gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
High Incidence of Visual Recovery Among Four Japanese Patients with Leber??s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy with the 14484 Mutation (1997)

The 14484 mutation in the ND6 gene of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a genetic mutation associated with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in Caucasian patients who show a high incidence of visual recovery. We evaluated four Japanese patients with LHON associated with the 14484 mutation who were negative for eight proposed secondary mutations. There was no family history of optic atrophy in three of the four patients. All four patients were initially diagnosed as having optic neuritis, either anterior (Cases 1 and 3) or retrobulbar (Cases 2 and 4), based upon their fundus findings and clinical history. Molecular genetic testing of mtDNA confirmed the diagnosis of LHON in all four patients. The three patients who experienced recovery had their vision return to 20/50 or better in both eyes. The patient who did not was a heavy consumer of alcohol and tobacco. These findings indicate that Japanese patients with the 14484 mutation have a visual prognosis similar to that of Caucasians with this mutation.
Linkage crossover for genetic algorithms (1999)

A new operator based on probabilistic methodology is proposed. The genetic algorithm using this operator is shown to be particularly successful for deceptive problems with linkages that are not easily captured by linear relationships. Further, adaptive Hebbian mechanisms are shown to be successful in learning the appropriate linkage relationships when faced with new problems. Results demonstrate the efficacy of this approach, compared with traditional general purpose crossover operators.
Pyridostigmine Used as a Nerve Agent Pretreatment Under Wartime Conditions (1991)

While under the threat of nerve agent attack, pyridostigmine can be administered to virtually all soldiers.
Cannabis Expectancies for Sleep (2019)

Up to 35% of adults in the United States suffer from sleep disturbances, which covary with a host of negative mental and physical health outcomes. Previous research suggests that cannabis' sedative effects may be associated with improved sleep. The present study examined the self-reported effect of cannabis use on individual's sleep-related problems. Participants included 311 individuals recruited online, who reported both sleep-related problems and cannabis use. Analyses revealed that participants expected cannabis to decrease the incidence of sleep-related problems, including allowing participants to have an earlier bedtime, to fall asleep more quickly, and to have a longer night's sleep. Moreover, expectancies about the influence of cannabis on sleep negatively covaried with cannabis-related problems. These findings suggest that individuals believe using cannabis might positively influence their sleep quality and believing so may be protective against cannabis problems. Randomized control trials of cannabis for insomnia appear justified.
The AS/400 cluster engine: A case study (2003)

In this paper we share our experience in harnessing group communications for the AS/400 cluster infrastructure. The main fonts of the AS/400 cluster is providing high availability and disaster recovery of defined cluster resources. The cluster supports up to 128 nodes, connected via any IP network. Cluster nodes and resources can be dynamically added or removed. Administrative actions or failures trigger automatic cluster reconfigurations: CLUE (Cluster Engine) is the group communication middleware implemented in the OS/400 kernel. It exploits the strong virtual synchrony model. CLUE is unique in the following aspects: It is the first virtually synchronous group communication system incorporated into a cluster solution, and customized to meet cluster needs. It is the only group communication system (GCS) integrated into a commercial operating system kernel. CLUE's special features (e.g., Flexible Group Member) can be relevant to other group communication systems.
Risks and outcomes of idiopathic pneumonia syndrome after nonmyeloablative and conventional conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (2003)

Idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS) is a significant noninfectious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We compared the incidences and outcomes of IPS among patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT after nonmyeloablative (n = 183) compared with conventional (n = 917) conditioning between December 1997 and December 2001. Patients given nonmyeloablative conditioning were older than those given conventional conditioning (median ages, 53 vs 41 years; P =.001). The cumulative incidence of IPS was significantly lower at 120 days after nonmyeloablative conditioning than conventional conditioning (2.2% vs 8.4%; P =.003). In addition, greater patient age (older than 40 years), diagnosis of acute leukemia or myelodys-plastic syndrome, and severe acute graft-versus-host disease were associated with significantly increased risks for IPS. Among older patients (older than 40 years) given conventional conditioning, high-dose total body irradiation (TBI) was associated with an increased risk for IPS than were non-TBI-based regimens (16% vs 5.8%; P =.001). IPS occurred early after transplantation, progressed rapidly, and was associated with a high mortality rate (75%) despite aggressive support. Initiation of mechanical ventilation and the presence of renal insufficiency at IPS onset were associated with increased risks for death after IPS. These findings support the concept that lung damage from the conditioning regimen plays a crucial role in the development of IPS after HSCT.
Platelet-derived growth factor enhances in vitro erythropoiesis via stimulation of mesenchymal cells. (1985)

