gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
A full electromagnetic analysis of fresnel zone plate antennas and the application to a free-space focused-beammeasurement system (2008)

In this research, Fresnel zone plates were studied using an accurate, full-electromagnetic simulator based on the body-of-revolution finite-difference time-domain (BOR-FDTD) method. This tool was used to investigate zone plates for two different applications: zone plates used as antennas in communication systems and zone plates used as focusing elements in free-space, focused-beam measurement systems. Through detailed studies of zone plates for these applications, a number of general characteristics of the zone plate were given a more in-depth look than they have been given in the past. \n\n\nFor the first application, parametric studies were performed for Soret, folded, and grooved-dielectric, phase-correcting zone plates for antenna applications. These studies were used to generate new design graphs, from which general observations are made about the effect of varying different parameters on the focusing ability of a zone plate. For the grooved-dielectric, phase-correcting zone plate, these studies show that a number of factors influence the focusing ability in ways that are unexpected, based on many of the simple techniques typically used to analyze zone plates. Each of these factors is evaluated individually. \n\n\nFor the second application, a zone plate was designed to be used as a focusing element in a free-space, focused-beam measurement system. To determine the suitability of zone plates for this application, simulations and measurements of the electric field were used to compare this zone plate to a doubly-hyperbolic lens. A complete focused-beam system, using two zone plates as focusing elements, was used to measure the permittivity of different dielectric materials. These measurements are compared to results for a system that uses doubly-hyperbolic lenses and to published values. A technique for increasing the usable bandwidth of a zone plate in a focused-beam system was proposed and tested.\n\n\nFinally, as a topic for future research, the question is posed: Using the BOR-FDTD method, can a similar volume of material be shaped in a way that results in improved focusing performance compared to a traditional zone plate? Some insight into this open-ended question can be gained by examining preliminary results of the optimization of zone plates using of a genetic algorithm.
Weight loss for individuals with type 2 diabetes following a very‐low‐calorie diet in a community‐based setting with trained facilitators for 12 weeks (2013)

Provision of a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) with group support and behaviour therapy for patients with T2DM is feasible within a community-based setting with trained facilitators. VLCD approaches for weight management in T2DM can achieve more than 90% of weight loss as compared with obese individuals without T2DM. Identification of the need to investigate the full impact of this approach in patients with T2DM by assessing changes in glycaemia, liver function and medication. Approximately 80% of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are overweight or obese, and obesity compounds the cardiovascular risk of T2DM. The aim of this retrospective study was twofold: first, to investigate whether a 12-week community-based very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) programme can result in important weight loss; and second, to investigate any potential difference in the weight loss achieved using this community-based approach in individuals with and without T2DM. Three hundred and fifty-five participants with T2DM were matched for age, body mass index (BMI) and gender to participants without T2DM (total cohort comprised 204 males: 506 females (mean ± standard deviation); age (years) 54.0 ± 9.1; BMI (kg m(-2) ) 41.6 ± 8.1; weight (kg) 116.1 ± 25.1). The programme included a daily intake of 550 kcal in addition to group support and behaviour therapy provided by trained facilitators within a community-based setting. After 12 weeks, there was significant weight loss within each group when compared with baseline (T2DM: 115.0 ± 24.4 kg vs. 96.7 ± 21.4 kg, P < 0.0001; non-T2DM: 117.2 ± 25.8 kg vs. 97.3 ± 22.2 kg, P < 0.0001). At 12 weeks, weight change (-18.3 ± 7.3 kg vs. -19.9 ± 7.0 kg, P = 0.012) and BMI change (-6.7 ± 2.9 kg m(-2) vs. -7.1 ± 2.1 kg m(-2) , P = 0.011) were significantly less in the T2DM group when compared with the non-T2DM group. Our results suggest that the use of VLCD approaches for weight management in T2DM can achieve more than 90% of the weight loss seen in obese individuals without T2DM.
Functional Identification of Conjugation and Replication Regions of the Tetracycline Resistance Plasmid pCW3 from<i>Clostridium perfringens</i> (2006)

