Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Introduction à l'arithmétique par intervalles

Cet article est une introduction a l'arithmetique par intervalles. Avec une telle arithmetique, il est possible a la fois de tenir compte des incertitudes sur les donnees et de retourner un encadrement contenant a coup sur le resultat d'un calcul~: la force de l'arithmetique par intervalle- s est en effet la fiabilite des resultats. L'objectif de cette introduction est de mettre en evidence les points forts d'une telle arithmetique et de montrer comment contourner ses faiblesses- . Son avantage majeur est de fournir une information globale telle qu'un surencadrement de l'image d'un ensemble par une fonction. Cette information globale peut etre utilisee pour determiner le caractere contractant d'une iteration et par consequent pour prouver l'existence et l'unicite de la solution calculee. Elle peut aussi servir a optimiser globalement une fonction en evitant de se laisser pieger par un optimum local.
Rocker handle for endoscopic needle drivers. Technical and ergonomic evaluation by infrared motion analysis system.

BACKGROUND The design of the handle on instruments for endoscopic surgery determines comfort and efficiency of use by the surgeon. This applies particularly to needle drivers. METHODS A novel rocker handle was designed to provide holding comfort and intuitive function. This rocker handle was compared with a finger-loop handle in a study involving 10 surgeons who tied a total of 360 intracorporeal surgeons' knots in a random sequence. The end points in this study were the execution time, knot quality, and motion analysis parameters of the surgeon's elbow and shoulder joints. RESULTS Intracorporeal surgeon's knots tied with the rocker-handle driver exhibited a better knot quality, although this was not significant (p = 0.097). A significant improvement in the knot quality score (KQS) was observed between the first and the second sessions (p = 0.045) with the rocker handle, whereas no significant learning effect was observed for the finger-loop handle. During intracorporeal knot tying, the angular velocity at the elbow and shoulder joints was consistently lower with the rocker handle, suggesting that more controlled movements are enacted by the surgeon with this handle. Discomfort from finger-loop pressure on the thumb was reported by 3 of 10 surgeons with the finger-loop handle, whereas no discomfort was reported for the rocker handle. CONCLUSIONS The new rocker handle improves the quality of task performance by eliminating discomfort and reducing angular velocities at the shoulder and elbow joints during use.
Specification and validation of a control architecture for autonomous mobile robots

We describe the specification of a software control architecture for autonomous mobile robots. The architecture, designed to provide the robot (in a task-dependent context) with the capacity to react to events but also to intelligently anticipate the future and plan its actions, is based on the decomposition of the robot system into a functional and a decisional level. The article is mainly focused on some aspects of the organisation and of the operation of the system such as execution control, inter-levels communication, reactivity. An important aspect that is developed is the possibility to prove some temporal and logical properties of parts of the system.
Taurocholate-Induced Pancreatitis: A Model of Severe Necrotizing Pancreatitis in Mice

Objectives: The outcome from acute pancreatitis depends on the severity of systemic complications. To be able to investigate mechanisms underlying the development of these systemic complications in acute pancreatitis in both wild-type and genetically engineered animal models, a mouse model of severe necrotizing pancreatitis was developed and characterized. Methods: Pancreatitis was induced by retrograde infusion of sodium taurocholate into the common bile duct in mice. After determining the optimum volume and concentration of taurocholate, the pancreatic damage and systemic inflammatory response were compared with those in cerulein-induced pancreatitis. Results: Pancreatic damage was higher in taurocholate pancreatitis than hyperstimulation-induced pancreatitis (24 hours: cerulein, 5.8 ± 0.2 points; taurocholate, 14.8 ± 0.8 points; P < 0.001) and mortality reached up to 60% within the first 24 hours after taurocholate administration. Pulmonary damage was detected, as measured by an increase in albumin in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid only in taurocholate-induced pancreatitis (12 hours: cerulein, 97.1 ± 22.83 mg/g of protein; taurocholate, 234.0 ± 32.7 mg/g of protein; P < 0.001). Furthermore, plasma interleukin 6 concentration was significantly elevated in mice with taurocholate-induced pancreatitis (12 hours: cerulein, 2.6 ± 6.1 pg/mL; taurocholate, 2168.8 ± 941.7 &mgr;g/mL; P < 0.001) as compared with all other groups. Conclusions: Taurocholate pancreatitis is a reliable model for severe necrotizing pancreatitis in mice with significantly greater pancreatic damage and systemic inflammatory response in comparison with cerulein-induced pancreatitis.
Do the Human Ventricles Eject Simultaneously?∗

