Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Une exploration multidimensionnelle des phénomènes expérientiels mnésiques : de la sémiologie à l'activité neuronale unitaire

Depuis 10 ans, se multiplient les tentatives d'augmentation des performances mnesiques humaines par la stimulation electrique intracerebrales (SEIC), mais avec des resultats contradictoires et peu probants. Nous sommes incapables d'activer les reseaux mnesiques de maniere reproductible et ne maitrisons pas les effets des SEIC dont le choix des parametres est empirique. Surtout, les correlats neuronaux de la memoire a long-terme que les SEIC sont censees activer restent imparfaitement connus. Dans ce contexte, les phenomenes experientiels mnesiques ressentis par les patients epileptiques, du deja-vu aux reminiscences, spontanes ou induits par la SEIC, representent une veritable porte d'entree vers les reseaux de la memoire a long-terme et un modele pour comprendre comment activer ces reseaux par la SEIC. Ils sont d'ailleurs l'une des sources d'inspiration des essais de la neuromodulation mnesique. Pourtant, ils restent sous-exploites. Nous proposons de les etudier au travers d'une approche multidimensionnelle : (1) Une dimension phenomenologique, analysant la semiologie de certains phenomenes jusque-la mal explores, confondus entre eux ou avec le deja-vu : les reminiscences, le deja-reve et la prescience. Nous nous sommes bases pour cela sur nos propres donnees et l'analyse de l'ensemble des reminiscences induites par les SEIC rapportees dans la litterature. Nous avons egalement etudie le cas d'une patiente epileptique avec atrophie severe bi-hippocampique et preservation du cortex perirhinal ayant developpe des deja-vus et des phenomenes avec prescience recurrents. (2) Une dimension electrophysiologique avec exploration des effets des SEIC sur les reseaux mnesiques a differentes echelles. Nous nous sommes bases sur l'analyse retrospective des parametres de SEIC et de leurs effets. Nous avons aussi analyse le couplage fonctionnel entre differentes structures du lobe temporal par un traitement de l'EEG intracrânien au moment des reminiscences induites par SEIC. Nous demontrons que : - Les SEIC peuvent induire une grande variete de souvenirs appartenant aux differents systemes de la memoire declarative (ex. des souvenirs semantiques ou autobiographiques episodiques). Mais il s'agit majoritairement de souvenirs peu contextualises et fragmentaires. [. ]
Chaotic itinerancy within the coupled dynamics between a physical body and neural oscillator networks

Chaotic itinerancy is a phenomenon in which the state of a nonlinear dynamical system spontaneously explores and attracts certain states in a state space. From this perspective, the diverse behavior of animals and its spontaneous transitions lead to a complex coupled dynamical system, including a physical body and a brain. Herein, a series of simulations using different types of non-linear oscillator networks (i.e., regular, small-world, scale-free, random) with a musculoskeletal model (i.e., a snake-like robot) as a physical body are conducted to understand how the chaotic itinerancy of bodily behavior emerges from the coupled dynamics between the body and the brain. A behavior analysis (behavior clustering) and network analysis for the classified behavior are then applied. The former consists of feature vector extraction from the motions and classification of the movement patterns that emerged from the coupled dynamics. The network structures behind the classified movement patterns are revealed by estimating the “information networks” different from the given non-linear oscillator networks based on the transfer entropy which finds the information flow among neurons. The experimental results show that: (1) the number of movement patterns and their duration depend on the sensor ratio to control the balance of strength between the body and the brain dynamics and on the type of the given non-linear oscillator networks; and (2) two kinds of information networks are found behind two kinds movement patterns with different durations by utilizing the complex network measures, clustering coefficient and the shortest path length with a negative and a positive relationship with the duration periods of movement patterns. The current results seem promising for a future extension of the method to a more complicated body and environment. Several requirements are also discussed.
Persian Translation and Psychometric Testing of the Scales for Measuring Maternal Satisfaction in Normal and Caesarean Birth