Clostridium perfringens causes fatal human infections, such as gas gangrene, as well as gastrointestinal diseases in both humans and animals. Detailed molecular analysis of the tetracycline resistance plasmid pCW3 from C. perfringens has shown that it represents the prototype of a unique family of conjugative antibiotic resistance and virulence plasmids. We have identified the pCW3 replication region by deletion and transposon mutagenesis and showed that the essential rep gene encoded a basic protein with no similarity to any known plasmid replication proteins. An 11-gene conjugation locus containing 5 genes that encoded putative proteins with similarity to proteins from the conjugative transposon Tn916 was identified, although the genes' genetic arrangements were different. Functional genetic studies demonstrated that two of the genes in this transfer clostridial plasmid (tcp) locus, tcpF and tcpH, were essential for the conjugative transfer of pCW3, and comparative analysis confirmed that the tcp locus was not confined to pCW3. The conjugation region was present on all known conjugative plasmids from C. perfringens, including an enterotoxin plasmid and other toxin plasmids. These results have significant implications for plasmid evolution, as they provide evidence that a nonreplicating Tn916-like element can evolve to become the conjugation locus of replicating plasmids that carry major virulence genes or antibiotic resistance determinants.
La voiture comme instrument thérapeutique (mai 1977) (2006)

RésuméLe présent article concerne l’Unité de Soins Spécialisés à Domicile pour jeunes enfants du XIIIe arrondissement (Fondation de Rothschild), créée par le docteur Myriam David en 1975. Son équipe a développé des modalités variées de traitement précoce, ainsi que de travail avec les différents intervenants médico-sociaux du réseau. La polyvalence des abords thérapeutiques n’exclue pas une exigence psychanalytique.
Interleukin-10 attenuates proinflammatory cytokine production and improves survival in lethal pancreatitis. (2001)

Given that interleukin (IL)-10 (IL-10) serves as a potent down-regulator of specific proinflammatory cytokines we reasoned that its administration should improve outcome in situations in which the biological response to a severe inflammatory challenge is the critical determinant of survival. To test our hypothesis we administered IL-10 in the setting of lethal pancreatitis to determine its effect on proinflammatory cytokine production and survival. We divided Sprague-Dawley rats into three groups. Controls (Group 1, n = 5) received a sham laparotomy. We induced pancreatitis in Group 2 (n = 9) and Group 3 (n = 9) via laparotomy and intrapancreatic infiltration of one mL of 5 per cent sodium taurocholate. Group 2 was treated only with saline, whereas Group 3 was treated with 10,000 units of IL-10 (in saline) at 30 minutes, 3.5 hours, and 6.5 hours after induction of pancreatitis. Serial blood samples were obtained at 6.5 hours for measurement of amylase, IL-1, and IL-6. The Kaplan-Meier method, Wilcoxon test, and Student's t test were used for analysis. Seven-day survival was 100, 0, and 45 per cent in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Production of amylase, IL-1, and IL-6 was lower in the IL-10-treated group (Group 3) compared with the group treated with saline alone (Group 2, P < 0.05). We conclude that administration of IL-10 in the setting of otherwise 100 per cent lethal experimental pancreatitis significantly reduces production of amylase, IL-1, and IL-6 and improves survival.
Analytical methodologies for metallomics studies of antitumor Pt-containing drugs (2009)

