gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Cell surface annexin II is a high affinity receptor for the alternatively spliced segment of tenascin-C. (1994)

We have investigated the binding of soluble tenascin-C (TN-C) to several cell lines using a radioligand binding assay. Specific binding was demonstrated to U-251MG human glioma cells and to a line of bovine aortic endothelial cells, but hamster fibroblasts showed no specific binding. Recombinant proteins corresponding to specific domains of TN-C were used to map the binding site(s) in TN-C. The alternatively spliced segment (TNfnA-D) inhibited the binding of native TN-C most strongly, and itself bound to glioma and endothelial cells. Scatchard analysis of TNfnA-D binding indicated 2-5 x 10(5) binding sites per cell, with an apparent 2 nM dissociation constant. The cell surface receptor for TNfnA-D was identified as a 35-kD protein on the basis of blot binding assays and affinity chromatography of membrane extracts on native TN-C and TNfnA-D columns. Protein sequencing indicated that this 35-kD receptor was annexin II. Annexin II is well characterized as a cytoplasmic protein, so it was surprising to find it as a presumably extracellular receptor for TN-C. To confirm that it was the 35-kD receptor, we obtained purified annexin II and demonstrated its binding to TNfnA-D and TN-C at nM concentrations. Antibodies to annexin II prominently stained the external surface of live endothelial cells and blocked the binding of TNfnA-D to the cells. Thus annexin II appears to be a receptor for the alternatively spliced segment of TN-C, and may mediate cellular responses to soluble TN-C in the extracellular matrix.
Abstract 1180: Protection Against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Myocardial Dysfunction in Mice by Cardiac-Specific Expression of Soluble Fas (2007)

The mechanisms responsible for myocardial dysfunction in the setting of sepsis remain undefined. Fas ligation with its cognate ligand (FasL) induces apoptosis and activates cellular inflammatory responses associated with tissue injury. We determined whether interruption of Fas/FasL interaction by cardiac-specific expression of soluble Fas (sFas), a competitive inhibitor of FasL, would rescue myocardial dysfunction and inflammation in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse model of sepsis. Wild-type (WT) and sFas transgenic mice were injected intraperitoneally with 10mg/kg LPS or with an equivalent volume of saline. At 18 hours after LPS administration, echocardiographic evaluation revealed a significant decrease in left ventricular fractional shortening in the WT mice, whereas it was preserved in the sFas mice (WT versus sFas, 27.5 ± 4.2% versus 43.3 ± 3.8%, P < 0.05). The increase in the transcript levels of proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 resulting from LPS treatment were attenuated in the myocardium of sFas mice. sFas expression also caused a decrease in myocardial Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) mRNA and protein expression. Myocardial inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and formation of peroxynitrite as well as apoptotic cell death were suppressed in sFas mice compared with WT mice after LPS administration. LPS-induced lung injury and increase in lung water content were also significantly reduced in sFas mice compared with WT mice (4.3 ± 0.15 versus 4.7 ± 0.88, P < 0.05). These observations indicate that neutralization of FasL by expression of sFas significantly preserved cardiac function and reduced inflammatory responses in the heart, suggesting that Fas/FasL signaling pathway is important in mediating the deleterious effects of LPS on myocardial function associated with sepsis.
Stability of SARS coronavirus in human specimens and environment and its sensitivity to heating and UV irradiation. (2003)

The survival ability of SARS coronavirus in human specimens and in environments seems to be relatively strong. Heating and UV irradiation can efficiently eliminate the viral infectivity.
Differences in Neuronal Firing Rates in Pallidal and Cerebellar Receiving Areas of Thalamus in Patients With Parkinson's Disease, Essential Tremor, and Pain (2005)

