gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Linear artificial muscle actuator based on synthetic elastomer (2007)

In this paper we present a new artificial muscle actuator for rectilinear motion made of synthetic elastomer, which is mainly focused on the robotic applications. Previously, we have developed a new material for actuating means, named "synthetic elastomer". Synthetic elastomer allows their material properties such as mechanical as well as electrical properties to be adjusted according to the requirements. Using the synthetic elastomers made of the recipe adjusted for the robotic application, a new design of the artificial muscle actuator, called multi stacked actuator is proposed. The actuator is comprised of multiple stacks of synthetic elastomer coated with compliant electrodes and connecting disks. This unique design enables its linear actuation with the large strain of active length as well as large force. Experimental works are conducted and the effectiveness of the actuator is validated.
Image augmented laser scan matching for indoor dead reckoning (2009)

Most existing approaches to indoor localization focus on using either cameras or laser scanners as the primary sensor for pose estimation. In scan matching based localization, finding scan point correspondences across scans is challenging as individual scan points lack unique attributes. In camera based localization, one has to deal with images with few or no visual features as well as scale factor ambiguities to recover absolute distances. In this paper, we develop multimodal approaches for two indoor localization problems by fusing a camera and laser scanners in order to alleviate the drawbacks of each individual modality. For our first problem we recover 3 degrees of freedom (DoF) of a camera-laser rig on a rolling cart in a 2D plane, by using visual odometry to facilitate scan correspondence estimation. We demonstrate this approach to result in a 0.3% loop closure error for a 60 m loop around the interior corridor of a building. In our second problem, we recover 6 DoF of a human operator carrying a backpack system mounted with sensors in 3D, by merging rotation estimates from scan matching and translation estimates from visual odometry, resulting in a 1% loop closure error.
Biodegradation-inspired bioproduction of methylacetoin and 2-methyl-2,3-butanediol (2013)

Methylacetoin (3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-2-one) and 2-methyl-2,3-butanediol are currently obtained exclusively via chemical synthesis. Here, we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first alternative route, using engineered Escherichia coli. The biological synthesis of methylacetoin was first accomplished by reversing its biodegradation, which involved modifying the enzyme complex involved, switching the reaction substrate, and coupling the process to an exothermic reaction. 2-Methyl-2,3-butanediol was then obtained by reducing methylacetoin by exploiting the substrate promiscuity of acetoin reductase. A complete biosynthetic pathway from renewable glucose and acetone was then established and optimized via in vivo enzyme screening and host metabolic engineering, which led to titers of 3.4 and 3.2 g l(-1) for methylacetoin and 2-methyl-2,3-butanediol, respectively. This work presents a biodegradation-inspired approach to creating new biosynthetic pathways for small molecules with no available natural biosynthetic pathway.
<i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> PilV, a type IV pilus-associated protein essential to human epithelial cell adherence (2001)

Type IV pili (Tfp) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae , the Gram-negative etiologic agent of gonorrhea, facilitate colonization of the human host. Tfp are assumed to play a key role in the initial adherence to human epithelial cells by virtue of the associated adhesin protein PilC. To examine the structural and functional basis for adherence in more detail, we identified potential genes encoding polypeptides sharing structural similarities to PilE (the Tfp subunit) within the N. gonorrhoeae genome sequence database. We show here that a fiber subunit-like protein, termed PilV, is essential to organelle-associated adherence but dispensable for Tfp biogenesis and other pilus-related phenotypes, including autoagglutination, competence for natural transformation, and twitching motility. The adherence defect in pilV mutants cannot be attributed to reduced levels of piliation, defects in fiber anchoring to the bacterial cell surface, or to unstable pilus expression related to organelle retraction. PilV is expressed at low levels relative to PilE and copurifies with Tfp fibers in a PilC-dependent fashion. Purified Tfp from pilV mutants contain PilC adhesin at reduced levels. Taken together, these data support a model in which PilV functions in adherence by promoting the functional display of PilC in the context of the pilus fiber.
Electrospun Fibrous Mats with Conjugated Tetraphenylethylene and Mannose for Sensitive Turn-On Fluorescent Sensing of <i>Escherichia coli</i> (2015)