Pt-containing drugs are nowadays essential components in cancer chemotherapy. However, drug resistance and side effects limit the efficiency of the treatments. In order to improve the response to Pt-based drugs, different administration strategies or new Pt-compounds have been developed with little success. The reason for this failure could be that the mechanism of action of these drugs is not completely understood. In this way, metallomics studies may contribute to clarify the interactions of Pt-containing drugs within the organism. This review is mainly focused on the role of Analytical Chemistry on the study of the interactions between Pt-based drugs and biomolecules. A summary of the analytical techniques and the most common sample treatment procedures currently used in metallomics studies of these drugs is presented. Both are of paramount importance to study these complex samples preserving the drug-biomolecule interaction. Separation and detection techniques must be carefully selected in order to achieve the intended goals. The use of multidimensional hyphenated techniques is usually necessary for a better understanding of the Pt-based drugs interactions in the organism. An overview of Pt-drugs biological interactions is presented, considering the different sample matrices and the drugs course through the organism. Samples analysed in the included studies are blood, urine, cell cytosol, DNA as well as the drugs themselves and their derivatives. However, most of these works are based on in vitro experiments or incubations of standards, leading in some cases to contradictory results depending on the experimental conditions used. Though in vivo experiments represent a great challenge due to the high complexity and the low concentrations of the Pt-adducts in real samples, these studies must be undertaken to get a deeper understanding of the real interactions concerning Pt-containing drugs.
Enhancement of P3HT/PCBM Photovoltaic Efficiency Using the Surfactant of Triblock Copolymer Containing Poly(3-hexylthiophene) and Poly(4-vinyltriphenylamine) Segments (2010)

In this study, the well-defined coil−rod−coil triblock copolymer poly(4-vinyltriphenylamine)-b-poly(3-hexylthiophene)-b-poly(4-vinyltriphenylamin) (PTPA-P3HT-PTPA) was used as a surfactant for P3HT/PCBM (1:1) based solar cells. The power conversion efficiency of the device was enhanced from 3.9 to 4.4% in the presence of the 0−5% PTPA-P3HT-PTPA under illumination of AM 1.5G (100 mW/cm2). The morphology variation and the balance of the hole/electron mobility accounted for such enhancement. In the P3HT/PCBM/PTPA-P3HT-PTPA ternary blends, the fiber-like structure was observed for surfactant ratios of 0−5%, while a sphere-like nanostructure was observed for the surfactant ratio of 1.5%. The sphere-like nanostructure led to a smaller domain size and enhanced interfacial area for charge separation as compared to the fiber-like structure. On the other hand, the increased hole mobility in the blend with the addition of PTPA-P3HT-PTPA resulted in the balanced hole and electron mobility (μe/μh ∼1.7 in comparison to the ratio of 3.6 without the surfactant). The incorporated PTPA-P3HT-PTPA surfactant not only extended the lifetime of solar cells but also reduced the PCBM aggregation upon annealing, resulting in better thermal stability. The DSC result confirmed the selective miscibility of the PTPA coil segment with PCBM. These results demonstrated the superior compatibilizing effect of the rod−coil triblock copolymers for solar cell applications.
Fast Learning in an Actor-Critic Architecture with Reward and Punishment (2008)

A reinforcement architecture is introduced that consists of three complementary learning systems with different generalization abilities. The ACTOR learns state-action associations, the CRITIC learns a goal-gradient, and the PUNISH system learns what actions to avoid. The architecture is compared to the standard actor-crititc and Q-learning models on a number of maze learning tasks. The novel architecture is shown to be superior on all the test mazes. Moreover, it shows how it is possible to combine several learning systems with different properties in a coherent reinforcement learning framework.
Rapid and accurate point-of-care testing for SARS-CoV2 antibodies (2020)

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has grown into worst public health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, there is urgent need for a rapid, yet accurate antibody test to identify infected individuals in populations to inform health decisions. We have developed a rapid, accurate and cost-effective serologic test based on antibody-dependent agglutination of antigen-coated latex particles, which uses ∼5 µl plasma and takes <5 min to complete with no instrument required. The simplicity of this test makes it ideal for point-of-care (POC) use at the community level. When validated using plasma samples that are positive or negative for SARS-CoV-2, the agglutination assay detected antibodies against the receptor-binding domain of the spike (S-RBD) or the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 with 100% specificity and ∼98% sensitivity. Furthermore, we found that the strength of the S-RBD antibody response measured by the agglutination assay correlated with the efficiency of the plasma in blocking RBD binding to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in a surrogate neutralization assay, suggesting that the agglutination assay may be used to identify individuals with virus-neutralizing antibodies. Intriguingly, we found that >92% of patients had detectable antibodies on the day of positive viral RNA test, suggesting that seroconversion may occur earlier than previously thought and that the agglutination antibody test may complement RNA testing for POC diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
<title>Short-scan cone beam algorithm for circular and noncircular detector orbits</title> (1990)

