gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Alkaline Water and Longevity: A Murine Study (2016)

The biological effect of alkaline water consumption is object of controversy. The present paper presents a 3-year survival study on a population of 150 mice, and the data were analyzed with accelerated failure time (AFT) model. Starting from the second year of life, nonparametric survival plots suggest that mice watered with alkaline water showed a better survival than control mice. Interestingly, statistical analysis revealed that alkaline water provides higher longevity in terms of "deceleration aging factor" as it increases the survival functions when compared with control group; namely, animals belonging to the population treated with alkaline water resulted in a longer lifespan. Histological examination of mice kidneys, intestine, heart, liver, and brain revealed that no significant differences emerged among the three groups indicating that no specific pathology resulted correlated with the consumption of alkaline water. These results provide an informative and quantitative summary of survival data as a function of watering with alkaline water of long-lived mouse models.
Central Gene Transfer of Interleukin-10 Reduces Hypothalamic Inflammation and Evidence of Heart Failure in Rats After Myocardial Infarction (2007)

The expression of proinflammatory cytokines increases in hypothalamus of rats with myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure. We used central gene transfer of human interleukin (IL)-10, a potent antiinflammatory cytokine, to counter the effects of brain proinflammatory cytokines and examine their functional significance. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent coronary ligation to induce MI or sham surgery (SHAM). One week later, adenoviral vectors encoding human IL-10 (AdIL-10) or beta-galactosidase (betaGal) were injected (30 microL over 30 minutes) into lateral ventricle. One week after injection, there was abundant expression of human IL-10 in the brain of MI+AdIL-10 and SHAM+AdIL-10 rats. Compared with SHAM+betaGal, MI+betaGal had increased (P<0.05) IL-1beta and cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA and protein and nuclear factor kappaB activity in the hypothalamus, cyclooxygenase-2 fluorescence in perivascular cells of the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus, prostaglandin E(2) in cerebrospinal fluid, and Fra-like activity (indicating neuronal excitation) in paraventricular nucleus. Plasma norepinephrine levels, lung/body weight, right ventricle/body weight, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure were increased and maximal left ventricular dP/dt was decreased. All of these findings were ameliorated in MI rats treated with AdIL-10. Hypothalamic tumor necrosis factor-alpha and circulating tumor necrosis factor-alpha and IL-1beta levels, also increased in MI+betaGal, were not affected by AdIL-10 treatment. Rat native IL-10 was not affected by MI or AdIL-10. AdIL-10 had no effects on SHAM rats. The results demonstrate that cardiovascular and autonomic mechanisms leading to heart failure after MI can be modulated by manipulating the balance between proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines in the brain.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and worsening renal function in acute heart failure (2013)

University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Correspondence to Dr Kevin Damman, MD, PhD, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB, Groningen, The NetherlandsTel: +31 503616161; e-mail: [email protected] Received 16 May, 2013 Accepted 18 May, 2013
Nutritional Studies on the Growth of the Rapamycin-Producing Streptomyces hygroscopicus (2003)

During our previous studies on the relationship between nutrient requirements of S. hygroscopicus C9 and rapamycin biosynthesis, we developed chemically-defined media containing among other nutrients, aspartic acid, arginine, histidine, or ammonium sulfate. However, these media (“Cheng et al. medium” and “Lee et al. medium”) showed very slow growth characterized by a very long lag phase of growth. In an attempt to develop a chemically-defined or semi-defined medium to support more rapid growth and increased cell production, we have carried out studies to shorten the lag phase. Of the various additives tested, vitamin-free casein acid hydrolysate was the most significant by shortening the lag phase by 2-3 days. Mixtures of amino acids failed to replace casein acid hydrolysate. The active principle passed through an ultrafilter with a molecular weight cutoff of 1,000 and thus may be a peptide. The present work has yielded a semi-defined medium which should be useful for further growth studies on S. hygroscopicus C9.
Detecting Cyber Attacks in Industrial Control Systems Using Convolutional Neural Networks (2018)

This paper presents a study on detecting cyber attacks on industrial control systems (ICS) using convolutional neural networks. The study was performed on a Secure Water Treatment testbed (SWaT) dataset, which represents a scaled-down version of a real-world industrial water treatment plant. We suggest a method for anomaly detection based on measuring the statistical deviation of the predicted value from the observed value. We applied the proposed method by using a variety of deep neural network architectures including different variants of convolutional and recurrent networks. The test dataset included 36 different cyber attacks. The proposed method successfully detected 31 attacks with three false positives thus improving on previous research based on this dataset. The results of the study show that 1D convolutional networks can be successfully used for anomaly detection in industrial control systems and outperform recurrent networks in this setting. The findings also suggest that 1D convolutional networks are effective at time series prediction tasks which are traditionally considered to be best solved using recurrent neural networks. This observation is a promising one, as 1D convolutional neural networks are simpler, smaller, and faster than the recurrent neural networks.
Growth factor-defined culture medium for human mesenchymal stem cells (2011)

