gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Protein Extraction from Spirulina platensis to Generate a Potential Co-Product and a Biofuel Feedstock with Reduced Nitrogen Content (2015)

The current work reports protein extraction from Spirulina platensis cyanobacterial biomass in order to simultaneously generate a potential co-product and a biofuel feedstock with reduced nitrogen content. S. platensis cells were subjected to cell disruption by high pressure homogenization and subsequent protein isolation by solubilisation at alkaline pH followed by precipitation at acidic pH. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the process parameters - pH, extraction (solubilisation/precipitation) time and biomass concentration for obtaining maximum protein yield. The optimized process conditions were found to be pH 11.38, solubilisation time of 35 min and biomass concentration of 3.6 % (w/w) solids for the solubilisation step, and pH 4.01 and precipitation time of 60 min for the precipitation step. At the optimized conditions, a high protein yield of 60.7 % (w/w) was obtained. The protein isolate (co-product) had a higher protein content (80.6 % (w/w)), lower ash (1.9 % (w/w)) and mineral content and was enriched in essential amino acids, the nutritious γ-lenolenic acid and other high-value unsaturated fatty acids compared to the original biomass. The residual biomass obtained after protein extraction had lower nitrogen content and higher total non-protein content than the original biomass. The loss of about 50 % of the total lipids from this fraction did not impact its composition significantly owing to the low lipid content of S.platensis (8.03 %).
A successful borehole drilled by cryogenic drilling in an arid, unconsolidated soil with boulders (1997)

An 80 foot deep borehole was drilled using a novel cryogenic drilling method. The freeze while drilling technique stabilizes the borehole wall while drilling by using conventional air rotary methods but with low temperature nitrogen gas (as cold as {minus}196 C) as the drilling fluid. The location of the field test was a semi-arid alluvial unconsolidated sedimentary formation at the Aerojet, Inc. site in Rancho Cordova, California. The geology was a sandy soil matrix containing cobbles and boulders. The test goal was to drill to 100 feet (30 m), but the test was terminated at 80 feet due to a failure of the swivel shaft and drill bit resulting from the very rough drilling conditions. No safety, technical, or operational problems were encountered that could prevent cryogenic drilling from becoming a standard technique for drilling in unstable near-surface formations.
Photovoltaic power-conditioning performance evaluation, lessons learned (1984)

A detailed evaluation of photovoltaic power conditioners has identified critical design characteristics. The units being tested are for single-phase grid-connected applications. The overall performance of recent prototypes is excellent; however, exposure to extreme physical and electrical environments has pointed out some weaknesses. In most cases the weaknesses are not inherent to the designs and can be corrected, once discovered. This paper presents a set of ''lessons learned'' that highlights the best design aspects and the common problem areas found in PCS hardware. Areas evaluated include utility interface and array interface compatibility, temperature extremes, emanations by and impingements on the unit, maintainability, and reliability.
α‐Lipoic acid induces p27<sup>Kip</sup>‐dependent cell cycle arrest in non‐transformed cell lines and apoptosis in tumor cell lines (2003)

alpha-Lipoic acid is a naturally-occurring co-factor found in a number of multi-enzyme complexes regulating metabolism. We report here that alpha-lipoic acid induces hyperacetylation of histones in vivo and has differential effects on the growth and viability of normal versus transformed cell lines. The human tumor cell lines FaDu and Jurkat, as well as a Ki-v-Ras-transformed Balb/c-3T3 murine mesenchymal cell line, all initiated apoptosis following exposure to alpha-lipoic acid. In contrast, treatment of non-transformed cell lines with alpha-lipoic acid resulted only in reversible cell cycle arrest in G0/G1. Treatment with butyrate, another short-chain fatty acid, induced a G0/G1 arrest in both transformed and non-transformed cell lines. alpha-Lipoic acid caused a post-translational elevation in the levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1. Studies using p27Kip1-deficient MEF cells demonstrated that p27Kip1 was required for the alpha-lipoic acid-mediated cell cycle arrest. The mechanism of apoptosis was independent of Fas-mediated signaling, as alpha-lipoic acid-treated Jurkat cell mutants deficient in Fas or FADD retained sensitivity to apoptosis. The differential selectivity of the pro-apoptotic effects of alpha-lipoic acid for transformed cells supports its potential use in the treatment of neoplastic disorders.
Safety Assessment of PEGylated Alkyl Glycerides as Used in Cosmetics (2020)

The Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety (Panel) assessed the safety of 60 PEGylated alkyl glycerides. PEGylated alkyl glycerides are mono-, di-, and/or triglycerides that have been modified with ethylene glycol repeat units (in the starting material form as epoxide). Most of the PEGylated alkyl glycerides are reported to function as skin-conditioning agents or surfactants. The Panel reviewed the available animal and clinical data as well as data from the 1999 report for the 5 polyethylene glycol (PEG) glyceryl cocoates and the 2012 report of PEGylated oils, to determine the safety of these ingredients. The Panel concluded these ingredients are safe in the current practices of use and concentration when formulated to be nonirritating; this conclusion supersedes the 1999 conclusion issued on 5 PEG glyceryl cocoate ingredients.
kRadar++: Coarse-to-Fine FMCW Scanning Radar Localisation (2020)

This paper presents a novel two-stage system which integrates topological localisation candidates from a radar-only place recognition system with precise pose estimation using spectral landmark-based techniques. We prove that the-recently available-seminal radar place recognition (RPR) and scan matching sub-systems are complementary in a style reminiscent of the mapping and localisation systems underpinning visual teach-and-repeat (VTR) systems which have been exhibited robustly in the last decade. Offline experiments are conducted on the most extensive radar-focused urban autonomy dataset available to the community with performance comparing favourably with and even rivalling alternative state-of-the-art radar localisation systems. Specifically, we show the long-term durability of the approach and of the sensing technology itself to autonomous navigation. We suggest a range of sensible methods of tuning the system, all of which are suitable for online operation. For both tuning regimes, we achieve, over the course of a month of localisation trials against a single static map, high recalls at high precision, and much reduced variance in erroneous metric pose estimation. As such, this work is a necessary first step towards a radar teach-and-repeat (RTR) system and the enablement of autonomy across extreme changes in appearance or inclement conditions.
SENP1 deSUMOylates and Regulates Pin1 Protein Activity and Cellular Function (2013)

The Pin1 prolyl isomerase regulates phosphorylation signaling by controlling protein conformation after phosphorylation, and its upregulation promotes oncogenesis via acting on numerous oncogenic molecules. SUMOylation and deSUMOylation are dynamic mechanisms regulating a spectrum of protein activities. The SUMO proteases (SENP) remove SUMO conjugate from proteins, and their expression is deregulated in cancers. However, nothing is known about the role of SUMOylation in regulating Pin1 function. Here, we show that Pin1 is SUMOylated on Lys6 in the WW domain and on Lys63 in the PPIase domain. Pin1 SUMOylation inhibits its protein activity and oncogenic function. We further identify that SENP1 binds to and deSUMOylates Pin1. Importantly, either overexpression of SENP1 or disruption of Pin1 SUMOylation promotes the ability of Pin1 to induce centrosome amplification and cell transformation. Moreover, SENP1 also increases Pin1 protein stability in cell cultures, and Pin1 levels are positively correlated with SENP1 levels in human breast cancer specimens. These results not only uncover Pin1 SUMOylation on Lys6/63 as a novel mechanism to inhibit its activity and function but also identify a critical role for SENP1-mediated deSUMOylation in promoting Pin1 function during tumorigenesis.
Satellite detection of severe convective storms by their retrieved vertical profiles of cloud particle effective radius and thermodynamic phase (2008)