Childbirth is a crucial experience in women’s life as it has a substantial psychological, emotional and physical impact. A childbirth satisfaction is important to the mother, infant’s health and well-being, and mother–infant relationship. Furthermore, it is useful for the care providers to guarantee the best preparation, health service and support to childbearing women. The present study was conducted to validate and examine the factor structure of the Persian version of the scales for measuring maternal satisfaction in normal and caesarean birth. 43-item SMMS –Normal birth and 42-item SMMSCaesarean birth were first translated by specialists into Persian. The questionnaires’ validity was determined by using face, content, and criterion and construct validity. Reliability of questionnaires was examined by using Cronbach’s alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed in LISREL8.8 and SPSS 21.Participants included healthy Iranian postpartum women who refer to selected hospitals for delivery. Hospitals included social security and university hospitals and selected through the random cluster sampling method. The results of validity and reliability assessments of the questionnaires were acceptable. Cronbach’s alpha calculated showed a high internal consistency of 0.89 for SMMS-Normal birth and 0.84 for SMMSCaesarean birth. The confirmatory factor analysis using the c2, CMIN/DF, IFI, CFI, NFI and NNFI indexes showed the 10 factor model to be the best fitted model for explaining the data. The scales are valid and reliable tools for evaluating Iranian women’s experiences in labour and the early postpartum period.
Desarrollo de metodologías analíticas para la separación, detección y caracterización de biomarcadores glicoproteicos en muestras biológicas

La glicomica se ha convertido en una de las ciencias omicas de mayor interes, en gran parte debido a la importancia de los carbohidratos en multitud de procesos biologicos y a su implicacion en un gran numero de enfermedades. En la ultima decada, los trabajos cientificos relacionados con la glicomica han aumentado considerablemente, poniendo de manifiesto la gran novedad e impacto que posee esta ciencia omica. En la actualidad, la espectrometria de masas (MS) es la tecnica analitica mas utilizada en el estudio de la glicosilacion de proteinas (glicoproteomica) lo que es debido a su elevada capacidad para obtener informacion estructural de biomoleculas. El estudio de la glicosilacion de proteinas por MS se puede llevar a cabo a tres niveles diferentes: glicoproteina intacta, glicopeptidos y/o glicanos. De todos ellos, el analisis de los glicopeptidos proporciona varias ventajas, ya que se obtiene informacion de la composicion de los glicanos de cada punto de glicosilacion, asi como del grado de ocupacion. No obstante, en general, es necesaria una tecnica de separacion previa a la deteccion por MS para evitar que los peptidos presentes en el digesto supriman la ionizacion de los glicopeptidos. Consecuentemente, esta tesis doctoral se ha centrado principalmente en el desarrollo de metodologias analiticas para el estudio de la glicosilacion de diferentes proteinas a nivel glicopeptidico, utilizando la cromatografia de liquidos capilar y la electroforesis capilar acopladas a la espectrometria de masas (CapLC- MS y CE- MS, respectivamente). Sin embargo, detectar cambios en la abundancia y en la composicion de los glicanos unidos a la proteina puede no ser suficiente para diagnosticar ciertas enfermedades y buscar dianas terapeuticas. A veces un proceso patologico puede afectar solo a un isomero del glicano y no a los demas, siendo necesario, en este caso, el analisis de los isomeros de los diferentes glicanos para entender la extension de la enfermedad. En este sentido, la movilidad ionica acoplada a la espectrometria de masas (IM-MS), ha suscitado gran interes como una tecnica con potencial para la separacion de isomeros. Por este motivo, en esta tesis doctoral, tambien se ha evaluado la eficacia del IM-MS para la separacion de isomeros debidos al tipo de enlace del acido sialico a nivel de glicoproteina intacta, de glicopeptidos y de glicanos.
Common aperture satellite antenna system for multiple contoured beams and multiple spot beams

