gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Improved Sensitivity, Safety, and Rapidity of COVID-19 Tests by Replacing Viral Storage Solution with Lysis Buffer (2020)

Abstract Conducting numerous, rapid, and reliable PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 is essential for our ability to monitor and control the current COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we tested the sensitivity and efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 detection in clinical samples collected directly into a mix of lysis buffer and RNA preservative, thus inactivating the virus immediately after sampling. We tested 79 COVID-19 patients and 20 healthy controls. We collected two samples (nasopharyngeal swabs) from each participant: one swab was inserted into a test tube with Viral Transport Medium (VTM), following the standard guideline used as the recommended method for sample collection; the other swab was inserted into a lysis buffer supplemented with nucleic acid stabilization mix (coined NSLB). We found that RT-qPCR tests of patients were significantly more sensitive with NSLB sampling, reaching detection threshold 2.1±0.6 (Mean±SE) PCR cycles earlier then VTM samples from the same patient. We show that this improvement is most likely since NSLB samples are not diluted in lysis buffer before RNA extraction. Re-extracting RNA from NSLB samples after 72 hours at room temperature did not affect the sensitivity of detection, demonstrating that NSLB allows for long periods of sample preservation without special cooling equipment. We also show that swirling the swab in NSLB and discarding it did not reduce sensitivity compared to retaining the swab in the tube, thus allowing improved automation of COVID-19 tests. Overall, we show that using NSLB instead of VTM can improve the sensitivity, safety, and rapidity of COVID-19 tests at a time most needed.
Ultrasound-guided transvaginal ovarian needle drilling for clomiphene-resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome in subfertile women (2021)

Background Ovulatory disturbance is a key diagnostic feature of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), leading to infertility and correspondingly heavy disease burden. Many therapeutic strategies have been used to induce ovulation for women with PCOS who are infertile. Ultrasound‐guided transvaginal ovarian needle drilling (UTND) is a novel surgical method used to induce ovulation for women with clomiphene‐resistant PCOS at the outpatient clinic. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of UTND for subfertile women with clomiphene‐resistant PCOS. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and other databases to December 2020. We checked conference abstracts, reference lists, and clinical trials registries. We also contacted experts and specialists in the field for any additional trials . Selection criteria We planned to include randomised controlled trials comparing UTND to laparoscopic ovarian drilling, and UTND combined with gonadotropins to gonadotropins, in women of reproductive age with clomiphene‐resistant PCOS and infertility. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently screened the trials identified by the search for inclusion, assessed methodological quality and risk of bias, and extracted data. The primary outcomes were live birth rate and incidence of surgical complications (bleeding and infection). Secondary outcomes included pregnancy rate, ovulation rate, and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. We planned to calculate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for dichotomous data. We would assess overall quality of the evidence by applying the GRADE criteria. Main results We did not identify any trials for inclusion in the review. We were unable to assess the benefit or harm of applying UTND for women with clomiphene‐resistant PCOS, as no studies could be included in the current review. We moved the previously included trials to studies awaiting classification due to concerns regarding methodology. Authors' conclusions Since we did not identify any studies for inclusion, we were unable to assess the benefit or harm of applying UTND for women with clomiphene‐resistant PCOS.
Tailoring photonic metamaterial resonances for thermal radiation (2011)

Selective solar absorbers generally have limited effectiveness in unconcentrated sunlight, because of reradiation losses over a broad range of wavelengths and angles. However, metamaterials offer the potential to limit radiation exchange to a proscribed range of angles and wavelengths, which has the potential to dramatically boost performance. After globally optimizing one particular class of such designs, we find thermal transfer efficiencies of 78% at temperatures over 1,000°C, with overall system energy conversion efficiencies of 37%, exceeding the Shockley-Quiesser efficiency limit of 31% for photovoltaic conversion under unconcentrated sunlight. This represents a 250% increase in efficiency and 94% decrease in selective emitter area compared to a standard, angular-insensitive selective absorber.PACS: 42.70.Qs; 81.05.Xj; 78.67.Pt; 42.79.Ek.
ReCoRD: Bridging the Gap between Human and Machine Commonsense Reading Comprehension (2018)

We present a large-scale dataset, ReCoRD, for machine reading comprehension requiring commonsense reasoning. Experiments on this dataset demonstrate that the performance of state-of-the-art MRC systems fall far behind human performance. ReCoRD represents a challenge for future research to bridge the gap between human and machine commonsense reading comprehension. ReCoRD is available at http://nlp.jhu.edu/record.
Operating tokamaks with steady-state toroidal current (1981)

Continuous operation of a tokamak requires, among other things, a means of continuously providing the toroidal current. Various methods have been proposed to provide this current including methods which utilize radio-frequency waves in any of several frequency regimes. Here we elaborate on the prospects of incorporating these current-drive techniques in tokamak reactors, concentrating on the theoretical minimization of the power requirements.
Do Asset Fire Sales Exist? An Empirical Investigation of Commercial Aircraft Transactions (1998)