A new conceptual model that facilitates the inference of the vigor of severe convective storms, producing tornadoes and large hail, by using satellite‐retrieved vertical profiles of cloud top temperature (T)–particle effective radius (r e ) relations is presented and tested. The driving force of these severe weather phenomena is the high updraft speed, which can sustain the growth of large hailstones and provide the upward motion that is necessary to evacuate the violently converging air of a tornado. Stronger updrafts are revealed by the delayed growth of r e to greater heights and lower T, because there is less time for the cloud and raindrops to grow by coalescence. The strong updrafts also delay the development of a mixed phase cloud and its eventual glaciation to colder temperatures. Analysis of case studies making use of these and related criteria show that they can be used to identify clouds that possess a significant risk of large hail and tornadoes. Although the strength and direction of the wind shear are major modulating factors, it appears that they are manifested in the updraft intensity and cloud shapes and hence in the T‐r e profiles. It is observed that the severe storm T‐r e signature is an extensive property of the clouds that develop ahead in space and time of the actual hail or tornadic storm, suggesting that the probabilities of large hail and tornadoes can be obtained at substantial lead times. Analysis of geostationary satellite time series indicates lead times of up to 2 h.
Targeting glioma-initiating cells in GBM: ABTC-0904, a randomized phase 0/II study targeting the Sonic Hedgehog-signaling pathway. (2014)

2026 Background: The prognosis for GBM, which appears to be driven by glioma initiating cells (GIC), remains poor. Our hypothesis was that interrupting sonic hedgehog signaling (SHh) would inhibit GIC activity and improve PFS (PFS6). Methods: A two armed, randomized phase 0/II study of Vismodegib, an inhibitor of SMO, was performed in 40 patients undergoing resection for recurrent GBM (rGBM). The trial hypothesis was to achieve 25% PFS6 rate compared to a null of 10 % with a 90% power and a 10% type I error rate (1-sided). Arm I received Vismodegib for 7 days pre-operatively; Arm II was not treated pre-operatively. All patients were treated with Vismodegib post-operatively. Primary objective was to assess PFS6, with secondary endpoints of median overall survival, response and toxicity. Secondary objectives included determination of: intra-tumoral PK and PD; inhibition of SHh signaling by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry; and inhibition of GIC proliferation and self-renewal by neurosphere proliferation and limited dilution assay. Results: PK/PD data and tumor specimens were obtained from 39 of the 40 patients. Median drug levels in plasma and tissue were7638 and 3270 ng/ml respectively for patients in Arm I. SHh signaling intermediates (Gli-1, Gli-2, PTCH-1b) were 3.3 to 110-fold decreased in Arm I vs. Arm II (p<0.0002). Finally, proliferating CD133+ neurospheres were derived from 14 of the 39 cultures assessed and array CGH suggested GIC (vs. NSC) as the cells of origin. The proportion of tumor-derived CD133+neurospheres undergoing proliferation and self-renewal was decreased in Arm I vs. II (p <0.005 and p < 0.003 respectively). PFS6 and OS were 1.8m and 8.3m respectively; but there was no difference between the two arms. Conclusions: Vismodegib was well tolerated but not efficacious as a single agent in rGBM. However, this agent achieved therapeutic intra-tumoral concentration in rGBM and had biological activity on proliferation and self-renewal of GBM derived CD133+neurospheres. Combinatorial therapy targeting SHh pathway in GBM should be pursued. Clinical trial information: NCT00980343.Incidence of CD133+ neurospheres by arm. Arm # Evaluable specimens # (%) which made CD133+NS (p = 0.005 Fisher exact test) I 20 3 II 19 11
Characterization of a Degradable Polar Hydrophobic Ionic Polyurethane Using a Monocyte/Endothelial Cell Co-culture (in vitro) and a Subcutaneous Implant Mouse Model (in vivo) (2011)

A degradable/polar/hydrophobic/ionic (D-PHI) polyurethane with properties intended to promote tissue regeneration in a small diameter peripheral artery vascular graft was evaluated for cell biocompatibility and growth. Films were cast in polypropylene 96 well plates for monocyte/endothelial cell (EC) co-culture in vitro studies and porous scaffold discs were implanted in an in vivo subcutaneous mouse model. After 7 days in culture the co-culture demonstrated cell adhesion and growth, low esterase activity (a measure of degradative potential and cell activation), no detectable release of pro-inflammatory cytokine (tumour necrosis factor -α) but measurable anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-10. The EC and the co-culture expressed the EC biomarker CD31, whereas the monocyte monoculture did not. Cytokine array analysis of the in vivo characterization of D-PH supported an anti-inflammatory phenotype of cells at the site of the implant. Levels of IL-6 significantly decreased over time while IL-10 was significantly higher at 6 weeks post implant. TNF-α levels did not change significantly from 24 hours onwards, however the trend was towards lesser amounts following the initial time point. Histological analysis of the explanted scaffolds showed excellent tissue ingrowth and vascularization. A live/dead stain showed that the cells infiltrating the scaffolds were viable. Both the in vitro and in vivo results of this thesis indicate that D-PHI is a good candidate material for tissue engineering a peripheral artery vascular graft.
Fabrication and Red-Color Lasing of Individual Highly Uniform Single-Crystal CdSe Nanobelts (2007)

