gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Asian-Pacific consensus statement on the management of chronic hepatitis B: a 2008 update (2008)

Large amounts of new data on the natural history and treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have become available since 2005. These include long-term follow-up studies in large community-based cohorts or asymptomatic subjects with chronic HBV infection, further studies on the role of HBV genotype/naturally occurring HBV mutations, treatment of drug resistance and new therapies. In addition, Pegylated interferon alpha2a, entecavir and telbivudine have been approved globally. To update HBV management guidelines, relevant new data were reviewed and assessed by experts from the region, and the significance of the reported findings were discussed and debated. The earlier "Asian-Pacific consensus statement on the management of chronic hepatitis B" was revised accordingly. The key terms used in the statement were also defined. The new guidelines include general management, special indications for liver biopsy in patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase, time to start or stop drug therapy, choice of drug to initiate therapy, when and how to monitor the patients during and after stopping drug therapy. Recommendations on the therapy of patients in special circumstances, including women in childbearing age, patients with antiviral drug resistance, concurrent viral infection, hepatic decompensation, patients receiving immune-suppressive medications or chemotherapy and patients in the setting of liver transplantation, are also included.
Purification and Properties of Cyclopentanone Oxygenase of <i>Pseudomonas</i> NCIB 9872 (1976)

1. Cyclopentanone oxygenase from Pseudomonas NCIB 9872 has been purified some 40-fold. It gives a single peak in the ultracentrifuge and a single major protein band on polyacrylamide gels contaminated with about 5% of a slower migrating impurity. Flavin dissociates from the protein during electrophoresis. 2. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 200000 and is a homopolymeric assemblage of either three of four subunits of molecular weight 54000-58000. 3. The prosthetic group is FAD and values of about 2.5 are typically obtained for the number of moles bound to each mole of holoenzyme. Some FAD probably dissociates during purification and it seems likely that each subunit binds one FAD in the undamaged protein.
Improved Characterization of Aqueous Corrosion Kinetics of Zircaloy-4 (1984)

In the analysis of the post-transition corrosion regime of Zircaloys in a water environment it has typically been assumed that the cycles occurring after the first cycle (pretransition) could be approximated by a constant rate. Recently, a long-term testing of Zircaloy-4 has shown this assumption to be nonconservative. Post-transition rates are seen to increase with increasing weight gain or time until a steady-state post-transition rate is achieved. The corrosion of Zircaloy-4 in a water environment is, therefore, now seen to have a transitory regime in addition to the pretransition and steady-state post-transition regimes. The mathematical description of this transitory regime is shown to fit the following: corrosion rate, R = A · ΔW + B, which results in a general equation for weight gain during the transitory regime of ΔW = (B/A) · (eAt - 1). This formulation provides a more accurate description of long-term Zircaloy-4 corrosion for use in engineering design than assuming post-transition kinetics based on a linear fit to the cyclic regime following the first cycle.
A survey of algorithms for volume visualization (1992)

Many computer graphics programmers are working in the area of scientific visualization. One of the most interesting and fast-growing areas in scientific visualization is volume visualization. Volume visualization systems are used to create high-quality images from scalar and vector datasets defined on multidimensional grids, usually for the purpose of gaining insight into a scientific problem. Most volume visualization techniques are based on one of about five foundation algorithms. These algorithms, and the background necessary to understand them, are described here. Pointers to more detailed descriptions, further reading, and advanced techniques are also given.
Use of substituted (benzylidineamino)guanidines in the study of guanidino group-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase (1986)

