Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HULIN (Nicole). – Les Femmes et l’enseignement scientifique. Avec la collaboration de Bénédicte Bilodeau. Postface de Claudine Hermann. – Paris : PUF, 2002. – IX-227 p.

Voici, du a un auteur scientifique, physicienne qui s’est faite historienne, un livre court et clair sur un sujet fondamental : en combien de temps, comment, parti d’une difference considerable avec l’enseignement masculin a tous les niveaux, l’enseignement scientifique feminin s’est-il rapproche jusqu’a s’identifier a celui-ci ? La situation actuelle permet d’observer le peu d’options feminines en faveur des etudes scientifiques. Une serie de decalages dans la legislation, des la loi Guizot,.
Vision par ordinateur pour l'interaction homme-machine fortement couplée. (Computer vision for tightly coupled human computer interaction)

Cette these traite de l'usage de la vision par ordinateur pour des situations d'interaction fortement couplee (IFC) entre l'Homme et la machine. Une interaction est fortement couplee sur un intervalle de temps donne lorsque les systemes humain et artificiel sont engages de maniere continue dans l'accomplissement d'actions physiques mutuellement observables et dependantes sur cet intervalle. Le deplacement d'un objet graphique avec la souris releve de l'IFC. Nous modelisons l'IFC sous la forme d'un systeme en boucle fermee constitue de deux sous-systemes de type stimulus-reponse. Ce modele permet d'identifier des requis applicables a la conception, a la realisation ou a l'evaluation de dispositifs utilisables en IFC. En particulier, nous recommandons une latence inferieure a 50 ms. , une resolution adaptee a la tâche utilisateur et la satisfaction de la stabilite statique. Nous considerons ensuite l'usage de la vision par ordinateur dans ce contexte. Une revue des deux approches dominantes du domaine, vision orientee modele et vision par apparence, nous permet de justifier notre choix de la seconde dont les techniques, de plus faible complexite de calcul, sont susceptibles de satisfaire le requis de latence. Nous presentons ensuite les techniques de vision par ordinateur que nous avons realisees en adoptant une approche resolument dirigee par la tâche utilisateur. Les deux derniers chapitres detaillent nos experimentations a la fois techniques et ergonomiques avec la mise en ¦uvre de deux prototypes : le tableau magique et la fenetre perceptuelle. Le premier utilise un suivi du doigt en vision par ordinateur pour la designation d'inscriptions sur un tableau blanc physique amplifie de services electroniques. La fenetre perceptuelle, quant a elle, utilise un suivi du visage comme nouveau flux d'entree spatiale dans une interface graphique usuelle. Ce flux est utilise pour la navigation dans une fenetre
Sensibilidade e especificidade do índice de massa corporal na estimativa da obesidade e comparação desse índice com métodos antropométricos usados na obtenção do diagnóstico nutricional de escolares

Esse trabalho objetivou descrever o perfil antropometrico e investigar a correlacao entre o indice de massa corporal, perimetro da cintura e percentual de gordura, assim como avaliar os valores de sensibilidade e especificidade entre tres criterios de classificacao do indice de massa corporal usando-se o percentual de gordura como padrao de referencia. This study describes the anthropometric profile, investigates the correlation between body mass index (BMI), waist perimeter and body fat percentage,and evaluates the sensitivity and specificity of the classification criteria of BMI of three classifications using body fat percentage as a reference standard.
Pharmacological and electrophysiological characterization of AZSMO‐23, an activator of the hERG K+ channel

We aimed to characterize the pharmacology and electrophysiology of N‐[3‐(1H‐benzimidazol‐2‐yl)‐4‐chloro‐phenyl]pyridine‐3‐carboxamide (AZSMO‐23), an activator of the human ether‐a‐go‐go‐related gene (hERG)‐encoded K+ channel (Kv11.1).
Network Optimizations on Prediction Server with Multiple Predictors

Toward machine learning based prediction services, the prediction server has multiple predictors and selects an appropriate one based on past feedbacks from the clients. In this case, three messages including request, reply, and feedback, are required for each prediction request. Packets are typically transmitted and received via a network protocol stack in OS kernel, and performance improvement can be expected by avoiding the protocol stack since it degrades the communication performance especially for small packets. We implement the prediction server using network optimization approaches including kernel-bypassing and in-NIC processing approaches. Evaluation results show that these network optimizations are beneficial to improve the prediction server performance compared to a baseline prediction server using a standard network protocol stack.
miR-182 Is Largely Dispensable for Adaptive Immunity: Lack of Correlation between Expression and Function