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are potential cellular sources of therapeutic stem cells as they have the ability to proliferate and differentiate into a wide array of mesenchymal cell types such as osteoblasts, chondroblasts and adipocytes. hMSCs have been used clinically to treat patients with graft vs. host disease, osteogenesis imperfect, or alveolar cleft, suggesting that transplantation of hMSCs is comparatively safe as a stem cell-based therapy. However, conventional culture medium for hMSCs contains fetal bovine serum (FBS). In the present study, we developed a growth factor-defined, serum-free medium for culturing hMSCs. Under these conditions, TGF-beta1 promoted proliferation of hMSCs. The expanded hMSC population expressed the human pluripotency markers SSEA-3, -4, NANOG, OCT3/4 and SOX2. Furthermore, double positive cells for SSEA-3 and a mesenchymal cell marker, CD105, were detected in the population. The potential to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes was confirmed. This work provides a useful tool to understand the basic biological properties of hMSCs in culture.
Constraint-Based Question Answering with Knowledge Graph (2016)

WebQuestions and SimpleQuestions are two benchmark data-sets commonly used in recent knowledge-based question answering (KBQA) work. Most questions in them are ‘simple’ questions which can be answered based on a single relation in the knowledge base. Such data-sets lack the capability of evaluating KBQA systems on complicated questions. Motivated by this issue, we release a new data-set, namely ComplexQuestions, aiming to measure the quality of KBQA systems on ‘multi-constraint’ questions which require multiple knowledge base relations to get the answer. Beside, we propose a novel systematic KBQA approach to solve multi-constraint questions. Compared to state-of-the-art methods, our approach not only obtains comparable results on the two existing benchmark data-sets, but also achieves significant improvements on the ComplexQuestions.
Initiation and enhancement of bone formation: A review (1987)

Knowledge of some of the fundamental biochemical factors that may influence the initiation and continued growth of bone-forming cell lines is presented. The discussion is limited to those factors shown experimentally to be present locally in bone tissue and synthesized in the environment of bone-forming cells. The current state of knowledge of basic research findings on osteogenic factors is given in detail. Cooperative actions of these locally produced and systemic factors are the primary stimuli that result in increased bone growth and volume.
Protein Association and Dissociation Regulated by Extension Peptide: A Mode for Iron Control by Phytoferritin in Seeds (2010)

Most of the iron in legume seeds is stored in ferritin located in the amyloplast, which is used during seed germination. However, there is a lack of information on the regulation of iron by phytoferritin. In this study, soluble and insoluble forms of pea (Pisum sativum) seed ferritin (PSF) isolated from dried seeds were found to be identical 24-mer ferritins comprising H-1 and H-2 subunits. The insoluble form is favored at low pH, whereas the two forms reversibly interconvert in the pH range of 6.0 to 7.8, with an apparent pK(a) of 6.7. This phenomenon was not observed in animal ferritins, indicating that PSF is unique. The pH of the amyloplast was found to be approximately 6.0, thus facilitating PSF association, which is consistent with the role of PSF in long-term iron storage. Similar to previous studies, the results of this work showed that protein degradation occurs in purified PSF during storage, thus proving that phytoferritin also undergoes degradation during seedling germination. In contrast, no degradation was observed in animal ferritins, suggesting that this degradation of phytoferritin may be due to the extension peptide (EP), a specific domain found only in phytoferritin. Indeed, removal of EP from PSF significantly increased protein stability and prevented degradation under identical conditions while promoting protein dissociation. Correlated with such dissociation was a considerable increase in the rate of ascorbate-induced iron release from PSF at pH 6.0. Thus, phytoferritin may have facilitated the evolution of EP to enable it to regulate iron for storage or complement in seeds.
Oestrogen receptor alpha increases p21(WAF1/CIP1) gene expression and the antiproliferative activity of histone deacetylase inhibitors in human breast cancer cells (2003)

