gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
High seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among people living in precarious situations in Ile de France (2020)

Abstract Background A nationwide lockdown was implemented in France on 17 March 2020 to control the COVID-19 pandemic. People living in precarious conditions were relocated by the authorities to emergency shelters, hotels and large venues. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) then intervened to provide medical care in several of these locations in Paris and in Seine-Saint-Denis, one of its suburbs, between March and June 2020. A seroprevalence survey was conducted to assess the level of exposure to COVID-19 among the population living in the sites. To our knowledge, this is the first assessment of the impact of the pandemic on populations living in insecure conditions in Europe. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional seroprevalence study in the food distribution sites, emergency shelters and workers residences supported by MSF in Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis, to determine the extent of COVID-19 exposure as determined by SARS-CoV2 antibody seropositivity. The detection of SARS-COV2 antibodies in serum was performed at the Institut Pasteur of Paris using two LuLISA (Luciferase-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) assays and a Pseudo Neutralization Test. A questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, living conditions, adherence to sanitary recommendations and symptom manifestations was also completed. We describe here the seroprevalence site by site and identify the risk factors for seropositivity using a multivariable logistic regression model with site random effects. We also investigated associations between seropositivity and symptoms eventually reported. Findings Overall, 426/818 individuals tested positive in the 14 sites investigated. Seroprevalence varied significantly with the type of site (chi 2 p&lt;0.001). It was highest at 88.7% (95%CI 81.8-93.2) among individuals living in workers’ residences, followed by 50.5% (95%CI 46.3-54.7) in emergency shelters and 27.8 % (95%CI 20.8-35.7) among individuals recruited from the food distribution sites. Seroprevalence also varied significantly between sites of the same type. Among other risk factors, the odds for seropositivity were higher among individuals living in crowded sites (medium: adj. OR 2.7, 95%CI 1.5-5.1, p=0.001; high: adj. OR 3.4, 95%CI 1.7-6.9, p&lt;0.001) compared with individuals from low crowding sites and among those who reported transit accommodation in a gymnasium before the lockdown (adj. OR 3.1, 95%CI 1.2-8.1, p=0.023). More than two-thirds of the seropositive individuals (68.3%; 95%CI 64.2-72.2) did not report any symptoms during the recall period. Interpretation The results demonstrate rather high exposure to SARS-COV-2 with important variations between study sites. Living in crowded conditions was identified as the most important explanatory factor for differences in levels of exposure. This study describes the key factors which determine the risk of exposure and illustrates the importance of identifying populations at high risk of exposure in order to orient and adapt prevention and control strategies to their specific needs.
On collinear flanker facilitation of contrast detection (2010)

Facilitation of contrast detection by collinear flankers (Polat & Sagi, 93) has been broadly researched and modeled. Here we report new experimental evidence that would provide further insights into this effect. The stimuli were either collinear Gabor target and flankers or in-phase D6 target and butterfly-shaped sinusoidal grating flankers. Both configurations produce significant facilitation at appropriate target-flanker separations in foveal vision. (1) When a random Gaussian noise was added to the target, facilitation diminished at a low noise level 2–3 times of the noise threshold. The threshold vs. noise functions under baseline and flanker conditions showed mainly a reduction of equivalent internal noise but no change of efficiency, suggesting some neural process, rather than uncertainty reduction, is responsible for collinear facilitation. (2) Collinear facilitation was evident at a stimulus duration as brief as 8 ms, a timing not possible for cortical feedback. (3) We examined the possibility that collinear facilitation is a pedestal effect as a result of receptive fields responding to both the target and flankers. By adding high contrast random noise between the target and flankers to disturb the responses of such receptive fields, we found no disruption of collinear facilitation. Collinear facilitation was still tuned to spatial frequency and thus was irrelevant to potential spatial cuing by the noise. These data question the pedestal-effect explanation of collinear facilitation and favor a longer-range spatial interaction theory. (4) Collinear flanker effects were reported previously to be suppressive in the periphery, which we believe was a result of inappropriate spatial scaling of the peripheral stimuli. On the basis of earlier peripheral scaling data (Yu & Essock, 96), we scaled the target-flanker separation and the length of the flankers separately. At 10 deg temporal periphery, collinear facilitation was evident at low flanker contrasts.
Accommodating Thickness in Origami-Based Deployable Arrays1 (2013)