MicroRNA (miR)-mediated regulation of protein abundance is a pervasive mechanism of directing cellular processes. The well-studied and abundant miR-182 has previously been implicated in many aspects of T cell function, DNA repair, and cancer. In this study, we show that miR-182 is the most highly induced miR in B cells undergoing class-switch recombination. To elucidate the requirement of miR-182 in lymphocyte function, we extensively characterized mice with a targeted deletion of Mir182. We show that despite its dramatic induction, loss of miR-182 has minimal impact on B cell development, the ability of B cells to undergo class-switch recombination ex vivo and to undergo Ag-driven affinity maturation in vivo. Furthermore, in striking contrast to knockdown studies that demonstrated the requirement of miR-182 in T cell function, miR-182–deficient mice display no defect in T cell development and activation. Finally, we show that T cell–dependent immune response to experimental Listeria monocytogenes infection is intact in miR-182–deficient mice. We conclude that, contrary to previous studies, miR-182 does not play a significant role in all measured aspects of mouse adaptive immunity. This striking absence of a phenotype highlights the lack of correlation between expression pattern and functional requirement, underscores the limitations of using knockdown approaches to assess miR requirements, and suggests that miR networks may compensate for the chronic loss of specific miRs.
Novel Transporters from Hemiascomycete Yeasts

We screened nearly one thousand random sequenced targets obtained by partial sequencing of 13 hemiascomycete genomes identified by higher amino acid sequence similarity to a non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein than to a S. cerevisiae protein. Among those sequences we have identified 36 novel phylogenetic clusters of putative transporters which, according to the Transport Commission system (TC-DB, 2002; http:// tcdb.ucsd.edu/tcdb), do not belong to acknowledged S. cerevisiae protein families [De Hertogh et al.: Funct. Integr. Genomics 2002;2:154–170; http://cbi.labri. u-bordeaux.fr/Genolevures]. These novel hemiascomycete transporters comprise 3 channels, 23 secondary transporters, 5 primary transporters and 5 membrane proteins of unknown function.
Infectious Progression of Canine Distemper Virus from Circulating Cerebrospinal Fluid into the Central Nervous System

ABSTRACT In the current study, we generated recombinant chimeric canine distemper viruses (CDVs) by replacing the hemagglutinin (H) and/or phosphoprotein (P) gene in an avirulent strain expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) with those of a mouse-adapted neurovirulent strain. An in vitro experimental infection indicated that the chimeric CDVs possessing the H gene derived from the mouse-adapted CDV acquired infectivity for neural cells. These cells lack the CDV receptors that have been identified to date (SLAM and nectin-4), indicating that the H protein defines infectivity in various cell lines. The recombinant viruses were administered intracerebrally to 1-week-old mice. Fatal neurological signs of disease were observed only with a recombinant CDV that possessed both the H and P genes of the mouse-adapted strain, similar to the parental mouse-adapted strain, suggesting that both genes are important to drive virulence of CDV in mice. Using this recombinant CDV, we traced the intracerebral propagation of CDV by detecting EGFP. Widespread infection was observed in the cerebral hemispheres and brainstems of the infected mice. In addition, EGFP fluorescence in the brain slices demonstrated a sequential infectious progression in the central nervous system: CDV primarily infected the neuroependymal cells lining the ventricular wall and the neurons of the hippocampus and cortex adjacent to the ventricle, and it then progressed to an extensive infection of the brain surface, followed by the parenchyma and cortex. In the hippocampal formation, CDV spread in a unidirectional retrograde pattern along neuronal processes in the hippocampal formation from the CA1 region to the CA3 region and the dentate gyrus. Our mouse model demonstrated that the main target cells of CDV are neurons in the acute phase and that the virus spreads via neuronal transmission pathways in the hippocampal formation. IMPORTANCE CDV is the etiological agent of distemper in dogs and other carnivores, and in many respects, the pathogenesis of CDV infection in animals resembles that of measles virus infection in humans. We successfully generated a recombinant CDV containing the H and P genes from a mouse-adapted neurovirulent strain and expressing EGFP. The recombinant CDV exhibited severe neurovirulence with high mortality, comparable to the parental mouse-adapted strain. The mouse-infectious model could become a useful tool for analyzing CDV infection of the central nervous system subsequent to passing through the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier and infectious progression in the target cells in acute disease.
Modification of Nephila clavipes (Araneae Nephilidae) webs induced by the parasitoids Hymenoepimecis bicolor and H. robertsae (Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae)