We analysed the antiproliferative activity of various histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors such as trichostatin A (TSA) on human breast cancer cells. We observed a lower sensitivity to HDAC inhibition for oestrogen receptor negative (ER-) versus positive (ER+) cell lines. This differential response was associated neither with a modification of drug efflux via the multidrug resistance system nor with a global modification of histone acetyltransferase (HAT)/HDAC activities. In contrast, we demonstrated that in ER+ breast cancer cells the p21(WAF1/CIP1) gene was more sensitive to TSA regulation and was expressed at higher levels. These differences were observed both in transient transfection experiments and on the endogenous p21(WAF1/CIP1) gene. The Sp1 transcription factor, which was shown to interact in vitro with both class I and class II HDACs, is sufficient to confer the differential sensitivity to TSA and participated in the control of p21(WAF1/CIP1) basal expression. Finally, re-expression of ERalpha following adenoviral infection of ER- breast cancer cells increased both p21(WAF1/CIP1) protein accumulation and the growth inhibitory activity of TSA. Altogether, our results highlight the key role of ERalpha and p21(WAF1/CIP1) gene expression in the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to hyperacetylating agents.
One step electrodeposition of CuInSe2: Improved structural, electronic, and photovoltaic properties by annealing under high selenium pressure (1996)

Films of Cu–In–Se alloys can be electrodeposited in a wide range of controlled composition. Annealing treatments under Se pressure transform these precursor films in large grain CuInSe2 films with improved electronic properties. These modifications are shown to depend on the Se pressure imposed during the treatment allowing a certain tailoring of the electronic properties of the films. The properties of electrodeposited/selenized films are presented as obtained from luminescence measurements, Hall effect, and photoelectrochemical characterization. An efficiency of 6.5% (total area, without antireflecting coating) is reported for the best CuInSe2/CdS/ZnO solar cell. An analysis of the device is also presented where limitations by interface recombination are shown to be the dominant loss mechanism.
Using traffic flow data to predict bus travel time variability through an enhanced artificial neural network (2010)

This paper aims at predicting bus travel time and its day-to-day variability using a range of independent variables including traffic flow data. Among many factors impacting bus travel time, existing prediction approaches have not considered a traffic measure making their predictions unresponsive to the time dependent fluctuations in traffic flow and dynamic changes in traffic congestion. In addition, existing methodologies have mainly predicted the average travel time by finding the average value in a range of travel times likely to happen when a certain set of input values is considered. However, little attention has been given to predict the spread of that range created by the stochasticity of determinant factors which reflects travel time variability. This paper explains how an artificial neural network (ANN) can be modified to predict the variance of a dependent variable. An integrated framework is then proposed which consists of two ANNs to predict both the average and variance of travel times. The proposed framework is developed on GPS based travel time data for a bus route in Melbourne, Australia, traffic flow data collected by the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic Systems (SCATS) loop detectors, and a measure of schedule adherence. The results demonstrate the value of traffic flow data in the prediction of bus travel time as well as the ability of the proposed method to provide fairly robust prediction intervals.
Diffusion and aggregation in biological membranes (1984)

Membrane lipids and proteins diffuse laterally in the membrane plane unless constrained by interactions with immobile or slowly moving components. Direct diffusion measurements help characterize the interactions among surface components and can provide information about the mechanism of physiologically interesting processes in membranes. Association of membrane proteins into aggregates may result from changes in intermolecular interactions and will affect the rate of diffusion of the protein. Quantitative measurements of aggregation are therefore becoming important both to aid interpretation of constraints of diffusion and to explore the role of aggregation in physiological events. In this paper, the popular fluorescence photobleaching measurements of diffusion are discussed and their relevance is illustrated with selected examples. Moreover, a variation on the theme of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is presented as a new approach to measuring the state of aggregation of membrane components on surfaces of living cells.
Microbial enhanced oil recovery research. Final report, Annex 5 (1993)

The objective of this project was to develop an engineering framework for the exploitation of microorganisms to enhance oil recovery. An order of magnitude analysis indicated that selective plugging and the production of biosurfactants are the two most likely mechanisms for the mobilization of oil in microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). The latter, biosurfactant production, is easier to control within a reservoir environment and was investigated in some detail. An extensive literature survey indicated that the bacterium Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 produces a very effective surface active agent capable of increasing the capillary number to values sufficiently low for oil mobilization. In addition, earlier studies had shown that growth of this bacterium and biosurfactant production occur under conditions that are typically encountered in MEOR, namely temperatures up to 55{degrees}C, lack of oxygen and salinities of up to 10% w/v. The chemical structure of the surfactant, its interfacial properties and its production by fermentation were characterized in some detail. In parallel, a set of experiments as conducted to measure the transport of Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 in sandpacks. It was shown that the determining parameters for cell transport in porous media are: cell size and degree of coagulation, presence of dispersants, injection velocity and cell concentration. The mechanisms of bacteria retention within the pores of the reservoir were analyzed based on heuristic arguments. A mathematical simulator of MEOR was developed using conservation equations in which the mechanisms of bacteria retention and the growth kinetics of the cells were incorporated. The predictions of the model agreed reasonably well with experimental results.
Voice over VANETs (VoVAN): QoS performance analysis of different voice CODECs in urban VANET scenarios (2012)

