Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Content for the Diagnosis of Iron Deficiency

Identification of iron deficiency (ID) is essential to initiate early treatment to prevent long-term systemic complications of ID anemia. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficiency of the parameter reticulocyte hemoglobin content (CHr) compared with other laboratory parameters in the assessment of ID in a pediatric population. Blood samples were obtained for 237 children who received routine pediatric care visits in a primary care clinic (mean age: 63.7 mo; male:female ratio: 1.08:1). A multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis identified CHr as the most accurate marker independently associated to ID. A CHr cutoff value of 25 pg (sensitivity: 94%; specificity: 80%) proved an optimal performance predicting ID. Therefore, we conclude that the hematologic parameter CHr constitutes a valuable screening tool for the identification of ID with or without anemia in childhood.
First Isolation of the blaOXA-23 Carbapenemase Gene from an Environmental Acinetobacter baumannii Isolate

Acinetobacter baumannii is frequently associated with nosocomial infections, and its increasing resistance to carbapenems may significantly reduce the choice of effective antibiotics ([2][1]). Since the first description of a carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D β-lactamase (CHDL), ARI-1 (renamed OXA-23
Dissimilarités entre jeux de données

La caracterisation de jeu de donnees reste un obstacle majeur pour l'analyse de donnees intelligente. Nombre d'approches a ce probleme agregent les informations decrivant les attributs individuels des jeux de donnees, ce qui represente une perte d'information. Nous proposons une approche par dissimilarite permettant d'eviter cette agregation, et etudions son interet dans la caracterisation des performances d'algorithmes de classification et dans la resolution de problemes de meta-apprentissage.
A versatile conducting interpenetrating polymer network for sensing and actuation

This work deals with a Conducting-Interpenetrating Polymer Network (C-IPN). The C-IPN exhibits very interesting and promising properties which can make it suitable for applications in robotics as a tool to perform tasks in the fields of manipulation, grasping or force measurement. It is known in the literature that such C-IPN may be actuated and bended to interact with other objects. Some of them can also be used as sensors to characterize the interaction. In this paper, we show that actuation and sensing can be performed at the same time. Moreover, we propose analytical models which can be useful for future work to process the C-IPN output and to control them. All results are verified with experimental data.
Imaging Neuronal Pathways of the Rat Basal Ganglia System with 52Mn PET and MEMRI

Introduction: The basal ganglia are components of neuronal circuits responsible for important functions, such as learning, memory, motor control and motivation. Disturbances of these functions are symptoms of neuropsychological diseases, including the Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression and addiction. Since a changed neuronal activity in the involved pathways has been observed in all these diseases, it is important to develop a sensitive tool for functional studies of the neuronal tracts in vivo. The present work proposes 52Mn for tracing neuronal pathways of the rat brain in an activity-dependent manner with positron emission tomography (PET). Several crucial aspects of this application, including the dosage, image quality and quantification, as well as pharmacological properties of the tracer, have been carefully evaluated. Methods: Firstly, the relationship between the dose of non-radioactive Mn2+ injected into the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the signal enhancement it provides in magnetic resonance (MR) images and the dopaminergic toxicity, was assessed. Secondly, a 52Mn phantom study was conducted to evaluate the quality of the obtained PET images. Next, a behavioral test and immunohistochemical staining techniques were used to evaluate the potentially harmful impact of the radioactivity doses in the range from 20 to 170 kBq on motor control system, dopaminergic neurons and the DNA damage. Having defined the non-toxic dose, [11C]methylphenidate and [11C]flumazenil PET measurements were performed to assess the effect of a single intracerebral injection of Mn2+ and 52Mn on the dopaminergic and GABAergic systems, respectively. Finally, the activity-dependence of the 52Mn neuronal transport was studied with pharmacological agents which modulate the neuronal activity. Additionally, an experimental setup for PET with an online measurement of the radioactivity blood level with a blood sampler (BS) was established. It was subsequently used to investigate the impact of different techniques of obtaining the arterial input function (AIF) on the kinetic parameters (KPs) of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG). The KPs estimated using the AIF derived from the manually collected and dispersion-corrected blood samples served as the reference approach. Results: 45 nmol of Mn2+ provided a visible, although not statistically significant, change in the T1 maps 24 h after administration. However, it also caused a dopaminergic lesion at the injection site. The 0.5 nmol dose did not lead to the toxic effect, but it was not sufficient for MR imaging. Furthermore, 50 nmol of Mn2+ significantly reduced binding potential of [11C]flumazenil in the frontal cortex ipsilateral to the injected striatum at 2 days, but not at 4 weeks post-injection. There was no impact of the metal on the binding potential of [11C]methylphenidate. 24 h after the injection of 170 kBq of 52Mn into the VTA, the tracer was clearly visible along the mesolimbic and mesostriatal pathways in the PET images. The…
Pour un TAL responsable [For a responsible NLP]