ABSTRACT This paper uses commercial aircraft transactions to determine whether capital constraints cause firms to liquidate assets at discounts to fundamental values. Results indicate that financially constrained airlines receive lower prices than their unconstrained rivals when selling used narrow‐body aircraft. Capital constrained airlines are also more likely to sell used aircraft to industry outsiders, especially during market downturns. Further evidence that capital constraints affect liquidation prices is provided by airlines' asset acquisition activity. Unconstrained airlines significantly increase buying activity when aircraft prices are depressed; this pattern is not observed for financially constrained airlines.
<title>DNA molecular motors</title> (2001)

Due to its simple and predictable molecular recognition chemistry, DNA is a versatile self-assembly molecule. Two strands of DNA most strongly bind together to form a double helix only when their base sequences are complementary. Here we show how this construction rule can be used to induce nanoscale motion. In particular, we have devised two DNA-based molecular motors powered by DNA. Both consist of two double-stranded arms held together at one end by a single-stranded flexible hinge. One motor, referred to as molecular tweezers, has two single-stranded extensions at the ends of the arms, which serve as handles used to pull the tweezers shut. The tweezers are closed when a particular piece of single-stranded DNA, called the fuel strand, hybridizes with the handles. In the other motor, referred to as an actuator, the single-stranded extensions are joined together so that the motor forms a loop-like structure. The fuel strand hybridizing with the actuator pushes the two arms apart. Both motors are returned to their original configuration by a removal strand which binds to a single-stranded overhang of the fuel strand and then removes the fuel strand from the motor strand by the process of branch migration.
Hepatitis B Virus Infection (2008)

More effective and less resistance-prone antiviral agents are now available to treat hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Profound, durable, therapeutic HBV DNA suppression to slow and reverse the progression of chronic HBV infection is important, given the evidence linking high-level HBV replication and the late consequences of chronic HBV infection. This article reviews strategies for treating HBV infection.
Attach, Remove, or Replace: Reversible Surface Functionalization Using Thiol–Quinone Methide Photoclick Chemistry (2012)

A very facile reaction between photochemically generated o-naphthoquinone methides (oNQMs) and thiols is employed for reversible light-directed surface derivatization and patterning. A thiol-functionalized glass slide is covered with an aqueous solution of a substrate conjugated to 3-(hydroxymethyl)-2-naphthol (NQMP). Subsequent irradiation via shadow mask results in the efficient conversion of NQMP into reactive oNQM species in the exposed areas. The latter react with thiol groups on the surface, producing thioether links between the substrate and the surface. Unreacted oNQM groups are rapidly hydrated to regenerate NQMP. The short lifetime of oNQM in aqueous solution prevents its migration from the site of irradiation, thus allowing for the spatial control of the surface derivatization. A two-step procedure was employed for protein patterning: photobiotinylation of the surface with an NQMP–biotin conjugate followed by staining with FITC–avidin. The orthogonality of oNQM–thiol and azide click chemistry allowed for the development of a sequential click strategy, which might be useful for the immobilization of light-sensitive compounds. The thioether linkage produced by the reaction of oNQM and a thiol is stable under ambient conditions but can be cleaved by UV irradiation, regenerating the free thiol. This feature allows for the removal or replacement of immobilized substrates.
Virtual reality for manufacturing simulation (1993)

Graphical animation has been of great benefit to simulation practitioners as a communication tool. Virtual reality, or virtual interface technology, a now technology that creates the illusion of an interactive three-dimensional environment, holds promise as the next step in expanding simulation's role in communication. This paper describes a joint software engineering project between the Human Interface Technology Laboratory and Auto Simulations, Inc., initiated to explore how virtual reality might impact simulations and to gain insight into bringing the technology to current, commercially available simulation software packages. We constructed a manufacturing simulation based on part of an actual factory's production line and asked both workers and managers from the facility to evaluate the virtual factory. We chose Auto Simulations' AutoMod and AutoView manufacturing simulation software packages as our representative commercial system. Our evaluation results were generally positive: however, there are more issues to be addressed before this exciting technology can be proven as an alternative to existing screen-based systems.
Regulation of autoimmunity and donor cell engraftment by recipient Lyt-2+ cells during the graft-versus-host reaction. (1987)

