Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mise en place des nodosites du pois proteagineux de printemps (pisum sativum l. ). Influence de la nutrition carbonee

Nous avons analyse l'elaboration de la matiere seche des nodosites du pois de printemps. Dans un premier temps, nous avons etudie en conditions controlees les cinetiques d'installation relatives du systeme racinaire et des nodosites. Puis, nous avons etudie au champ le role de l'alimentation carbonee sur le niveau de matiere seche des nodosites. Enfin, nous avons elargi notre travail a l'etude de quelques facteurs ou choix techniques susceptibles d'affecter la nodulation au champ. A l'echelle de la racine, nous avons mis en evidence l'existence d'une relation entre la presence ou l'absence de nodosites sur un segment racinaire donne et la vitesse d'elongation de la racine pendant la phase infection-apparition theorique des nodosites sur ce segment. Il n'y a pas apparition de nodosites lorsque la vitesse d'elongation de la racine est inferieure a une certaine vitesse seuil. A l'echelle de la plante, nous avons montre l'importance de l'alimentation carbonee sur le niveau de matiere seche des nodosites. L'existence de priorites entre les parties aeriennes et les racines sur les nodosites, en situation de rayonnement limitant, a egalement ete mise en evidence. Parmi les facteurs ou conditions susceptibles d'affecter la nodulation au champ, il a ete possible de distinguer deux groupes: ceux qui ont un effet indirect sur la nodulation en modifiant l'alimentation carbonee de la plante (par exemple, les dates de semis); ceux qui ont un effet direct sur la nodulation (par exemple, la presence d'azote mineral). En conclusion la possibilite d'un diagnostic sur la mise en place des nodosites au champ est discutee
Thermodynamic Consequences of Grafting Enhanced Affinity toward the Mutated Antigen onto an Antibody

In order to address the mechanism of enhancement of the affinity of an antibody toward an antigen from a thermodynamic viewpoint, anti-hen lysozyme (HEL) antibody HyHEL-10, which also recognize the mutated antigen turkey lysozyme (TEL) with reduced affinity, was examined. Grafting high affinity toward TEL onto HyHEL-10 was performed by saturation mutagenesis into four residues (Tyr53, Ser54, Ser56, and Tyr58) in complementarity-determining region 2 of the heavy chain (CDR-H2) followed by selection with affinity for TEL. Several clones enriched have a Phe residue at site 58. Thermodynamic analyses showed that the clones selected had experienced a greater than 3-fold affinity increase toward TEL in comparison with wild-type Fv, originating from an increase in negative enthalpy change. Substitution of HyHEL-10 HTyr58 with Phe led to the increase in negative enthalpy change and to almost identical affinity for TEL in comparison with mutants selected, indicating that mutations at other sites decrease the entropy loss despite little contribution to the affinity for TEL. These results suggest that the affinity of an antibody toward the antigen is enhanced by the increase in enthalpy change by some limited mutation, and excess entropy loss due to the mutation is decreased by other energetically neutral mutations.
Divergent Hypoxia Tolerance in Adult Males and Females of the Plainfin Midshipman (Porichthys notatus)

In the summer, the plainfin midshipman (Poricththys notatus) migrates to reproduce in the nearshore environment, where oxygen levels are influenced by the tidal cycles. Parental males establish nests under rocks in the intertidal zone, where they reside until the eggs they guard are fully developed. In contrast, females and sneaker males leave the nests shortly after spawning. We examined the physiological resistance and metabolic response of parental male and female adult midshipman to hypoxia to test whether they exhibited sex-specific differences reflecting their reproductive strategies. Further, we assessed whether metabolic enzymes and metabolites were differentially enriched in tissues of parental males and females to explain the differences observed in their hypoxia tolerance. While parental males and females exhibited similar depression of their oxygen consumption in response to graded hypoxia, parental males could withstand significantly longer exposures to severe hypoxic stress. At the biochemical level, parental males showed higher hepatic glycogen reserves and higher glycolytic enzyme capacities in gills and skeletal muscles than females. Although some of these enzymatic variations could be explained by differences in body size, we also observed a significant effect of sex on some of these factors. These results suggest that parental male midshipman may benefit from sexual dimorphism at the whole-organismal (larger body size) and biochemical (enzyme activities) levels, conferring on them a higher glycolytic potential to sustain the extensive hypoxia bouts they experience in nature.
Compact high-current accelerators based on the radan SEF-303 pulsed power source