The growth of erythroid colonies (from erythroid colony-forming cells) and erythroid bursts (from burst-forming cells [BFU-E]) is enhanced in the presence of serum as compared with plasma. A significant proportion of the enhanced growth is due to the platelet release product, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Colony growth in cultures of whole marrow cells in platelet-poor plasma-derived serum (PDS) and erythropoietin was enhanced in a dose-dependent fashion by increasing concentrations of purified human PDGF with optimal enhancement at 12.5 ng/ml. However, no effect of platelet-release products or PDGF was observed on nonadherent human marrow cells or peripheral blood BFU-E, suggesting that an accessory cell population was required for the effect of PDGF on hematopoietic progenitors. In a two-layer culture system, pure populations of fibroblasts or smooth muscle cells, known to be present in the marrow microenvironment, restored the response of nonadherent marrow cells in the overlayer to PDGF and also conferred responsiveness to peripheral blood BFU-E. Endothelial cells in the two-layer culture system and macrophages, in contrast, lacked the ability to restore the enhancing effect of PDGF. Because other platelet-release mitogenic products are also found in serum, a monospecific anti-PDGF IgG preparation was added to cultures grown in platelet rich plasma-derived serum. Only partial reduction in colony and burst growth was seen, suggesting that other platelet-release products were acting in this system. These results demonstrate that PDGF enhancement of human hematopoietic progenitor cell growth requires mesenchymal cells, and provide an example and mechanism by which growth factors may influence hematopoietic progenitors via cells of the marrow microenvironment.
Role of iron in NF-kappa B activation and cytokine gene expression by rat hepatic macrophages (1997)

A redox-sensitive nuclear factor, NF-kappa B, induces transcription of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in macrophages. The present study has investigated the role of iron in NF-kappa B activation and TNF-alpha and IL-6 expression by rat hepatic macrophages (HM). As an in vivo model, cholestatic liver injury was induced in rats by ligation of the common bile duct (BDL). During the first 2 wk after BDL, there was an increase in the hepatic level of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) that was accompanied by the appearance of protein-malondialdehyde adducts in the periportal region. This increase was reduced after 3 wk. TNF-alpha and IL-6 mRNA levels in HM from the BDL rats were increased at 1 and 2 wk and attenuated at 3 wk. Gel mobility shift assay of HM nuclear extracts demonstrated the similar temporal pattern of enhanced NF-kappa B binding activity. Treatment of the BDL animals with 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one (L-1), a lipophilic iron chelator, suppressed the increases in hepatic TBARS by 64%, plasma alanine aminotransferase by 45%, and HM TNF-alpha and IL-6 mRNA by > 84%. Concomitantly, the HM NF-kappa B binding activity was reduced close to the level observed in sham-operated rats. Treatment of cultured HM with L-1 also blocked lipopolysaccharide-stimulated NF-kappa B activation and TNF-alpha and IL-6 expression at mRNA and protein levels. These results demonstrate that the iron chelator effectively blocks NF-kappa B activation and coordinate TNF-alpha and IL-6 gene upregulation by HM in cholestatic liver injury or under in vitro lipopolysaccharide stimulation. These findings support a pivotal role for iron in activation of NF-kappa B and cytokine gene expression by HM in vitro and in vivo.
Urinary Bikunin Determination Provides Insight into Proteinase/Proteinase Inhibitor Imbalance in Patients with Inflammatory Diseases (2002)

