Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crossing Sentence Boundaries in Machine Translation

Machine Translation systems translate sentences in a document independently of the discourse and any context information that crosses sentence boundaries. Often, the context provided in a sentence is not enough to correctly disambiguate a word, and the systems make incorrect lexical choices that negatively impact on the quality of the translations.In this thesis, we attempt to integrate discourse knowledge into Machine Translation as a means to improve lexical choice in translation. Specifically, we develop discourse-aware methods for phrase-based Statistical Machine Translation systems, such as the sentence-level decoder Moses and the document-oriented decoder Docent. We also study the integration of discourse into Neural Machine Translation, whose high-quality translation output has recently attracted the attention of the Machine Translation community.To improve the lexical choice of Machine Translation systems, our methods mostly focus on consistent translation of nouns and exploiting lexical chains, which are chains of semantically-related words in a document. Translation consistency, which consists of identifying a correct translation of a word and apply it consistently across the document, has been addressed in the literature with mixed results. In our experiments, we apply consistency in the translation of nouns in particular cases, where a consistent translation is expected, such as references to compounds and pairs of repeated nouns. In other experiments, we benefit from the semantic context provided by lexical chains in the source document to also keep the semantic similarity between words in the translation.
Long-Term Outcome after Stroke due to Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. AF is paroxysmal or persistent and becomes permanent when it does not convert to sinus rhythm spontaneously or when attempted cardioversion fails. The prevalence of AF is 0.4% in the general population and increases with age up to 6–8% in octogenarians. In men, the age-adjusted prevalence is generally higher than in women. During AF, synchronous mechanical atrial activity is disturbed, resulting in haemodynamic impairment. This can give rise to thrombus formation and embolism to the systemic circulation. Thrombus associated with AF arises most frequently in the left atrial appendage. Cerebrovascular emboli in AF patients most often manifest as transient ischaemic attacks or ischaemic strokes. The overall rate of ischaemic stroke among patients with nonrheumatic AF averages 5% per year, but the rate increases with age. Patients with AF are at higher risk of cerebrovascular events from all causes. Of all strokes, one in every six occurs in patients with AF. Including transient ischaemic attacks and silent strokes detected radiographically, the overall rate of all cerebrovascular events in AF patients rises to more than 7% per year, although approximately one third of these are due to causes that are only secondarily or incidentally associated with AF or related anticoagulant therapy. Antiarrhythmic therapy is useful to improve cardiac rate and function in AF. However, to reduce first or recurrent emboli, antithrombotic therapy is of paramount importance. Results from several randomized clinical trials of antithrombotic therapies have shown that adjusted-dose warfarin reduces first or recurrent stroke by about 60% compared with placebo. When patients with nonvalvular AF are anticoagulated, the odds against ischaemic stroke and intracranial bleeding favour an INR between 2.0 and 3.0. Acetylsalicylic acid is less efficacious than warfarin in AF patients, reducing the risk of stroke by about 20%. Therefore, this antiplatelet agent should be used only for AF patients at low risk. Anticoagulation is the current treatment modality in AF patients at high or intermediate risk, i.e. patients with history of transient ischaemic attack or stroke, those aged >65 years, those with a history of hypertension, diabetes, heart failure or structural heart disease, valvular disease or significant systolic dysfunction. The benefit of dual antiplatelet regimens in AF patients is unknown, and combining antiplatelet agents with different mechanisms of action is an important topic for future investigation.
Enhancement of energy harvesting using acoustical-black-hole-inspired wave traps

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the interest of associating smart functionalities in the same smart-structure. It consists in combining a wave trap device with an energy harvester on a beam. Both functions are performed using piezoelectric transducers. The wave trap device is based on the acoustical black hole concept. It is designed to generate a gradual modification of the equivalent composite Young’s modulus along the beam. The aim is to concentrate the mechanical energy at the beam center where the harvesting device is placed. To achieve this, a network of transducers is used. The transducers are shunted on a specific negative capacitance. The harvester device is made of a simple piezoelectric patch associated with a classical extracting circuit. A significant increase in harvested energy is observed using this association for both weak and strong coupling. From the practical viewpoint, the study also highlights the sensitivity of the structural behavior, which strongly depends on the tuning of the trap device.
The proline‐rich protein palladin is a binding partner for profilin

