Modelling COVID‑19 Severity In the Republic of Ireland Using Patient Co‑morbidities, Socioeconomic Profle and Geographic Location, February to November 2020

Understanding patient progression from symptomatic COVID-19 infection to a severe outcome represents an important tool for improved diagnoses, surveillance, and triage. A series of models have been developed and validated to elucidate hospitalization, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and mortality in patients from the Republic of Ireland. This retrospective cohort study of patients with laboratory-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 infection included data extracted from national COVID-19 surveillance forms (i.e., age, gender, underlying health conditions, occupation) and geographically-referenced potential predictors (i.e., urban/rural classification, socio-economic profile). Generalised linear models and recursive partitioning and regression trees were used to elucidate COVID-19 progression. The incidence of symptomatic infection over the study-period was 0.96% (n= 47,265), of whom 3781 (8%) required hospitalisation, 615 (1.3%) were admitted to ICU and 1326 (2.8%) died. Models demonstrated an increasingly efficacious ft for predicting hospitalization [AUC 0.816 (95% CI 0.809, 0.822)], admission to ICU [AUC 0.885 (95% CI 0.88 0.89)] and death [AUC of 0.955 (95% CI 0.951 0.959)]. Severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40) was identified as a risk factor across all prognostic models; severely obese patients were substantially more likely to receive ICU treatment [OR 19.630] or die [OR 10.802]. Rural living was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization (OR 1.200 (95% CI 1.143–1.261)]. Urban living was associated with ICU admission [OR 1.533 (95% CI 1.606–1.682)]. Models provide approaches for predicting COVID-19 prognoses, allowing for evidence-based decision making pertaining to targeted non-pharmaceutical interventions, risk-based vaccination priorities and improved patient triage

Scavenger 0.1: A Theorem Prover Based on Conflict Resolution

This paper introduces Scavenger, the first theorem prover for pure first-order logic without equality based on the new conflict resolution calculus. Conflict resolution has a restricted resolution inference rule that resembles (a first-order generalization of) unit propagation as well as a rule for assuming decision literals and a rule for deriving new clauses by (a first-order generalization of) conflict-driven clause learning.Comment: Published at CADE 201

Development of Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detectors for NIKA

Lumped-element kinetic inductance detectors(LEKIDs) have recently shown considerable promise as direct absorption mm-wavelength detectors for astronomical applications. One major research thrust within the N\'eel Iram Kids Array (NIKA) collaboration has been to investigate the suitability of these detectors for deployment at the 30-meter IRAM telescope located on Pico Veleta in Spain. Compared to microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKID), using quarter wavelength resonators, the resonant circuit of a LEKID consists of a discrete inductance and capacitance coupled to a feedline. A high and constant current density distribution in the inductive part of these resonators makes them very sensitive. Due to only one metal layer on a silicon substrate, the fabrication is relatively easy. In order to optimize the LEKIDs for this application, we have recently probed a wide variety of individual resonator and array parameters through simulation and physical testing. This included determining the optimal feed-line coupling, pixel geometry, resonator distribution within an array (in order to minimize pixel cross-talk), and resonator frequency spacing. Based on these results, a 144-pixel Aluminum array was fabricated and tested in a dilution fridge with optical access, yielding an average optical NEP of ~2E-16 W/Hz^1/2 (best pixels showed NEP = 6E-17 W/Hz^1/2 under 4-8 pW loading per pixel). In October 2010 the second prototype of LEKIDs has been tested at the IRAM 30 m telescope. A new LEKID geometry for 2 polarizations will be presented. Also first optical measurements of a titanium nitride array will be discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 12 figures; ISSTT 2011 Worksho

Psychological Impairment and Extreme Weather Event (EWE) Exposure, 1980–2020: A Global Pooled Analysis Integrating Mental Health and Well-being Metrics

Extreme Weather Events (EWEs) impose a substantial health and socio-economic burden on exposed populations. Projected impacts on public health, based on increasing EWE frequencies since the 1950s, alongside evidence of human-mediated climatic change represents a growing concern. To date, the impacts of EWEs on mental health remain ambiguous, largely due to the inherent complexities in linking extreme weather phenomena with psychological status. This exploratory investigation provides a new empirical and global perspective on the psychological toll of EWEs by exclusively focusing on psychological morbidity among individuals exposed to such events. Morbidity data collated from a range of existing psychological and well-being measures have been integrated to develop a single (“holistic”) metric, namely, psychological impairment. Morbidity, and impairment, were subsequently pooled for key disorders-, specifically PTSD, anxiety and depression. A “composite” (any impairment) post-exposure pooled-prevalence rate of 23% was estimated, with values of 24% calculated for depression and ⁓17% for both PTSD and anxiety. Notably, calculated pooled odds ratios (pOR = 1.9) indicate a high likelihood of any negative psychological outcome (+90%) following EWE exposure. Pooled analyses of reported risk factors (p \u3c 0.05) highlight the pronounced impacts of EWEs among individuals with higher levels of event exposure or experienced stressors (14.5%) and socio-demographic traits traditionally linked to vulnerable sub-populations, including female gender (10%), previous history (i.e., pre-event) of psychological impairment (5.5%), lower socio-economic status (5.5%), and a lower education level (5.2%). Inherent limitations associated with collating mental health data from populations exposed to EWEs, and key knowledge gaps in the field are highlighted. Study findings provide a robust evidence base for developing and implementing public health intervention strategies aimed at ameliorating the psychological impacts of extreme weather among exposed populations

