Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-linéarité et non stationnarité en hydrologie karstique

Nous nous interessons dans cette etude a l'analyse du fonctionnement de bassins fortement heterogenes presentant un reseau souterrain important. Ces bassins dits "karstiques" possedent de grandes reserves d'eaux de tres grande qualite mais demeurent cependant dans la plupart des cas peu ou mal exploites. Cette etude vise principalement a mettre en evidence les principales difficultes de la modelisation de ces bassins heterogenes et a proposer de nouvelles methodes d'analyses et de simulations de pluies et de debits de sources. Ces techniques sont ensuite validees sur des donnees mesurees sur quatre systemes karstiques des Pyrenees (Ariege) et douze zones situees dans les Causses du Larzac sont analyses dans cette etude. Les series de pluies et de debits ont ete enregistrees a divers pas d'echantillonnage, depuis le pas journalier (sur des periodes de trente ans) jusqu'au pas semi-horaire (sur des periodes de un an environ). Dans une premiere partie, ce travail a consiste a analyser et mettre en evidence les limitations des modeles de type "boite noire" dans l'etude de la relation pluie-debits. Ainsi, un modele lineaire et stationnaire de convolution est propose et utilise en identification et simulation. Il est alors mis en evidence que ce modele statique lineaire ne permet pas de reproduire les evenements extremes (crues et etiages). Pour ces raisons, un modele non lineaire de type Volterra est propose. Dans une deuxieme partie, la non-stationnarite des signaux pluies et debits est mise en evidence par l'introduction d'un nouvel outil d'analyse : l'analyse en ondelettes. Cette transformation permet d'obtenir une vision "temps-echelle" des phenomenes hydrologiques. Celle-ci se decompose en deux methodes principales : l'analyse en ondelettes continue et l'analyse multiresolution. Une interpretation statistique de ces coefficients en ondelettes est aussi propose avec l'introduction du spectre global en ondelettes, simple et croise. L'introduction de ces nouvelles techniques a notamment permis de proposer des interpretations plus fines de la relation pluie-debits. Nous avons ainsi pu mettre en evidence des echelles temporelles caracteristiques dans le fonctionnement de ces systemes. Dans une derniere partie, deux autres techniques sont introduites afin de preciser le comportement des systemes karstiques en fonction de ces echelles caracteristiques. Ce sont l'analyse fractale et l'analyse multifractale. Tous les resultats obtenus doivent maintenant etre introduits dans les modeles de simulation.
Compact and High-Selectivity Microstrip Bandpass Filters Using Triple-/Quad-Mode Stub-Loaded Resonators

In this letter, a class of triple-/quad-mode stub-loaded resonators is proposed and analyzed for application in bandpass filters (BPFs). First, a pair of two identical open-ended stubs, shorter than λ/2, are tap-connected to a λ/2 resonator at two symmetrical positions with respect to its center. It results to excite three resonant modes closely to each other while producing a transmission zero above its resonant frequencies. Next, a single open-ended stub, longer than λ/2, is introduced at the center of the resonator. This arrangement is made to bring out a fourth resonant mode approaching the above three modes while causing a transmission zero below all of them. As such, a quad-mode resonator, self-contained with two transmission zeros, is theoretically constituted. Finally, the triple- and quad-pole BPFs with miniaturized size and sharpened roll-off skirts are designed and fabricated to provide an experimental validation on the predicted performances of the proposed filters.
Outcome Study of Surgical Treatment for Axial Neck Pain

Background. We reviewed our surgical treatment of chronic axial cervical pain over a 4-year period to determine whether surgery in selected cases was associated with favorable outcomes. Methods. We retrospectively studied 27 consecutive cases (20 patients with follow-up) of longstanding axial cervical spine pain treated surgically by a single surgeon from June 1994 through August 1998. Diagnostic workup included the following when appropriate: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) with interview, provocative diskography (with a nonpainful control level), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and diagnostic facet injection. Twenty patients (74%) responded to a postoperative telephone survey. Results. For general outcome measures, 85% of patients reported satisfaction with pain relief and surgical result. Ninety-five percent stated they would repeat the procedure; 85% manifested improvement in Prolo score. Conclusions. Surgical treatment of chronic axial neck pain, when preceded by thorough evaluation, can yield excellent clinical results.
History and rationale of genetic toxicity testing: An impersonal, and sometimes personal, view