L'intelligence artificielle (IA) a connu ces dernieres annees de grandes avancees qui ont resonne avec des preoccupations societales. Des instances ont ete creees et ont commence a structurer les problemes poses par ces developpements. Tant pour la societe civile que pour de nombreux scientifiques, le champ de ces instances recouvre les problematiques du traitement automatique des langues (TAL). Dans cet article nous revenons sur certains aspects expliquant la relation entre IA et TAL, mais aussi sur les elements qui les differencient. Nous revenons sur les problemes d'ethique pour l'IA et egalement pour le TAL. Ces questions etant complexes, nous en donnons une lecture en contextualisant les problematiques. Enfin nous argumentons pour ne pas dresser l'ethique comme solution de facto a la reflexion, mais plutot comme occasion de positionner les recherches dans des perspectives plus globales et nous revenons sur le probleme de la relation entre utilisation de modeles numeriques et faculte de les interpreter. ABSTRACT. Artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved in recent years along with societal concerns. Various committees were introduced in order to brainstorm on the consequences of these developments. These authorities are also concerned by Natural Language Processing (NLP), not only as a subfield of AI but also as a specific field with which it interacts. In this article we review the links between AI and NLP but also where they differ. We focus on ethical clues for both of them. Finally we argue for not using ethics as a unique solution, but rather as the way to abstract over our researches. In the end, we go back on how to interpret machine learning methods in the context of NLP. MOTS-CLES : ethique, intelligence artificielle, traitement automatique des langues, epistemolo-gie.
The effect of ECN on short TCP sessions

Explicit congestion notification (ECN) is a method for informing the sender about the network congestion. ECN activation on gateways marks packets instead of dropping them thus lead to faster congestion signal propagation and good network utilization. ECN mechanism does not require generation of additional traffic at the router and can be implemented in the data path of routers. In this paper, we use ns2.29 to investigate the effect of ECN on short TCP sessions using random early detection (RED) gateways. We evaluate the effect of a number of parameters, including buffer size, window size, increase/decrease parameters, size of transfer and RED parameters. We verify that the use of ECN for a slightly big number of short TCP sessions sharing one bottleneck can improve the throughput with fairly less delay.
Injectable Long-Acting Contraceptives

This paper reviews the pharmacologic and epidemiologic data on injectable contraceptives and provides clinicians with clinical insights pertaining to counseling selection initiation and maintenance to facilitate successful use of injectable contraceptives. In the US women have two available options: Depo-Provera (DMPA) a 3-month progestin-only formulation containing 150 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate per injection and Lunelle (MPA/E2C) a 1-month combination containing 25 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate and 5 mg estradiol cypionate per injection. Both DMPA and MPA/E2C offer users effective convenient and reversible birth control choices. In particular DMPA is characteristically associated with amenorrhea. This progestin-only control method can be used by lactating women and by others for whom contraceptive doses of estrogen are contraindicated. However return of fertility can be delayed in women discontinuing DMPA to become pregnant. In some cases use of DMPA also confers important noncontraceptive and therapeutic benefits. On the other hand MPA/E2C is more beneficial to women who are concerned with daily pill taking who prefer regular cycles to amenorrhea and who find monthly injections acceptable and accessible. Like oral contraceptives MPA/E2C also represents an appropriate choice for women who prefer a rapidly reversible contraceptive method. Its contraindications are parallel to those for combined oral contraceptives.
Lösungsraumanalyse für Plug-In-Hybridfahrzeuge hinsichtlich Wirtschaftlichkeit und Bauraumkonzept

