gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Image enhancement by stochastic homomorphic filtering (2005)

The problem of image enhancement by nonlinear two-dimensional (2-D) homomorphic filtering is approached using stochastic models of the signal and degradations. Homomorphic filtering has been used previously for image enhancement but the linear filtering operation has generally been chosen heuristically. In this paper stochastic image models described and analyzed previously by the authors are used to model the true image and interferring components (shadows and salt-and-pepper noise). The problem of designing the linear operation can then be formulated as one of linear least mean-squared error (Wiener) filtering. Examples of processing on typical real-world images are included to indicate the results obtainable.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes-ciprofloxacin nanoantibiotic: strategy to improve ciprofloxacin antibacterial activity (2017)

As infectious diseases continue to be one of the greatest health challenges worldwide, the demand toward alternative agents is continuously increasing. Recent advancement in nanotechnology has expanded our ability to design and construct nanomaterials to treat bacterial infections. Carbon nanotubes are one among these nanomaterials. Herein, we describe the covalent functionalization of the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with multiple molecules of ciprofloxacin. The prepared nanoantibiotics were characterized using different techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The characterization of the nanoantibiotics confirmed the successful covalent functionalization of the SWCNTs with 55% of functionalization as has been observed by thermogravimetric analysis. The release profile revealed that 90% of the loaded ciprofloxacin was released within 2.5 h at pH 7.4 showing a first-order release profile with <i>R</i><sup>2</sup>>0.99. Interestingly, the results of the antibacterial activity indicated that the functionalized SWCNTs have significant increase in the antibacterial activity against the three strains of bacteria - by 16-fold for <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> and by 8-fold for <i>Escherichia coli</i> - in comparison to the ciprofloxacin free drug. Moreover, the synthesized nanoantibiotic showed high hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility over a wide concentration range.
Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy (2015)

The use of nanomaterials for the treatment of solid tumours is receiving increasing attention by the scientific community. Among them, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) exhibit unique features that make them suitable nanocarriers to host, transport and protect drug molecules until the target is reached. It is possible to incorporate different targeting ligands to the outermost surface of MSNs to selectively drive the drugs to the tumour tissues. To prevent the premature release of the cargo entrapped in the mesopores, it is feasible to cap the pore entrances using stimuli-responsive nanogates. Therefore, upon exposure to internal (pH, enzymes, glutathione, <i>etc.</i>) or external (temperature, light, magnetic field, <i>etc.</i>) stimuli, the pore opening takes place and the release of the entrapped cargo occurs. These smart MSNs are capable of selectively reaching and accumulating at the target tissue and releasing the entrapped drug in a specific and controlled fashion, constituting a promising alternative to conventional chemotherapy, which is typically associated with undesired side effects. In this review, we overview the recent advances reported by the scientific community in developing MSNs for antitumor therapy. We highlight the possibility to design multifunctional nanosystems using different therapeutic approaches aimed at increasing the efficacy of the antitumor treatment.
Determination of Urinary Metabolites of Caffeine for the Assessment of Cytochrome P4501A2, Xanthine Oxidase, and N-Acetyltransferase Activity in Humans (1996)

