Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vivo quantitative assessment of catheter patency in rats

Formation of fibrin sleeves around catheter tips is a central factor in catheter failure during chronic implantation, and such tissue growth can occur despite administration of anticoagulants. We developed a novel method for monitoring catheter patency. This method recognizes the progressive nature of catheter occlusion, and tracks this process over time through measurement of changes in catheter resistance to a standardized 1 mL bolus infusion from a pressurized reservoir. Two indirect measures of catheter patency were used: (a) reservoir residual pressure and (b) reservoir discharge time. This method was applied to the study of catheter patency in rats comparing the effect of catheter material (silastic, polyurethane, Microrenathane™), lock solution (heparin, heparin/dexamethasone) and two different cannulation sites (superior vena cava via the external jugular vein, inferior vena cava via the femoral vein). Our findings reveal that application of flexible smaller-size silastic catheters and a dexamethasone lock solution resulted in prolonged catheter patency. Patency could be maintained over nine weeks with the femoral vein catheters, compared with five weeks with the external jugular vein catheters. The current method for measuring catheter patency provides a useful index for the assessment of tissue growth around the catheter tip. The method also provides an objective and quantitative way of comparing changes in catheter patency for different surgical methods and catheter types. Our method improves on the conventional method of assessing catheter occlusion by judging the ability to aspirate from the catheter.
Connectivity-based delineation of basal ganglia using hierarchical classification

Arnaud Messe, Christine Delmaire, Yulia Worbe, Guillaume Marrelec, Romain Valabregue, Caroline Malherbe,Jerome Yelnik, Linda Marrakchi-Kacem, Cyril Poupon, Eric Bardinet, Alexandra Durr, Habib Benali, and Stephane Lehericy 1Inserm, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR-S 678, Paris, France; 2INRIA Sophia Antipolis – Mediterranee, Project Team Odyssee, Sophia Antipolis, France; 3Univ Paris 11, IFR 49, DSV/I2BM/NeuroSpin, Gif-surYvette, France; 4Department of Neuroradiology, CHU Lille, France; 5CRICM, Inserm, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR-S 975, CNRS UMR 7225, Groupe Hospitalier Pitie-Salpetriere, Paris, France; 6LNAO, DSV/I2BM/NeuroSpin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; 7Center for NeuroImaging Research – CENIR, Paris, France; 8Universite de Montreal, MIC/UNF, Montreal, Canada
Role of Immunofluorescence and Electron Microscopy in the Evaluation of Renal Biopsies in Nephrotic Syndrome in a Developing Country

ABSTRACT To determine the role of immunofluorescence (IF) and electron microscopy (EM) in the evaluation of renal biopsies in a developing country, the authors carried out a study in 200 patients with nephrotic syndrome. Renal biopsies were studied by light microscopy, IF, and EM. IF study was useful in all, being essential in 23.5% and helpful in remaining cases. EM was useful in 94.5% cases, being essential in 43% and helpful in 51.5% cases. The results demonstrate that IF and EM are essential in the evaluation of renal biopsies in nephrotic syndrome and these should be employed in the pathologic evaluation of renal biopsies.
CWRF simulations of the China 1991 and 1998 summer floods

The capability of the Climate extension of the Weather Research and Forecasting (CWRF) model in simulating the 1991 and 1998 summer floods in China is evaluated with 4-month continuous integrations as driven by the NCEP/NCAR observational reanalysis. It is shown that CWRF has a pronounced downscaling skill, capturing the key characteristics in the spatial patterns and temporal evolutions of precipitation in both severe anomalous monsoon cases. The result gives a high perspective for future CWRF applications in understanding and predicting China monsoon variability.
High-Accuracy Retinal Layer Segmentation for Optical Coherence Tomography Using Tracking Kernels Based on Gaussian Mixture Model

Ophthalmology requires automated segmentation of retinal layers in optical coherence tomography images to provide valuable disease information. Sensitive extraction of accurate layer boundaries stable against local image quality degradation is necessary. We propose and demonstrate a powerful, accurate segmentation method with high stability and sensitivity. The method uses an intelligent tracking kernel and a clustering mask based on the Gaussian mixture model (GMM). Combining these concepts yields robust, degradation-free tracking with highly sensitive pixel classification. The kernel extracts boundaries by moving and matching its double faces with locally clustered images generated by GMM clustering. The cluster-guided motion of the kernel enables sensitive classification of structures on a single-pixel scale. This system targets seven major retinal boundaries. Then, using peak detection, additional two simple boundaries are easily grabbed in regions where their distinct features emerge sufficiently in the limited space remaining after the previous segmentation. Using these hybrid modes, successful segmentation of nine boundaries of eight retinal layers in foveal areas is demonstrated. A 0.909 fraction of a pixel difference appears between boundaries segmented manually and using our algorithm. Our method was developed for use with low-quality data, allowing its application in various morphological segmentation technologies.
A comparison of some methods for training hidden Markov models on sequences with missing observations