Palladin is an actin‐associated protein that has been suggested to play critical roles in establishing cell morphology and maintaining cytoskeletal organization in a wide variety of cell types. Palladin has been shown previously to bind directly to three different actin‐binding proteins vasodilator‐stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), α‐actinin and ezrin, suggesting that it functions as an organizing unit that recruits actin‐regulatory proteins to specific subcellular sites. Palladin contains sequences resembling a motif known to bind profilin. Here, we demonstrate that palladin is a binding partner for profilin, interacting with profilin via a poly proline‐containing sequence in the amino‐terminal half of palladin. Double‐label immunofluorescence staining shows that palladin and profilin partially colocalize in actin‐rich structures in cultured astrocytes. Our results suggest that palladin may play an important role in recruiting profilin to sites of actin dynamics.
SMARCA5 Methylation and Expression in Gastric Cancer

Here, we first evaluated SMARCA5 expression and promoter DNA methylation in gastric carcinogenesis. Immunohistochemistry and methylation-specific PCR were analyzed in 19 and 48 normal mucosa and in 52 and 92 gastric cancer samples, respectively. We observed higher immunoreactivity of SMARCA5 in gastric cancer samples than in normal mucosa. Moreover, SMARCA5 promoter methylation was associated with the absence of protein expression. Our findings suggest that SMARCA5 has a potential role in proliferation and malignancy in gastric carcinogenesis.
O PAPEL DA LIQUIDEZ E SUAS MÚLTIPLAS DIMENSÕES NO RETORNO DAS AÇÕES: UM ESTUDO COM DADOS EM PAINEL DO MERCADO BRASILEIRO

Considering that the liquidity is a multidimensional measure, this study aims to evaluate the role of the said liquidity, using different measures and verifying if its use influences the results. The paper analyzes the influence of liquidity in stock returns in the Brazilian’s financial market, using the measure proposed by Amihud (2002), as well as the traditional measures, such as financial volume, number of trades, the spread and the turnover. Therefore, we used data from December 1994 to April 2010 of the stocks traded on the Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange (BM&FBOVESPA). We concluded that the expected market illiquidity, as well as the spread has positive and statistically significant impact on stock returns. Meanwhile, the unexpected market illiquidity, just like the number of trades has a negative and statistically significant impact on the stock returns. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.19094/451
Intrinsic motivation mecanisms for incremental learning of visual saliency. (Apprentissage incrémental de la saillance visuelle par des mécanismes de motivation intrinsèque)

Conceiving autonomous perceptual systems, such as robots able to accomplish a set of tasks in a safe way, without any human assistance, is one of the biggest challenge of the century. To this end, the developmental robotics suggests to conceive robots able to learn by interacting directly with their environment, just like children would. This thesis is exploring such possibility while restricting the problem to the one of localizing objects of interest (or salient objects) within the robot’s environment.For that, we present in this work a mechanism able to learn visual saliency directly on a robot, then to use the learned model so as to localize salient objects within their environment. The advantage of this method is the creation of models dedicated to the robot’s environment and tasks it should be asked to accomplish, while remaining flexible to any change or novelty in the environment.Furthermore, we have developed exploration strategies based on intrinsic motivations, widely used in developmental robotics, to enable efficient learning of good quality. In particular, we adapted the IAC algorithm to visual saliency leanring, and proposed an extension, RL-IAC to allow an efficient exploration on mobile robots.In order to verify and analyze the performance of our algorithms, we have carried out various experiments on several robotics platforms, including a foveated system and a mobile robot, as well as publicly available datasets.
Effects of differential correction on accuracy of a GPS animal location system