A rapid and sensitive detection of microbes in water and biological fluids is a key requirement in water and food safety, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnosis and treatment. In the current study, electrospun polystyrene-co-maleic anhydride (PSMA) fibers with conjugated mannose and tetraphenylethylene (TPE) were developed for Escherichia coli (E. coli) detection, taking advantage of the high grafting capabilities of ultrafine fibers and the highly porous structure of the fibrous mat to entrap bacterial cells. The specific binding between mannose grafts on PSMA fibers and FimH proteins from the fimbriae of E. coli led to an efficient "turn-on" profile of TPE due to the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect. Poly(ethylene glycol) diamine was used as hydrophilic tethers to increase the conformational mobility of mannose grafts, indicating a more sensitive change in the fluorescence intensity against bacteria concentrations, a lower fluorescence background of fibers without bacteria incubation, and a sufficient space for bacteria binding, compared with the use of hexamethylenediamine or poly(ethylene imine) as spacers for mannose grafting. The addition of bovine serum albumin, glucose, or both of them into bacteria suspensions showed no significant changes in the fluorescence intensity of fibrous mats, indicating the anti-interference capability against these proteins and saccharides. An equation was drafted of the fluorescence intensities of fibrous mats against E. coli concentrations ranging from 10(2) to 10(5) CFU/mL. The test strip format was established on mannose-conjugated PSMA fibers after exposure to E. coli of different concentrations, providing a potential tool with a visual sensitivity of bacteria concentrations as low as 10(2) CFU/mL in a matter of minutes. This strategy may offer a capacity to be expanded to exploit electrospun fibrous mats and other carbohydrate-cell interactions for bioanalysis and biosensing of pathogenic bacteria.
Superconducting microstrip antennas: an experimental comparison of two feeding methods (1993)

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) has generated a substantial amount of interest in microstrip antenna applications. However, the high permittivity of substrates compatible with HTS causes difficulty in feeding such antennas because of the high patch edge impedance. Two methods for feeding HTS microstrip antennas at K- and Ka-band are examined. Superconducting microstrip antennas that are directly coupled and gas-coupled to a microstrip transmission line have been designed and fabricated on lanthanum aluminate substrates using Y-Ba-Cu-O superconducting thin films. Measurements from these antennas, including input impedance, bandwidth, efficiency, and patterns, are presented and compared with published models. The measured results demonstrate that usable antennas can be constructed using either of these architectures, although the antennas suffer from narrow bandwidths. In each case, the HTS antenna shows a substantial improvement over an identical antenna made with normal metals.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
TROLLOPE REDUX (1969)

TROLLOPE REDUX Get access The Changing World of Anthony Trollope. By ROBERT M. POLHEMUS. University of California Press, 1968, 249 pp., 57s. 6d. ANABEL DONALD ANABEL DONALD University of Texas Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Essays in Criticism, Volume XIX, Issue 3, July 1969, Pages 330–336, https://doi.org/10.1093/eic/XIX.3.330 Published: 01 July 1969
Topologically robust sound propagation in an angular-momentum-biased graphene-like resonator lattice (2015)

Topological insulators do not allow conduction in the bulk, yet they support edge modes that travel along the boundary only in one direction, determined by the carried electron spin, with inherent robustness to defects and disorder. Topological insulators have inspired analogues in photonics and optics, in which one-way edge propagation in topologically protected two-dimensional materials is achieved breaking time-reversal symmetry with a magnetic bias. Here, we introduce the concept of topological order in classical acoustics, realizing robust topological protection and one-way edge propagation of sound in a suitably designed resonator lattice biased with angular momentum, forming the acoustic analogue of a magnetically biased graphene layer. Extending the concept of an acoustic nonreciprocal circulator based on angular-momentum bias, time-reversal symmetry is broken here using moderate rotational motion of air within each element of the lattice, which takes the role of the electron spin in determining the direction of modal edge propagation.
Manometric abnormalities of the oesophagus in patients with Parkinson’s disease (2001)