Summary On the basis of simultaneously recorded right ventricular pressures, carotid surface pulses and ballistocardio-graphic recoils, evidence is presented that ejection from the right and left ventricles may not start simultaneously in the human. The I-wave of the ballistocardiographic record seemingly datc^ to the right heart ejection, and is not initiated by left ventricle ejection which must have started earlier. Since this paper was submitted, an abstract appeared in the Federation Proceedings 9 stating that, in the human, a time discrepancy between the start of ejection from the 2 ventricles exists in almost all cases. The measurements were taken from electrokymograph recordings. In this series, either ventricle might precede, whereas in our series, the left ventricle usually precedes the right. The time discrepancies are somewhat larger in our series. Whether these differences are attributable to the small number of cases reported here remains to be determined.
Essential oils have different effects on human pathogenic and commensal bacteria in mixed faecal fermentations compared with pure cultures.

A static batch culture system inoculated with human faeces was used to determine the influence of essential oil compounds (EOCs) on mixed faecal microbiota. Bacteria were quantified using quantitative PCR of 16S rRNA genes. Incubation for 24 h of diluted faeces from six individuals caused enrichment of Bifidobacterium spp. , but proportions of other major groups were unaffected. Thymol and geraniol at 500 p.p.m. suppressed total bacteria, resulting in minimal fermentation. Thymol at 100 p.p.m. had no effect, nor did eugenol or nerolidol at 100 or 500 p.p.m. except for a slight suppression of Eubacterium hallii. Methyl isoeugenol at 100 or 500 p.p.m. suppressed the growth of total bacteria, accompanied by a large fall in the molar proportion of propionate formed. The relative abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii was unaffected except with thymol at 500 p.p.m. The ability of EOCs to control numbers of the pathogen Clostridium difficile was investigated in a separate experiment, in which the faecal suspensions were amended by the addition of pure culture of C. difficile. Numbers of C. difficile were suppressed by thymol and methyl isoeugenol at 500 p.p.m. and to a lesser extent at 100 p.p.m. Eugenol and geraniol gave rather similar suppression of C. difficile numbers at both 100 and 500 p.p.m. Nerolidol had no significant effect. It was concluded from these and previous pure-culture experiments that thymol and geraniol at around 100 p.p.m. could be effective in suppressing pathogens in the small intestine, with no concern for beneficial commensal colonic bacteria in the distal gut.
A novel method for automatic Hard Exudates detection in color retinal images

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is one of the major causes of blindness, and Hard Exudates (HEs) which are common and early clinical signs of DR. This paper presented a novel method to automatically detect HEs in color retinal images. We first extract HEs candidate regions by combining histogram segmentation with morphological reconstruction. Next, we define 44 significant features for each candidate region. A supervised support vector machine (SVM) is finally trained based on these features to classify the candidate regions for HEs. We evaluate the proposed method on the public DIARETDB1 database and achieve an sensitivity of 94.7% and an positive predictive value of 90.0%. Experimental results show that our method can produce reliable detection of HEs.
Adipose tissue-derived therapeutics

Human adipose tissue provides a uniquely abundant and accessible source of adult stem cells for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The adult stem cells are isolated by collagenase digestion, differential centrifugation and subsequent adherence to a plasticware surface. Based on their immunophenotype, the cells are relatively homogeneous, with shared expression of integrin β1, the hyaluronate receptor, and the tetraspan protein CD9, among other markers. In response to chemical, hormonal or structural stimuli, the adipose-derived adult stem (ADAS) cells can differentiate along multiple lineage pathways, including adipocytes, chondrocytes, myocytes, neurons and osteoblasts. The cells can be transduced with viral vectors and have potential utility as gene delivery vehicles. Further studies will facilitate the clinical and commercial development of ADAS cells. First, it will be necessary to develop closed system bioreactors for the large-scale manufacture of ADAS cells. Second, methods that improve the vascularisation of in vivo implants will allow transplantation of larger engineered tissues. Finally, experiments must investigate the feasibility of transplanting allogeneic, as compared to autologous, ADAS cells for therapeutic applications. Based on the promising findings from adipose-derived and other adult stem cells to date, it is likely that future studies will address these challenges.
Sampling ratio bridge for impedance measurements down to 1 mΩ

This paper describes the development of a current-driven automated sampling ratio bridge for the accurate measurement of low-ohmic impedance standards. Initial tests at 50 Hz and 1 kHz indicate that relative uncertainties of a few times 10-6 can be obtained for ratios of 10 Ω to 100 ΩO. For lower impedance values the uncertainty will increase. We demonstrated operating the bridge for AC resistance values down to 1 mΩ.
Hidden Markov Model based driving event detection and driver profiling from mobile inertial sensor data