The location error of uncorrected data from Global Positioning System (GPS) collars range from ca. 45.5 to 65.5 m (Rempel et al. 1995). Improvements that potentially could reduce locational error to <10 m include correcting systematic bias by reference to GPS data collected at a known position (differential correction), increase in the proportion of positions based on ranging 4 rather than 3 satellites (3-dimensional node), and increase in the proportion of positions based on a well-spaced satellite configuration (low dilution of precision). Design changes meant to achieve these results were implemented in the second generation GPS collars we evaluated (Lotek Eng. Inc. 1996). We tested the performance of these collars under the controlled canopy conditions of the Thunder Bay experimental forest. Differential correction caused location error to decrease from 80 to 4 m (P < 0.0001), and the range of 25-75th percentile location error to decrease from 74.3 to 5.0 m. Location error among sample sites was greatest under tall red pines (Pinus resinosa; 15.7 m), possibly because the tall trunks interfered with signal reception, resulting in the acceptance of either 2-dimensional mode positions or positions based on poor satellite configuration (high dilution of precision), or because of multipathing effects caused by signal bounce off the tree trunks. Implementation of differential correction may involve substantial costs to maintain a GPS basestation and data handling, so effectiveness of this enhanced technology must be judged against study objectives and data requirements of the hypotheses being tested.
Making Schools Career-Focused

Examines a group of high schools that have embraced career majors as the organizing device for school improvement efforts. Focuses on why school leaders chose schoolwide career-focused education as a reform tool, how career majors have evolved in response to a broad set of objectives, and what key challenges schools face in implementing the curricula.
Clinical Concentrations of Thioridazine Kill Intracellular Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT The phenothiazines chlorpromazine (CPZ) and thioridazine (TZ) have equal in vitro activities against antibiotic-sensitive and -resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These compounds have not been used as anti-M. tuberculosis agents because their in vitro activities take place at concentrations which are beyond those that are clinically achievable. In addition, chronic administration of CPZ produces frequent severe side effects. Because CPZ has been shown to enhance the killing of intracellular M. tuberculosis at concentrations in the medium that are clinically relevant, we have investigated whether TZ, a phenothiazine whose negative side effects are less frequent and serious than those associated with CPZ, kills M. tuberculosis organisms that have been phagocytosed by human macrophages, which have nominal killing activities against these bacteria. Both CPZ and TZ killed intracellular antibiotic-sensitive and -resistant M. tuberculosis organisms when they were used at concentrations in the medium well below those present in the plasma of patients treated with these agents. These concentrations in vitro were not toxic to the macrophage, nor did they affect in vitro cellular immune processes. TZ thus appears to be a serious candidate for the management of a freshly diagnosed infection of pulmonary tuberculosis or as an adjunct to conventional antituberculosis therapy if the patient originates from an area known to have a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates. Nevertheless, we must await the outcomes of clinical trials to determine whether TZ itself may be safely and effectively used as an antituberculosis agent.
Modulation of murine dendritic cell function by adenine nucleotides and adenosine: Involvement of the A2B receptor

Adenosine triphosphate has previously been shown to induce semi‐mature human monocyte‐derived dendritic cells (DC). These are characterized by the up‐regulation of co‐stimulatory molecules, the inhibition of IL‐12 and the up‐regulation of some genes involved in immune tolerance, such as thrombospondin‐1 and indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase. The actions of adenosine triphosphate are mediated by the P2Y11 receptor; since there is no functional P2Y11 gene in the murine genome, we investigated the action of adenine nucleotides on murine DC. Adenosine 5′‐(3‐thiotriphosphate) and adenosine inhibited the production of IL‐12p70 by bone marrow‐derived DC (BMDC). These inhibitions were relieved by 8‐p‐sulfophenyltheophylline, an adenosine receptor antagonist. The use of selective ligands and A 2B–/– BMDC indicated the involvement of the A2B receptor. A microarray experiment, confirmed by quantitative PCR, showed that, in presence of LPS, 5′‐(N‐ethylcarboxamido) adenosine (NECA, the most potent A2B receptor agonist) regulated the expression of several genes: arginase I and II, thrombospondin‐1 and vascular endothelial growth factor were up‐regulated whereas CCL2 and CCL12 were down‐regulated. We further showed that NECA, in combination with LPS, increased the arginase I enzymatic activity. In conclusion, the described actions of adenine nucleotides on BMDC are mediated by their degradation product, adenosine, acting on the A2B receptor, and will possibly lead to an impairment of Th1 response or tolerance.
Phase II Clinical Study of Cladribine in the Treatment of Hairy Cell Leukemia