When lymphocytes from DBA/2 mice are transferred to (C57BL X DBA/2)F1 (BDF1) mice, the ensuing graft-vs.-host reaction (GVHR) causes an autoimmune illness resembling human SLE. To examine the role of recipient T cells in this process, BDF1 mice were depleted of L3T4+ or Lyt-2+ cells by thymectomy followed by treatment with mAbs to L3T4 or Lyt-2. This produced sustained depletion of these T cell subsets. Subsequent grafting with parental DBA/2 lymphocytes produced autoimmune disease in mice depleted of L3T4+ cells and controls but not in mice depleted of Lyt-2+ cells. Analysis of blood lymphocytes 4 wk after donor cell transfer demonstrated that BDF1 recipients depleted of Lyt-2+ cells were virtually repopulated with donor T lymphocytes, compared with less than or equal to 35% donor cell engraftment in all other groups. Thus, recipient Lyt-2+ cells influence both host cell engraftment and autoimmunity during the parent-into-F1 GVHR.
Memory Augmented Deep Generative models for Forecasting the Next Shot Location in Tennis (2020)

<p>This paper presents a novel framework for predicting shot location and type in tennis. Inspired by recent neuroscience discoveries, we incorporate neural memory modules to model the episodic and semantic memory components of a tennis player. We propose a Semi-Supervised Generative Adversarial Network architecture that couples these memory models with the automatic feature learning power of deep neural networks, and demonstrate methodologies for learning player level behavioral patterns with the proposed framework. We evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model on tennis tracking data from the 2012 Australian Tennis Open and exhibit applications of the proposed method in discovering how players adapt their style depending on the match context.</p>
Fission-based electric propulsion for interstellar precursor missions (2000)

This paper reviews the technology options for a fission-based electric propulsion system for interstellar precursor missions. To achieve a total ΔV of more than 100 km/s in less than a decade of thrusting with an electric propulsion system of 10,000 s Isp requires a specific mass for the power system of less than 35 kg/k We. Three possible configurations are described: (1) a UZrH-fueled, NaK-cooled reactor with a steam Rankine conversion system, (2) a UN-fueled gas-cooled reactor with a recuperated Brayton conversion system, and (3) a UN-fueled heatpipe-cooled reactor with a recuperated Brayton conversion system. All three of these systems have the potential to meet the specific mass requirements for interstellar precursor missions in the near term. Advanced versions of a fission-based electric propulsion system might travel as much as several light years in 200 years.
Exosome Secretion: Molecular Mechanisms and Roles in Immune Responses (2011)

Exosomes are small membrane vesicles, secreted by most cell types from multivesicular endosomes, and thought to play important roles in intercellular communications. Initially described in 1983, as specifically secreted by reticulocytes, exosomes became of interest for immunologists in 1996, when they were proposed to play a role in antigen presentation. More recently, the finding that exosomes carry genetic materials, mRNA and miRNA, has been a major breakthrough in the field, unveiling their capacity to vehicle genetic messages. It is now clear that not only immune cells but probably all cell types are able to secrete exosomes: their range of possible functions expands well beyond immunology to neurobiology, stem cell and tumor biology, and their use in clinical applications as biomarkers or as therapeutic tools is an extensive area of research. Despite intensive efforts to understand their functions, two issues remain to be solved in the future: (i) what are the physiological function(s) of exosomes in vivo and (ii) what are the relative contributions of exosomes and of other secreted membrane vesicles in these proposed functions? Here, we will focus on the current ideas on exosomes and immune responses, but also on their mechanisms of secretion and the use of this knowledge to elucidate the latter issue.
Molecular and chemical dissection of cellulose biosynthesis in plants (2011)

Plant cell walls are complex structures that must not only constrain cellular turgor pressure but also allow for structural modification during the dynamic processes of cell division and anisotropic expansion. Cell walls are composed of highly glycosylated proteins and polysaccharides, including pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose. The primary cell wall polysaccharide is cellulose, a polymer composed of high molecular weight !- 1,4-glucan chains. Although cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth, there is still a lot to learn about its biosynthesis and regulation. This research began by applying a variety of analytical techniques in an attempt to understand differences in cell wall composition and cellulose structure within the plant body, between different plant species and as a result of acclimation by the plant to different environmental conditions. Next, a number of different Arabidopsis thaliana lines possessing mutations affecting cell wall biosynthesis were analyzed for changes in cellulose structure (crystallinity) and biomass saccharification efficiency. One of these mutants, isoxaben resistance1-2 (ixr1- 2), which contains a point mutation in the C-terminal transmembrane region (TMR) of cellulose synthase 3 (CESA3), exhibited a 34% lower biomass crystallinity index and a 151% improvement in saccharification efficiency relative to that of wild-type. The culmination of this research began with a chemical screen that identified the molecule quinoxyphen as a primary cell wall cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor. By forward genetics, a semi-dominant mutant showing strong resistance to quinoxyphen named aegeus was identified in A. thaliana and the resistance locus mapped to a point mutation in the TMR of CESA1. cesa1aegeus occurs in a similar location to that of cesa3ixr1-2, illustrating both subunit specificity and commonality of resistance locus. These drug resistant CESA TMR mutants are dwarfed and have aberrant cellulose deposition. High-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction and 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis of cellulose produced from cesa1aegeus, cesa3ixr1-2 and the double mutant shows a reduction in cellulose microfibril width and an increase in mobility of the interior glucan chains of the cellulose microfibril relative to wild-type. These data demonstrate the importance of the TMR region of CESA1 and CESA3 for the arrangement of glucan chains into a crystalline cellulose microfibril in primary cell walls.
Foreign Object and Internal Disorder Detection in Food Materials Using Noncontact Ultrasound Imaging (2003)