The purpose of this work is to develop approaches to accommodate thickness in origami-based deployable arrays with a high ratio of deployed-to-stowed diameter. The origami flasher model serves as a basis for demonstrating the approach. A thickness-accommodating mathematical model is developed to describe the flasher. Practical modifications are presented for the creation of physical models and two options are proposed: allowing the panels to fold along their diagonals or applying a membrane backing with specified widths at fold-lines. The mathematical model and hardware modifications are employed to create several physical models. The results are general and apply to a range of applications. An example is provided by the application that motivated the work: a deployable solar array for space applications. The model is demonstrated in hardware as a 1/20th scale prototype with a ratio of deployed-to-stowed diameter of 9.2 (or 1.25 m deployed outer diameter to 0.136 m stowed outer diameter).
Imaging of mediastinal lymph nodes: CT, MR, and FDG PET. (1998)

The evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes is an important aspect of staging in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Anatomic imaging of lymph nodes with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been limited by the relatively low sensitivity and specificity of these techniques. Advances in physiologic imaging of mediastinal lymph nodes with 2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) have resulted in improved diagnostic accuracy in the determination of nodal status. Despite the limitations of CT, this technique still plays an important role by aiding in the selection of the most appropriate procedure for staging, by guiding biopsy, and by providing anatomic information for visual correlation with FDG PET images. At present, anatomic MR imaging of lymph nodes is primarily a problem-solving tool for cases with inconclusive CT results. Physiologic MR imaging with iron oxide is an exciting area of investigation, and the accuracy of this technique is being assessed in clinical trials. Anatomic and physiologic imaging techniques should be considered complementary rather than competitive imaging strategies.
Spatio-energetic cross-talk in photon counting detectors: numerical detector model (PcTK) and workflow for CT image quality assessment (2018)

We developed and reported an analytical model (version 2.1) of inter-pixel cross-talk of energy-sensitive photon counting detectors (PCDs) in 2016 [1]. Since the time, we have identified four problems that are inherent to the design of the model version 2.1. In this study, we have developed a new model (version 3.2; “PcTK” for Photon Counting Toolkit) based on a totally different design concept. The comparison with the previous model version 2.1 and a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation has shown that the new model version 3.2 addressed the four problems successfully. The workflow script for computed tomography (CT) image quality assessment has demonstrated the utility of the model and potential values to CT community. The software packages including the workflow script, built using Matlab 2016a, has been made available to academic researchers free of charge (PcTK; https://pctk.jhu.edu).
The Genomic and Phenotypic Landscape of Ichthyosis (2021)

This cohort study expands the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of ichthyosis, establishing associations between clinical manifestations and genotypes. Collectively, the findings may help improve clinical assessment, assist with developing customized management plans, and improve clinical course prognostication.
[Contribution of animal models in the understanding of AIDS encephalopathy]. (1997)