Highly uniform single-crystal CdSe nanobelts were prepared via a simple thermal evaporation route. Photoluminescence (PL) from a single belt indicates that the obtained nanostructures can produce stable and ultrafine red-color lasing under pulsed light excitation. The corresponding PL decay profiles show that the PL lifetime under high excitation is sharply shortened compared to that at low excitation power, which further supports that the PL in the nanobelt cavities can realize resonance and give stimulated emission. Comparative experiments with tapered belts show that the high PL emissions are mainly attributed to the uniform configuration of these nanostructures which can serve as a very effective waveguide cavity to realize high optical gain under high excitation. This kind of CdSe nanostructures may find potential applications in red-light nanolasers.
Structured illumination microscopy (2014)

Illumination of the specimen is the most important variable in achieving high-quality images in microscopy. Köhler illumination was rst introduced in 1893 by August Köhler as a method of providing the optimum specimen illumination (Köhler 1893). Köhler illumination has since become the predominant technique for sample illumination in modern scientic light microscopy. It acts to generate an extremely uniform illumination of the sample and ensures that an image of the illumination source (for example, a halogen lamp lament) is not visible in the resulting image, thus allowing the user to realize the microscope’s full potential. With the improvement and accuracy of lens manufacture, some kinds of aberration and blur can be corrected to get a better image quality. However, even if all the optics elements are made perfectly, a resolution limit of about 200 nm still exists in microscopy. This is the so-called diffraction barrier or Abbe diffraction limit (Abbe 1873). Its value is equal to ~0.5λ/ NA, determined only by the wavelength of source light and the numerical aperture (NA) of objective lens. Moreover, the wide-eld geometry nature of light microscopy leads to a certain depth-of-view on the focal plane. When a recording camera is put on the conjugated position of that focal plane, the in-focus and out-of-focus information are fused into a two-dimensional image. The targeted in-focus information cannot be separated from this fusion two-dimensional image directly. That is the reason why the conventional light microscopy cannot obtain optical sectioning, and the captured image is usually low both in contrast and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Locating the eyes in CT brain scan data (1993)

In this document, a technique for locating the eyes in Computed Tomography brain scan data, is described. The objective is to automatically localise the eyes for protection during radiotherapy planning. The image feature that is exploited is the circularity of the eyes. After data preprocessing to remove parts of the CT machinery, signature analysis is performed to locate areas of interest. By applying Canny&apos;s edge detector to these areas, data is further reduced to the signicant edge fragments. The Hough Transform is then applied. The Converging Squares algorithm is used as an ecient and robust method to search the parameter space. The results are processed by the hypothesis generation stage which clusters them according with the x; y; z coordinates of the suggested centres. The ISODATA algorithm is used for clustering. The hypotheses are assessed and sorted. The most valid hypothesis is selected and rened using a second Hough Transform, this time considering spheres. After the rejection of the invalid members of the hypothesis cluster, an ellipsoid is tted to the new cluster centre and the results are drawn on the data. The method is fast and robust. The method was tested using ve dierent data sets and it performed well on all of them. 1
Characterization of Fractions from Repeated Functionalization Reactions of Carbon Nanotubes (2003)

The fractionation of a purified pristine multiple-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) sample was achieved via repeated functionalization reactions to produce several soluble nanotube fractions. The reactions were based on the esterification of the nanotube-bound carboxylic acids. The soluble nanotube fractions and the insoluble solid residue were characterized by using optical spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and other techniques. The results show that all of these soluble samples contain primarily functionalized MWNTs and that there is little difference among these soluble nanotube fractions, either in the degree of nanotube dispersion or in the nanotube length and diameter distributions. There are apparently no preferential solubilization of carbon nanoparticles or other carbon impurities present in the starting nanotube sample and also no selectivity in the solubilization of MWNTs of different sizes (lengths and diameters) in the functionalization reactions. Mechanistic implications of the results are discussed.
Partial Delaunay triangulation and degree limited localized Bluetooth scatternet formation (2004)