The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) are thought to result from increased inhibitory outflow from the basal ganglia to the pallidal receiving areas of thalamus (ventral oral anterior and posterior-Voa,Vop). To test this hypothesis, we examined the firing rates of neurons in pallidal and cerebellar receiving areas of thalamus in five PD patients and compared them to those of neurons in comparable regions of motor thalamus in two other patient groups where hyperactivity of GPi is not believed to occur [essential tremor (ET), pain]. Neuronal recordings were made during microelectrode-guided functional stereotactic neurosurgery. The mean spontaneous firing rate (MSFR) of neurons classified as voluntary neurons and presumed to be in pallidal receiving areas of thalamus in PD patients [7.4 +/- 1.0 (SE) Hz] was significantly lower (P < 0.01) than in the ET (18.1 +/- 3.0 Hz) and pain (19.0 +/- 1.9Hz) groups. In contrast, the MSFR of neurons classified as kinesthetic and presumed to be primarily in the cerebellar receiving area of thalamus (ventral intermediate-Vim), although some are probably in the deep shell region of the ventrocaudal nucleus (VPLa), was significantly greater in ET patients (25.8 +/- 3.5 Hz) than in the PD (14.3 +/- 1.6 Hz; P < 0.01) and pain (16.1 +/- 1.5 Hz; P < 0.05) groups. Similar findings were obtained when the neurons were grouped according to their estimated locations in Voa/Vop and Vim of motor thalamus. These data provide support for the prediction of the classical pathophysiological model of PD and moreover suggest that pathophysiology in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway may be a possible cause of tremor in ET patients.
Progress in research on breeding for resistance to sunflower broomrape (2012)

Sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) is a parasitic angiosperm regarded as one of the most serious production constraints in many sunflower-producing countries. Historically, sunflower breeders have been successful in developing cultivars resistant to this parasite, but the introduction of new resistance sources has been frequently followed by the appearance of new pathogenic races overcoming the resistance. The present review sets out to examine the principal achievements in this field that took place during the last decades, focusing on the most recent advances in the research. In recent years, several research groups have made relevant contributions in breeding for the resistance and the development of control strategies. Following the identification and characterization of new virulent races, new sources and mechanisms of resistance have been developed and characterized at the genetic and molecular level. There have been also important contributions to the knowledge of the biology and genetics of the parasite that will contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of broomrape populations and race evolution. Important advances have also been made in the use of imidazolinone (IMI)-resistant hybrids as an alternative method of control. Most of the studies on sunflower breeding for resistance to O. cumana have been concentrated so far on the host plant, but in spite of the recent advances little is known about the important aspects of the parasite side of the equation such as the breeding system and genetics of virulence. An unsolved problem is the existing uncertainty in the designation of races and resistance genes identified in different countries. There is a need for international cooperation in this area using common differentials and molecular tools. Emphasis is given to the need for a multidisciplinary approach ranging from studying the mechanisms underlying resistance in the host plant to the reproductive biology and genetics of traits related to parasitism in O. cumana. The combination of long term strategies involving the complete host-parasite system and the integration of classical and molecular approaches is expected to contribute to the development of more durable sources of resistance and to improve sunflower performance in areas infested by broomrape.
A linear time varying model predictive control approach to the integrated vehicle dynamics control problem in autonomous systems (2007)

A Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach for controlling active front steering, active braking and active differentials in an autonomous vehicle is presented. We formulate a predictive control problem in order to best follow a given path by controlling the front steering angle, brakes and traction at the four wheels independently, while fulfilling various physical and design constraints. At each time step a trajectory is assumed to be known over a finite horizon, and an MPC controller computes the system inputs in order to best follow the desired trajectory on slippery roads at a given entry speed. We start from the results presented in [1], [2] and formulate the MPC problem based on successive on-line linearization of the nonlinear vehicle model (LTV MPC). Simulative results are presented, interpreted and compared against LTV MPC schemes which make use only of steering and/or braking.
<title>Transcoding DV into MPEG-2 in the DCT domain</title> (1998)