Genetic toxicity testing is a necessary and pivotal component of product development and registration. This article traces the historical development and evolution of genetic toxicity testing, and the rationale for such testing, and identifies some of the individuals who played key roles in this process. The evolution of the present test batteries and some of the research and rationales behind the decisions to accept or reject tests are described. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dissection of the molecular consequences of a double mutation causing a human lysosomal disease.

Aspartylglucosaminidase (AGA) is a lysosomal enzyme, the deficiency in which leads to human storage disease aspartylglucosaminuria (AGU). AGUFin is the most common AGU mutation in the world and is found in 98% of AGU alleles in Finland, where the population displays enrichment of the disease allele. The AGUFin allele actually contains a double mutation, both individual mutations resulting in amino acid substitutions: Arg-161-->Gln and Cys-163-->Ser. The separate consequences of these two amino acid substitutions for the intracellular processing of the AGA polypeptides were analyzed using a stable expression of mutant polypeptides in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The synthesized polypeptides were monitored by metabolic labeling, followed by immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and immunoelectron microscopy. The Arg-161-->Gln substitution did not affect the intracellular processing or transport of AGA and the fully active enzyme was correctly targeted to lysosomes. The Cys-163-->Ser substitution prevented the early proteolytic cleavage required for the activation of the precursor AGA polypeptide and the inactive enzyme was accumulated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The precursors of the translation products of the AGUFin double mutant and the Cys-163-->Ser mutant were also observed in the culture medium. When cells expressing the normal AGA or AGUFin double mutation were treated with DTT to prevent the formation of disulfide bonds, both normal and mutated AGA polypeptides remained in the inactive precursor form and were not secreted into the medium. These results indicate that correct initial folding is essential for the proteolytic activation of AGA. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
MDM2 Promotes Ubiquitination and Degradation of MDMX

ABSTRACT The p53 tumor suppressor is regulated by MDM2-mediated ubiquitination and degradation. Mitogenic signals activate p53 by induction of ARF expression, which inhibits p53 ubiquitination by MDM2. Recent studies showed that the MDM2 homolog MDMX is also an important regulator of p53. We present evidence that MDM2 promotes MDMX ubiquitination and degradation by the proteasomes. This effect is stimulated by ARF and correlates with the ability of ARF to bind MDM2. Promotion of MDM2-mediated MDMX ubiquitination requires the N-terminal domain of ARF, which normally inhibits MDM2 ubiquitination of p53. An intact RING domain of MDM2 is also required, both to interact with MDMX and to provide E3 ligase function. Increase of MDM2 and ARF levels by DNA damage, recombinant ARF adenovirus infection, or inducible MDM2 expression leads to proteasome-mediated down-regulation of MDMX levels. Therefore, MDMX and MDM2 are coordinately regulated by stress signals. The ARF tumor suppressor differentially regulates the ability of MDM2 to promote p53 and MDMX ubiquitination and activates p53 by targeting both members of the MDM2 family.
Sutureless Fixation of Amniotic Membrane Patch as a Therapeutic Contact Lens by Using a Polymethyl Methacrylate Ring and Fibrin Sealant in a Rabbit Model