This paper presents a novel satellite antenna that generates simultaneously multiple contoured beams at Ku-band and multiple spot beams at Ka-band using a common aperture reflector antenna. It employs a shaped reflector that optimizes the RF performance of the desired Ku-band contoured beams on the ground by employing multiple corrugated horns that are located along the focal-plane of the reflector. The synthesized reflector surface at Ku-band is employed to generate the Ka-band spot beams by “un-folding” the large quadratic phase distribution using an optimized location for the Ka feeds that is far from the focal-plane and by placing the feeds on a spherical arc. The common aperture antenna replaces three or more large reflectors on the spacecraft and provides significant cost and mass reductions for future communications satellites.
Effects of Cognitive Speed of Processing Training Among Older Adults With Heart Failure

Objective: Cognitive deficits pose serious problems for older adults with heart failure (HF). Cognitive speed of processing training improves cognition among older adults but has not been examined among older adults with HF. Method: Data from the ACTIVE study were used to examine the effects of cognitive speed of processing training on cognitive and functional performance among older adults with HF. Results: Of the 54 participants included in the analyses, 23 who were randomized to cognitive training performed significantly better on a composite of everyday speed of processing from pre- to post-training compared with 31 participants who were randomized to the control group, F(1, 51) = 28.67, p ≤ . 001, η p 2 = . 360. Discussion: Results indicate that speed of processing training may improve everyday cognitive performance among older adults with HF. Future studies should investigate the longitudinal effects of cognitive training with HF patients.
Asymptomatic versus Symptomatic Infarcts from Vasospasm in Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Serial Magnetic Resonance Imaging

OBJECTIVE By use of serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we prospectively investigated the incidence of and the risk factors associated with infarction caused by vasospasm with or without a delayed ischemic neurological deficit (DIND) in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS In 125 patients who underwent surgery for early aneurysms, postoperative MRI scans were obtained at four time points. We defined an infarct from vasospasm as a new lesion not present on the initial MRI within 3 days after SAH and therefore not attributable to primary brain damage or surgical complications. RESULTS Overall, symptoms of infarction (i.e., DIND) occurred in 38% of patients (48 of 125); DIND with a new infarct on MRI was evident in 34% (43 patients), whereas 4% (5 patients) showed no new lesion but had a DIND. However, 29 patients (23%) showed a new infarct but no DIND on MRI studies (asymptomatic infarction). Asymptomatic ischemic lesions due to vasospasm tended to involve noneloquent brain areas in the territory of intraparenchymal perforators. Multivariate analysis identified variables associated with symptomatic infarction to be of poor SAH grade, advanced age of the patient, angiographic findings of vasospasm, multiple cortical infarcts on MRI studies consistent with vasospasm, and chronic hydrocephalus. CONCLUSION Analysis of the data confirmed the occurrence of asymptomatic infarcts due to vasospasm. These infarcts often developed in noneloquent areas representing perforator territory. MRI investigation of vasospastic lesions referable to intraparenchymal vessels such as perforators complements the study of extraparenchymal major vessel vasospasm in patients with SAH by computed tomographic angiography.
The SWIRE-VVDS-CFHTLS surveys: stellar mass assembly over the last 10 Gyr. Evidence for a major build up of the red sequence between z = 2 and z = 1

(abridged abstract) We present an analysis of the stellar mass growth over the last 10 Gyrs using a large 3.6$\mu$ selected sample. We split our sample into active (blue) and quiescent (red) galaxies. Our measurements of the K-LFs and LD evolution support the idea that a large fraction of galaxies is already assembled at $z\sim 1.2$. Based on the analysis of the evolution of the stellar mass-to-light ratio (in K-band) for the spectroscopic sub-sample, we derive the stellar mass density for the entire sample. We find that the global evolution of the stellar mass density is well reproduced by the star formation rate derived from UV dust corrected measurements. Over the last 8Gyrs, we observe that the stellar mass density of the active population remains approximately constant while it gradually increases for the quiescent population over the same timescale. As a consequence, the growth of the stellar mass in the quiescent population must be due to the shutoff of star formation in active galaxies that migrate into the quiescent population. From $z=2$ to $z=1.2$, we observe a major build-up of the quiescent population with an increase by a factor of 10 in stellar mass, suggesting that we are observing the epoch when an increasing fraction of galaxies are ending their star formation activity and start to build up the red sequence.
A Novel Fuel Cell System Design by Using Ziegler-Nichols-Based Intelligent Fuzzy Controller