Transcoding Digital Video (DV) for Digital Video Cassette Recorder (DVCR) into MPEG-2 intra coding is performed in the DCT domain to reduce conversion steps. Multiplying matrix by transformed data is used for 4:1:1-to-4:2:0 chroma format conversion and 2-4-8 DCT mode to 8-8 DCT mode conversion for parallel processing. M_quant of MPEG-2 rate control is computed in the DCT domain. For MPEG-2 inter coding, fast motion estimations taking advantage of data in the DCT domain are studied for transcoding. Among them, ME with overlapped search range shows better PSNR performance than ME without overlapping.
Survey of ion plating sources (1980)

Ion plating is a plasma deposition technique where ions of the gas and the evaporant have a decisive role in the formation of a coating in terms of adherence, coherence, and morphological growth. The range of materials that can be ion plated is predominantly determined by the selection of the evaporation source. Based on the type of evaporation source, gaseous media, and mode of transport, the following will be discussed: resistance, electron beam, reactive ion beam evaporation, and sputtering. Ionization efficiencies and evaporant energies in the glow discharge determine the percentage of atoms which are ionized under typical ion plating conditions. The plating flux consists of a small number of energetic ions and a large number of energetic neutrals. The plating flux energy distribution ranges from thermal energies up to the voltage applied to the discharge. The various reaction mechanisms which contribute to the exceptionally strong adherence—formation of a graded substrate/coating interface are not fully understood; however, the controlling factors are evaluated. The influence of process variables on the nucleation and growth characteristic are illustrated in terms of morphological changes which for example affect the mechanical and tribological properties of a coating.
Implementation of the neocognitron on a SIMD architecture (2002)

We consider the implementation of one of the most complex neural networks, the neocognitron, on a SIMD parallel machine. The neocognitron is a network with a heavy cell load and intricate interconnections among its neurons or cells. Its structure is qualitatively similar to the mammalian visual system and its algorithm exhibits data parallelism at several levels. The proposed implementation makes use of an optimal mapping strategy exploring this data parallelism and the communication network of the MasPar Mp12000 SIMD computer.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Deposition of Size-Selected Cu Nanoparticles by Inert Gas Condensation (2009)

Nanometer size-selected Cu clusters in the size range of 1-5 nm have been produced by a plasma-gas-condensation-type cluster deposition apparatus, which combines a grow-discharge sputtering with an inert gas condensation technique. With this method, by controlling the experimental conditions, it was possible to produce nanoparticles with a strict control in size. The structure and size of Cu nanoparticles were determined by mass spectroscopy and confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron transmission microscopy (STEM) measurements. In order to preserve the structural and morphological properties, the energy of cluster impact was controlled; the energy of acceleration of the nanoparticles was in near values at 0.1 ev/atom for being in soft landing regime. From SEM measurements developed in STEM-HAADF mode, we found that nanoparticles are near sized to those values fixed experimentally also confirmed by AFM observations. The results are relevant, since it demonstrates that proper optimization of operation conditions can lead to desired cluster sizes as well as desired cluster size distributions. It was also demonstrated the efficiency of the method to obtain size-selected Cu clusters films, as a random stacking of nanometer-size crystallites assembly. The deposition of size-selected metal clusters represents a novel method of preparing Cu nanostructures, with high potential in optical and catalytic applications.
Diagnosis and treatment of recurrent miscarriage (2011)

Miscarriage is the most common complication of pregnancy, with as many as 15-20% of clinically recognised pregnancies ending in spontaneous failure. The main causes of miscarriage are sporadic lethal chromosomal abnormalities and these pregnancies are destined to fail from the outset. In fact, if all conceptions were included in the definition of miscarriage, around 40% would end in failure, with the majority occurring before the pregnancy could be clinically recognised.
Fabrication of nanowires on orthogonal surfaces of microchannels and their effect on pool boiling (2012)