Compact RADAN-series high-current accelerators with a Tesla transformer have already demonstrated their large capabilities in the construction of diverse electrophysical apparatus, such as relativistic millimeter-band microwave oscillators, battery-supplied X-ray apparatus and gas lasers. Such accelerators have been efficiently used for studying rapid processes in solid state physics, chemistry, and biology 111. Compactness, the absence of stringent requirements for vacuum conditions, rooms, and personnel qualification, low noise level, and compatibility with modern measuring equipment make an accelerator of this kind an inexpensive, efficient, and versatile research tool, especially in areas that are unconventional for pulsed power apparatus. A major drawback of such systems in that the gas discharge commutators and electronics tubes have a restricted life time, normally between lo5 and 106 pulses
The Risky Capital of Emerging Markets

We use macroeconomic data to build a panel of international capital returns over a long horizon across both developed and developing countries. We document two facts: poor and emerging markets exhibit (1) high average returns to capital and (2) high betas on US returns. We quantitatively explore whether consumption-based risk faced by a US investor can reconcile these patterns. Long-run risks lead to return disparities at least 55% as large as those in the data. Fact (2), although not a sufficient statistic, is informative about the extent of long-run risk in foreign capital, and so about fact (1).
Does pregnancy increase the risk of multiple sclerosis?

The association of pregnancy and onset or relapse of multiple sclerosis is well known to every clinician and raises practical problems in clinical work. The problem of the relationship between multiple sclerosis and pregnancy and childbirth had been the subject of several investigations. Early investigators (Beck, 1913) considered pregnancy so detrimental to patients with multiple sclerosis that therapeutic abortion was recommended. However, termination of pregnancy did not guarantee remission (von Hoesslin, 1934). Millar, Allison, Cheeseman, and Merrett (1959), in a careful analysis of the subject, concluded that the exacerbation rate of multiple sclerosis among women who had been pregnant was increased as compared with women who had not been pregnant, and Schapira, Poskanzer, Newell, and Miller (1966) also found that the frequency of relapse among women with multiple sclerosis who had been pregnant was somewhat higher than in non-pregnant patients. In contrast to the above studies, there are others which purport to have found no detrimental effect of pregnancy upon the course of the disease (Muller, 1949; Tillman, 1950; McAlpine and Compston, 1952). Kurland (1952) pointed out that the childbearing period corresponds to the ages during which multiple sclerosis is active, namely, 15 to 45. If a woman were pregnant only three times then she would spend about 36 months in a pregnant or post-partum state and chance association with the onset or exacerbation of multiple sclerosis of about the extent reported would be possible. If pregnancy and delivery had an aetiological role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, then a comparison of the obstetrical histories of patients with multiple sclerosis and controls before the onset of illness might be of interest. The present study uses this approach, comparing the obstetrical history of
Mycobacterium bovis with different genotypes and from different hosts induce dissimilar immunopathological lesions in a mouse model of tuberculosis

