickly the gains can be changed without people noticing. We conducted an experiment where participants were asked to walk on a straight path while wearing an HMD while we dynamically increased or decreased their virtual world translation speed. Participants indicated if their speed increased or decreased during their walk. In general, we found that the starting gain affected the detection and that, in most cases, there was little difference between gradual and instantaneous gain changes. The results of this work can help inform redirected walking implementations and other HMD applications where translational gains are not constant.
Clinical trials of homoeopathy. (1991)

At the moment the evidence of clinical trials is positive but not sufficient to draw definitive conclusions because most trials are of low methodological quality and because of the unknown role of publication bias. This indicates that there is a legitimate case for further evaluation of homoeopathy, but only by means of well performed trials.
An improved algorithm of fundamental matrix estimation based on epipolar line restriction (2008)

Estimating the epipolar geometric relations accurately between un-calibration views is an important key step in some stereo visual applications. Because the precision of fundamental (F) matrix estimation is sensitive to matching errors, this paper proposes an improved F matrix estimation scheme based on epipolar line restriction. Firstly, an improved RANSAC algorithm is proposed to select the optimal relatively subset from a primitive matched point set. Secondly, the different weighted factor is given to each selected couple of matched points according to pre-defined epipolar distance. Finally, a normalized process is performed for the selected matched points, and then the more accurate F matrix is solved. Several experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can improve the precision of F matrix.
An algorithm to extract three‐dimensional motion by marker tracking in the kV projections from an on‐board imager: four‐dimensional cone‐beam CT and tumor tracking implications (2011)

The purpose of this work is to extract three-dimensional (3D) motion trajectories of internal implanted and external skin-attached markers from kV cone-beam projections and reduce image artifact from patient motion in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) from on-board imager. Cone beam radiographic projections were acquired for a mobile phantom and liver patients with internal implanted and external skin-attached markers. An algorithm was developed to automatically find the positions of the markers in the projections. It uses normalized cross-correlation between a template image of a metal seed marker and the projections to find the marker position. From these positions and time-tagged angular views, the marker 3D motion trajectory was obtained over a time interval of nearly one minute, which is the time required for scanning. This marker trajectory was used to remap the pixels of the projections to eliminate motion. Then, the motion-corrected projections were used to reconstruct CBCT. An algorithm was developed to extract 3D motion trajectories of internal and external markers from cone-beam projections using a kV monoscopic on-board imager. This algorithm was tested and validated using a mobile phantom and patients with liver masses that had radio-markers implanted in the tumor and attached to the skin. The extracted motion trajectories were used to investigate motion correlation between internal and external markers in liver patients. Image artifacts from respiratory motion were reduced in CBCT reconstructed from cone-beam projections that were preprocessed to remove motion shifts obtained from marker tracking. With this method, motion-related image artifacts such as blurring and spatial distortion were reduced, and contrast and position resolutions were improved significantly in CBCT reconstructed from motion-corrected projections. Furthermore, correlated internal and external marker 3D-motion tracks obtained from the kV projections might be useful for 4DCBCT, beam gating and tumor motion monitoring or tracking.
A Modular Strategy for Fully Conjugated Donor–Acceptor Block Copolymers (2012)

A novel strategy for the synthesis of fully conjugated donor-acceptor block copolymers, in a single reaction step employing Stille coupling polymerization of end-functional polythiophene and AA + BB monomers, is presented. The unique donor-acceptor structure of these block copolymers provides a rich self-assembly behavior, with the first example of a fully conjugated donor-acceptor block copolymer having two separate crystalline domains being obtained.
Surface plasmon polariton based wavelength selective IR emitter combined with microheater (2013)

A newly proposed surface plasmon polariton (SPP) based wavelength selective IR emitter is combined with microheater. The excited SPP propagates on the metallic grating carrying IR having the wavelength near to the grating pitch. By confining IR having other wavelength inside the cavity, the thermal emission is controlled. Emission peak at the wavelength near to the period of the grating is observed. Since the microheater can minimize the loss due to the thermal conduction from the high temperature region to the surrounding basement, the energy efficiently is expected.
Biochemical and Genetic Evidence that <i>Enterococcus faecium</i> L50 Produces Enterocins L50A and L50B, the <i>sec</i> -Dependent Enterocin P, and a Novel Bacteriocin Secreted without an N-Terminal Extension Termed Enterocin Q (2000)