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have recently received considerable attention. In such networks, mobile nodes are spontaneous and uncoordinated associations of vehicles equipped with 802.11-based hardware, and change their positions dynamically. VANETs applications require data, voice and video transmission. However, Voice over IP (VoIP) may provide good services through VANETs platform. It may cover many application scenarios range from safety to comfort related services. In this paper, our approach is based on VoIP over VANETs (VoVAN) by means of simulation. For this task, a performance evaluation of various voice CODECs and its impact on quality of service metrics will be analyzed, focusing on inter-vehicular voice communication. To achieve good results, we use mobility information obtained from vehicular traffic generator which is based on the real road maps of an urban environment. Results of the simulations are presented in terms of both network level (such as E2E delay) and user level (Mean Opinion Score) metrics. This performance evaluation showed that G.723.1 CODEC worked well in the urban VANET environment.
Greeting cards: Individuality and authenticity in mass culture (2004)

The greeting card is an under-examined form of mass media that represents some of the fundamental modern anxieties about the inauthenticity of living in a mass-mediated, consumer culture. Greeting cards bring mass production and interpersonal, emotional communication together, and are therefore a unique location to explore the contradictions of consumer culture. Field research with greeting card producers and consumers shows that the mass-produced nature of the greeting card is actively managed throughout its life cycle. The industry is aware of its image problem and goes to great effort in its communications with the public to deflect critiques of inauthenticity. They de-emphasize the industrial nature of their production in favor of an emotional, artistic model of creativity, and downplay their own cultural power by suggesting that they merely meet the demands of sovereign consumers. Hallmark, the largest greeting card company in America, aims for âuniversal specificityâ in its products, meaning that while their cards must reflect cultural differences, human emotions and communication needs are fundamentally universal, a philosophy that not coincidentally rationalizes the domination of the greeting card market by just two companies. Many consumers wonder about the authenticity of industrialized sentiment and whether it threatens their individuality. Although greeting cards have a middlebrow image, card use is positively correlated with markers of high cultural capital such as level of education and interest in art and books. Taste conscious consumers express their distaste for mass culture through the kinds of cards they send, and the industry, including the major players like Hallmark and American Greetings, largely co-operate by producing âalternativeâ cards that announce their distance from traditional sentiment. Rather than focusing on aesthetic taste, fans of traditional sentiment draw on different models of communication and self-expression in explaining how they use greeting cards. They point to how the tangibility of the card indexes their labor and therefore serves as proof of caring, and how bringing the public sphere into a private exchange brings certainty and legitimacy to interpersonal communication. Although dominant models of communication focus on individuality and spontaneity, greeting card communication tends to operate according to a different, ritual logic. ^
Clostridium difficile colitis and zoonotic origins—a narrative review (2018)

<i>Clostridium difficile</i> is a major cause of hospital-associated diarrhoea, and in severe cases leads to pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. The frequency of <i>C. difficile</i> infection (CDI) has increased in recent decades, with 453 000 cases identified in 2011 in the USA. This is related to antibiotic-selection pressure, disruption of normal host intestinal microbiota and emergence of antibiotic-resistant <i>C. difficile</i> strains. The burden of community-acquired CDI has been increasingly appreciated, with disease identified in patients previously considered low-risk, such as young women or patients with no prior antibiotic exposure. <i>C. difficile</i> has been identified in livestock animals, meat products, seafood and salads. It has been postulated that the pool of <i>C. difficile</i> in the agricultural industry may contribute to human CDI. There is widespread environmental dispersal of <i>C. difficile</i> spores. Domestic households, turf lawns and public spaces are extensively contaminated, providing a potential reservoir for community-acquired CDI. In Australia, this is particularly associated with porcine-derived <i>C. difficile</i> UK PCR ribotype 014/020. In this article, the epidemiological differences between hospital- and community-acquired CDI are discussed, including some emerging evidence for community-acquired CDI being a possible zoonosis.
Solubilization of Membrane-Bound Ribonuclease (RNase) and Alkaline Phosphatase from the Isolated Brush Border of Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda) (1980)

Plasma membrane from the brush border isolated from the tegument of Hymenolepis diminuta contains membrane-bound ribonuclease (RNase) and alkaline phosphatase activities. RNase (yeast RNA substrate), alkaline phosphatase (p-nitrophenyl phosphate substrate), and additional membrane proteins were solubilized by sonication or treatment with the detergents dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide, beta-octyl-D-glucopyranoside, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), or ZwittergentTM 3-12 (N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate). At optimal conditions, greater than 90% of both enzymes and total protein were solubilized by the latter two detergents, whereas beta-octyl-D-glucopyranoside, dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide, and sonication were only partially effective. Nonionic detergents did not solubilize the membrane effectively.