A number of substituted (benzylidineamino)guanidines with different substitutents in the benzene nucleus are synthesized by coupling substituted benzaldehydes with aminoguanidine, and these compounds are tested as substrates for cholera toxin catalyzed ADP-ribosylation. A spectrophotometric assay method for the measurement of ADP-ribosyltransferase activity is developed, making use of the absorption characteristics of some of these compounds and the difference in the ionic character of the free compounds and the ADP-ribosylated products. The kinetic parameters for the ADP-ribosylation of these compounds are evaluated. A correlation between log kcat or log (kcat/Km) and the Hammett substituent constant sigma is observed. This correlation suggests the importance of substrate electronic effects on the enzymatic reaction. The reactivity of these compounds as acceptors of ADP-ribosyl groups in the reaction catalyzed by cholera toxin increases with increasing electron-donating power of the substituents in the benzene function. The effect is primarily on the catalytic rate constant, kcat, not on the binding constant, Km. The results are consistent with an SN2 reaction mechanism in which the deprotonated guanidino group makes a nucleophilic attack on the C-1 carbon of the ribose moiety.
Regulation of the soxRS Oxidative Stress Regulon (1997)

SoxR protein, a transcriptional activator of the soxRS (superoxide response) regulon of Escherichia coli, contains autooxidizable [2Fe-2S] centers that are presumed to serve as redox sensors. In vitro transcription experiments previously demonstrated that only the oxidized form is active. Reduced SoxR was detected in overproducing strains by EPR spectroscopy of suspensions of intact cells. Oxidized Fe-S centers were determined by lysing the cells and treating them with the reducing agent sodium dithionite prior to EPR measurements. In uninduced cells, 90% of the SoxR was in the reduced form. Treatment with the redox cycling agents phenazine methosulfate or plumbagin was accompanied by reversible oxidation of the Fe-S centers. Mutant SoxR derivatives that were constitutively activated existed constitutively in an oxidized state. The results indicate the presence of a cellular pathway for countering the autooxidation of SoxR and confirm the hypothesis that induction of the regulon is mediated by a shift in the redox equilibrium of SoxR rather than by assembly of its Fe-S clusters.
Flow of orders through a virtual enterprise - their proactive planning and scheduling, and reactive control (1997)

Semiconductor manufacturing virtual enterprises are currently faced with unrelenting competitive pressures relating to the market, customers and the way enterprise operations are carried out. Planning and control of order flow are keys to improved performance. Contemporary systems do not offer adequate solutions to meet today's challenge and the trade-offs which have to be made. A new development, X-CITTIC, provides solutions to bridge gaps that exist between higher level transactional systems and lower level local systems, as manufacturing execution systems. X-CITTIC supplies solutions to meet these challenges.
Separation of heavy metals and other trace contaminants (1985)

This book presents the papers given at a symposium on heavy metal removal. Topics considered at the symposium included precipitation, detoxification, electrochemical operations, ion exchange, adsorption, filtration, biological treatment, fixation, membrane operations, magnetic separation, thermal treatment, and physical-chemical treatment.
USAGES ET CONDITIONS DE FONCTIONNEMENT DES VOITURES EN EUROPE (1993)

Afin de mesurer les conditions d'usages et de fonctionnement des voitures une experimentation a ete menee parallelement en Grande-Bretagne, Allemagne et en France. Le protocole experimental a ete defini conjointement. Cinquante-huit voiture privees representatives des parcs automobiles en ciculation ont ete selectionnees et equipees de materiels d'acquisition embarques, puis suivies sur une periode d'environ un mois. Les enregistrements representent 1580 journees de suivi de vehicules. L'analyse des usages journaliers laisse apparaitre des differences assez importantes entre les trois pays : usages plus intenses en semaine en Allemagne, forte influence des dimanches sur les usages en France, repartitions horaires sensiblement differentes. On observe des differences importantes au niveau des caracteristiques moyennes des trajets, et en particulier au niveau des conditions de circulation (vitesses, frequences des arrets), et une evolution contrastee en fonction des jours de la semaine. Par contre, les distributions des longueurs de trajets sont tres similaires : nombre important de trajets courts et tres courts ;les trajets longs sont un peu plus frequents en Allemagne. Les vitesses pratiquees et leur evolution en fonction des jours de la semaine sont assez specifiques : forts contrastes observes en France entre la semaine et le dimanche, vitesses assez retenues en Grande-Bretagne. L'analyse des cinematiques (vitesses, accelerations) montre que les conditions de circulation urbaine n'etaient pas significativement differentes entre les trois pays. Les conditions autoroutieres ont ete plus frequemment observees en Grande-Bretagne et en Allemagne qu'en France. (A).
Local Imaging Approach and Applications (2002)