Enterococcus faecium L50 grown at 16 to 32 degrees C produces enterocin L50 (EntL50), consisting of EntL50A and EntL50B, two unmodified non-pediocin-like peptides synthesized without an N-terminal leader sequence or signal peptide. However, the bacteriocin activity found in the cell-free culture supernatants following growth at higher temperatures (37 to 47 degrees C) is not due to EntL50. A purification procedure including cation-exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and reverse-phase liquid chromatography has shown that the antimicrobial activity is due to two different bacteriocins. Amino acid sequences obtained by Edman degradation and DNA sequencing analyses revealed that one is identical to the sec-dependent pediocin-like enterocin P produced by E. faecium P13 (L. M. Cintas, P. Casaus, L. S. Hâvarstein, P. E. Hernández, and I. F. Nes, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:4321-4330, 1997) and the other is a novel unmodified non-pediocin-like bacteriocin termed enterocin Q (EntQ), with a molecular mass of 3,980. DNA sequencing analysis of a 963-bp region of E. faecium L50 containing the enterocin P structural gene (entP) and the putative immunity protein gene (entiP) reveals a genetic organization identical to that previously found in E. faecium P13. DNA sequencing analysis of a 1,448-bp region identified two consecutive but diverging open reading frames (ORFs) of which one, termed entQ, encodes a 34-amino-acid protein whose deduced amino acid sequence was identical to that obtained for EntQ by amino acid sequencing, showing that EntQ, similarly to EntL50A and EntL50B, is synthesized without an N-terminal leader sequence or signal peptide. The second ORF, termed orf2, was located immediately upstream of and in opposite orientation to entQ and encodes a putative immunity protein composed of 221 amino acids. Bacteriocin production by E. faecium L50 showed that EntP and EntQ are produced in the temperature range from 16 to 47 degrees C and maximally detected at 47 and 37 to 47 degrees C, respectively, while EntL50A and EntL50B are maximally synthesized at 16 to 25 degrees C and are not detected at 37 degrees C or above.
In vitro evaluation of a chitosan membrane cross-linked with genipin (2001)

The study was to evaluate the characteristics of a chitosan membrane cross-linked with a naturally-occurring cross-linking reagent, genipin. This newly-developed genipin-cross-linked chitosan membrane may be used as an implantable drug-delivery system. The chitosan membrane without cross-linking (fresh) and the glutaraldehyde-cross-linked chitosan membrane were used as controls. The characteristics of test chitosan membranes evaluated were their cross-linking degree, swelling ratio, mechanical properties. antimicrobial activity, cytotoxicity, and degradability. It was found that cross-linking of chitosan membrane using genipin increased its ultimate tensile strength but significantly reduced its strain-at-fracture and swelling ratio. There was no significant difference in antimicrobial activity between the genipin-cross-linked chitosan membrane and its fresh counterpart. Additionally, the results showed that the genipin-cross-linked chitosan membrane had a significantly less cytotoxicity and a slower degradation rate compared to the glutaraldehyde-cross-linked membrane. These results suggested that the genipin-cross-linked chitosan membrane may be a promising carrier for fabricating an implantable drug-delivery system. The drug-release characteristics of the genipin-cross-linked chitosan membrane are currently under investigation.
Dermoscopic difficult lesions: an objective evaluation of reflectance confocal microscopy impact for accurate diagnosis (2014)

RCM represents a rapid non-invasive technique that can aid early diagnosis of dermoscopic difficult melanomas. Use of RCM on lesions with clinical and/or dermoscopic suspect of malignancy may reduce the number of unnecessary excision increasing the rate of accurate diagnoses.
Monomode fiber-optic strain gauge with simultaneous phase- and polarization-state detection (1985)

A fiber-optic sensor for the measurement of strain is described, in which the measurand-induced changes in both phase and polarization state are simultaneously recovered. A simple optical arrangement based on the fiber Fabry-erot interferometer is used to realize a high-resolution instrument with enhanced measurement range.
Secure solution for mobile access to patient's health care record (2011)

Mobile devices are today widely accepted and their capability to provide access to services independent of user time and location make them well suited for provision of healthcare services to both patients and healthcare personnel. However, mobile services are still not generally allowed to operate with highly sensitive and personal data, mainly due to the lack of a defined security standard, low protection of data transferred through the mobile and wireless network and no standard and widely accepted user authentication method that ensure confidentiality. In this paper we propose a secure solution for mobile access to Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. The proposed solution enables secure authentication and communication between a mobile device and a healthcare service provider through usage of a two-factor authentication method on a mobile phone and encryption. The proposed solution is independent of mobile network provider and type of the mobile device the application is running on, and provides multifactor authentication without the traditional requirement that the user has an additional authentication token. This simplifies use without compromising security. In the paper we present the usage scenarios, discuss the feasibility of the proposed solution together with its limitations, and present results from a prototype test bed.
Polysilicon transistors in VLSI MOS memories (1984)

The recent progress on the use of as-deposited, small grain LPCVD polysilicon transistors in VLSI memories is discussed with the emphasis on their applications for static and dynamic RAMs. Some process and device related issues are discussed. Successful implementation of an experimental stacked CMOS 64K sRAM proves the utility of these devices for three dimensional integration in a VLSI environment.
Repeat regions R1 and R2 in the P97 paralogue Mhp271 of<i>Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae</i>bind heparin, fibronectin and porcine cilia (2010)