Some polysphinctine ichneumonid wasps induce alterations in the web construction behaviour of their host spiders, and then suspend their pupal cocoons from the resulting “cocoon webs”. Cocoon webs that have been described previously appear to be designed to increase the web's mechanical stability, and thus to protect the wasp's cocoon. This study describes the cocoon webs of Nephila clavipes that are induced by two wasp species, Hymenoepimecis bicolor and H. robertsae, and shows that the alterations induced by H. bicolor make the webs more resistant to destruction. The cocoon webs of both species include a hub-like platform from which the cocoon is suspended, and are usually protected by a nearby tangle of barrier lines of variable density. The web alterations induced by H. bicolor are apparently not a consequence of parasitised spiders being in a poorer nutritional state, because orbs spun by parasitised spiders preceding the final “cocoon webs” were not significantly smaller than those of unparasitised spiders. Cocoon webs themselves were all highly reduced, and some of those induced by H. bicolor resemble the “skeleton” webs that are occasionally made by unparasitised N. clavipes. We document a possible spider defence (molting) against polysphinctine parasitisation.
Toxicity assessment and bioaccumulation in zebrafish embryos exposed to carbon nanotubes suspended in Pluronic® F-108

Abstract Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are often suspended in Pluronic® surfactants by sonication, which may confound toxicity studies because sonication of surfactants can create degradation products that are toxic to mammalian cells. Here, we present a toxicity assessment of Pluronic® F-108 with and without suspended CNTs using embryonic zebrafish as an in vivo model. Pluronic® sonolytic degradation products were toxic to zebrafish embryos just as they were to mammalian cells. When the toxic Pluronic® fragments were removed, there was little effect of pristine multi-walled CNTs (pMWNTs), carboxylated MWNTs (cMWNTs) or pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (pSWNTs) on embryo viability and development, even at high concentrations. A gel electrophoretic method coupled with Raman imaging was developed to measure the bioaccumulation of CNTs by zebrafish embryos, and dose-dependent uptake of CNTs was observed. These data indicate that embryos accumulate pMWNTs, cMWNTs and pSWNTs yet there is very little embryo toxicity.
Evaluation of Low-Cost Mitigation Measures Implemented to Improve Air Quality in Nursery and Primary Schools

Indoor air pollution mitigation measures are highly important due to the associated health impacts, especially on children, a risk group that spends significant time indoors. Thus, the main goal of the work here reported was the evaluation of mitigation measures implemented in nursery and primary schools to improve air quality. Continuous measurements of CO2, CO, NO2, O3, CH2O, total volatile organic compounds (VOC), PM1, PM2.5, PM10, Total Suspended Particles (TSP) and radon, as well as temperature and relative humidity were performed in two campaigns, before and after the implementation of low-cost mitigation measures. Evaluation of those mitigation measures was performed through the comparison of the concentrations measured in both campaigns. Exceedances to the values set by the national legislation and World Health Organization (WHO) were found for PM2.5, PM10, CO2 and CH2O during both indoor air quality campaigns. Temperature and relative humidity values were also above the ranges recommended by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). In general, pollutant concentrations measured after the implementation of low-cost mitigation measures were significantly lower, mainly for CO2. However, mitigation measures were not always sufficient to decrease the pollutants’ concentrations till values considered safe to protect human health.
Finding Regularities in Courses Evaluation with K-means Clustering

This paper presents an analysis about the courses evaluation made by university students together with their results in the corresponding exams. The analysis concerns students and courses of a Computer Science program of an Italian University from 2001/2002 to 2007/2008 academic years. Before the end of each course, students evaluate different aspects of the course, such as the organization and the teaching. Evaluation data and the results obtained by students in terms of grades and delays with which they take their exams can be collected and reorganized in an appropriate way. Then we can use clustering techniques to analyze these data thus show possible correlation between the evaluation of a course and the corresponding average results as well as regularities among groups of courses over the years. The results of this type of analysis can possibly suggest improvements in the teaching organization.
Torsional and bending rigidity of the double helix from data on small DNA rings.

We have calculated the variance of equilibrium distribution of a circular wormlike polymer chain over the writhing number, [Wr)2), as a function of the number of Kuhn statistical segments, n. For large n these data splice well with our earlier results obtained for a circular freely jointed polymer chain. Assuming that [delta Lk)2) = [delta Tw)2) we have compared our results with experimental data on the chain length dependence of the [delta Lk)2) value recently obtained by Horowitz and Wang for small DNA rings. This comparison has shown an excellent agreement between theory and experiment and yielded a reliable estimate of the torsional and bending rigidity parameters. Namely, the torsional rigidity constant is C = 3.0. 10(-19) erg cm, and the bending rigidity as expressed in terms of the DNA persistence length is a = 500 A. The obtained value of C agrees well with earlier estimates by Shore and Baldwin as well as by Horowitz and Wang whereas the a value is in accord with the data of Hagerman. We have found the data of Shore and Baldwin on the chain length dependence of the [delta Lk)2) value to be entirely inconsistent with our theorectical results.
Chemical Constituents and Activities of the Essential Oil from Myristica fragrans against Cigarette Beetle Lasioderma serricorne