ABSTRACT: A new noncontact air instability compensation ultrasound imaging technique was used for foreign object and defect detection in cheese and poultry. Air instability compensation transducers were used to obtain noncontact ultrasound images of boneless chicken breast with metal and glass fragments and cheese with holes, cracks, and foreign objects. The size of the glass and metal fragments used varied from 2 × 2 to 7 × 7 mm 2 . Results demonstrated that the noncontact ultrasound imaging technique has a good potential for nondestructive and rapid detection of foreign objects and defects in food materials and could provide yet another alternative to conventional x‐ray methods.
Surface transfer doping of diamond (2006)

Hydrogen-terminated diamond can exhibit a pronounced two-dimensional hole conductivity when it is exposed to appropriate adsorbates. This phenomenon was first encountered in the form of the so-called hydrogen-induced surface conductivity but is meanwhile understood as a novel kind of doping mechanism by which the surface adsorbates act like acceptors. Such surface acceptors can be solvated ionic species that undergo electrochemical reactions after accepting an electron from the diamond's valence band. But they can just as well be neutral molecular species with a sufficiently high electron affinity such as fullerenes or fluoro-fullerenes. This review summarizes the physical principles behind this unusual type of doping.
The possible role of digitalislike factors in pregnancy-induced hypertension. (1987)

A group of small, digitalislike compounds has been implicated in some forms of essential hypertension. Because of similarities between these forms of essential hypertension and pregnancy-induced hypertension, the presence of digitalislike factors in pregnancy-related fluids has been investigated. The factors are found in maternal sera with significantly higher levels of digitalislike activity, as monitored by digoxin radioimmunoassay, in the sera of third-trimester women with pregnancy-induced hypertension as compared to normotensive third-trimester controls (315 vs 195 pg digoxin equivalents/ml; p less than 0.001). Similarly, they are found in amniotic fluid, and significantly higher levels, as measured by radioimmunoassay (760 vs 540 pg digoxin equivalents/ml; p less than 0.0008) and by inhibition of ouabain-sensitive Na+,K+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) (12.8 vs 2.7% inhibition; p less than 0.002), are found in those women whose pregnancies are complicated with hypertension. With purification, several digoxinlike immunoactive compounds are detected. Of these, some have a marked ability to inhibit ouabain-sensitive Na+,K+-ATPase. While as yet unidentified, these compounds have properties suggesting that they are not peptides, steroids, or fatty acids and lipids.
Robust performance for autonomous intelligent cruise control systems (2002)

In the last years many efforts for improving safety and comfort in vehicular traffic have been taken. One important aspect of automation components in future traffic patterns is the design of autonomous intelligent cruise control systems. Based on feedback linearization methods, one strategy, for automated vehicle tracking is described comprehensively, which keeps a velocity dependent distance between vehicles in order to provide a constant time-headway. Besides, due to comfort parameters, artificial saturations for the maximum values of the vehicle's speed and acceleration are introduced. However, as a consequence, the problem arises that, as soon as one of these saturations is hit, integral parts of the control algorithms have no effect and, thus, the cruise control system loses its insensitivity to disturbances. Here, a strategy is described in detail, how this loss of robustness can be handled. This strategy, which can be included as an inner loop feedforward controller into most kinds of intelligent cruise control systems, activates itself only if a saturation is hit. Thus, the robustness of the overall system can be guaranteed permanently. Therefore, with respect to cruise control systems, this extension directly contributes to the enhancement of driving comfort and traffic safety.
Efficient and accurate rendering of vector data on virtual landscapes (2007)

In geographical information systems (GIS) vector data has important applications in the analysis and management\nof virtual landscapes. Therefore, methods that allow combined visualization of terrain and geo-spatial vector data\nare required. Such methods have to adapt the vector data to the terrain surface and to ensure a precise and efficient\nmapping. In this paper, we present a method that is based on the stencil shadow volume algorithm and allows\nhigh-quality real-time overlay of vector data on virtual landscapes. Since the method is a screen-space algorithm\nit is per-pixel exact and does not suffer from aliasing artifacts like texture-based techniques. In addition, since the\nmethod is independent of the underlying terrain geometry, its performance does not depend on the complexity of\nthe data set but only on the complexity of the vector data.