We conducted a phase II clinical study to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of cladribine (2-chlorodeoxyadenosine [2-CdA]) in the treatment of Japanese patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL). Seven patients with classic HCL and 3 with a prolymphocytic HCL variant were administered 2-CdA (0.09 mg/kg per day) by continuous intravenous infusion for 7 days. Seven patients responded to this therapy, with 5 patients achieving a complete response (CR). After a median follow-up of 792 days (range, 599-1253 days), there were no cases of clinical relapse, and the median duration of the response in the responders was 670+ days (range, 470+ to 1121+ days). The median duration of the CR in the CR patients was 953+ days (range, 480+ to 1121+ days). At treatment initiation, most patients had hematologic impairment as a manifestation of HCL. During the early stage after administration, further hematologic impairment occurred, but subsequent peripheral blood counts gradually recovered as 2-CdA treatment showed antitumor activity. Infections occurred at a high incidence at this time, but all cases could be controlled with appropriate treatment. 2-CdA was surmised to represent a useful therapeutic approach for Japanese patients with HCL.
Increased vascular density is a persistent feature of airway remodeling in a sheep model of chronic asthma

ABSTRACT Background: Increases in blood vessel density and vascular area are now recognized as important features of remodeled airways in asthma. However, the time sequence for these vascular changes and whether they resolve in the absence of continued antigenic exposure is not well elucidated. The aim of the present study was to correlate progressive changes in airway vascularity with changes in functional airway responses in sheep chronically challenged with house dust mite (HDM) allergen, and to examine the resolution of vascular remodeling following allergen withdrawal. Methods: Progressive changes in vascular indices were examined in four spatially separate lung segments that received weekly challenges with HDM allergen for 0, 8, 16, or 24 weeks. Reversibility of these changes was assessed in a separate experiment in which two lung segments received 24 weeks of HDM challenges and either no rest or 12 weeks rest. Lung tissue was collected from each segment 7 days following the final challenge and vascular changes assessed by a morphometric analysis of airways immunohistochemically stained with an antibody against type IV collagen. Results: Blood vessel density and percent airway vascularity were significantly increased in bronchi following 24 weeks of HDM challenges compared to untreated controls (P < .05), but not at any of the other time-points. There was no significant correlation between vascular indices and airway responses to allergic or nonspecific stimuli. The increase in blood vessel density induced by repeated allergen exposures did not return to baseline levels following a 12-week withdrawal period from allergen. Conclusions: Our results show for the first time that the airways of sheep chronically exposed to HDM allergen undergo vascular remodeling. These findings show the potential of this large animal model for investigating airway angiogenesis in asthma.
Sequential Roles of Receptor Binding and Low pH in Forming Prehairpin and Hairpin Conformations of a Retroviral Envelope Glycoprotein