Purpose: To introduce and evaluate a sutureless technique by using a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) ring and fibrin sealant to fix an amniotic membrane (AM) patch on the ocular surface as a therapeutic contact lens in a rabbit model. Methods: PMMA rings were fabricated by duplicating an impression of a rabbit conjunctival fornix. The central cornea of the left eye in 16 rabbits was deepithelialized (diameter = 10 mm). A human AM patch was fixed to the ocular surface by using either a PMMA ring and fibrin sealant or interrupted 10-0 nylon sutures. The fibrin sealant was used to create the PMMA ring-AM complex but not to attach the AM/PMMA ring to the ocular surface. The rabbits were followed up with slit-lamp examination and fluorescein staining for 7 days. Reepithelialization and complications were recorded. Results: The corneal epithelial defect was recovered in each rabbit of both groups after 5 days. In the sutureless group, all membranes remained in place and intact during the follow-up period. One eye was noted to have a partial conjunctival epithelial defect caused by exposure to the PMMA ring. In contrast, >50% of rabbits in the interrupted suture group exhibited complications including conjunctival edema, suture loosening, patch detachment, bleeding, and conjunctival epithelial defects. Conclusions: The sutureless technique that uses a PMMA ring and fibrin sealant for AM patch placement has a lower incidence of complications than the interrupted suture method. This sutureless technique may promote increased clinical use of AM patch by alleviating patients' pain and shortening surgical time.
In vivo diffusion tensor imaging of amyloid-β-induced white matter damage in mice.

BACKGROUND Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) suggests the presence of white matter abnormality at the prodromal stage in human Alzheimer's disease (AD). OBJECTIVE To use a mouse model of AD to determine whether the white matter abnormality detected by in vivo DTI is associated with functional deficits and axon damage. METHODS Amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ1-42) was injected into the left lateral ventricle in mice. Two months after the injection, in vivo DTI and visual evoked potential (VEP) recordings were performed, followed by immunohistochemistry of phosphorylated neurofilament and myelin basic protein. RESULTS DTI of Aβ1-42-treated mice showed a significant increase of radial diffusivity in white matter including the optic nerves and tracts. The abnormality was associated with decreased amplitude and increased latency of VEP. Immunohistochemistry confirmed a significant loss of axons and myelin integrity. CONCLUSION White matter damage induced by Aβ1-42 in mice can be detected non-invasively by DTI.
Single Flux Quantum Circuit and Packaging Technology for Sub-Kelvin Temperature Operation

Superconducting single flux quantum (SFQ) technology is well known for digital logic operations below 4.2 K, which are compatible with the Josephson junction qubit. Operation speed and signal sensitivity of circuits in SFQ are also sufficient to control qubits. Therefore, the SFQ circuit is a candidate technology for multiple qubit control. However, the self-heating effect of the SFQ circuit is a potential barrier to development of an SFQ-supported multiple qubit system because the qubit operating temperature is lower than the conventional 4.2 K. The multi-chip approach is a possible solution because the qubit chip can be thermally isolated from the SFQ circuitry. We report on recent progress in SFQ circuit and packaging technology for operation at sub-Kelvin temperatures. As for multi-chip module technology, a test sample of the multi-chip module shows good reliability of electrical connections between chips, and each solder bump has a bandwidth wide enough for signal transmission. We have designed lower power SFQ circuits for sub-Kelvin temperatures. The critical currents of Josephson junctions were scaled down, inductances were scaled up, and bias voltage was reduced to make power consumption lower. Based on our fabrication technology, critical current densities were optimized by considering trade-off relations between fabrication availability and operation speed. We successfully confirmed its correct operations at around 0.35 K. The combination of the multi-chip module and optimized SFQ circuits is very effective way of controlling qubit.
Medication adherence in pediatric and adolescent liver transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE Nonadherence to medications is a leading cause of morbidity in children and adolescents who have had a transplant, yet there are no published data about the use of different methods for detecting whether these children are taking their medications. There are also no published data about the age of transition at which a child assumes responsibility over taking the medications. This information is important if interventions to improve adherence are contemplated. METHODS We present an analysis of data obtained in the first year of the implementation of an adherence assessment protocol at a pediatric liver transplant clinic in a tertiary medical care center. Data were obtained for children and adolescents who had a liver transplant at least 1 year before the assessments took place. We used 5 adherence detection methods. The 4 subjective methods were self-reported, scaled questionnaires answered by nurses, physicians, caregivers, and patients. For the objective method, a standard deviation (SD) was calculated for tacrolimus blood levels obtained from each patient over time. A higher SD suggests increased variation among patients' blood levels and hence more erratic medication taking. We also asked the patients and caregivers who is responsible for taking the medications and what are the reasons for not taking them. The medical outcome measures were biopsy-proven rejection episodes, number of biopsies regardless of the results, number of hospital admissions, and number of in-patient days. RESULTS An analysis of 81 cases (258 assessments) revealed that the only method that predicted the medical outcome variables (biopsy-proven rejection and number of biopsies) was the SD of medication blood levels. Patients', clinicians', and caregivers' reports were not predictive. Clinicians' ratings of adherence were not correlated with patients' or caregivers'. The transition of responsibility for medication taking occurred approximately at the age of 12 years. Forgetfulness was cited as the most common reason for nonadherence by patients and caregivers; medication side effects were not frequently cited. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that clinical impression is not sufficient to determine whether children and adolescents are taking their medications after they have had a liver transplant. An objective assessment method should be used. Interventions targeting adherence should address the child's increasing role beginning in early adolescence. A clinical protocol incorporating objective assessments of adherence could potentially be implemented in other settings. It could form the basis for the evaluation of efficacy of interventions seeking to improve adherence to medications.
Nutritional quality evaluation of velvet bean seeds (Mucuna pruriens) exposed to gamma irradiation