The purpose of this paper is to present a new cone beam short scan reconstruction technique for circular and non-circular detector orbits. The reconstruction is performed by a filtered backprojection method. The short scan reconstruction technique is first investigated for fan beam circular orbits and is then extended to fan beam noncircular orbits. Finally a straightforward approach is applied to cone beam geometries and a modified Feldkamp algorithm is used. Since the projection data are incomplete cone beam reconstructions are only approximations. I.
Autotracking of faults on 3D seismic data (2006)

Abstract Manual fault mapping in 3D seismic interpretation is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Complex fault geometries and the distortion of the seismic signal close to faults complicate full automation of the fault-mapping process. We present a semiautomatic fault-tracking method for 3D seismic data that consists of fault highlighting followed by model-based fault tracking. Fault highlighting uses log-Gabor filters for emphasizing oriented amplitude discontinuities at faults in the presence of noise. Subsequent fault tracking fits an active contour to the highlighted fault voxels. The active contour searches for a connected, smooth curve which fits the data and disambiguates misleading or missing information. The fault tracker requires the interpreter to place the active contour close to a fault on one initial seismic inline (2D pick). The active contour deforms to the closest amplitude dis-continuity highlighted. This tracking result is then projected forward to the next inline, providing an initial fault pick on this section that is again optimized by the active contour. Tracking results on a series of successive seismic sections, finally, constitute a 3D fault surface. User interaction is solely required for an approximate fault pick on the first inline, and in cases where the fault line is lost due to insufficient signal. Use of the autotracker prototype provides a fast solution for the mapping of complete 3D fault surfaces of constant dip, and for the automated tracking of fault portions within distinct dip domains, if fault surfaces are curved (i.e., listric). The method was applied to a series of high-quality reflectivity sections extracted from a 3D seismic volume from shallow-offshore Nigeria, with the tracking results (generated within seconds) comparing well with manually interpreted fault surfaces.
In-situ TEM Observations on the Sintering Process of Colloidal Gold Using an Ultra-fast Heating Stage (2008)

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, August 3 – August 7, 2008
Operation modes for cooperating with autonomous functions in intelligent teleoperation systems (2003)

The authors propose four operation modes for cooperation between manual operation and autonomous functions in intelligent teleoperation systems. They specify the sequence of mode change so that the operator can change these operation modes intuitively and smoothly. They describe the control schemes of master-slave arms in each mode based on the new bilateral control scheme which was previously proposed by the authors. They confirm the validity of the proposed operation modes and the sequence of mode change experimentally by using a simple one-DOF master-slave manipulator system. It is shown that the task efficiency is improved and the burden on the operator is lightened by introducing the proposed method.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Biochemical characterization and crystal structure of a recombinant hen avidin and its acidic mutant expressed in <i>Escherichia coli</i> (1998)