Caffeine metabolism via the 3-demethylation pathway is sequentially catalyzed by cytochrome P4501A2 (CYP1A2), xanthine oxidase, and N-acetyltransferase. The activities of the three enzymes can be estimated from urinary metabolic ratios of four caffeine metabolites, 5-acetylamino-6-formylamino-3-methyluracil (AFMU), 1-methyluric acid (1MU), 1-methylxanthine (1MX), and 1,7-dimethyluric acid (17DMU), after the ingestion of caffeine. A method for quantitation of the four metabolites in human urine has been developed. The method is based on a one-step extraction with ethyl acetate/2-propanol followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. The detection limit was 1 microM for AFMU, 1MU, and 1MX and 2 microM for 17DMU. The intraday and interday coefficients of variation were < 3% and < 7%, respectively, and the accuracy was within +/- 3%. The method was employed in a population study of 277 healthy volunteers, each of whom ingested 200 mg caffeine and provided a urine sample approximately 6 h later. The metabolite concentration ranges in the urines were 2.1-327 microM, 4.0-744 microM, 4.9-598 microM, and 6.4-260 microM for AFMU, 1MU, 1MX, and 17DMU, respectively. The CYP1A2 ratio (AFMU + 1MU + 1MX/17DMU) was significantly lower in women than in men, excluding smokers and oral contraceptive users. The CYP1A2 ratio was higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, confirming the induction of CYP1A2 by smoking. In women using oral contraceptives, the CYP1A2 ratio was, as expected, significantly lower than in women not using oral contraceptives. For the N-acetyltransferase ratio (AFMU/1MX) and the xanthine oxidase ratio (1MU/1MX), no differences were seen in terms of sex, smoking habits, or the use of oral contraceptives. All results are in agreement with previous reports on CYP1A2, N-acetyltransferase, and xanthine oxidase activities in humans. Thus, the method is both analytically and biologically reliable for the assessment of CYP1A2, N-acetyltransferase, and xanthine oxidase in humans.
An extensive and improved circuit simulation methodology for NBTI recovery (2010)

A feasible computational framework that enables improved predictability of NBTI degradation within commercially available tools is discussed. The NBTI model is used for both delay correction in transistor characterization data and real-time circuit operation where recovery is present. The complementary nature of implementation is readily incorporated into existing model extraction and verification tools. The method provides significantly enhanced accuracy in simulations when compared to circuit data, yet retains practicality and flexibility.
Ventricular Cerebrospinal Fluid Monoamine Transmitter and Metabolite Concentrations Reflect Human Brain Neurochemistry in Autopsy Cases (1990)

Concentrations of dopamine (DA), its metabolites 3-methoxytyramine and homovanillic acid (HVA), noradrenaline (NA), its metabolites normetanephrine (NM) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin), and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in 14 brain regions and in CSF from the third ventricle of 27 human autopsy cases. In addition, in six cases, lumbar CSF was obtained. Monoamine concentrations were determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Ventricular/lumbar CSF ratios indicated persistence of rostrocaudal gradients for HVA and 5-HIAA post mortem. Ventricular CSF concentrations of DA and HVA correlated positively with striatal DA and HVA. CSF NA correlated positively with NA in hypothalamus, and CSF MHPG with levels of MHPG in hypothalamus, temporal cortex, and pons, whereas CSF NM concentration showed positive correlations with NM in striatum, pons, cingulate cortex, and olfactory tubercle. CSF 5-HT concentrations correlated positively with 5-HT in caudate nucleus, whereas the concentration of CSF 5-HIAA correlated to 5-HIAA levels in thalamus, hypothalamus, and the cortical areas. These data suggest a specific topographic origin for monoamine neurotransmitters and their metabolites in human ventricular CSF and support the contention that CSF measurements are useful indices of central monoaminergic activity in man.
Vector radix fast Fourier transform (2005)

A new radix-2 two-dimensional direct FFT developed by Rivard is generalized in this paper to include arbitrary radices and non-square arrays. It is shown that the radix-4 version of this algorithm may require significantly fewer computations than conventional row-column transform methods. Also, the new algorithm eliminates the matrix transpose operation normally required when the array must reside on a bulk storage device. It requires the same number of passes over the array on bulk storage as efficient matrix transpose routines, but produces the transform in bit-reversed order. An additional pass over the data is necessary to sort the array if normal ordering is desired.
Early Experience with Intraurethral Collagen Injections for Urinary Incontinence (1992)