Ein verandertes Umfeld fur individuelle Mobilitat lasst neben Elektrofahrzeugen auch Plug-In-Hybridfahrzeuge (PHEVs) in den Fokus der Offentlichkeit rucken. Fur die Entwicklung solcher Fahrzeugkonzepte existiert ein technischer Losungsraum, der sich in Maskonzept, Topologie, Komponententyp und -auslegung gliedert. In einem strukturierten Vorgehen wird der grose technische Losungsraum mit geeigneten Pramissen eingegrenzt. Der Losungsraum aus Energieinhalt des elektrochemischen Hochvolt-Speichers (HV-Speicher) und Leistung der elektrischen Maschine wird hinsichtlich Wirtschaftlichkeit und Bauraumkonzept analysiert. In der Wirtschaftlichkeitsanalyse von PHEVs aus Kaufersicht werden die Mehrkosten in der Anschaffung den reduzierten Verbrauchskosten bei der Nutzung eines PHEVs im Vergleich zu einem rein verbrennungsmotorischen Fahrzeug gegenubergestellt. Die Reduzierung der Verbrauchskosten resultiert aus der Kraftstoffverbrauchseinsparung eines PHEVs, ermittelt mit dem neuen europaischen Fahrzyklus und mit monatelang aufgezeichneten Realfahrten verschiedener Fahrer. Die Wirtschaftlichkeitsanalyse zeigt, dass ein PHEV fur Kaufer ein attraktives Angebot darstellt, vor allem zukunftig sowie abhangig vom Fahr- und Nutzungsprofil. Auserdem wird der optimale Auslegungsbereich des elektrischen Systems eines PHEVs identifiziert. Fur das Optimum darf der Energieinhalt des HV-Speichers nicht zu klein gewahlt werden aufgrund eines hohen Grundbetrags an zusatzlichen Herstellkosten fur Automobilhersteller, der im Rahmen von Mehrkosten an Kaufer weitergegeben wird. HV-Speicher mit eher hoherem Energieinhalt sind auch auserhalb des Optimums wegen der starker steigenden Mehrkosten im Vergleich zum geringer zunehmenden Verbrauchsvorteil. Der Schwerpunkt der Bauraumkonzeptanalysen liegt auf der geometrischen Integration des HV-Speichers in das Gesamtfahrzeug. Dies stellt eine grose Herausforderung dar aufgrund der geringen Energiedichte des HV-Speichers im Vergleich zu Benzin. Die Bauraumanalyse identifiziert bevorzugte Integrationsmoglichkeiten bei PHEVs im Tunnel- und Tankbereich sowie deren Kombination. Der in diesen Bauraumen mogliche Energieinhalt wird durch die HV-Speicheranalyse festgelegt. Der ermittelte optimale Auslegungsbereich im Losungsraum des elektrischen Systems hinsichtlich der Wirtschaftlichkeit aus Kaufersicht wird unter geometrischen Randbedingungen aus der Bauraumkonzeptanalyse weiter eingegrenzt. Der Kern des ganzheitlichen Ansatzes sind entwickelte parametrische Modelle fur die Anwendung in der fruhen Entwicklungsphase auf Komponenten- und Gesamtfahrzeugebene in MATLAB, MS Excel und CATIA V5. Neben den Ergebnissen fur das Jahr 2011/12 zeigen Prognosen die Entwicklungen bis in die Jahre 2020 und 2025. Sensitivitatsanalysen zeigen die Auswirkungen von Variation der Parameter und Pramissen. Der interdisziplinare Ansatz mit der erstmaligen Kombination von Kosten, Verbrauch und Bauraumkonzept eines PHEVs zur optimalen Auslegung des elektrischen Systems stellt den wissenschaftlichen Beitrag dar.
An Overground Robotic Gait Training Program for People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial

Maintaining the ability to walk is one of the significant challenges in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) for keeping a good quality of life as the disease and the aging process progresses. Overground robotic (OR) wearable exoskeletons are promising tools for gait rehabilitation, but currently there is no evidence of their clinical effects on patients with MS. The present study aims to determine the effects of an OR intervention in people with MS and moderate to severe walking disabilities and ascertain if benefits are maintained over a follow-up period of 3 months. This randomized controlled trial will include 36 participants with MS. Inclusion criteria are: older than 18 years, definitive diagnosis of MS, 4.5–7 points on the EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale), and needing one or two canes or crutches for walking outdoors. Subjects in the control group will receive conventional physiotherapy sessions at ADEMBI (Asociación de Esclerosis Múltiple de Bizkaia) provided to control spasticity, maintain articular range and exercise balance. Subjects in the intervention group will receive the same physiotherapy but also participate in a progressive OR gait training program assisted by the EksoTM exoskeleton. The program consists of twice a week individually supervised sessions in two setting modalities: PreGait and ProStepPlus. The training parameters (duration, speed, cadence, length of steps) will be set during the first session and the progression and intensity of the intervention will be adapted to the tolerance of each participant. The primary outcome of this study is gait speed. Secondary outcomes will include physical and cognitive performance tests, clinical, fatigue and quality of life assessments, and changes in the plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines. The present trial is the first analyzing the effectiveness of an OR intervention for gait training in patients with MS. It will help clarify the applicability of robotic technologies to clinical practice, extending the functionality and quality of life of people with MS to face a successful aging process. (ACTRN12619000014156; https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx? id=376548).
Alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in prevention of diarrhoea in weaned piglets: a review.

The weaning time is a crucial period in the management of piglets. The risk of development of post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets is high. PWD is the cause of serious economic losses in pig herds. Since 2006, the use of antibiotic growth promoters for prevention of diarrhoeal diseases in piglets has been banned. This measure also led to the investigation of alternative suitable feed supplements that would be reasonably effi- cient in protecting and sustaining animal health and performance. Various natural materials such as probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, zinc and plant extracts have been tested as effective alternatives to antibiotics. Recently, owing to their high adsorption capacity, research efforts have been conducted on the application of natural clays and clay-based feed supplements. The purpose of this review is to summarize the effect of different alternative components as growth promoters on the health and performance of weaned and growing piglets.
Selection and evaluation of reference genes for expression analysis of Cassi

Cassia obtusifolia, belonging to legume family, is important in many fields with high pharmaceutical, economic, and ecological values. These interests of C. obtusifolia triggered in-depth and fundamental genetic and molecular research. Therefore, the stable reference gene is necessary for normalization of the gene expression studies. In this study, 10 candidate reference genes were subjected to expression analysis in 12 different tissues and under different stresses by qRT-PCR. The expression stability was evaluated using geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper software. In conclusion, different suitable reference genes were selected in different tissues and under different stress. CYP1, EF1α2, ACT2, UBQ1 were the most stable reference genes in all samples. The relative expression levels of WRKY gene were detected to confirm the reliability of the selected reference genes. These results provided suitable reference genes that could be used for normalization in C. obtusifolia tissues and under different stress. Graphical abstract The relative transcript level of WRKY gene in 12 tissues and under different stress normalized by the selected reference genes
Analysis of Possible Intermediate Hosts of the New Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