With the hypothesis that genetic variability of Mycobacterium bovis could influence virulence and immunopathology, five M. bovis strains were selected from an epidemiological study in Argentina on the basis of their prevalence in cattle and occurrence in other species. We then determined the virulence and the immunopathology evoked by these strains in a well‐characterized mouse model of progressive pulmonary tuberculosis. The reference strain AN5 was used as a control. BALB/c mice infected with this M. bovis reference strain showed 50% survival after 4 months of infection, with moderate bacillary counts in the lung. Two weeks after inoculation, it induced a strong inflammatory response with numerous granulomas and progressive pneumonia. In contrast, strain 04‐303, isolated from a wild boar, was the most lethal and its most striking feature was sudden pneumonia with extensive necrosis. Strain 04‐302, also isolated from wild boar but with a different spoligotype, induced similar pathology but to a lesser extent. In contrast, strains 534, V2 (both from cattle) and 02‐2B (from human) were less virulent, permitting higher survival after 4 months of infection and limited tissue damage. Strain AN5 and the cattle and human isolates induced rapid, high and stable expression of interferon (IFN)‐γ and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In contrast, the more virulent strains induced lower expression of IFN‐γ, tumour necrosis factor‐α and iNOS. Interestingly, these more virulent strains induced very low expression of murine beta defensin 4 (mBD‐4); whereas, the control strain AN5 induced progressive expression of this anti‐microbial peptide, peaking at day 120. The less virulent strains induced high mBD‐4 expression during early infection. Thus, as reported with clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis also showed variable virulence. This variability can be attributed to the induction of a different pattern of immune response.
Sickness Absenteeism, Morbidity and Workplace Injuries among Iron and Steel workers - A Cross Sectional Study from Karnataka, Southern India.

BACKGROUND The study of illnesses causing absence of workers from work in industries is a practical method to study the health status of industrial workers and to identify occupational health hazards. The iron and steel industries are particularly hazardous places of work. Published data from India on health status of iron and steel workers is limited, therefore this study was undertaken to investigate the sickness absenteeism, morbidity and workplace injuries among this population. METHOD Workers were selected using stratified random sampling. A structured pre-tested interview schedule was used to collect the data. A p value of < 0.05 was considered for statistical significance. RESULTS From a total of 2525 workers, 353 (mean age 55.1 yrs, male 69.4%) participated in the study. The overall proportion of sickness absenteeism was 66.9% (95% CI: 0.62 - 0.71). Overall 16.4 days were lost per worker per year (male = 16.5 & female = 16.2) due to sickness absence. A blue collar worker lost 21.5 days compared to 11.9 days by a white collar worker (p > 0.01). Among workers, health ailments related to the musculoskeletal system (31.4%), gastrointestinal system (25.8%), hypertension (24.4%), respiratory system (18.1%) and other minor ailments (19.3%) were found to be high. CONCLUSION Sickness absenteeism is significantly higher among iron and steel workers when compared to other occupations in India. Blue collar workers and shift workers loose higher number of days due to sickness absence, and they face problems related to musculoskeletal system, gastrointestinal system and hypertension in higher proportions compared to their counterparts. Women experienced hypertension as the common health problem and higher proportions of injuries outside the work environment.
Psychosocial predictors of vulnerability to distress in the year following heart transplantation

Synopsis This study examines psychological symptomatology in a cohort of 72 heart transplant recipients followed longitudinally during their first year post-transplant. In keeping with research on other domains of life stressors and illnesses, a central study goal was to identify pre-transplant and perioperative psychosocial factors associated with increased vulnerability to, and maintenance of, elevated psychological distress levels post-transplant. Average anxiety and depression levels, but not anger–hostility symptoms, were substantially elevated in the early post-transplant period, relative to normative data. Average symptom levels improved significantly over time, although one-third of the sample continued to have high distress levels at all follow-up assessments. Recipients with any of seven psychosocial characteristics at initial interview were particularly susceptible to continued high average distress levels over time: a personal history of psychiatric disorder prior to transplant; younger age; lower social support from their primary family caregiver; exposure to recent major life events involving loss; poor self-esteem; a poor sense of mastery; and use of avoidance coping strategies to manage health problems. Recipients without such factors showed improvement in average distress levels across the assessment period. These effects were stronger for anxiety than depressive symptoms, with the exception of a sizeable relationship between loss events and subsequent depression. The findings suggest that clinical interventions designed to minimize prolonged emotional distress post-transplant need to be closely tailored to heart recipients' initial psychosocial assets and liabilities.
A Step Closer to Identifying Patients at Risk of Developing Clinically Significant Type II Endoleaks