B-17 LOCAL IMAGING APPROACH AND APPLICATIONS Summary 1 Local imaging obtained using a local plane-wavenumber approach of Generalized Diffraction Tomography is very similar to Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging in spotlight-mode acquisition. A local image of the scattering structures around any point in a model is calculated using ray-based Green’s functions computed at that point only. The cost of the local imaging is very small compared to classic imaging which needs grids of Green’s functions. The signal-processing approach inherent to this FFT-based local imaging allows also a very powerful and flexible imaging with full control of aliasing and noise filtering. The
Effects of atrial pacing, isoprenaline and lignocaine on experimental polymorphous ventricular tachycardia (1984)

In 22 anaesthetised dogs, iv, administration of quinidine sulphate (30 mg X kg-1) over 5 min produced bradycardia and marked prolongation of the QT interval. Right ventricular extrastimulations, four times diastolic threshold, provoked polymorphous ventricular tachycardia in 18 dogs, and typical torsade de pointes was observed in four of these 18 dogs. Ventricular flutter was induced in another four dogs. In one of these 22 dogs, double stimuli were required to induce ventricular tachyarrhythmias, in 19 dogs triple stimuli, and in two dogs quadruple stimuli. Using this experimental model, effects of interventions including atrial pacing, isoprenaline, and lignocaine on the QT interval and induction of polymorphous ventricular tachycardia by extrastimuli were studied. Atrial pacing shortened QT interval only slightly and did not prevent induction of polymorphous ventricular tachycardia in nine dogs studied. Isoprenaline infusion definitely shortened QT interval, and in four out of nine dogs triple stimuli could not elicit polymorphous ventricular tachycardia. By contrast, although the QT interval was not shortened, lignocaine was effective in preventing induction of polymorphous ventricular tachycardia by triple stimuli in three out of nine dogs. These results indicate atrial pacing is an ineffective means of preventing induction of polymorphous ventricular tachycardia by extrastimuli in dogs with a long QT interval, but that isoprenaline and lignocaine are effective in some dogs.
The Influence of Interfering Substances on the Antimicrobial Activity of Selected Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (2013)

Standard cleaning processes may not remove all the soiling typically found in food industry, such as carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. Contaminants have a high impact in disinfection as their presence may reduce the activity of disinfectants. The influence of alginic acid, bovine serum albumin, yeast extract, and humic acids was assessed on the antimicrobial activities of benzalkonium chloride and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide against Bacillus cereus vegetative cells and Pseudomonas fluorescens. The bacteria (single and consortium) were exposed to surfactants (single and combined) in the absence and presence of potential disinfection interfering substances. The antimicrobial effects of the surfactants were assessed based on the bacterial respiratory activity measured by oxygen uptake rate due to glucose oxidation. The tested surfactants were efficient against both bacteria (single and consortium) with minimum bactericidal concentrations ranging from 3 to 35 mg·L(-1). The strongest effect was caused by humic acids that severely quenched antimicrobial action, increasing the minimum bactericidal concentration of the surfactants on P. fluorescens and the consortium. The inclusion of the other interfering substances resulted in mild interferences in the antibacterial activity. This study clearly demonstrates that humic acids should be considered as an antimicrobial interfering substance in the development of disinfection strategies.
Early detection of structural abnormalities and cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43 in tissue-engineered skins derived from ALS patients (2015)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adult-onset disease characterized by the selective degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord progressively leading to paralysis and death. Current diagnosis of ALS is based on clinical assessment of related symptoms. The clinical manifestations observed in ALS appear relatively late in the disease course after degeneration of a significant number of motor neurons. As a result, the identification and development of disease-modifying therapies is difficult. Therefore, novel strategies for early diagnosis of neurodegeneration, to monitor disease progression and to assess response to existing and future treatments are urgently needed. Factually, many neurological disorders, including ALS, are accompanied by skin changes that often precede the onset of neurological symptoms. Aiming to generate an innovative human-based model to facilitate the identification of predictive biomarkers associated with the disease, we developed a unique ALS tissue-engineered skin model (ALS-TES) derived from patient's own cells. The ALS-TES presents a number of striking features including altered epidermal differentiation, abnormal dermo-epidermal junction, delamination, keratinocyte infiltration, collagen disorganization and cytoplasmic TDP-43 inclusions. Remarkably, these abnormal skin defects, uniquely seen in the ALS-derived skins, were detected in pre-symtomatic C9orf72-linked ALS patients carrying the GGGGCC DNA repeat expansion. Consequently, our ALS skin model could represent a renewable source of human tissue, quickly and easily accessible to better understand the physiophatological mechanisms underlying this disease, to facilitate the identification of disease-specific biomarkers, and to develop innovative tools for early diagnosis and disease monitoring.
Vision‐based navigation through urban canyons (2009)