Four recent articles analyzed the whole-genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 and constructed phylogenetic trees (1–4). It is believed that the virus belongs to the betacoronavirus genus, and the SARS-CoV-2 cluster is situated with the groups of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes)/SARS-like coronaviruses, with fruit bat coronavirus HKU9-1 as the immediate outgroup (2). A recent study pointed out that the similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and BatCoV RaTG13, a virus strain isolated from Rhinolophus yunnanensis, was as high as 96.2% (3). Bats are therefore the most probable source of the virus. Bats can carry many kinds of viruses without becoming ill in response to them (5, 6). There is a huge natural coronavirus pool in bats that sometimes spreads to humans. For example, the Ebola virus originated from the Angora dog bat (Mops condylurus, a fruit-eating bat), although its intermediate host is still unknown (7). TheMERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus originated from the Egyptian tomb bat (Taphozous perforatus) and was transmitted to the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) before going on to infect humans [Figure 1; (8–12)].
Increased sensitivity to mitomycin C‐induced sister chromatid exchange in lymphocytes from patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Treatment of cells with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) results in the generation of reactive oxygen species and the induction of DNA damage. In the present study, we have evaluated the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequencies in lymphocytes from patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). In addition, we have determined the sensitivity of lymphocytes from those patients to SCE induction by 20 and 40 ng/ml mitomycin C (MMC). Patients undergoing HBOT for diabetic feet were exposed to 10 consecutive daily HBO treatments according to a routine therapy protocol. The study began with 12 patients; however, it was not possible to sample all of the patients at all HBOT sessions, and the number of patients gradually decreased towards the end of the HBOT. We observed a statistically significant induction in mean SCE/cell (P < 0.05; n = 11) immediately after the first session of HBOT. Relative to its frequency after the 1st treatment, the mean SCE frequency gradually decreased after the 5th and 10th HBOT sessions and reached baseline (pretherapy) levels 1 day after the last treatment in the four patients that were sampled. The mean MMC‐induced SCE frequency was highest in lymphocytes sampled immediately after the first HBOT session, and significantly higher than the MMC‐induced SCE frequency in cells sampled before HBOT. Unlike the case with untreated cells, MMC‐induced SCE frequencies remained high in lymphocytes sampled at later stages of therapy and mean MMC‐induced SCE frequencies were significantly higher (P < 0.05; n = 4) in lymphocytes sampled 1 day after the last session of HBOT than in lymphocytes sampled from these patients prior to beginning the therapy. The results indicate that HBOT induces SCE and that lymphocytes retain increased sensitivity to the genotoxicity of MMC one day after completing the HBOT. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Elevated Testosterone Reduces Uterine Blood Flow, Spiral Artery Elongation, and Placental Oxygenation in Pregnant Rats

Elevated maternal testosterone levels are shown to cause fetal growth restriction, eventually culminating in sex-specific adult-onset hypertension that is more pronounced in males than in females. In this study, we tested whether uteroplacental and fetoplacental disturbances underlie fetal growth restriction and if these changes vary in male and female placentas. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with vehicle (n=16) or testosterone propionate (0.5 mg/kg per day from gestation day 15–19; n=16). On gestation day 20, we quantified uterine artery blood flow using microultrasound, visualized placental arterial network using x-ray microcomputed tomography, determined fetoplacental hypoxia using pimonidazole and hypoxia-inducible factor-1&agr;, and used Affymetrix array to determine changes in placental expression of genes involved in vascular development. Plasma testosterone levels increased 2-fold in testosterone-injected rats. Placental and fetal weights were lower in rats with elevated testosterone. Uterine artery blood flow was lower, and resistance index was higher in the testosterone group. Radial and spiral artery diameter and length, the number of fetoplacental arterial branches, and umbilical artery diameter were reduced in the testosterone group. In addition, markers of hypoxia in the placentas and fetuses were elevated in the testosterone group. The magnitude of changes in placental vasculature and hypoxia was greater in males than in females and was associated with sex-specific alteration of unique sets of genes involved in angiogenesis and blood vessel morphogenesis. The results demonstrate that elevated testosterone during gestation induces a decrease in uterine arterial blood flow and fetal sex–related uteroplacental vascular changes, which may set the stage for subsequent sex differences in adult-onset diseases.
Long-term View of the Reliability of Archival Storage Systems First Step Towards a Reliability-Aware Storage System Manager

In order for data to be stored reliably for a long time, their reliability must be under continual monitoring, because the storage and outer environment are always changing. Current practices for improving data reliability normally boil down to creating more copies, with simple quantitative analyses that either failed to tolerate the complexity of real world storages or ignored the long term impact of large scale events such as the earthquake. This paper proposes a systematic approach to calculate and monitor the reliability of data during their whole lifetime, and discusses how the output of this model can be used to improve data’s reliability.