The three approaches to the problem of hidden Markov models training on sequences with missing observations are discussed: marginalization of missing observations, gluing of available parts of the sequence and training on the multisequence formed from the available parts of the sequence. The training performance of the three approaches is evaluated for various numbers of gaps in training sequences. The results were compared to the standard imputation method based on the mode (the most frequent value) of nearest observations. The marginalization approach showed the best training accuracy. The multisequence approach demonstrated a very poor performance hence it is considered inapplicable. Both the marginalization method and the gluing method performed better than the mode imputation method. The dependence of training accuracy on the position of gaps in training sequence was investigated. It has been found that the biggest decrease in training accuracy is achieved when the gap is situated at the beginning or in the middle of the sequence while the lowest decrease is observed when it is situated at the end.
Cotton Square Morphology Offers New Insights into Host Plant Resistance to Cotton Fleahopper (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Upland Cotton

Abstract Cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae), is a piercing–sucking pest of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) that feeds preferentially on developing flower buds, called squares. Heavy infestations cause yield reductions that result from abscission of squares damaged by the cotton fleahopper feeding. Antixenosis, or nonpreference, has been reported as a mechanism of host plant resistance in cotton to cotton fleahopper. Square structure, particularly the placement of the reproductive tissues, and stylet penetration were investigated as factors that influence resistance to cotton fleahopper in cotton lines derived from crosses with Pilose, a cultigen of upland cotton resistant to cotton fleahopper, and backcrossed with high-yielding, susceptible lines. Ovary depth varied among the lines tested and was found to be a heritable trait that affected the ability of a fleahopper's feeding stylets to penetrate the reproductive tissues in the square and might influence preference. Behavioral assays suggested antixenosis as a mechanism of host plant resistance, and the trait conferring antixenosis was found to be heritable. Results suggest ovary depth plays a role in conferring resistance to cotton fleahopper and is an exploitable trait in resistance breeding.
Iterative Auction Design for Graphical Valuations Part II : General Graphs ∗

In this paper we develop efficient iterative auctions for a class of value functions that admit a graphical representation and allow both for value complementarity and substitutability. It is known that for graphical valuations a Walrasian equilibrium (an equilibrium concept that relies on anonymous item prices) does not exist in general. Our first contribution is to establish the existence of a pricing equilibrium when the auctioneer uses a graphical pricing rule that involves bidder-specific prices for each item and markups/discounts for pairs of items. We provide a linear programming formulation of the efficient allocation problem, whose solutions can be used to identify such pricing equilibria. By focusing on iterative algorithms that can be used for the solution of this linear program and designing payment schemes that guarantee truthful bidding, we obtain a novel iterative auction format for graphical valuations. The auction format relies on the bidder-specific graphical pricing rule and implements the efficient outcome at an ex-post perfect equilibrium. Moreover, the linear programming formulation and the auction format generalize to settings where valuations are not graphical but admit a more general additively decomposable structure.
Analysis of polyethylene by using cyclopentadienyl cobalt chemical ionization combined with laser-induced acoustic desorption/fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

A new mass spectrometric method has been developed for the analysis of low molecular weight polyethylene (PE). Laser-induced acoustic desorption (LIAD), combined with chemical ionization by the cyclopentadienyl cobalt radical cation (CpCo.+) in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer, produces predominantly a quasimolecular ion, (R + CpCo - 2H2). +, for each PE oligomer (R). An examination of artificial alkane mixtures revealed no mass bias for alkanes of differing molecular weights. However, the success of the LIAD/CpCo. + CI technique depends greatly upon the LIAD sample preparation method used. Several sample preparation methods were evaluated, and pneumatically assisted spin coating was concluded to provide the best mass spectra as a result of its ability to provide uniform PE coverage on the LIAD foils. The molecular weight distributions measured for several low molecular weight PE samples (200-655) were found to be in good agreement with manufacturers' values as determined by gel permeation chromatography.
A METHOD FOR DESCRIBING THE DOSES DELIVERED BY TRANSMISSION X‐RAY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