Nearly 20 years after the introduction of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), endoleak remains the single most significant drawback inherent to this technology. The presence of endoleak risks continued sac enlargement and late aneurysm rupture, mandating aggressive post-EVAR imaging surveillance and frequent secondary interventions, both of which significantly increase the long-term financial burden of this procedure. As a result, endoleaks have become a persistent topic of clinical concern and academic research interest. While types I and III endoleaks have been relatively well defined, including risk factors for development and appropriate management, type II endoleaks remain a subject of continual controversy. Overall, the occurrence, clinical behavior (transient vs. persistent), and outcomes (benign vs. risk of continued aneurysm enlargement and increased rupture risk) are only variably predictable at best, leading to confusion in management strategies. What experts do agree on is that a persistent type II endoleak responsible for aneurysm expansion deserves reintervention to prevent the theoretical risk of future rupture. Importantly, even when resolving to treat only this subset of patients, type II endoleaks constitute a significant proportion of those requiring reinterventions following EVAR. Marchiori and colleagues investigated factors contributing to the development of persistent type II endoleaks following EVAR. The authors state that while ‘‘there are several reports discussing predictive factors for type II endoleak development. most make no distinction between transitory or persistent leaks. ’’ However, in 2001, Arko et al. published predictive factors of type II endoleak, distinguishing between those with no leak, transient leaks, and persistent leaks. They concluded that a patent inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) of increasing diameter is progressively associated with the development of persistent type II leaks, as are a greater number of patent lumbar arteries, with the risk specifically greater in those with . 2 patent lumbar arteries. In Marchiori’s report, risk factors for persistent type II endoleaks included the presence of $4 lumbar arteries with at least one . 2 mm in diameter and the presence of at least 1 patent hypogastric artery, the latter of which is probably associated with increased number and size of patent lumbar arteries. They did not find the presence of a patent IMA to be a predictive factor, but they also did not report IMA size, which was a stronger predictive factor than just patency of this vessel in the prior study. Marchiori and colleagues also found a correlation between increased intraluminal thrombus and a decreased number of patent lumbar vessels. Recently, Abularrage et al. studied 136 patients with persistent endoleaks over a mean follow-up of 34.8 months. They reported that a patent IMA, an increased number of
La réfrigération solaire à adsorption

Le Laboratoire d'energetique solaire et de solaire et de physique du bâtiment 1 (Lesbat) de la Haute Ecole d'Ingenieurs et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud (HEIG-VD) en Suisse est actif dans le domaine des energies renouvelables depuis plus de deux decennies. Le developpement de refrigerateurs solaires a adsorption est l'un des axes principaux de recherche appliquee de ces dernieres annees. Ces systemes ont ete prevus initialement pour la production de froid dans des zones non electrifiees des pays de la zone du Sahel ou la refrigeration est recherchee pour la conservation de produits medicaux et alimentaires. Sur la base de travaux realises par differentes equipes de chercheurs dans les annees 1980, nous avons realise en 1999 un prototype de demonstration, puis differents prototypes de laboratoire pour aboutir a un refrigerateur solaire a adsorption dont la construction est realisable en petites series dans les pays en developpement. Nous avons accompagne nos developpements par un transfert technologique avec le Centre Ecologique Albert Schweitzer 2 au Burkina Faso (CEAS-BF). Cette collaboration a permis de mettre en place une unite de construction operationnelle et independante pour la realisation, l'entretien et la reparation de refrigerateurs solaires a Ouagadougou. Dans cet article, nous presentons le principe de fonctionnement des refrigerateurs solaires a adsorption, des exemples d'evolutions constructives ainsi que le transfert technologique vers le Burkina Faso. Le financement de ce developpement experimental a ete principalement assure par la Fondation Gebert Ruf (Bâle - Suisse).
The Putative Exchange Factor Gef3p Interacts with Rho3p GTPase and the Septin Ring during Cytokinesis in Fission Yeast*