Essential oil extracted from nutmeg seeds (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) by hydrodistillation was subjected to GC/MS and GC analysis. A total of 27 constituents were identified, of which eugenol (19.9%), methylisoeugenol (16.8%), methyleugenol (16.7%), sabinene (11.8%), and terpinen‐4‐ol (8.5%) were the major components. The essential oil was tested against Lasioderma serricorne for insecticidal and repellent activity, the LD50 value at the end of 24 h exposure period was 19.3 μg/adult. Six active compounds were isolated by bioassay‐guided fractionation. They were identified as eugenol (1), methyleugenol (2), methylisoeugenol (3), elemicin (4), myristicin (5), and safrole (6). Among these isolates, 4 showed the strongest contact toxicity against L. serricorne adults with an LD50 value of 9.8 μg/adult. Repellency of crude oil and active compounds were also determined. Compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 were strongly repellent against the cigarette beetle and exhibited the same level of repellency compared with the positive control, DEET. The results indicate that the essential oil of M. fragrans and its active constituents have potential for development as natural insecticides and repellents to control L. serricorne.
An Ontology-Based Knowledge Sharing Portal for Software Testing

Software testing is a sub area of software engineering which is also a knowledge intensive and collaborative activity. Our previous study results revealed that knowledge in the repositories were outdated, internal documents are unstructured and varied formats, less accessing facilities and lack of targeted delivery methods, such that software testers from software companies are highly affected by not being able to get vital information required to carryout their software testing activities. Ontologies emerge as one of the more appropriate knowledge management tools for supporting knowledge representation, processing, storage and retrieval. A Software testing ontology is designed to represent the necessary software testing knowledge within the software testers' context. The ontology-based Knowledge Sharing Portal is introduced into the semantic representation of software testing knowledge. SPARQL is used as the query language to retrieve software testing knowledge from the semantic storage. Both Ontology experts and non-experts evaluated the developed ontology.
Towards the Optimization of Road Side Unit Placement Using Genetic Algorithm

The most significant elements of a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), besides VANET-enabled vehicles, are roadside units (RSUs). The effectiveness of a VANET mainly depends on the density and location of these RSUs. Throughout the primary stages of VANET, it will not be potential to deploy a big number of RSUs either due to the low marketplace penetration of VANET enabled vehicles or due to the deployment price of RSUs. There is, therefore, a need to optimally place a limited number of RSUs in a specified area in order to accomplish maximum performance. In this paper, we present the well-known genetic algorithm based on RSU location to find an optimal or near optimal solution. We provide the basic simulation environment of this work OSM to download real map data, GatcomSUMO to generate car mobility, SUMO to simulate road traffic, veins model framework for running vehicular network simulations on Omnet++, Omnet++ to simulate realistic network and Matlab to build the algorithm in order to analyze the results. The simulation scenario is based on the Hamra district of Beirut, Lebanon. Based on the genetic algorithm, our proposed RSU placement model demonstrates that an optimal RSU position that can enhance the reception of basic safety message (BSM) delivered from the vehicles, can be accomplished in a specified road-map layout.
The stellate ganglion of the squid Loligo pealeii as a model for neuronal development: expression of a POU Class VI homeodomain gene, Rpf-1.

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A Line-Point Unified Solution to Relative Camera Pose Estimation

In this work we present a unified method of relative camera pose estimation from points and lines correspondences. Given a set of 2D points and lines correspondences in three views, of which two are known, a method has been developed for estimating the camera pose of the third view. Novelty of this algorithm is to combine both points and lines correspondences in the camera pose estimation which enables us to compute relative camera pose with a small number of feature correspondences. Our central idea is to exploit the tri-linear relationship between three views and generate a set of linear equations from the points and lines correspondences in the three views. The desired solution to the system of equations are expressed as a linear combination of the singular vectors and the coefficients are computed by solving a small set of quadratic equations generated by imposing orthonormality constraints for general camera motion. The advantages of the proposed method are demonstrated by experimenting on publicly available data set. Results show the robustness and efficiency of the method in relative camera pose estimation for both small and large camera motion with a small set of points and line features.
Mobile e-Learning for Next Generation Communication Environment

This article develops an environment for mobile e-learning that includes an interactive course, virtual online labs, an interactive online test, and lab-exercise training platform on the fourth generation mobile communication system. The Next Generation Learning Environment (NeGL) promotes the term “knowledge economy. ” Inter-networking has become one of the most popular technologies in mobile e-learning for the next generation communication environment. This system uses a variety of computer embedded devices to ubiquitously access multimedia information, such as smart phones and PDAs. The most important feature is greater available bandwidth. The learning mode in the future will be an international, immediate, virtual, and interactive classroom that enables learners to learn and interact.