We address the problem of localized scatternet formation for multihop Bluetooth-based personal area ad hoc networks. Nodes are assumed to know their positions and are able to establish connections with any of their neighboring nodes, located within their transmission radius, in the neighbor discovery phase. The next phase of the proposed formation algorithm is optional and can be applied to construct a sparse geometric structure in a localized manner. We propose here a new sparse planar structure, namely, partial Delaunay triangulation (PDT), which can be constructed locally and is denser than other known localized planar structures. In the next mandatory phase, the degree of each node is limited to seven by applying the Yao structure, and the master-slave relations in piconets are formed in created subgraphs. This phase consists of several iterations. In each iteration, undecided nodes with higher keys than any of their undecided neighbors apply the Yao structure to bound the degrees, decide master-slave relations on the remaining edges, and inform all neighbors about either deleting edges or master-slave decisions. To the best of our knowledge, our schemes are the first schemes that construct degree limited (a node has at most seven slaves) and connected piconets in multihop networks, without parking any node. The creation and maintenance require small overhead in addition to maintaining accurate location information for one-hop neighbors. The experiments confirm good functionality of created Bluetooth networks in addition to their fast creation and straightforward maintenance.
Adverse Effects of Chronic Endogenous Sympathetic Drive Induced by Cardiac G <sub>sα</sub> Overexpression (1996)

To study the physiological effect of the overexpression of myocardial Gsalpha (protein levels increased by approximately threefold in transgenic mice), we examined the responsiveness to sympathomimetic amines by echocardiography (9 MHz) in five transgenic mice and five control mice (both 10.3 +/- 0.2 months old). Myocardial contractility in transgenic mice, as assessed by left ventricular (LV) fractional shortening (LVFS) and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was not different from that of control mice at baseline (LVFS, 40 +/- 3% versus 36 +/- 2%; LVEF, 78 +/- 3% versus 74 +/- 3%). LVFS and LVEF values in transgenic mice during isoproterenol (ISO, 0.02 micrograms/kg per minute) infusion were higher than the values in control mice (LVFS, 68 +/- 4% versus 48 +/- 3%; LVEF, 96 +/- 1% versus 86 +/- 3%; P < .05). Norepinephrine (NE, 0.2 micrograms/kg per minute) infusion also increased LVFS and LVEF in transgenic mice more than in control mice (LVFS, 59 +/- 4% versus 47 +/- 3%; LVEF, 93 +/- 2% versus 85 +/- 3%; P < .05). Heart rates of transgenic mice were higher than those of control mice during ISO and NE infusion. In three transgenic mice with heart rates held constant, LV dP/dt rose by 33 +/- 2% with ISO (0.02 micrograms/kg per minute) and by only 13 +/- 2% in three wild-type control mice (P < .01). NE (0.1 micrograms/kg per minute) also induced a greater effect on LV dP/dt in the three transgenic mice with heart rates held constant compared with three wild-type control mice (65 +/ 8% versus 28 +/- 4%, P < .05). Pathological and histological analyses of older transgenic mouse hearts (16.0 +/- 0.8 months old) revealed hypertrophy, degeneration, atrophy of cells, and replacement fibrosis reflected by significant increases in collagen volume in the subendocardium (5.2 +/- 1.4% versus 1.2 +/- 0.3%, P < .05) and in the cross-sectional area of myocytes (298 +/- 29 versus 187 +/- 12 micron2, P < .05) compared with control mouse hearts. These results suggest that Gsalpha overexpression enhances the efficacy of the beta-adrenergic receptor-Gs-adenylyl cyclase signaling pathway. This in turn leads to augmented inotropic and chronotropic responses to endogenous sympathetic stimulation. This action over the life of the animal results in myocardial damage characterized by cellular degeneration, necrosis, and replacement fibrosis, with the remaining cells undergoing compensatory hypertrophy. As a model, this transgenic mouse offers new insights into the mechanisms of cardiomyopathy and heart failure and provides a new tool for their study.