We report on 41 patients (10 men and 31 women) who underwent collagen injections for urethral incompetence. Mean followup was 6 months (range 3 to 11 months) in men cured or improved, 8.4 months (range 3 to 15 months) in women who were cured and 4.5 months (range 2 to 10 months) in women who were improved. In women the procedure was usually performed through a periurethral approach while they were under local anesthesia and in men it was performed transurethrally while under either general or local anesthesia. Of the 31 women 28 (90.3%) were cured (15) or improved (13). Mean maximum Valsalva pressure increased from 31 cm. water before injection to 85 cm. water at 6 months after injection in women who were cured or improved. The mean amount of collagen used in the female group was 12.7 cc (range 2.5 to 47.5) and the mean number of treatments was 2 (range 1 to 7). Of the men 7 (70%) had successful results (2 cured and 5 improved). In contrast to the women, they required a mean of 51.8 cc (range 7.5 to 82.5) of collagen and a mean of 6 treatments (range 3 to 12). Of 5 patients with bladder instability 4 did not improve. One patient suffered acute bacterial prostatitis and 2 patients had post-injection urinary retention. All women with little or no bladder neck hypermobility (types 1 and 3) were either cured or improved. We conclude that intraurethral collagen injection is safe and simple to perform. The results achieved in women are acceptable. In men, while collagen does provide improvement, the cost-to-benefit ratio and effectiveness are less than those in women. Instability may obviate a good outcome.
Components of the Electron Transport System in Adrenal Steroid Hydroxylase (1967)

Components of the electron transport system involved in steroid Ilo-hydroxylation in pig adrenal cortex are a flavoprotein (adrenodoxin reductase), a non-heme iron protein (adrenodozin), and possibly cytochrome Paw.Reconstitution of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate cytochrome Pdu reductase was achieved from soluble components.Adrenodozin contains 2 iron atoms and 2 moles of labile suliide per mole, has a molecular weight of approximately 20,000, and has a high oxidation-reduction potential.The iron atoms, which are ferric in the oxidized form, play a dual role: as a chromophore and as a center of asymmetry.Upon reduction, the environment of the iron of adrenodoxin is changed greatly as judged by spectral and optical rotatory properties.
Time delay spread measurements of wideband radio signals within a building (1984)

Measurements of time delay spread of wideband 850 MHz digital radio signals due to multipath propagation within a large building are described. These measurements show a median RMS time delay spread of 125 ns and a worst case of 250 ns. Consequently, signalling rates above 400 kHz may not be feasible.
Measurement of Thermal Ripplon on Liquid Surface by Light Scattering Technique (1990)

A new experimental system of light scattering was developed to measure the propagation of the thermal surface-tension wave (ripplon) on a liquid surface. The upper limit of the measurement is 10 6 m -1 in wave number which is one decade higher than the conventional light scattering method. Frequency and damping constant measured for ethanol at the wave number range k >10 5 m -1 show an anomalous dispersion which cannot be explained by a classical hydrodynamic theory.
Direct Image Reconstruction of Lissajous-Type Magnetic Particle Imaging Data Using Chebyshev-Based Matrix Compression (2017)

Image reconstruction in magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is done using an algebraic approach for Lissajous-type measurement sequences. By solving a large linear system of equations, the spatial distribution of magnetic nanoparticles can be determined. Despite the use of iterative solvers that converge rapidly, the size of the MPI system matrix leads to reconstruction times that are typically much longer than the actual data acquisition time. For this reason, matrix compression techniques have been introduced that transform the MPI system matrix into a sparse domain and then utilize this sparsity for accelerated reconstruction. Within this work, we investigate the Chebyshev transformation for matrix compression and show that it can provide better reconstruction results for high compression rates than the commonly applied Cosine transformation. By reducing the number of coefficients per matrix row to one, it is even possible to derive a direct reconstruction method that obviates the usage of iterative solvers.
Tumour cells engineered to secrete interleukin-15 augment anti-tumour immune responses in vivo (1999)