The neuropathology associated with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection is one of the major complications of this disease. The virological and cellular mechanisms by which HIV infection induces motor and cognitive disorders remain unknown. This lack of understanding of the pathophysiology is partly due to the difficulty of experimental analysis in man because only post-mortem samples from terminal phases of the disease and cerebrospinal fluid samples are available. Two animal models, very closely resembling human HIV infection, are available: the cat model infected by FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) and the macaque model infected by the SIVmac (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus) which have enabled us to conduct a longitudinal study of encephalopathy during primo-infection and the asymptomatic and pre-AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) phases. In the cat-FIV model, which presents the advantage of being non-infectious to man, and therefore easier to manipulate, it was shown that infected cats develop behavioural abnormalities and a neuropathology which resemble HIV dementia. Central nervous system lesions induced by FIV are similar to those of HIV infection apart from the absence of multinucleated giant cells. This model was used to analyse the relationship between CNS lesions and the viral load of the brain and showed that the severity of the lesions contrasted with a low viral load. The pathophysiology of SIVmac infection in the rhesus macaque is almost identical to human infection with a more rapid course, since the duration of the asymptomatic phase is 6 months to 5 years, depending on the animal. We studied the relationship between lesions, viral load and cytokine production (IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-6, TNF alpha, INF gamma, TGF-beta 1) within the CNS. Our results show early, low-grade and constant infection of the brain. The dissociation between the viral load and the lesions observed is our favour of an indirect mechanism for the pathogenesis of these lesions. The relationship between lesions and the cytokine profile studied shows the importance of glial cells in the pathogenesis of the lesions.
Role of Zeolites in Heat and Mass Transfer in Pelletized Multifunctional Cobalt-Based Fischer–Tropsch Catalysts (2022)

The role of a zeolite in the H-form in heat and mass transfer in pellets of a composite Co catalyst for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) has been studied. It has been shown that the introduction of a heat-conducting additive—metallic aluminum—into the catalyst composition leads to an increase in the thermal stability of the pellets; however, it does not provide high productivity. The introduction of a zeolite into the catalyst contributes to the intensification of mass transfer owing to a decrease in the density and average boiling point of the resulting liquid hydrocarbons. In this case, heat transfer is further improved due to heat removal owing to the heat capacity of the removed products. According to the studies on the conversion of liquid hydrocarbons under FTS conditions, a mechanism of the simultaneous occurrence of these processes in the presence of a cobalt–zeolite catalyst has been proposed.
Recombinant multimeric dog allergen prevents airway hyperresponsiveness in a model of asthma marked by vigorous T H 2 and T H 17 cell responses (2022)

Dog allergen extracts induce robust T<sub>H</sub> 2 and T<sub>H</sub> 17 cell-mediated responses in mice. Recombinant Can f 1-2-4-6 can induce tolerance to complex dog allergen extracts.
Accelerated Digital Biodetection Using Magneto-plasmonic Nanoparticle-Coupled Photonic Resonator Absorption Microscopy (2022)

Rapid, ultrasensitive, and selective quantification of circulating microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers in body fluids is increasingly deployed in early cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy monitoring. While nanoparticle tags enable detection of nucleic acid or protein biomarkers with digital resolution and subfemtomolar detection limits without enzymatic amplification, the response time of these assays is typically dominated by diffusion-limited transport of the analytes or nanotags to the biosensor surface. Here, we present a magnetic activate capture and digital counting (mAC+DC) approach that utilizes magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles (MPNPs) to accelerate single-molecule sensing, demonstrated by miRNA detection <i>via</i> toehold-mediated strand displacement. Spiky Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@Au MPNPs with immobilized target-specific probes are "activated" by binding with miRNA targets, followed by magnetically driven transport through the bulk fluid toward nanoparticle capture probes on a photonic crystal (PC). By spectrally matching the localized surface plasmon resonance of the MPNPs to the PC-guided resonance, each captured MPNP locally quenches the PC reflection efficiency, thus enabling captured MPNPs to be individually visualized with high contrast for counting. We demonstrate quantification of the miR-375 cancer biomarker directly from unprocessed human serum with a 1 min response time, a detection limit of 61.9 aM, a broad dynamic range (100 aM to 10 pM), and a single-base mismatch selectivity. The approach is well-suited for minimally invasive biomarker quantification, enabling potential applications in point-of-care testing with short sample-to-answer time.
<title>SERS sample vials based on sol-gel process for trace pesticide analysis</title> (2001)