The mature hen avidin encoded by a synthetic cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli in an insoluble form. After resolubilization, renaturation and purification, a recovery of about 20 mg/l cell culture was obtained. ELISA assays indicated no apparent differences in biotin binding between the natural and recombinant avidins. In addition, an acidic avidin mutant, bearing the substitutions Lys3-->Glu, Lys9--> Glu, Arg26-->Asp and Arg124-->Leu of four exposed basic residues, was produced. The protein, expressed and renatured as wild-type avidin, showed unaltered biotin-binding activity. The acidic pI (approximately 5.5) and lack of aggregation of the mutant allowed easy electrophoretic analysis under non-denaturing conditions of the protein alone and of its complexes with biotin, biotinylated transferrin or peroxidase. Analysis of the sera from sensitized subjects revealed that the avidin mutant has altered antigenicity. Both recombinant avidins were crystallized and the three-dimensional structures solved by molecular replacement and refined to 0.22 nm resolution. The three-dimensional structures of the two recombinant molecules, in the absence of biotin and of glycosylation, are fully comparable with those of the natural hen avidin previously reported.
On the Generalization Ability of Online Learning Algorithms for Pairwise Loss Functions (2013)

In this paper, we study the generalization properties of online learning based stochastic methods for supervised learning problems where the loss function is dependent on more than one training sample (e.g., metric learning, ranking). We present a generic decoupling technique that enables us to provide Rademacher complexity-based generalization error bounds. Our bounds are in general tighter than those obtained by Wang et al (COLT 2012) for the same problem. Using our decoupling technique, we are further able to obtain fast convergence rates for strongly convex pairwise loss functions. We are also able to analyze a class of memory efficient online learning algorithms for pairwise learning problems that use only a bounded subset of past training samples to update the hypothesis at each step. Finally, in order to complement our generalization bounds, we propose a novel memory efficient online learning algorithm for higher order learning problems with bounded regret guarantees.
Renal Chloride Channel, CLCN5, Mutations in Dent's Disease (1999)

Dent's disease is an X-linked renal tubular disorder characterized by low-molecular-weight proteinuria, hypercalciuria, nephrocalcinosis, nephrolithiasis, and renal failure. Patients with Dent's disease may also suffer from rickets and other features of the renal Fanconi Syndrome. Patients may have mutations in the X-linked renal chloride channel gene, CLCN5, which encodes a 746-amino-acid protein with 12-13 transmembrane domains. We have investigated the 11 coding exons of CLCN5 for mutations in eight unrelated patients with Dent's disease. Leukocyte DNA was used for the polymerase chain reaction amplification of CLCN5 and the products analyzed for single-stranded conformational polymorphisms (SSCPs). Abnormal SSCPs were sequenced and revealed eight mutations. These consisted of three nonsense mutations (Arg34Stop, Arg648Stop, Arg704Stop), four deletions involving codons 40, 86, 157, and 241, and one acceptor splice consensus sequence mutation tgcag --> tgaag. The mutations were confirmed either by restriction endonuclease or sequence-specific oligonucleotide hybridization analysis. In addition, an analysis of 110 alleles from 74 unrelated normal individuals demonstrated that the DNA sequence changes were not common polymorphisms. All of the mutations predict truncated chloride channels that are likely to result in a functional loss. Thus, our findings expand the spectrum of CLCN5 mutations associated with Dent's disease and the results will help to elucidate further the functional domains of this novel chloride channel.
Development and evaluation of a point-of-care interactive patient education kiosk (2004)

We have developed an interactive patient education kiosk. The kiosk provides access to stored health information and to selected Websites via a high-speed Internet connection. The output is bilingual (English or Spanish) and an enclosed printer allows information to be printed and taken home for later reading. Each kiosk records patient usage, as well as the results of a brief, voluntary, online evaluation questionnaire. Three kiosks were placed in the patient waiting area of busy multi-specialty clinics. Two kiosks were active for 2.5 years and one was active for 1.5 years. There were 38,868 user sessions recorded and 2878 users participated in the online survey questionnaire (7% of all user sessions). Patient satisfaction was high; for example, 68% of respondents found some or all of the information they were looking for on the kiosk. In the year following the introduction of the first kiosk (the 2001/02 flu season), there was a 24% increase in the number of patients receiving flu vaccinations within the Palo Alto health-care system, compared with the previous year. Experience to date suggests that the kiosks may increase patient compliance with selected clinical guidelines and instructions.