Bikunin (BK) is a Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitor responsible for most of the antitryptic activity of urine and so is known as the urinary trypsin inhibitor. As its excretion increases in inflammatory conditions, it is often considered to be a positive acute phase protein (APP). However, the gene for BK is downregulated in inflammation. In human plasma the major part of BK is covalently linked through a glycosaminoglycan chain to one or two homologous peptide heavy chains, thus forming high molecular weight proteinase inhibitors called pre-alpha-inhibitor (PalphaI) and inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI), respectively. The C-terminal parts of these heavy chains are very sensitive to proteolysis. Neutrophil proteinases in particular are able to release from IalphaI and PalphaI BK (M, about 25,000) which retains its antitryptic activity and is quickly excreted in urine. It was therefore an early supposition that the higher urinary excretion of BK occurring during inflammatory diseases should be, at least in some respect, related to a partial proteolysis of IalphaI and PalphaI. In this study we observed that BK, determined as antitryptic activity, was clearly increased in urine from 35 patients with inflammatory diseases varying in origin and severity (76.5 +/- 75.5 IU/g vs. reference value <10 IU/g creatinine). This increase seems mainly to be associated with polymorphonuclear leukocyte activation, monitored by human leukocyte elastase (HLE) determination rather than with the acute phase response assessed by C-reactive protein (CRP) measurement. For all the patients we found that the urinary levels of BK and serum concentration of intact IalphaI correlated inversely (r=-0.36; p=0.03), in agreement with the presumed precursor-product relationship linking IalphaI and BK. We also proved that urinary BK was significantly higher, and serum IalphaI was significantly lower, in samples with plasma HLE values above the reference: 90 microg/l. Taken together, our results demonstrate that BK, the urinary excretion of which is increased in inflammatory conditions, originates, at least partly, from IalphaI and PalphaI by proteolytic cleavage. Consequently, urinary BK determination provides information on the severity of systemic proteolysis occurring in inflammation. We also demonstrated that during inflammatory diseases IalphaI and PalphaI concentrations in serum are dependent on their increased utilization as well as on the regulation of their biosynthesis.
The Sedimentation of Bimodal Distributions of Unflocculated Microspheres (1990)

Abstract An improved analysis for sedimentation of binary mixtures (two particle sizes) is proposed and tested with data that include differences in both the particle sizes and densities and sedimentation in both the viscous region and the transitions region, between viscous and turbulent (inertial flow). The new analysis can be used for any ratio of particle sizes even when the particle sizes are relatively close. It has been successfully tested beyond the viscous region and with variations in particle density as well as particle size. Although one previous analysis has been successful in predicting most earlier binary data with particles of different size, the new analysis is believed to be better supported by physical principles and thus more reliably extrapolated to different conditions.
Preclinical evaluation of LU 79553: a novel bis-naphthalimide with potent antitumor activity. (1995)

LU 79553 is a novel bis-naphthalimide which is highly cytotoxic in vitro with EC50 (concentration required for 50% inhibition of growth) ranging from 2 x 10(-7) to 5 x 10(-10) M. A number of studies were conducted to examine its antitumor activity in human xenograft models. In addition, we wanted to explore the possible schedule dependency of LU 79553 cytotoxicity in these xenograft models. Complete regression of MX-1 (mammary carcinoma) xenografts was observed when LU 79553 was administered i.v. daily for 5 doses at 20 mg/kg (2 cycles starting on Days 6 and 20) or every 3 days for 2 doses at 55 mg/kg (2 cycles starting on Days 6 and 13) or every 7 days for 4 doses. Complete regression was also seen in the MX-1 model when tumors were staged at 1-2 g prior to the initiation of treatment. Regressions (complete or partial) were observed in the LX-1 (lung), CX-1 (colon), DLD (colon), and LOX (melanoma) xenograft models. A significant increase in the median survival time of OVCAR-3- (ovarian carcinoma) bearing mice was noted in LU 79553-treated animals (treated/control = 195%). The excellent activity of this compound in such a wide variety of tumor types suggests LU 79553 merits further investigation in clinical trials.
Delamination of stiff islands patterned on stretchable substrates (2007)