A novel microfabrication technique was developed to create silicon nanowires (SiNWs) on orthogonal surfaces of microchannels machined on top of a silicon wafer. Using a two-step metal-assisted etching process, the SiNW for the first time could be selectively fabricated on two different crystalline directions—the channel top and bottom surfaces oriented in the (1 0 0) direction while the sidewall surfaces in the (1 1 0) direction. Different SiNW etching conditions were investigated to get the optimal height, density, morphology and orientation for the SiNWs on the microchannels. The resulting samples were tested as heat sinks with water for their pool boiling applications. The sidewall SiNWs affected bubble behaviors and played important roles during the boiling process. The critical heat flux and the heat transfer coefficient both were thus improved compared to a plain silicon surface and a silicon chip with only microchannels.
Deriving cluster analytic distance functions from Gaussian mixture models (1999)

The reliable detection of clusters in datasets of non-trivial dimensionality is notoriously difficult. Clustering algorithms are generally driven by some distance function (usually Euclidean) defined over pairs of examples, which implicitly treats distances within and between clusters alike. In this paper, a more effective distance measure is proposed, derived from an a priori estimated Gaussian mixture model. Examples are given to illustrate how the proposed approach can effectively de-emphasise within-cluster structure, and thus implicitly magnify the separation between regions of high data density.
On the interesting behavior of a gimbal-mounted gyroscope (1992)

The behavior of a gyroscope mounted in frictionless gimbal bearings when the outer ring is constrained to rotate at a constant rate is examined. The resulting motion of the rotor axis is described, accounted for by an elementary argument followed by a more complete treatment. The behavior of the rotor in an unusual parameter regime is also discussed. The equations of motion for a motor-driven rotor are obtained and compared with the frictionless case.
Improving Wrist SPECT with Fanbeam Collimators and an MLEM Algorithm (2005)

The human wrist, composed of 8 small carpal bones is one of the most complicated joints in the human body. A planar X-ray is often the first test ordered to determine the cause of the injured wrist but it is not always conclusive. The metabolic information provided by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has potential to clarify the situation of radiographically occult wrist imaging. However, a drawback of SPECT has been its poor spatial resolution, which has made it difficult to distinguish pathology within and between the small carpal bones of the wrist. We have evaluated the possible improvements in spatial resolution which can be obtained in wrist SPECT imaging through the use of fanbeam collimation and resolution recovery through the incorporation of the system response function into the MLEM (MLEM-RR) and MAP-EM (MAP-RR) iterative reconstruction algorithm. Spatial resolution and image noise measured from a wrist phantom were compared for these reconstruction techniques as well as for FBP and MLEM. Resolution improved from 8.4 mm FWHM for FBP to 6.3 mm FWHM for MLEM-RR, however noise also increased. Wrist SPECT was also performed in 5 volunteers asymptomatic for wrist injury. Better quality images were observed when incorporating the system response functions.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Associated with Autoimmune Diseases Often Discloses Activated Phenotype Pattern. (2004)