Effects of gamma irradiation on Mucuna pruriens seeds at various doses (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15 and 30 kGy) on the proximate composition, mineral constituents, amino acids, fatty acids and functional properties were investigated. Gamma irradiation resulted in a significant increase of crude protein at all doses, while the crude lipid, crude fibre and ash showed a dose-dependent decrease. Raw Mucuna seeds were rich in minerals (potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and selenium). Sodium, copper and manganese were significantly decreased on irradiation at all the doses, while magnesium and iron showed a significant decrease only above 10 kGy. The essential amino acids of raw and gamma-irradiated Mucuna seeds were comparable with the FAO/WHO recommended pattern. A significant increase of in vitro protein digestibility was seen in seeds irradiated at 30 kGy. High amounts of unsaturated fatty acids in Mucuna seeds decreased significantly after irradiation. However, linoleic acid was not present in raw seeds but detected after irradiation and it was elevated to high level at 30 kGy. Behenic acid, a major anti-nutritional factor, was reduced significantly on irradiation, indicating the positive effect of gamma irradiation on Mucuna seeds. Significant enhancement in the water absorption and oil absorption capacities, protein solubility, emulsion activity and improvement in the gelation capacity was recorded after irradiation. Results of the present investigation reveal that application of gamma irradiation does not affect the overall nutritional composition and can be used as an effective method of preservation of Mucuna seed and their products.
Getting a camel through the eye of a needle: the import of folded proteins by peroxisomes

Peroxisomes are a family of organelles which have many unusual features. They can arise de novo from the endoplasmic reticulum by a still poorly characterized process, yet possess a unique machinery for the import of their matrix proteins. As peroxisomes lack DNA, their function, which is highly variable and dependent on developmental and/or environmental conditions, is determined by the post‐translational import of specific metabolic enzymes in folded or oligomeric states. The two classes of matrix targeting signals for peroxisomal proteins [PTS1 (peroxisomal targeting signal 1) and PTS2] are recognized by cytosolic receptors [PEX5 (peroxin 5) and PEX7 respectively] which escort their cargo proteins to, or possibly across, the peroxisome membrane. Although the membrane translocation mechanism remains unclear, it appears to be driven by thermodynamically favourable binding interactions. Recycling of the receptors from the peroxisome membrane requires ATP hydrolysis for two linked processes: ubiquitination of PEX5 (and the PEX7 co‐receptors in yeast) and the function of two peroxisome‐associated AAA (ATPase associated with various cellular activities) ATPases, which play a role in recycling or turnover of the ubiquitinated receptors. This review summarizes and integrates recent findings on peroxisome matrix protein import from yeast, plant and mammalian model systems, and discusses some of the gaps in our understanding of this remarkable protein transport system.
An Expressive Hidden Access Policy CP-ABE