A method for describing the absorbed dose delivered by x-ray transmission computed tomography (CT) is proposed which provides a means to characterize the dose resulting from CT procedures consisting of a series of adjacent scans. The dose descriptor chosen is the average dose at several locations in the imaged volume of the central scan of the series. It is shown that this average dose, as defined, for locations in the central scan of the series can be obtained from the integral of the dose profile perpendicular to the scan plane at these same locations for a single scan. This method for estimating the average dose from a CT procedure has been evaluated as a function of the number of scans in the multiple scan procedure and location in the dosimetry phantom using single scan dose profiles obtained from five different types of CT systems. For the higher dose regions in the phantoms, the multiple scan dose descriptor derived from the single scan dose profiles overestimates the multiple scan average dose by no more than 10%, provided the procedure consists of at least eight scans.
DIAGNÓSTICO RURAL PARTICIPATIVO EM BALSA NOVA PR

A utilizacao de diagnosticos participativos na elaboracao de politicas institucionais tem obtido exito na criacao de acoes coletivas e iniciativas solidarias para o desenvolvimento sustentavel. Neste trabalho apresentamos a experiencia que Balsa Nova -PR teve com o Diagnostico Rural Participativo. PALAVRAS CHAVE: Diagnostico Participativo, Politicas Publicas, Desenvolvimento Rural.
Exploring the Relationship Between Exercise-Induced Arousal and Cognition Using Fractionated Response Time

Although a generally positive effect of acute exercise on cognitive performance has been demonstrated, the specific nature of the relationship between exercise-induced arousal and cognitive performance remains unclear. This study was designed to identify the relationship between exercise-induced arousal and cognitive performance for the central and peripheral components of a response time task at two different levels of task difficulty. Sixteen male participants performed both simple and choice response time tasks at eight different arousal levels (from 20% to 90% heart rate reserve). Performance on the simple and choice response time tasks was examined after fractionating the response time into its central component, premotor time, and peripheral components, motor, and movement time. A priori trend analysis was used to test both linear and quadratic relationships. Results indicated that exercise-induced arousal has a positive influence on the peripheral components of response time tasks; however, it has a limited impact on the central components of these tasks.
Simple determination of microbial protein in rumen liquor.

A method for microbial protein determination based on Lowry's assay was devised. Differential centrifugation was used to separate bacterial cells from rumen liquor. Proteins from cells were released by suspending in . 25 N sodium hydroxide and heating in boiling water bath for 10 min. Protein was determined by the Folin phenol method. The method is simple, accurate, reproducible, sensitive, specific, brief, and can be performed with small amount of rumen liquor (5 ml). A large number of samples can be handled conveniently.
Mental health training experiences among Haitian healthcare workers post-earthquake 2010.

BACKGROUND After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the large number of persons with major limb damage, amputations, shock, trauma, anxiety and depression placed a severe strain on mental health (MH) services. PURPOSE This qualitative study describes the impact and acceptability of a Mental Health Training Program (MHTP) implemented in the north of Haiti after the earthquake. METHODS A total of 113 healthcare workers (HCWs) participated in a training program designed to build local MH care capacity. The training curriculum draws on literature related to MH and the impact of the Haiti earthquake. Two focus groups were conducted with 16 HCWs; discussions centred on the personal and professional impact and acceptability of the training program. DISCUSSION Results demonstrated that the MHTP changed the HCWs' perceptions about MH issues and provided them with the knowledge and skills to respond to growing community MH needs. Acceptability of the MHTP was related to the content covered, to the delivery mode of the content and to the cultural appropriateness of the program. CONCLUSIONS Disasters of different types will continue to occur and to impact MH in communities around the world. MH training will allow nurses to quickly and effectively respond to disasters. A coordinated emergency plan that is subject to frequent review, rehearsal and evaluation is also essential.
Fault response of grid-connected inverter dominated networks

The rapid increase in installed distributed generation (DG) has led to concerns about the impact on the proper operation of the protection system. In particular, the limited fault current capability of inverter interfaced distributed generation (IIDG) could lead to malfunctioning of the distribution network protection system which largely relies on overcurrent based protection techniques. The absence of tried and tested models and methods to calculate the inverter fault current contribution has been a significant challenge to the introduction of IIDG. This paper shows that with a few subtle changes, conventional analytical network analysis techniques can be used to analyse the fault response of inverter dominated distribution networks. The theoretical results are validated by PSCAD simulations and experimental results.
MaD‐WiSe: a distributed stream management system for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are composed of several sensors having limited memory, processing power, communication bandwidth, and energy, which cooperate in performing a given task. The use of the database paradigm has emerged in the last few years as a viable solution to manage data in such a context. In this paper we present the MaD‐WiSe system, a distributed query processing framework that moves the processing of the query into the network. MaD‐WiSe reconsiders various aspects related to database system design and it reinterprets them according to the WSN constraints and requirements. In particular it considers the aspects related to the definition of a query language to formalize the queries, a stream model to manage data acquired by the sensors, a query algebra to define the operators that actually perform the query, and energy efficiency and query optimization strategies for saving energy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improved thermal analysis of buried landmines