This paper proposes a novel fuel cell system design by integrating both methods of Ziegler-Nichols-based PID control and the intelligent fuzzy control, thus the relative stability and disturbance rejection properties can be reserved. This new method is not proposed before for fuel cell control system design. By using PID method for the normal case of fuel cell current requirement, the overshoot of the temperature is 45%, the temperature rise and the settling times are 0.65 sec and 2 sec, respectively. However, by using intelligent fuzzy Ziegler-Nichols-based PID controller design, the overshoot of the temperature is 12%, the temperature rise and the settling times are 0.7 sec and 1 sec, respectively. Thus the proposed method is better. Moreover, this paper also takes the system disturbance variation effect into consideration, e.g. the current requirement is increased by 100% for climbing a slope or speed-up conditions; note a large 60% temperature overshoot is produced by using Ziegler-Nichols based PID controller. But the overshoot is only 20% by using the intelligent fuzzy Ziegler-Nichols-based PID controller. Thus the proposed system is more robust.
Renal artery stenosis: functional assessment with dynamic MR perfusion measurements--feasibility study.

PURPOSE To prospectively assess feasibility of renal magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion measurement method based on turbo fast low-angle shot sequences for grading effect of renal artery stenosis (RAS) on parenchymal perfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Institutional review board approved this study, and patients gave written consent. Seventy-three patients (34 male, 39 female; age range, 17-84 years) who were clinically suspected of having RAS underwent contrast material-enhanced (gadodiamide) saturation-recovery turbo fast low-angle shot imaging for measurement of renal perfusion and high-spatial-resolution MR angiography for RAS detection and grading. Degree of stenosis was evaluated as high grade (>/=75% stenosis), low to intermediate grade (>0% to <75% stenosis), or absent. High temporal resolution of the turbo fast low-angle shot sequence allowed acquisition of an exact first-pass tracing of the contrast agent bolus from which a signal intensity (SI)-time curve was derived. On the basis of this curve, mean transit time (MTT) of the contrast agent bolus, maximal upslope (MUS) of the curve, maximum SI, and time to SI peak (TTP) were calculated with a gamma variate fit. Wilcoxon rank sum test, Pearson product moment correlation, and paired t test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Twenty-four renal arteries had high-grade RAS, 12 renal arteries had low- to intermediate-grade RAS, and 104 renal arteries had no RAS. Significant differences between patients without stenoses or with low- to intermediate-grade stenoses and patients with high-grade stenoses were found for MTT, MUS, and TTP (P < .001). Perfusion parameters were correlated with patients' serum creatinine levels, and significant correlations were found for MTT (r = 0.41), MUS (r = 0.48), and TTP (r = 0.4), with P < . 001. CONCLUSION MR perfusion parameters can be used to assess effect of RAS on parenchymal perfusion. Perfusion measurements reflect renal function as measured with serum creatinine levels.
Crossovers are associated with mutation and biased gene conversion at recombination hotspots