Abstract In one design of flexible electronics, thin-film islands of a stiff material are fabricated on a polymeric substrate, and functional materials are grown on these islands. When the substrate is stretched, the deformation is mainly accommodated by the substrate, and the islands and functional materials experience relatively small strains. Experiments have shown that, however, for a given amount of stretch, the islands exceeding a certain size may delaminate from the substrate. We calculate the energy release rate using a combination of finite element and complex variable methods. Our results show that the energy release rate diminishes as the island size or substrate stiffness decreases. Consequently, the critical island size is large when the substrate is compliant. We also obtain an analytical expression for the energy release rate of debonding islands from a very compliant substrate.
Combining FFT and Spectral-Pooling for Efficient Convolution Neural Network Model (2016)

Convolution operation is the most important and time consuming step in a convolution neural network model. In this work, we analyze the computing complexity of direct convolution and fast-Fourier-transform-based (FFT-based) convolution. We creatively propose CS-unit, which is equivalent to a combination of a convolutional layer and a pooling layer but more effective. Theoretical computing complexity of and some other similar operation is demonstrated, revealing an advantage on computation of CS-unit. Also, practical experiments are also performed and the result shows that CS-unit holds a real superiority on run time.
Conversion of Fumaric Acid to <scp>l</scp> ‐Malic by Sol‐Gel Immobilized <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> in a Supported Liquid Membrane Bioreactor (2002)

Conversion of fumaric acid (FA) to L-malic acid (LMA) was carried out in a bioreactor divided by two supported liquid membranes (SLMs) into three compartments: Feed, Reaction, and Product. The Feed/Reaction SLM, made of tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (vol 10%) in ethyl acetate, was selective toward the substrate, fumaric acid (S(FA/LMA) = 10). The Reaction/Product SLM, made of di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (vol 10%) in dichloromethane, was selective toward the product, L-malic acid (S(LMA/FA) = 680). Immobilized yeast engineered to overproduce the enzyme fumarase [E.C. 4.2.1.2] was placed in the Reaction compartment and served as the catalyst. The yeast was immobilized in small glasslike beads of alginate-silicate sol-gel matrix. The construction of the bioreactor ensured unidirectional flow of the substrate from the Feed to the Reaction and of the product from the Reaction to the Product compartments, with the inorganic counterion traveling in the opposite direction. The conversion of almost 100%, above the equilibrium value of ca. 84% and higher than that for the industrial process, 70%, was achieved. In contrast to the existing industrial biocatalytic process resulting in L-malic acid salts, direct production of the free acid is described.
Acetabular rim and surface segmentation for hip surgery planning and dysplasia evaluation (2008)

Knowledge of the acetabular rim and surface can be invaluable for hip surgery planning and dysplasia evaluation. The acetabular rim can also be used as a landmark for registration purposes. At the present time acetabular features are mostly extracted manually at great cost of time and human labor. Using a recent level set algorithm that can evolve on the surface of a 3D object represented by a triangular mesh we automatically extracted rims and surfaces of acetabulae. The level set is guided by curvature features on the mesh. It can segment portions of a surface that are bounded by a line of extremal curvature (ridgeline or crestline). The rim of the acetabulum is such an extremal curvature line. Our material consists of eight hemi-pelvis surfaces. The algorithm is initiated by putting a small circle (level set seed) at the center of the acetabular surface. Because this surface distinctively has the form of a cup we were able to use the Shape Index feature to automatically extract an approximate center. The circle then expands and deforms so as to take the shape of the acetabular rim. The results were visually inspected. Only minor errors were detected. The algorithm also proved to be robust. Seed placement was satisfactory for the eight hemi-pelvis surfaces without changing any parameters. For the level set evolution we were able to use a single set of parameters for seven out of eight surfaces.
Catalytic conversion of nitrogen molecule into ammonia using molybdenum complexes under ambient reaction conditions (2020)