Pesticides are required to protect crops and provide the quantity and quality offood demanded by today's society. However, potential pesticide residue contamination ofboth food and animal feed is ofcritical concern to the food industry, and the public at large. Among the 366 pesticides that were detectable by methods used in the 1999 FDA Regulatory Monitoring Program, 90 pesticides were actually found in foods for human consumption and animal feeds. Unfortunately, rapid, chemical analysis for all of the pesticide residues is unavailable, and only a very small fraction of foods and animal feeds can be inspected. Consequently, as much as 1 % of food brought to market may contain pesticide residues exceeding FDA guidelines. In an effort to address this need, we have been developing sample vials internally coated with a surface-enhanced Raman (SER) active sol-gel material capable ofdetecting pesticides at and below regulated concentrations. The SER active material consists of a metal-doped sol-gel that provides not only a million fold increase in sensitivity but also reproducible measurements. The porous silica network offers a unique environment for stabilizing SER active metal particles and the high surface area increases the interaction between the analyte and metal particles. A sample solution is simply poured into the coated glass vial, placed in the Raman instrument, and measured. Here the potential for developing a rapid multi-residue analyzer employing the sol-gel sample vials will be presented.
Multicarrier Modulation and Coding for Multichannel Systems (1997)

In this thesis decision directed coherent detectors for single- and multicarriersystems employing an MMSE channel estimation technique is presented. Thedetectors are designed for Rayleigh fading channels and DQPSK or p/4-DQPSKmodulation and exploit knowledge of the fading process correlation. Pilotsymbols are not used and differential encoding is needed to resolve phaseambiguities due to decision errors. Analytical and simulated results arepresented. The detectors have significantly lower bit error probabilitythan a traditional differentialdetector and do not suffer from the problem of an irreducable bit errorfloor.Further more, a Parallel Combinatory OFDM (PC-OFDM) system is presented.The PC-OFDM system uses only a subset of the available sub-carriers ineach symbol interval. A bit mapping procedure is proposed using the Johnsonassociation scheme to choose which sub-carriers to use and M-PSK modulationis used on these sub-carriers. The PC-OFDM scheme can be designed to havea higher spectral efficiency, lower bit error probability, and lower peak-to-averagepower ratio than ordinary OFDM systems. Analytical and simulated resultsare presented for the AWGN channel as well as simulated results for theRicean fading channel. The PC-OFDM system is however not as robust againstfading as an ordinary OFDM system.The use of Rate Compatible Punctured Convolutional codes (RCPC-codes)for rate matching in multichannel systems is also presented. A multi-codeDS-CDMA system is used for evaluating purposes. The RCPC-codes are shownto provide a flexible and efficient coding scheme which is superior comparedto repetition encoding schemes.
Calpain activation impairs neuromuscular transmission in a mouse model of the slow-channel myasthenic syndrome (2007)

The slow-channel myasthenic syndrome (SCS) is a hereditary disorder of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) that leads to prolonged AChR channel opening, Ca(2+) overload, and degeneration of the NMJ. We used an SCS transgenic mouse model to investigate the role of the calcium-activated protease calpain in the pathogenesis of synaptic dysfunction in SCS. Cleavage of a fluorogenic calpain substrate was increased at the NMJ of dissociated muscle fibers. Inhibition of calpain using a calpastatin (CS) transgene improved strength and neuromuscular transmission. CS caused a 2-fold increase in the frequency of miniature endplate currents (MEPCs) and an increase in NMJ size, but MEPC amplitudes remained reduced. Persistent degeneration of the NMJ was associated with localized activation of the non-calpain protease caspase-3. This study suggests that calpain may act presynaptically to impair NMJ function in SCS but further reveals a role for other cysteine proteases whose inhibition may be of additional therapeutic benefit in SCS and other excitotoxic disorders.
Molecular Mimicry between Helicobacter pylori Antigens and H+,K+–Adenosine Triphosphatase in Human Gastric Autoimmunity (2003)