Ciphertext Policy - Attribute Based Encryption (CPABE) has emerged as a feasible solution to address challenges of access control to a diverse set of users. In CP-ABE, owner encrypts its data under a policy of attributes, while any data consumer satisfying it can decrypt the data. Problem of existing CP-ABE schemes is that the access matrix is sent in plaintext along with the ciphertext. Hence, to provide legitimate consumers with capability to figure out their exact attributes satisfying policy; we trade-off the privacy of policy. Existing work focuses on hiding the attribute values, and most of them are based on less expressive And-based access structures. A policy can be considered as hidden, when both attribute's names and their corresponding combination cannot be revealed. To do so, we propose a novel idea of not sending the access matrix along with ciphertext. Moreover, to aid consumer in finding out the subset of his attributes satisfying policy, we exploit Hidden Vector Encryption (HVE) for subset condition checks. We give performance analysis of our scheme in Charm Simulator, and prove it to be selectively secure under DBDH and DLIN assumptions.
Persistent Effects of Prenatal, Neonatal, or Adult Treatment with Flutamide on the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Stress Response of Adult Male Rats

To explore the role of androgens in early development on adult hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function in males, we administered flutamide or vehicle injections: (1) to pregnant dams on embryonic days 15-20; (2) to neonatal pups on days 0-5; or (3) to adults on days 55-60. At approximately 70 days of age, trunk blood was collected to determine corticosterone levels (1) upon removal from the home cage, (2) immediately after 30 min of restraint stress, or (3) 60 min after return to home cage following the stressor. Flutamide treatment resulted in higher basal levels of testosterone and stress levels of corticosterone compared to vehicle treatment, and there was no interaction of treatment with age at time of treatment. This suggests that testosterone is less effective at inhibiting HPA function in flutamide-treated males. In addition, prenatally treated males had higher stress levels of corticosterone than neonatally and adult-treated males, regardless of the type of treatment. There were no differences in CBG levels among the groups. The results suggest that, in males, flutamide treatment has a long-lasting effect on HPA function. These results are consistent with our previous research on neonatally gonadectomized males and the hypothesis of organizational effects of sex hormones on HPA function.
Microwave measurements - Part III: Advanced non-linear measurements

This work completes the sequence started with articles of Pirola et al. (2007)and Camarchia et al. (2007) previously published in this journal, which presented the most important aspects of RF and microwave linear and non-linear measurements. In the work of Pirola et al., some off-the-shelf linear measurement approaches at microwaves were described, whereas the work of Camarchia et al. showed the conventional characterization of non-linear devices under large-signal conditions, such as active and passive load-pull at fundamental and harmonic frequencies. In basic load-pull systems, the device under test (DUT) is driven by a single tone microwave source while the DUT performance metrics, typically output power and power added efficiency (PAE), are monitored as a function of the load and/or source terminations. This strategy enables the straight-forward identification of the optimum input and output loads. In this article, we describe two of the most advanced measurement techniques that can provide the required information for power amplifier design and transistor modeling. The first technique is the multi-tone/complex modulation load-pull. It is useful especially for wireless applications, where conventional single tone excitations do not give sufficient information for model and design development. The measurement conditions would be too far from the typical working ones. The second measurement technique is the timedomain waveform load-pull. Its applications span from highly accurate and reliable device model extraction to monitoring of actual operating conditions and "waveform engineering" for high-performance design.
Dimensionality reduction of large TDOA vectors for speaker diarization

In this work, we investigate a dimensionality reduction sch eme to use Time Delay of Arrival(TDOA) features across all microphones in a traditional HMM/GMM system. The subspace dimension is selected based on dimension of the TDOA vectors in an ideal recording, i.e., without environmental distort ion or interference. Experiments in a dataset used in NIST Meeting Diarization evaluation reveal that the dimensionality red uction to a considerably lower dimension improve the diarization e rror by 3.7%(30% relative). While the proposed scheme has the advantage that it does not require any development set tuning t o select the dimension as proposed by previous methods, it ret ains competitive performance ( 5% better than tuning the results).