Dysphagia in Parkinson's disease (PD) is known to correlate with abnormalities of oropharyngeal function. Oesophageal abnormalities have not been previously demonstrated to correlate with dysphagia. The aim of the study was to determine if motor dysfunction of the oesophageal body correlates with dysphagia or disease severity in PD. Twenty-two patients with PD were assessed for the severity of their dysphagia (scale of 1-7) and severity of PD (Hoehn and Yahr scale 1-4). All underwent oesophageal manometry. Dysphagia was present daily in 10 patients (45%). Parkinson's disease was graded as severe (Hoehn and Yahr > or =3) in eight (36%) patients. Oesophageal manometry was abnormal in 16 (73%) patients. Thirteen patients had either complete aperistalsis or multiple simultaneous contractions (diffuse oesophageal spasm). These findings were significantly more common in patients with daily dysphagia (90% vs. 33%; P < 0.005), and were not related to duration or severity of PD. We conclude that the presence of aperistalsis or multiple simultaneous contractions in the oesophagus does correlate with dysphagia and is independent of PD severity or duration. This may reflect selective involvement of either the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus or the oesophageal myenteric plexus.
3D versus 2D Systematic Transrectal Ultrasound-Guided Prostate Biopsy: Higher Cancer Detection Rate in Clinical Practice (2013)

Objectives. To compare prostate cancer detection rates of extended 2D versus 3D biopsies and to further assess the clinical impact of this method in day-to-day practice. Methods. We analyzed the data of a cohort of 220 consecutive patients with no prior history of prostate cancer who underwent an initial prostate biopsy in daily practice due to an abnormal PSA and/or DRE using, respectively, the classical 2D and the new 3D systems. All the biopsies were done by a single experienced operator using the same standardized protocol. Results. There was no significant difference in terms of age, total PSA, or prostate volume between the two groups. However, cancer detection rate was significantly higher using the 3D versus the 2D system, 50% versus 34% (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference while comparing the 2 groups in term of nonsignificant cancer detection. Conclusion. There is reasonable evidence demonstrating the superiority of the 3D-guided biopsies in detecting prostate cancers that would have been missed using the 2D extended protocol.
On-chip analog output response compaction (1997)

In this paper, we propose a technique for on-chip analog output response compaction in order to implement self-test capabilities in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits. The integration function is identified as a powerful analog compression scheme and an analog signature analyzer is proposed. The op amp-based implementation allows one to define single and multiple-input versions. The multiple-input analyzer permits the monitoring of some extra internal nodes in addition to the classical output nodes, or the concurrent control of both voltage and current levels. This ability leads to an improvement of the circuit testability and consequently, the on-chip response evaluation gives a higher fault coverage than the off-chip one.
Dual mechanism for the control of inducible-type NO synthase gene expression in macrophages during activation by interferon-gamma and bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. (1994)

Production of nitric oxide (NO) by macrophages is enhanced upon activation by bacterial endotoxins and cytokines mainly via an increase of the intracellular content of the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS). We have studied in detail the effect of several modulators of macrophage activity on steady state levels of i-NOS mRNA in the mouse macrophage-like cell line RAW 264.7. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were found to be effective inducers of i-NOS mRNA, in accordance with their known ability to stimulate both i-NOS activity and NO production in macrophages from different sources, while TNF-alpha, IL-1, or IL-6 was ineffective in this regard. Accumulation of i-NOS mRNA in response to either LPS or IFN-gamma stimulation was accompanied by increased i-NOS gene transcription, as detected both by using a nuclear "run-on" transcription assay and by transient transfection of the cloned gene promoter in RAW 264.7 cells. Co-stimulation of the cells with both inducers resulted in higher steady state levels of i-NOS mRNA in the absence, however, of a corresponding potentiation of the rate of gene transcription. This was due primarily to a considerable effect of LPS on i-NOS mRNA stability, with prolongation of its half-life from 1-1.5 h, in the presence of IFN-gamma alone, to 4-6 h in the presence of both LPS and IFN-gamma.
Comparative measurements of serum estriol, estradiol, and estrone in non-pregnant, premenopausal women; a preliminary investigation. (1999)