Summary Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae , the causative agent of porcine enzootic pneumonia, adheres to ciliated respiratory epithelia resulting in ciliostasis and epithelial cell death. The cilium adhesin P97 (Mhp183) contains two repeat regions, designated R1 and R2, that play key roles in adherence. Eight pentapeptide repeats in R1 are sufficient to bind porcine cilia; however, both R1 and R2 are needed to bind heparin. Mhp271, a paralogue of P97, is the only other M. hyopneumoniae protein to contain both R1 and R2 repeats. These repeats are arranged as a set of three pentapeptide repeats (designated R1A 271 ), two decapeptide repeats (designated R2 271 ), and a second set of six pentapeptide repeats (designated R1B 271 ). To determine their function, recombinant proteins containing R1A 271 (F1 271 ) and R2 271 ‐R1B 271 (F2 271 ) were constructed and used in in vitro binding assays. F2 271 , but not F1 271 , bound heparin ( K D = 8.1 ± 0.4 nM), fibronectin ( K D = 174 ± 13 nM) and porcine cilia. Pre‐incubation of F2 271 with 100 µM heparin blocked cilium binding by ∼69%. Cell surface shaving with trypsin combined with two‐dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry analysis identified Mhp271 as surface‐exposed. Our data suggest that both R1 and R2 in Mhp271 are involved in binding to host molecules.
When versatility matters: activins/inhibins as key regulators of immunity (2011)

Activins and inhibins are members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily that have been considered crucial regulators of cell processes, such as differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis, in different cell types. Initial studies about the function of activin A in the immune system focused on the regulation of hematopoiesis in the bone marrow under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions. Recent data provide a more comprehensive understanding about the role of activins/inhibins in the immune system. Novel findings included in this review point out the important requirement of activin/inhibin signaling to maintain the balance between homeostatic and inflammatory signals that are required for the optimal development and function of immune cells. The purpose of this review is to highlight the versatile nature of activins/inhibins as key regulators of both the innate and adaptive immune responses.
Microstructural evolution of thin film vanadium oxide prepared by pulsed-direct current magnetron sputtering (2012)

Vanadium oxide (VOx) thin films have been deposited by pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering using a metallic vanadium target in a reactive argon and oxygen environment. While the process parameters (power, total pressure, oxygen-to-argon ratio) remained constant, the deposition time was varied to produce films between 75 ± 6 and 2901 ± 30 Å thick, which were then optically and electrically characterized. The complex dielectric function spectra (ε = ε1 + iε2) of the films from 0.75 to 5.15 eV were extracted by ex situ, multiple-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurements for the series of varied thickness VOx samples. Significant changes in ε and resistivity occur as a function of thickness, indicating the correlations exist between the electrical and the optical properties over this spectral range. In addition, in situ measurements via real time SE (RTSE) were made on the film grown to the largest thickness to track optical property and structural variations during growth. RTSE was also used to characterize changes in the film occurring after growth was completed, namely during post sputtering in the presence of argon and oxygen while the sample is shielded, and atmospheric exposure. RTSE indicates that the exposure of the film to the argon and oxygen environment, regardless of the shutter isolating the target, causes up to 200 Å of the top surface of the deposited film to become more electrically resistive as evidenced by variations in ε. Exposure of the VOx thin film to atmospheric conditions introduces a similar change in ε, but this change occurs throughout the bulk of the film. A combination of these observations with RTSE results indicates that thinner, less ordered VOx films are more susceptible to drastic changes due to atmospheric exposure and that microstructural variations in this material ultimately control its environmental stability.
Improving performance of an electrical power expert system with genetic algorithms (1988)

Nickel cadmium batteries are an important source of power for aerospace applications. One such application is being developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for use with the Hubble Space Telescope. A battery testbed has been built at MSFC to aid in that development. In addition, the Nickel Cadmium Battery Expert System (NICBES) was developed by Martin Marietta Corporation to assist NASA engineers in battery management.
Ultra-Sensitive Immunodetection of 5'Methyl Cytosine for DNA Methylation Analysis on Oligonucleotide Microarrays (2006)

For the determination of methylation levels in genomic regulatory DNA sequences a high-sensitive assay for detecting 5'methyl-cytosines (5'mC) in non-bisulfite-treated DNA has been established. The system is designed for the application of immunofluorescence using a monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes 5'mC in single-stranded DNA hybridized to oligonucleotide microarrays. For assay readout an ultra-sensitive fluorescence scanner with submicrometer resolution was used. To minimize autofluorescence 150-microm thin glass slides with an aldehyde-functionalized surface were developed. These methodological improvements allowed the detection of 5'mC in synthetic oligonucleotides hybridized to microarrays with atto molar analytical sensitivity. Using enzymatic fragmented genomic DNA from myeloid leukemia tumor cell lines differences in the methylation status of gene regulatory sequences for E-cadherin, p15/CDKN2b and p16/CDKN2a were demonstrated. Thus, this novel technique can potentially be used for DNA methylation analysis in various scientific fields.