With the advent of smartphones and advancements in sensor capabilities, it is possible to actively monitor drivers and provide a viable solution necessary to reduce vehicle accidents. Driving maneuvers provide an insight to a driver's driving skills and behavior, which is an important aspect for applications such as driver profiling, driver safety, fuel consumption modeling, etc. Driver profiling requires detection of sharp and normal driving maneuvers having high and low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), respectively. Typical event detection techniques detect sharp driving maneuvers but fail to detect normal maneuvers. In this paper, we propose Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based technique to detect lateral maneuvers and Jerk Energy based technique to detect longitudinal maneuvers. Most driver profiling techniques consider only longitudinal events such as hard acceleration/braking, whereas the proposed approach profiles a driver by coupling lateral and longitudinal events. Based on collected datasets on diverse type of driving scenario, events are detected with 95% accuracy. For driver profiling, we achieve 90% accuracy in match between drivers subjective score and model-based estimated score.
Terceira etapa método Canguru: convergência de práticas investigativas e cuidado com famílias em atendimento ambulatorial

Trata-se de uma Pesquisa Convergente-Assistencial, de natureza qualitativa, que teve como objetivos investigar a experiencia no processo de adaptacao de familias na terceira etapa do Metodo Canguru com recem-nascidos pretermo e/ou de baixo peso e implementar a consulta de enfermagem dentro dos quatro modos adaptativos da Teoria de Roy. Desenvolvido no periodo de outubro de 2006 a fevereiro de 2007 em um Hospital Universitario. Os sujeitos foram seis maes, familiares e seus bebes. A coleta de dados foi realizada atraves do processo de cuidar do modelo adaptativo de Roy, utilizando as tecnicas de observacao e da entrevista semi-estruturada. O processo de analise ocorreu atraves da apreensao, sintese, teorizacao e transferencia. Os resultados mostram a necessidade de fortalecer o papel da familia na desospitalizacao, a comunicacao entre a equipe interdisciplinar e rever criterios de alta da terceira etapa.
Amelogenin-Ameloblastin Spatial Interaction around Maturing Enamel Rods

Amelogenin and ameloblastin are 2 extracellular matrix proteins that are essential for the proper development of enamel. We recently reported that amelogenin and ameloblastin colocalized during the secretory stage of enamel formation when nucleation of enamel crystallites occurs. Direct interactions between the 2 proteins have been also demonstrated in our in vitro studies. Here, we explore interactions between their fragments during enamel maturation. We applied in vivo immunofluorescence imaging, quantitative co-localization analysis, and a new FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) technique to demonstrate ameloblastin and amelogenin interaction in the maturing mouse enamel. Using immunochemical analysis of protein samples extracted from 8-d-old (P8) first molars from mice as a model for maturation-stage enamel, we identified the ~17-kDa ameloblastin (Ambn-N) and the TRAP (tyrosine-rich amelogenin peptide) fragments. We used Ambn-N18 and Ambn-M300 antibodies raised against the N-terminal and C-terminal segments of ameloblastin, as well as Amel-FL and Amel-C19 antibodies against full-length recombinant mouse amelogenin (rM179) and C-terminal amelogenin, respectively. In transverse sections, co-localization images of N-terminal fragments of amelogenin and ameloblastin around the prism boundary revealed the “fish net” pattern of the enamel matrix. Using in vivo FRET microscopy, we further demonstrated spatial interactions between amelogenin and ameloblastin N-terminal fragments. In the maturing mouse enamel, the association of these residual protein fragments created a discontinuity between enamel rods, which we suggest is important for support and maintenance of enamel rods and eventual contribution to unique enamel mechanical properties. We present data that support cooperative functions of enamel matrix proteins in mediating the structural hierarchy of enamel and that contribute to our efforts to design and develop enamel biomimetic material.
The Plight of Forgotten Women : Coping with Gender Based Domestic Violence Among Palestinian Refugee Women

Fifty years after their expulsion and displacement from their homeland, over 3 million Palestinian refugees are still registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). This study focuses primarily on the Palestinian refugee women population in one of the camps in Jordan; Al-Wihdat camp. A qualitative study was conducted to examine gender-based domestic violence among the women interviewed and the different coping mechanisms/strategies and modes of adaptation among the female population. Questions asked of the female refugee population assessed the impact of social, economic and cultural norms on that society, and how these factors contribute to the worsening conditions of “domestic” violence leading to different coping mechanisms adapted by the women.
A Mechanism Versus SEU Impact Analysis of Collector Charge Collection in SiGe HBT Current Mode Logic