Little to no data exists in the literature for serum estriol values in non-pregnant, premenopausal women. The current medical community opinion holds that estriol has no significant role in non-pregnant women relative to the other estrogens. It is a possibility that estriol's primary function has yet to be discovered. Accordingly, the first step is to understand cycle-dependent serum estriol concentrations. We have made a preliminary investigation for serum estriol concentration of 26 women during the known cycle peaks of estrone and estradiol. Five of the women were also tested for serum estriol on various days throughout the cycle in order to develop a cycle-dependent concentration profile. The result of these experiments show that serum estriol was always significantly higher than the sum of estrone and estradiol and less fluctuating. We conclude that estriol is probably a significant estrogen component.
Selenium, an Antioxidant Nutrient (2002)

Selenium is an essential constituent of a number of enzymes, some of which have antioxidant functions. Deficiency of the element in animals makes them susceptible to injury by certain types of oxidative stress. At least 1 human disease occurs only in selenium-deficient individuals. Therefore, it seems prudent to avoid selenium deficiency. The plasma (or serum) selenium concentration is often used to assess selenium nutritional status. A plasma selenium concentration of 8 micrograms/dL or greater in a healthy subject indicates that plasma selenoproteins are optimized and the subject is selenium replete. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey determined plasma selenium in 17,630 subjects in the United States. Its results indicate that more than 99% of the subjects studied were selenium replete. The Institute of Medicine has set the Recommended Dietary Allowance for selenium at 55 micrograms per day for adults. Since most estimates of selenium intake in the United States are 80 micrograms per day or greater, routine selenium supplementation is not recommended in the United States.
ChemInform Abstract: A Novel Synthesis of 4‐Aryl‐ and 4‐Heteroarylpyridines via Diethyl(4pyridyl)borane. (1986)

Abstract Die Aryl‐ und Hetarylbromide (II) werden in Gegenwart von Tetrakis‐(triphenylphosphin)‐palladium mit dem Diethyl‐pyridylboran (Ib) zu den Aryl‐ und Hetarylpyridinen (III) gekuppelt.
Enzymatic properties of hepatitis C virus NS3 serine protease and bio-engineering of serine protease inhibitors (serpins) against the NS3 protease and elastase (2009)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has infected millions of people worldwide and emerged as a global health crisis. HCV NS3 serine protease domain (aa:1027-1218) of the HCV polyprotein, is required for the processing and maturation of the HCV viral non-structural (NS) proteins. As an essential protease for viral replication, HCV NS3 protease has been considered as a strategic target for anti-HCV drug development. This thesis investigates the designs and inhibitory properties of novel serine protease inhibitor (serpin) variants against the HCV NS3 protease. First, the substrate specificity of NS3 protease is evaluated for the purpose of generating protein-based inhibitors to target it. Data from kinetic experiments suggested that NS3 protease activity is greatly enhanced with the addition of its NS4A cofactor and that the three key residues in the substrate necessary for efficient recognition and cleavage by NS3 protease are cysteine in P1, serine/alanine in P'1 and aspartic/glutamic acids in P6 position. This information was used to bio-engineer 5 (serpins) variants based on α₁-Antitrypsin (α₁-AT) scaffold. Variants of α₁-AT contained different mutations in the serpin Reactive Site Loop (RSL) involving the P1, P4, P6 & P'1 positions. The biological activities and the newly gained specificities of the ai-AT and its variants were tested mainly by performing SDS-stable complex formation studies and enzyme kinetic experiments directed against NS3 protease and elastase. Results show that NS3 protease was able to form a 72 kDa SDS-stable complex with α₁-AT and 4 of its variants. Taken together, the ability of α₁-AT and its variants to interact and form SDS-stable complexes with NS3 protease may represent an entry point for a novel class of protein-based HCV NS3 protease inhibitors.
Stability and Reactivity of ϵ−χ−θ Iron Carbide Catalyst Phases in Fischer−Tropsch Synthesis: Controlling μ<sub>C</sub> (2010)