In this paper, we address the problem of the detection and identification of surface-laid and shallowly buried landmines from measured infrared images. A three-dimensional thermal model has been developed to study the effect of the presence of landmines in the thermal signature of the bare soil. Based on this model, a target identification procedure is proposed aiming at detecting and classifying the anomalies found on the soil thermal signature. In our approach, landmines are thought of as a thermal barrier in the natural flow of the heat inside the soil, which produces a perturbation of the expected thermal pattern on the surface. The detection of these perturbations will put into evidence the presence of potential mine targets. We propose an iterative procedure to classify the detected perturbations as mines or nonmines and to estimate their depth of burial. This paper describes the main principles of our method and illustrates classification results on a set of acquired images. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons with independent component analysis are also given.
Methylprednisolone inhibits Nogo-A protein expression after acute spinal cord injury

Oligodendrocyte-produced Nogo-A has been shown to inhibit axonal regeneration. Methylprednisolone plays an effective role in treating spinal cord injury, but the effect of methylprednisolone on Nogo-A in the injured spinal cord remains unknown. The present study established a rat model of acute spinal cord injury by the weight-drop method. Results showed that after injury, the motor behavior ability of rats was reduced and necrotic injury appeared in spinal cord tissues, which was accompanied by increased Nogo-A expression in these tissues. After intravenous injection of high-dose methylprednisolone, although the pathology of spinal cord tissue remained unchanged, Nogo-A expression was reduced, but the level was still higher than normal. These findings implicate that methylprednisolone could inhibit Nogo-A expression, which could be a mechanism by which early high dose methylprednisolone infusion helps preserve spinal cord function after spinal cord injury.
Chronic toxicity of pesticides to the mRNA expression levels of metallothioneins and cytochrome P450 1A genes in rainbow trout

The hazardous effects of pesticides on various metabolic pathways are a great problem for environmental health and should be well determined. In the present study, the authors treated rainbow trout with 0.6 μg/L deltamethrin for 28 days and 1.6 mg/L 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate for 21 days. After this time period, the authors observed alterations in mRNA expression levels of MT-A, MT-B and CYP-1A. Chronic exposure to low levels of pesticides may have a more significant effect on fish populations than acute poisoning. While both pesticides caused a significant increase on mRNA levels of MT-A and CYP-1A, MT-B mRNA levels were increased significantly only upon deltamethin administration. The significant increase in mRNA levels of the corresponding genes may be considered as a defence mechanism in addition to the antioxidants against oxidative stress, as well as a detoxification mechanism against adverse effects of pesticides.
A virtualization-based approach for zone migration in distributed virtual environments

This paper deals with the zone migration problem in large-scale distributed virtual environments (DVEs), e.g., massively multi-player online games, distributed military simulations, etc. To support real-time interactions among thousands of concurrent, geographically separated clients, a distributed server architecture is generally needed. In such architecture, the large virtual world can be partitioned into multiple smaller zones, enabling load distributions or zone-to-server mappings to improve interactivity. For example, a zone might be mapped (assigned) to a server location near most of its clients to reduce network latency. In this paper, we consider the problem of live zone migration over wide area networks (WANs) to support DVE zone re-mapping or load re-distribution in a geographically distributed server infrastructure. We propose a virtualization-based zone migration approach, and develop several migration algorithms to effectively migrate multiple DVE zones. We have implemented the proposed migration approach and algorithms in a tool for DVE performance enhancement and monitoring. Extensive experiments have also been conducted with an online multi-player game prototype constructed using the Torque 3D game engine. The results demonstrate the feasibility of our migration approach.
Ruling Relations: Rethinking State and Gender in South African History

Although South African women's history has been growing in volume and sophistication over the past decade, the impact of gender analysis has yet to be felt in mainstream or radical historiography. One reason for this neglect is the way in which the categories of both ‘gender’ and ‘women’ have been conceived – with ‘women’ assumed to have a stable referent and ‘gender’ treated as synonymous with women. Those areas of social life where women are not immediately present have thus remained unreconstructed by the theoretical implications of gender. This is particularly the case with the history of ‘the state’. The article identifies and looks critically at the major paradigms of South African women's and gender history in terms of how the relationship between ‘the state’ and ‘women’ is implicitly or explicitly represented. It argues that the understanding of the category ‘women’ as socially and historically constructed (as evident in more recently published gender history) provides a way of moving beyond the more static or abstractly posed state-versus-women relationship. This requires too that ‘the South African state’ be understood not as unitary or coherent but as institutionally diverse with different objectives being taken up and produced as policy and practice. The project then becomes one of understanding South African state formation as a gendered and gendering process, of exploring the different institutional sites and ruling discourses in which gender identities and categories are constructed.