On the dynamical behavior of the ABC model

We consider the ABC dynamics, with equal density of the three species, on the discrete ring with $N$ sites. In this case, the process is reversible with respect to a Gibbs measure with a mean field interaction that undergoes a second order phase transition. We analyze the relaxation time of the dynamics and show that at high temperature it grows at most as $N^2$ while it grows at least as $N^3$ at low temperature

A light sterilizable pipette device for the in vivo estimation of human soft tissues constitutive laws

Abstract-This paper introduces a new light device for the in vivo estimation of human soft tissues constitutive laws. It consists of an aspiration pipette able to meet the very severe sterilization and handling issues imposed during surgery. The simplicity of the device, free of any electronic circuitry, allows using it as an ancillary instrument. The deformation of the aspired tissue is imaged via a mirror using an external camera. The paper describes the experimental setup as well as the protocol that should be used during surgery. First feasibility measurements are shown for human tongue and forearm skin

Fluorescent oxide nanoparticles adapted to active tips for near-field optics

We present a new kind of fluorescent oxide nanoparticles with properties well suited to active-tip based near-field optics. These particles with an average diameter in the range 5-10 nm are produced by Low Energy Cluster Beam Deposition (LECBD) from a YAG:Ce3+ target. They are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), classical photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence and near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM). Particles of extreme photo-stability as small as 10 nm in size are observed. These emitters are validated as building blocks of active NSOM tips by coating a standard optical tip with a 10 nm thick layer of YAG:Ce3+ particles directly in the LECBD reactor and by subsequently performing NSOM imaging of test surfaces.Comment: Changes made following Referee's comments; added references; one added figure. See story on this article at: http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/3606

Reconstruction en imagerie gamma à partir d'acquisitions multi-énergie

Le problème traité concerne la reconstruction de la distribution 3D de sources radioactives lors d'examens scintigraphiques. Nous proposons une approche de reconstruction permettant d'exploiter les informations issues de capteurs spectrométriques et en particulier les informations portées par le rayonnement diffusé pour améliorer la qualité des images. La communication présente les résultats obtenus par une approche d'inversion s'appuyant sur un modèle précis de la physique de formation des projections en imagerie gamma. Cette méthode a été baptisée SCARECO (scatter recovery)

Detection of the tSZ effect with the NIKA camera

We present the first detection of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect from a cluster of galaxies performed with a KIDs (Kinetic Inductance Detectors) based instrument. The tSZ effect is a distortion of the black body CMB (Cosmic Microwave Background) spectrum produced by the inverse Compton interaction of CMB photons with the hot electrons of the ionized intra-cluster medium. The massive, intermediate redshift cluster RX J1347.5-1145 has been observed using NIKA (New IRAM KIDs arrays), a dual-band (140 and 240 GHz) mm-wave imaging camera, which exploits two arrays of hundreds of KIDs: the resonant frequencies of the superconducting resonators are shifted by mm-wave photons absorption. This tSZ cluster observation demonstrates the potential of the next generation NIKA2 instrument, being developed for the 30m telescope of IRAM, at Pico Veleta (Spain). NIKA2 will have 1000 detectors at 140GHz and 2x2000 detectors at 240GHz, providing in that band also a measurement of the linear polarization. NIKA2 will be commissioned in 2015.Comment: SF2A Proceedings 201

High resolution SZ observations at the IRAM 30-m telescope with NIKA

High resolution observations of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect are necessary to allow the use of clusters of galaxies as a probe for large scale structures at high redshifts. With its high resolution and dual-band capability at millimeter wavelengths, the NIKA camera can play a significant role in this context. NIKA is based on newly developed Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) and operates at the IRAM 30m telescope, Pico Veleta, Spain. In this paper, we give the status of the NIKA camera, focussing on the KID technology. We then present observations of three galaxy clusters: RX J1347.5-1145 as a demonstrator of the NIKA capabilities and the recent observations of CL J1226.9+3332 (z = 0.89) and MACS J0717.5+3745 (z = 0.55). We also discuss prospects for the final NIKA2 camera, which will have a 6.5 arcminute field of view with about 5000 detectors in two bands at 150 and 260 GHz