Abstract In autoimmune diseases the production of auto reactive antibodies is related to activation of normal B-lymphocytes. The high incidence of autoimmune disorders (AID) in CLL is well known, but the origin of auto antibodies is controversial. In the present study we postulate that Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia associated with autoimmune diseases discloses activated phenotype pattern. Out of the 891 CLL patients registered in the Israeli Study Group, we found 72 patients (8%) who presented at least one clinically expressed autoimmune disease at diagnosis. Median age was 67 years old (range 45–87). 44% were male, 45 patients were at Binet`s stage A, 17 patients at Stage B and 4 at Stage C, and six patients were diagnosed with de novo PLL. The autoimmune disorders were as follows: Hashimoto`s disease (25), AIHA (11), Sjogren`s syndrome (10), rheumatoid arthritis (9), vasculitis (8), Grave’s disease (5), Evan’s syndrome (4), ITP (4), multiple sclerosis (2) and pernicious anemia, pure red cells aplasia, Raynaud`s syndrome, systemic erythematous lupus, ulcerative colitis (each-one). We found also 19 cases of positive direct antiglobulin test, 7 cases of positive rheumatoid factor, 4 cases with positive antinuclear antibodies, and 7 cases of hypocomplementemia. In 16 patients (22%) the morphology cell was consistent with activated lymphocytes (more than 30% of prolymphocytes). Immunophenotype analysis revealed increased expression (>30%) of activation markers CD38 or FMC7 in 27%. IgG was higher than 1000 mg/dl in 57%, while 5 cases found with IgM paraproteinemia. Increased Beta2- microglobulin level, described by us correlating the activation of B-CLL cells, was increased in 78% of tested cases. The new marker ZAP 70 analyzed in seven patients and found positive in 5. Interestingly, Beta2m and CD38 wich usually define agressive disease were found predominatly in stage A patients with AID. Our results suggest that in B- CLL associated with autoimmune disorders, the B CLL cells present some degree of activation. It is well known that B-lymphocytes in CLL are in a preactivated state and can be induced to differentiate into plasma cells and to stimulate residual normal B cells to produce high-affinity polyclonal autoantibodies with restricted specificity and pathogenic properties. This possibility would be in keeping with our observation. Conclusion: our data showing activated lymphocytes morphology and /or increased expression CD38 or FMC7, high level of IgG and of Beta2-m in most of the cases, suggests that a state of activation of B-cells may correlate with the occurrence of autoimmune complication in B-CLL.
Stellatolides, a New Cyclodepsipeptide Family from the Sponge <i>Ecionemia acervus</i>: Isolation, Solid-Phase Total Synthesis, and Full Structural Assignment of Stellatolide A (2014)

The marine environment is a rich source of metabolites with potential therapeutic properties and applications for humans. Here we describe the first isolation, solid-phase total synthesis, and full structural assignment of a new class of cyclodepsipeptides from the Madagascan sponge Ecionemia acervus that shows in vitro cytotoxic activities at submicromolar concentrations. Seven structures belonging to a new family of compounds, given the general name stellatolides, were characterized. The sequence and stereochemistry of all the amino acids in these molecules were established by a combination of spectroscopic analysis, chemical degradation, and derivatization studies. Furthermore, the complete structure of stellatolide A was confirmed by an efficient solid-phase method for the first total synthesis and the full structural assignment of this molecule, including the asymmetric synthesis of the unique β-hydroxy acid moiety (Z)-3-hydroxy-6,8-dimethylnon-4-enoic acid.
Useful Formulas for Piezoelectric Ceramic Resonators and Their Application to Measurement of Parameters (1967)

Electrical characteristics of a lossless ceramic resonator with a fully covered electrode can be expressed by three basic parameters: clamped capacitance, electromechanical coupling factor, and the gravest resonant frequency or antiresonant frequency. Unified formulas are derived for various modes of vibration with longitudinal and transverse electric fields. The formulas are valid for a very wide range of frequency, but it is not easy to use them for calculation in most cases because of the transcendental functions involved. Hence, approximate formulas are derived that are simple and easy to calculate but accurate enough for practical uses. The accuracy of the approximation is far better than the accuracy of conventional lumped-constant equivalent-circuit representation. A novel method for determining three basic parameters of a ceramic resonator with transverse electric field is developed, based on the present approximate formulas. The method requires only the measurement of resonant frequencies, before and after the insertion of a series capacitance, and eliminates the need for both the measurement of antiresonant frequency and the measurement of low-frequency capacitance, which are required in a conventional practice.
Application of Particle Filters for Vehicle Positioning using Road Maps (2010)

This paper presents a numerical approach to the mapmatching problem. The proposed solution is based on a sequential Monte Carlo method, so called particle filtering. This algorithm can be adapted for implementation on real-time car navigation systems using a low-cost MEMS heading rate sensor and standard vehicle speed sensor installed in the car as dead-reckoning sensors. The algorithm reliability and accuracy performance was investigated using simulated data and data from real-world driving tests in urban environment. The tests show that this map-aided dead reckoning system is able to provide accurate vehicle positioning for long periods of time without using GPS data.