ABSTRACT A general model has been proposed for the fusion mechanisms of class I viral fusion proteins. According to this model a metastable trimer, anchored in the viral membrane through its transmembrane domain, transits to a trimeric prehairpin intermediate, anchored at its opposite end in the target membrane through its fusion peptide. A subsequent refolding event creates a trimer of hairpins (often termed a six-helix bundle) in which the previously well-separated transmembrane domain and fusion peptide (and their attached membranes) are brought together, thereby driving membrane fusion. While there is ample biochemical and structural information on the trimer-of-hairpins conformation of class I viral fusion proteins, less is known about intermediate states between native metastable trimers and the final trimer of hairpins. In this study we analyzed conformational states of the transmembrane subunit (TM), the fusion subunit, of the Env glycoprotein of the subtype A avian sarcoma and leukosis virus (ASLV-A). By analyzing forms of EnvA TM on mildly denaturing sodium dodecyl sulfate gels we identified five conformational states of EnvA TM. Following interaction of virions with a soluble form of the ASLV-A receptor at 37°C, the metastable form of EnvA TM (which migrates at 37 kDa) transits to a 70-kDa and then to a 150-kDa species. Following subsequent exposure to a low pH (or an elevated temperature or the fusion promoting agent chlorpromazine), an additional set of bands at >150 kDa, and then a final band at 100 kDa, forms. Both an EnvA C-helix peptide (which inhibits virus fusion and infectivity) and the fusion-inhibitory agent lysophosphatidylcholine inhibit the formation of the >150- and 100-kDa bands. Our data are consistent with the 70- and 150-kDa bands representing precursor and fully formed prehairpin conformations of EnvA TM. Our data are also consistent with the >150-kDa bands representing higher-order oligomers of EnvA TM and with the 100-kDa band representing the fully formed six-helix bundle. In addition to resolving fusion-relevant conformational intermediates of EnvA TM, our data are compatible with a model in which the EnvA protein is activated by its receptor (at neutral pH and a temperature greater than or equal to room temperature) to form prehairpin conformations of EnvA TM, and in which subsequent exposure to a low pH is required to stabilize the final six-helix bundle, which drives a later stage of fusion.
Interleukin-1b and interleukin-1 receptor inhibitor gene cluster polymorphisms in patients with coronary artery disease after percutaneous angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND Pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1b (IL-1b) plays a role in atherosclerosis. The results of several studies on the association between polymorphism of the IL-1b gene cluster and the course of coronary atherosclerosis have been inconclusive. AIM To investigate retrospectively whether the patients with the most common variants of polymorphism of the IL-1b gene cluster differ with respect to localisation and extent of coronary atherosclerosis to a degree which may influence the treatment strategy. METHODS Ninety-two consecutive out-patients (age 39-83, male sex 74%) with coronary artery disease confirmed by angiography were included. In this group, 23 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and 69 percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) of whom in 16 repeated treatment was performed. The polymorphisms of the IL-1b gene - transition C/T at -511 and -31 position - as well as of the IL-1 receptor antagonist gene (IL-1RN) - an 86-base pair variable-number tandem repeat in intron 2 - were determined by PCR. Out of the 54 theoretically possible combinations of polymorphisms, 17 were found in the studied group. The three most common combinations of polymorphisms were selected. The fraction of patients treated by means of primary or elective percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI, ePCI) and by means of CABG were compared between the subgroups with one of the 3 most common combinations of polymorphisms. RESULTS The most frequent combinations of polymorphisms were - Variant A: -31 C/T, -511C/T, RN 1/1 - 32.6%; Variant B: -31T/T, -511C/C, RN 1/1 - 27.1%; Variant C: -31C/T, -11C/T, RN 1/2 - 10.8%. The remaining patients (29.5%) represented 14 variants present in very small subgroups consisting only of 1, 2 or 3 persons. Statistical analysis showed that patients with the second most common variant of studied polymorphisms (variant B) were significantly more frequently treated with CABG in comparison to the two other variants. Also, repeated PCI was most frequent in this subgroup. CONCLUSION The data presented here suggest that carriers of the two relatively frequent variants of the IL-1b gene at -31 and -511 position, i.e. -31TT and -511CC, are at a higher risk of developing coronary artery disease requiring surgical treatment or two-stage percutaneous angioplasty.