Abstract We address the problem of navigating unmanned vehicles safely through urban canyons in two dimensions using only vision‐based techniques. Two commonly used vision‐based obstacle avoidance techniques (namely stereo vision and optic flow) are implemented on an aerial and a ground‐based robotic platform and evaluated for urban canyon navigation. Optic flow is evaluated for its ability to produce a centering response between obstacles, and stereo vision is evaluated for detecting obstacles to the front. We also evaluate a combination of these two techniques, which allows a vehicle to detect obstacles to the front while remaining centered between obstacles to the side. Through experiments on an unmanned ground vehicle and in simulation, this combination is shown to be beneficial for navigating urban canyons, including T‐junctions and 90‐deg bends. Experiments on a rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicle, which was constrained to two‐dimensional flight, demonstrate that stereo vision allowed it to detect an obstacle to the front, and optic flow allowed it to turn away from obstacles to the side. We discuss the theory behind these techniques, our experience in implementing them on the robotic platforms, and their suitability to the urban canyon navigation problem. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Novel Octopamine Receptor with Preferential Expression in<i>Drosophila</i>Mushroom Bodies (1998)

Octopamine is a neuromodulator that mediates diverse physiological processes in invertebrates. In some insects, such as honeybees and fruit flies, octopamine has been shown to be a major stimulator of adenylyl cyclase and to function in associative learning. To identify an octopamine receptor mediating this function in Drosophila, putative biogenic amine receptors were cloned by a novel procedure using PCR and single-strand conformation polymorphism. One new receptor, octopamine receptor in mushroom bodies (OAMB), was identified as an octopamine receptor because human and Drosophila cell lines expressing OAMB showed increased cAMP and intracellular Ca2+ levels after octopamine application. Immunohistochemical analysis using an antibody made to the receptor revealed highly enriched expression in the mushroom body neuropil and the ellipsoid body of central complex, brain areas known to be crucial for olfactory learning and motor control, respectively. The preferential expression of OAMB in mushroom bodies and its capacity to produce cAMP accumulation suggest an important role in synaptic modulation underlying behavioral plasticity.
Rethinking Meta‐Analysis: Applications for Air Pollution Data and Beyond (2015)

Meta-analyses offer a rigorous and transparent systematic framework for synthesizing data that can be used for a wide range of research areas, study designs, and data types. Both the outcome of meta-analyses and the meta-analysis process itself can yield useful insights for answering scientific questions and making policy decisions. Development of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards illustrates many potential applications of meta-analysis. These applications demonstrate the strengths and limitations of meta-analysis, issues that arise in various data realms, how meta-analysis design choices can influence interpretation of results, and how meta-analysis can be used to address bias and heterogeneity. Reviewing available data from a meta-analysis perspective can provide a useful framework and impetus for identifying and refining strategies for future research. Moreover, increased pervasiveness of a meta-analysis mindset-focusing on how the pieces of the research puzzle fit together-would benefit scientific research and data syntheses regardless of whether or not a quantitative meta-analysis is undertaken. While an individual meta-analysis can only synthesize studies addressing the same research question, the results of separate meta-analyses can be combined to address a question encompassing multiple data types. This observation applies to any scientific or policy area where information from a variety of disciplines must be considered to address a broader research question.
Field Performance of Ultralightweight Cement Slurry Compositions Used in the UAE (1987)