Significance We present experimental evidence showing that meiosis is an important source of germline mutations. Because sites of meiotic recombination experience recurrent double-strand breaks at hotspots, recombination has been previously suspected to be mutagenic. Yet inferences made from sequence comparisons have not found strong evidence for a mutagenic effect of recombination. Here, we directly sequenced a large number of single sperm DNA molecules and found more new mutations in molecules with a crossover than in molecules without a recombination event. We also observed that GC alleles are transmitted more often than AT alleles at polymorphic sites. Our data demonstrate that both mutagenesis and biased transmission occur during crossing over in meiosis and are important modifiers of the sequence content at recombination hotspots. Meiosis is a potentially important source of germline mutations, as sites of meiotic recombination experience recurrent double-strand breaks (DSBs). However, evidence for a local mutagenic effect of recombination from population sequence data has been equivocal, likely because mutation is only one of several forces shaping sequence variation. By sequencing large numbers of single crossover molecules obtained from human sperm for two recombination hotspots, we find direct evidence that recombination is mutagenic: Crossovers carry more de novo mutations than nonrecombinant DNA molecules analyzed for the same donors and hotspots. The observed mutations were primarily CG to TA transitions, with a higher frequency of transitions at CpG than non-CpGs sites. This enrichment of mutations at CpG sites at hotspots could predominate in methylated regions involving frequent single-stranded DNA processing as part of DSB repair. In addition, our data set provides evidence that GC alleles are preferentially transmitted during crossing over, opposing mutation, and shows that GC-biased gene conversion (gBGC) predominates over mutation in the sequence evolution of hotspots. These findings are consistent with the idea that gBGC could be an adaptation to counteract the mutational load of recombination.
Single-Event Transient Effect on a Self-Biased Ring-Oscillator PLL and an LC PLL Fabricated in SOS Technology

The single-event transient effect on a ring-oscillator based and an LC-tank based phased-locked loop circuits fabricated in a 0.25 μm silicon-on-sapphire technology is analyzed with circuit-level simulations followed by laser experiments. Advantages of the LC-tank based circuits in terms of single-event tolerance over the ring-oscillator based circuits are discussed.
Sensorized buoy for oil spill early detection

The Sea is often a fragile environment to be protected against possible pollutants. This paper contributes to its safeguard by proposing a new buoy equipped with advanced sensors for the detection of oil spills. In particular, the buoy is provided with various sensors for the evaluation of both meteorological and marine parameters (e.g. waves, wind, temperature), and chemical/physical data acquired by an electronic nose specifically designed for the detection of hydrocarbons. Suitable network interfaces and a connector towards a Marine Information system (MIS) allow both for real time data visualization and for long-term assessment of water quality.
A networks-on-chip emulation/verification framework

The emulation and functional validation are essential to the assessment of the correctness and performance of networks-on-chip architecture. A flexible hardware/software networks-on-chip open platform (NoCOP) emulation framework is designed and implemented for exploring the on-chip interconnection network architectures. An instruction set simulator and universal serial bus communicator control and configure the emulation parameters and process that are running on the host computer as active elements in the emulation framework. The experimental results show that the proposed emulation/verification framework can speed up the simulation, preserve the cycle accuracy and decrease the usage of the resources of field programmable gate array.
A regenerative braking control strategy for electric vehicle with four in-wheel motors

Regenerative braking control technology of electric vehicle plays a vital role in automotive energy-saving and environmental protection. Actually, there are two important aspects included in regenerative braking control. First and foremost is to maintain the vehicle safety during the braking process, and secondly is to maximize the energy recovery and minimize the energy consumption as far as possible. This paper proposes a regenerative braking control strategy to meet the above two aspects. In this research, the electric vehicle is assumed to keep straight line driving with a driver. First, according to the desired braking torques of the driver during braking process, the brake torque on front and rear axle respectively are allocated based on the tire load ratio, which makes sure that maximizing the use of tire adhesion during deceleration. Second, in order to deal with multi-objections and constraints for maximizing the energy recovery and minimizing the energy consumption, an model predictive controller is designed to distribute the brake torque between the hydraulic brake mode and the electric motor brake mode. In the end, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is verified through the simulations of the electric vehicle model with four individually driven in-wheel motors based on Matlab/Simulink and AMESim software.