Nitrogen fixation using homogeneous transition metal complexes under mild reaction conditions is a challenging topic in the field of chemistry. Several successful examples of the catalytic conversion of nitrogen molecule into ammonia using various transition metal complexes in the presence of reductants and proton sources have been reported so far, together with detailed investigations on the reaction mechanism. Among these, only molybdenum complexes have been shown to serve as effective catalysts under ambient reaction conditions, in stark contrast with other transition metal-catalysed reactions that proceed at low reaction temperature such as -78 °C. In this feature article, we classify the molybdenum-catalysed reactions into four types: reactions via the Schrock cycle, reactions via dinuclear reaction systems, reactions via direct cleavage of the nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond of dinitrogen, and reactions via the Chatt-type cycle. We describe these catalytic systems focusing on the catalytic activity and mechanistic investigations. We hope that the present feature article provides useful information to develop more efficient nitrogen fixation systems under mild reaction conditions.
Identification of the Proteins Required for Biosynthesis of Diphthamide, the Target of Bacterial ADP-Ribosylating Toxins on Translation Elongation Factor 2 (2004)

Diphthamide, a posttranslational modification of translation elongation factor 2 that is conserved in all eukaryotes and archaebacteria and is the target of diphtheria toxin, is formed in yeast by the actions of five proteins, Dph1 to -5, and a still unidentified amidating enzyme. Dph2 and Dph5 were previously identified. Here, we report the identification of the remaining three yeast proteins (Dph1, -3, and -4) and show that all five Dph proteins have either functional (Dph1, -2, -3, and -5) or sequence (Dph4) homologs in mammals. We propose a unified nomenclature for these proteins (e.g., HsDph1 to -5 for the human proteins) and their genes based on the yeast nomenclature. We show that Dph1 and Dph2 are homologous in sequence but functionally independent. The human tumor suppressor gene OVCA1, previously identified as homologous to yeast DPH2, is shown to actually be HsDPH1. We show that HsDPH3 is the previously described human diphtheria toxin and Pseudomonas exotoxin A sensitivity required gene 1 and that DPH4 encodes a CSL zinc finger-containing DnaJ-like protein. Other features of these genes are also discussed. The physiological function of diphthamide and the basis of its ubiquity remain a mystery, but evidence is presented that Dph1 to -3 function in vivo as a protein complex in multiple cellular processes.
Time resolution deterioration with increasing crystal length in a TOF-PET system (2013)

Highest time resolution in scintillator based detectors is becoming more and more important. In medical detector physics L(Y)SO scintillators are commonly used for time of flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET). Coincidence time resolutions (CTRs) smaller than 100 ps FWHM are desirable in order to improve the image signal to noise ratio and thus give benefit to the patient by shorter scanning times. Also in high energy physics there is the demand to improve the timing capabilities of calorimeters down to 10 ps. To achieve these goals it is important to study the whole chain, i.e. the high energy particle interaction in the crystal, the scintillation process itself, the scintillation light transfer in the crystal, the photodetector and the electronics. Time resolution measurements for a PET like system are performed with the time-over-threshold method in a coincidence setup utilizing the ultra-fast amplifier-discriminator NINO. With 2×2×3 mm3 LSO:Ce codoped 0.4%Ca crystals coupled to commercially available SiPMs (Hamamatsu S10931-050P MPPC) we achieve a CTR of 108±5 ps FWHM at an energy of 511 keV. Under the same experimental conditions an increase in crystal length to 5 mm deteriorates the CTR to 123±7 ps FWHM, 10 mm to 143±7 ps FWHM and 20 mm to 176±7 ps FWHM. This degradation in CTR is caused by the light transfer efficiency (LTE) and light transfer time spread (LTTS) in the crystal. To quantitatively understand the measured values, we developed a Monte Carlo simulation tool in MATLAB incorporating the timing properties of the photodetector and electronics, the scintillation properties of the crystal and the light transfer within the crystal simulated by SLITRANI. In this work, we show that the predictions of the simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data. We conclude that for longer crystals the deterioration in CTR is mainly caused by the LTE, i.e. the ratio of photons reaching the photodetector to the total amount of photons generated by the scintillation whereas the LTTS influence is partly offset by the gamma absorption in the crystal.