We examined the effect of interleukin-15 (IL-15) gene transfer into tumour cells on the host's anti-tumour response. In BALB/c mice IL-15 producing Meth-A cells (Meth-A/IL-15) underwent complete rejection, in a response characterized by massive infiltration of CD4+ T-cells and neutrophils. In contrast, Meth-A cells transfected with vector alone (Meth-A/Neo) grew rapidly. Moreover, rechallenged parental cells also were rejected in association with CD8* T-cell infiltration. However, in nude mice there was no drastic difference between Meth-A/IL-15 and Meth-A/Neo cells. These results demonstrate that IL-15-secreting tumour cells can stimulate local and systemic T-cell-dependent immunity and therefore may have a potential role in cancer therapy.
Vertical surround parallax correction (2007)

An improved technique for displaying stereoscopic moving images is described that makes for a more comfortable and enjoyable viewing experience by reducing the conflict of cues that occurs at the vertical edges of the screen surround when objects with negative parallax values are partially occluded. One such means for mitigating the vertical surround edge conflicts is given, in which the convergence of the camera fields is effectively altered to produce the zero parallax condition in the regions of the image immediately adjacent to the vertical edges of the screen surround. The transition is proportional to the proximity to the vertical edge and controlled proportionately. The net effect of this edge treatment is to allow for an increase in the projected image's parallax budget, thereby heightening the overall depth effect.
Interval estimation of process capability index Cpk (1991)

Several sampling distribution properties of the estimator for Cpk. are presented under the assumption that the data are normal, independent and identically distributed. In particular, the expectation, variance and skewness are derived. Since the sampling distribution is only weakly skewed, we concluded that a symmetric interval estimator for Cpk . might be reasonable. We developed such a symmetric interval estimator and conducted a simulation study to explore its coverage probabilities.
Comparing the Stock Market and Iowa Land Values: A Question of Timing (2005)

hich is a better investment-the stock market or farmland?This question is frequently asked when
Mature Peripheral RPE Cells Have an Intrinsic Capacity to Proliferate; A Potential Regulatory Mechanism for Age-Related Cell Loss (2011)

These data show that the proliferative capacity of peripheral RPE cells is intrinsic and cell-autonomous in adult mice. These differences between centre and periphery are reflected in distinct patterns in junctional markers. The regional proliferation differences may be inversely dependent to cell-cell contact.
Photoimmobilization for Microarrays (2006)

A photoimmobilization method has been developed for the preparation of microarray biochips. This photoimmobilization method makes it possible to easily covalently immobilize various types of organic molecules and cells on a chip. In addition, by using hydrophilic polymers as matrixes, it is possible to reduce nonspecific interactions with biological components. Various proteins, antibodies, and cells have been microarrayed using this technique, and interactions between these proteins, antibodies, and cells have been investigated. This type of microarray biochip will be important for academic applications such as genomics, proteomics, and cellomics, and clinical analyses.
Creditors’ and Shareholders’ Reporting Demands in Public Versus Private Firms: Evidence from Europe (2010)

In this study we investigate whether the importance of accounting information in contracting and communication with shareholders and creditors affects earnings timeliness in publicly disclosed general‐purpose financial statements. To operationalize the relationship between timeliness demands and the importance of accounting information to shareholders and creditors, we compare the (asymmetry in) earnings timeliness of public firms with that of private firms. We attribute public versus private firm differences in timeliness to shareholders’ demands when a country’s institutions provide strong investor protection. Similarly, we attribute these differences to creditors’ demands when the institutions provide strong creditor protection. Our analysis of public and private firms in 13 Western European countries suggests that creditors and shareholders have different timeliness demands. In particular, we find that the public versus private firm difference in asymmetric timeliness is not associated with a country’s degree of investor protection but positively associated with a country’s degree of creditor protection. The results further suggest that shareholders demand symmetric rather than asymmetric timeliness. An important implication of our study is that general‐purpose financial statements are responsive to creditors’ reporting demands, which contrasts with the idea that these — primarily private — creditors would use special‐purpose reports.
Predicted electron transport coefficients and operating characteristics of CO2–N2–He laser mixtures (1973)