The stability and reactivity of ϵ, χ, and θ iron carbide phases in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalysts as a function of relevant reaction conditions was investigated by a synergistic combination of experimental and theoretical methods. Combined in situ X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy/X-ray Diffraction/Raman Spectroscopy was applied to study Fe-based catalysts during pretreatment and, for the first time, at relevant high pressure Fischer-Tropsch synthesis conditions, while Density Functional Theory calculations formed a fundamental basis for understanding the influence of pretreatment and FTS conditions on the formation of bulk iron carbide phases. By combining theory and experiment, it was found that the formation of θ-Fe(3)C, χ-Fe(5)C(2), and ϵ-carbides can be explained by their relative thermodynamic stability as imposed by gas phase composition and temperature. Furthermore, it was shown that a significant part of the Fe phases was present as amorphous carbide phases during high pressure FTS, sometimes in an equivalent amount to the crystalline iron carbide fraction. A catalyst containing mainly crystalline χ-Fe(5)C(2) was highly susceptible to oxidation during FTS conditions, while a catalyst containing θ-Fe(3)C and amorphous carbide phases showed a lower activity and selectivity, mainly due to the buildup of carbonaceous deposits on the catalyst surface, suggesting that amorphous phases and the resulting textural properties play an important role in determining final catalyst performance. The findings further uncovered the thermodynamic and kinetic factors inducing the ϵ-χ-θ carbide transformation as a function of the carbon chemical potential μ(C).
Leakage current modeling in sub-micrometer CMOS complex gates (2007)

Para manter o desempenho a uma tensão de alimentação reduzida, a tensão de threshold e as dimensões dos transistores têm sido reduzidas por décadas. A miniaturização do transistor para tecnologias sub-100nm resulta em um expressivo incremento nas correntes de fuga, tornando-as parte significativa da potencia total, alcançando em muitos casos 30-50% de toda a potencia dissipada em condições normais de operação. Por estas condições, correntes estáticas em células CMOS representam um importante desafio em tecnologias nanométricas, tornando-se um fator crítico no design de circuitos de baixa potência. Isto significa que dissipação de potência estática deve ser considerada o quanto antes no fluxo de projetos de circuitos integrados. Esta tese revisa os principais mecanismos de fuga e algumas técnicas de redução. Também é apresentado um modelo de estimativa rápida da corrente de subthreshold em células lógicas CMOS série - paralelo. Este método é baseado em associações de condutividade elétrica série – paralelo de transistores. Ao combinar com o modelo de estimativa da corrente de fuga de gate baseada nas condições estáticas dos transistores é possível fornecer uma melhor predição da corrente de fuga total em redes de transistores. O modelo de estimativa anterior é rápido porem seu foco não esta na precisão. Um novo e preciso modelo para corrente de fuga de subthreshold e de gate é também apresentado baseado em modelos analíticos simplificados das correntes de fuga. Ao contrario do modelo anterior que era destinado a redes de transistores serie – paralelo, o novo método avalia as correntes de fuga em rede de transistores complexas. A presença de transistores conduzindo em redes de transistores não conduzindo, ignorados em trabalhos anteriores, é também avaliado no trabalho proposto. O novo modelo de corrente de fuga foi validado através de simulações elétricas, considerando processos CMOS 130nm e 90nm, com boa correlação dos resultados, demonstrando a precisão do modelo.