Autoimmune gastritis and Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric atrophy develop through similar mechanisms involving the proton pump H+,K+-adenosine triphosphatase as autoantigen. Here, we report that H. pylori-infected patients with gastric autoimmunity harbor in vivo-activated gastric CD4+ T cells that recognize both H+, K+-adenosine triphosphatase and H. pylori antigens. We characterized the submolecular specificity of such gastric T cells and identified cross-reactive epitopes from nine H. pylori proteins. Cross-reactive H. pylori peptides induced T cell proliferation and expression of T helper type 1 functions. We suggest that in genetically susceptible individuals, H. pylori infection can activate cross-reactive gastric T cells leading to gastric autoimmunity via molecular mimicry.
Flow Control Mechanism of Blade Tip Bionic Grooves and Their Influence on Aerodynamic Performance and Noise of Multi-Blade Centrifugal Fan (2022)

To improve the aerodynamic performance and reduce the noise of multi-blade centrifugal fans used in air conditioners, a bionic groove structure was introduced into the blade tip design, inspired by the drag reduction characteristics of mantis shrimp. In this paper, the numerical method was used to investigate the effects of a blade tip bionic groove on the aerodynamic performance and noise characteristics of a multi-blade centrifugal fan. Firstly, the basic design parameters, such as groove width, groove depth, groove center distance, and groove number, were selected to define the shape of the blade tip bionic groove. Then, the effect of the design parameters on the aerodynamic performance of the multi-blade centrifugal fan was studied. Finally, the multi-blade centrifugal fan models with different groove shapes, such as rectangular bionic grooves, circular bionic grooves, and triangular bionic grooves, were established to compare the influence of blade tip groove structures on the aerodynamic performance of the multi-blade centrifugal fan. Through analysis of the aerodynamic performance and noise characteristics of the multi-blade centrifugal fan and the flow fields in the fan impeller, the flow control mechanism of the blade tip bionic groove was revealed. The results showed that the triangular bionic groove on the blade tip had a certain noise reduction effect, although the structural parameters of the bionic groove had little effect on the aerodynamic performance of the multi-blade centrifugal fan. This is because the triangular bionic groove structure can effectively inhibit the vortex shedding at the trailing edge of blade and reduce the flow separation in the impeller passages. As a result, the velocity distribution at the impeller tip became more uniform and the intensity of the tip vortex and the shedding vortex was weakened. Correspondingly, the noise of multi-blade centrifugal fan was also reduced to some extent.
<title>Uncertainty analysis of nondestructive assay measurements of nuclear waste</title> (1999)

Regulatory agencies governing the disposal of nuclear waste require that the waste be appropriately characterized prior to disposition. The most important aspect of the characterization process, establishing radionuclide content, is often achieved by nondestructive assay (NDA). For NDA systems to be approved for use in these applications, measurement uncertainty must be established.
QPM wavelength converters based on crystal quartz (2008)

Recent progress in quasi-phase-matched crystal quartz will be reported. Fine period twinning by mechanical stress application achieved a 12 um twin structure. Milliwatt-level second harmonic generation was demonstrated at 266 nm by 2nd-order QPM.
A 6.0-mW 10.0-Gb/s Receiver With Switched-Capacitor Summation DFE (2007)

A low-power receiver with a one-tap decision feedback equalization (DFE) was fabricated in 90-nm CMOS technology. The speculative equalization is performed using switched-capacitor-based addition at the front-end sample-hold circuit. In order to further reduce the power consumption, an analog multiplexer is used in the speculation technique implementation. A quarter-rate-clocking scheme facilitates the use of low-power front-end circuitry and CMOS clock buffers. The receiver was tested over channels with different levels of ISI. The signaling rate with BER<10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-12</sup> was significantly increased with the use of DFE for short- to medium-distance PCB traces. At 10-Gb/s data rate, the receiver consumes less than 6.0 mW from a 1.0-V supply. This includes the power consumed in all quarter-rate clock buffers, but not the power of a clock recovery loop. The input clock phase and the DFE taps are adjusted externally