Calculations have been made of transport coefficients of electrons in gas mixtures for ratios CO2:N2:He of 1:1:8, 1:2:3, 1:7:30, and 1:0.25:3. New cross sections for CO2 derived from swarm experiments are used together with previously published cross sections for N2 and He. Curves are presented of the predicted electron drift velocity, transverse and longitudinal diffusion coefficients, and ionization and attachment coefficients for E/N values ranging from 10−18 to 1 × 10−15 V cm2; E is the electric field strength and N the gas number density. Examples are given of derived distribution functions and comparisons are made with a Maxwellian distribution function. The percentage of the input electrical power which excites vibrational processes coupled to the 001 upper laser level of CO2 is given as a function of E/N. The maximum efficiency from these calculations increases for increasing ratios of N2:CO2, because the proportion of energy used to excite the bending and stretching modes of CO2 is then reduced. By assuming a recombination coefficient of 10−7 cm3 sec−1, the operating E/N for self-sustained glow discharges is predicted as a function of current density for various laser mixtures by equating the ionization rate to the attachment and recombination rate.
A Multi-Tenant Framework for Cloud Container Services (2021)

Container technologies have been evolving rapidly in the cloud-native era. Kubernetes, as a production-grade container orchestration platform, has been proven to be successful at managing containerized applications in on-premises datacenters. However, Kubernetes lacks sufficient multi-tenant supports by design, meaning in cloud environments, dedicated clusters are required to serve multiple users, i.e., tenants. This limitation significantly diminishes the benefits of cloud computing, and makes it difficult to build multi-tenant software as a service (SaaS) products using Kubernetes. In this paper, we propose Virtual-Cluster, a new multi-tenant framework that extends Kubernetes with adequate multi-tenant supports. Basically, VirtualCluster provides both control plane and data plane isolations while sharing the underlying compute resources among tenants. The new framework preserves the API compatibility by avoiding modifying the Kubernetes core components. Hence, it can be easily integrated with existing Kubernetes use cases. Our experimental results show that the overheads introduced by VirtualCluster, in terms of latency and throughput, is moderate.
Synchronization of Cell Populations in G<SUB>1</SUB>/S and G<SUB>2</SUB>/M Phases of the Cell Cycle (2004)

The method described in the following chapter utilizes a double thymidine block (an inhibitor of DNA synthesis) followed by treatment of cells with nocodazole (a mitotic inhibitor) to obtain large cell populations at distinct phases of the cell cycle. Treatment with double thymidine results in a G1/S-phase arrested cell population, and the use of flow cytometry allows progression of the cells through the cell cycle to be monitored. Flow cytometry enables the calculation of timings for collection of cells at distinct cell cycle phases from G1/S (following treatment with thymidine) through to G2/M (owing to the presence of nocodazole).
A New map of the Amination-1 Locus of Neurospora Crassa, and the Effect of the Recombination-3 Gene (1973)

The sites of difference from the normal gene of 13 am-I alleles have been mapped, almost without ambiguity, in rec-3 background. Repulsion-phase crosses were made between pairs of the auxotrophic mutants and prototrophic recombinants selected. The recombinants were then classified into the four possible classes specified by different combinations of chromatids flanking am-I, by using markers at the closely linked loci sp and his-I. The sites of difference of the alleles were ranked in an order obtained using two criteria-the first based on significant differences between the two classes of prototrophic recombinants with non-parental combinations of flanking regions, and the second based on prototrophs with parental combinations. The unambiguous order, proximal to distal, of 11 sites is 6-14-4-2-5-17-1-7-11-3-9. The site of 19 is very close to 2, immediately adjacent either proximally or distally. The site of 8 could not be related unambiguously to the sites of 2 and 19, but it is placed unambiguously between 4 and 5. The data suggest that recombination in am-I frequently results from conversion without associated crossing-over, and that a gradient in the frequency of such conversion occurs, with more always occurring proximally.