Background: Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) regulate the activity of small GTPases to control cellular functions. Results: Gef3p interacts with the GTPase Rho3p at the division site and localizes to the septin ring. Conclusion: The module Gef3p/Rho3p contributes to downstream events in the secretory pathway. Significance: The interactions between septins and Rho-GEFs provide a new targeting mechanism for GTPases to direct secretion in cytokinesis. The small GTP-binding proteins of the Rho family and its regulatory proteins play a central role in cytokinetic actomyosin ring assembly and cytokinesis. Here we show that the fission yeast guanine nucleotide exchange factor Gef3p interacts with Rho3p at the division site. Gef3p contains a putative DH homology domain and a BAR/IMD-like domain. The protein localized to the division site late in mitosis, where it formed a ring that did not constrict with actomyosin ring (cytokinetic actomyosin ring) invagination; instead, it split into a double ring that resembled the septin ring. Gef3p co-localized with septins and Mid2p and required septins and Mid2p for its localization. Gef3p interacts physically with the GTP-bound form of Rho3p. Although Gef3p is not essential for cell separation, the simultaneous disruption of gef3+ and Rho3p-interacting proteins, such as Sec8p, an exocyst component, Apm1p, a subunit of the clathrin adaptor complex or For3p, an actin-polymerizing protein, yielded cells with strong defects in septation and polarity respectively. Our results suggest that interactions between septins and Rho-GEFs provide a new targeting mechanism for GTPases in cytokinesis, in this case probably contributing to Rho3p function in vesicle tethering and vesicle trafficking in the later steps of cell separation.
Screening for Wilson disease in acute liver failure: A comparison of currently available diagnostic tests

Acute liver failure (ALF) due to Wilson disease (WD) is invariably fatal without emergency liver transplantation. Therefore, rapid diagnosis of WD should aid prompt transplant listing. To identify the best method for diagnosis of ALF due to WD (ALF‐WD), data and serum were collected from 140 ALF patients (16 with WD), 29 with other chronic liver diseases and 17 with treated chronic WD. Ceruloplasmin (Cp) was measured by both oxidase activity and nephelometry and serum copper levels by atomic absorption spectroscopy. In patients with ALF, a serum Cp <20 mg/dL by the oxidase method provided a diagnostic sensitivity of 21% and specificity of 84% while, by nephelometry, a sensitivity of 56% and specificity of 63%. Serum copper levels exceeded 200 μg/dL in all ALF‐WD patients measured (13/16), but were also elevated in non‐WD ALF. An alkaline phosphatase (AP) to total bilirubin (TB) ratio <4 yielded a sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 96%, and a likelihood ratio of 23 for diagnosing fulminant WD. In addition, an AST:ALT ratio >2.2 yielded a sensitivity of 94%, a specificity of 86%, and a likelihood ratio of 7 for diagnosing fulminant WD. Combining the tests provided a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Conclusion: Conventional WD testing utilizing serum ceruloplasmin and/or serum copper levels are less sensitive and specific in identifying patients with ALF‐WD than other available tests. More readily available laboratory tests including alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin and serum aminotransferases by contrast provides the most rapid and accurate method for diagnosis of ALF due to WD. (HEPATOLOGY 2008.)
Occupational Psychophysics to Establish Vision Requirements

Purpose. To develop and implement a comprehensive procedure for determining vision requirements for different vocational and occupational tasks. Methods. Evaluations performed for more than 10 state agencies and businesses were conducted over a period of approximately 9 years. The procedure included a literature review, an assessment of potential visual functions to address, a formal job analysis, interviews with incumbent workers, obtaining advice and recommendations from subject matter experts (experienced incumbents and administrators), development of job-related simulation studies, linkage of simulation results to the job analysis, a review of appeals and critical incidents, a thorough assessment of work environments and conditions, and final recommendations. Results. Examples of occupational simulations for quantitative job-related task performance for best-corrected visual acuity, uncorrected visual acuity, color vision, peripheral vision, the use of one vs. two eyes, naïve vs. experienced incumbents, and impoverished visual conditions are presented. Changes in task performance and confidence ratings were obtained for various levels of degraded vision. Discussion. This procedure, referred to as “occupational psychophysics,” provides a quantitative systematic method of defining the vision requirements for various essential job functions. In conjunction with the frequency of performance, requirements at entry to the job, safety, reasonable accommodation, alteration of the work environment, and administrative issues, this approach provides a quantitative, rational basis for establishing job-related vision requirements.