Summary Operators in the UAE have achieved a high degree of success with a high-strength microsphere (HSMS) cement additive to deal with lost circulation during drilling and/or cementing. Slurries made with the additive maintain good strength properties at low weights.
Enhanced antitumor activity of paclitaxel in combination with the anticarcinoma immunoconjugate BR96-doxorubicin. (1999)

The efficacy of chemotherapy has been improved by regimens that combine several cytotoxic drugs with different mechanisms of action and/or different dose-limiting toxicities. Here we demonstrate clearly, and for the first time, that combined therapy using an anticarcinoma immunoconjugate, BR96-doxorubicin, and the cytotoxic drug paclitaxel results in a significant increase in antitumor activity over that of either agent alone. Synergistic activity was seen at doses of BR96-doxorubicin that were minimally active as single agents. A dramatic increase in regression rates was seen when a regimen that combined BR96-doxorubicin and paclitaxel was used to treat both paclitaxel-sensitive and paclitaxel-insensitive carcinomas. Importantly, combined therapy resulted in increased antitumor activity against lung, colon, and breast tumors xenografted in athymic mice and large, paclitaxel-insensitive colon tumors xenografted in athymic rats that also express the Lewis(y) target antigen in normal tissues.
C‐C chemokines, but not the C‐X‐C chemokines interleukin‐8 and interferon‐γ inducible protein‐10, stimulate transendothelial chemotaxis of T lymphocytes (1995)

Eight chemokines were tested for ability to elicit transendothelial chemotaxis of unstimulated peripheral blood T lymphocytes. The C-C chemokines monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-2, MCP-3, RANTES, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, and, as previously described, MCP-1 induced significant, dose-dependent transendothelial chemotaxis of CD3+ T lymphocytes. In contrast, the C-X-C chemokines interleukin-8 (IL-8) and interferon-gamma inducible protein-10 (IP-10) failed to induce transendothelial chemotaxis of CD3+ T lymphocytes or T lymphocyte subsets. RANTES, MIP-1 alpha, and MIP-1 beta induced significant transendothelial chemotaxis of CD4+, CD8+, and CD45R0+ T lymphocyte subsets. Phenotyping of mononuclear cells that underwent transendothelial migration to MCP-2, MCP-3, RANTES, or MIP-1 alpha showed both monocytes and activated (CD26 high), memory-type (CD45R0+) T cells. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were recruited, but not natural killer cells or significant numbers of B cells. MCP-2 was the only C-C chemokine tested that attracted a significant number of naive-type (CD45RA+) T lymphocytes. In the absence of endothelium, IL-8 but not IP-10 promoted modest but significant chemotoxis of CD3+ T lymphocytes. Our data support the hypothesis that C-C, not the C-X-C chemokines IL-8 or IP-10, promote transendothelial chemotaxis of T lymphocytes.
Problems and prospects of utilizing canal banks to enhance the built environment in Colombo (2003)

Waterfronts are assets that enhance the quality of built-environment in urban areas. They are used as public and recreational spaces in many cities around the world. However, cities and towns in Sri Lanka most often turn their back to water bodies. Colombo has environmental assets in the form of a sea front, a lake and a canal network, yet not much attempt has been made to utilize their potential to enhance the quality of environment of the city until recent times. The lake is being rehabilitated while the canal network has already been rehabilitated under externally funded projects. It is observed that the rehabilitated canal network is fast falling back to its previous state of stagnation and pollution due to non-utilization of improved canals and banks. This paper focuses attention on possible strategies to sustain their improved environmental quality in order to enhance the built-environment of the city.