This work examines the individual impact of drift and diffusion charge collection in the collector-base (CB) and collector-substrate (CS) junctions on single-event-upset (SEU) in SiGe HBT current mode logic (CML) circuits. The CS junction diffusion charge collection has negligible impact on circuit SEU, despite its large charge collection magnitude. The CB and CS drift charge collection are primarily responsible for the observed SEU in CML circuits. The CB drift charge collection is as important as the CS drift charge collection, even though its charge magnitude is much less, because the resulting current excitation appears between collector and base nodes, and hence is amplified. Using selective ion track placement, we show that an ion track passing through the physical CS junction is much more effective in causing SEU than an ion track not passing through the CS junction because of potential funneling and consequent large induced drift current magnitude, which is necessary for SEU of CML circuit.
Effects of iron supplementation in mice with hypoferremia induced by obesity

Iron is an important micronutrient, but it can also act as a dangerous element by interfering with glucose homeostasis and inflammation, two features that are already disturbed in obese subjects. In this work, we study the effects of systemic iron supplementation on metabolic and inflammatory responses in mice with hypoferremia induced by obesity to better characterize whether iron worsens the parameters that are already altered after 24 weeks of a high-fat diet (HFD). Mice were maintained on a control diet or a HFD for 24 weeks and received iron-III polymaltose (50 mg/kg/every 2 days) during the last two weeks. Glucose homeostasis (basal glucose and insulin test tolerance) and systemic and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) inflammation were assessed. Iron levels were measured in serum. The Prussian blue reaction was used in isolated macrophages to detect iron deposition. Iron supplementation resulted in an increased number of VAT macrophages that were positive for Prussian blue staining as well as increased serum iron levels. Systemic hepcidin, leptin, resistin, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were not altered by iron supplementation. Local adipose tissue inflammation was also not made worse by iron supplementation because the levels of hepcidin, MCP-1, leptin, and interleukin (IL)-6 were not altered. In contrast, iron supplementation resulted in an increased production of IL-10 by adipose tissue and VAT macrophages. Leukocytosis and VAT plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) level were reduced, but insulin resistance was not altered after iron supplementation. In conclusion, systemic iron supplementation in mice with hypoferremia induced by obesity did not worsen inflammatory marker or adipose tissue inflammation or the metabolic status established by obesity. Iron deposition was observed in adipose tissue, mainly in macrophages, suggesting that these cells have mechanisms that promote iron incorporation without increasing the production of inflammatory mediators.
A new approach to analysis of the arterial baroreflex.

The arterial baroreflex is commonly evaluated by measuring the lengthening and shortening in pulse interval in response to changes in systolic (S) blood pressure (BP) induced by infusion of vasopressor and vasodepressor drugs. This method is simple but has important limitations: only a few observations can be made, reproducibility of the responses is far from optimal, interference by direct drug action on the sinus node and the baroreceptors cannot be excluded and the artificially induced stimuli only poorly mimic the naturally occurring pressor and depressor transients. A new approach was therefore pursued. Blood pressure was recorded intra-arterially for 3 +/- 0.4 h (mean +/- s.d) in 10 unanaesthetized, unrestrained cats and the recording was scanned by a computer to identify the spontaneous sequences of three or more consecutive beats in which SBP progressively rose and pulse interval progressively lengthened (type 1 sequence) or SBP progressively fell and pulse interval progressively shortened (type 2 sequences). Accurate beat-to-beat measurements of SBP and pulse interval were obtained by adopting a very narrow sampling interval of the BP trace, i.e. 1.6 ms real time. For each sequence the regression between the SBP values and the pulse internal values of the following cycle was calculated. In each cat a large number of three-beat sequences were found, the four-, five- and six-beat sequences being, however, progressively less common. All sequences had a high correlation coefficient (r > 0.9), type 1 having a greater slope than type 2 (14.1 +/- 2.5 versus 10.3 +/- 7.6 ms/mmHg, P < 0.01). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Heroin and cocaine abusers have higher discount rates for delayed rewards than alcoholics or non-drug-using controls.

AIMS To test a prediction of the discounting model of impulsiveness that discount rates would be positively associated with addiction. The delay-discount rate refers to the rate of reduction in the present value of a future reward as the delay to that reward increases. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS We estimated participants' discount rates on the basis of their pattern of choices between smaller immediate rewards ($11-80) and larger, delayed rewards ($25-85; at delays from 1 week to 6 months) in a questionnaire format. Participants had a one-in-six chance of winning a reward that they chose on one randomly selected trial. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Heroin (n = 27), cocaine (n = 41) and alcohol (n = 33) abusers and non-drug-using controls (n = 44) were recruited from advertisements. They were tested in a drug abuse research clinic at a medical school. FINDINGS On average, the cocaine and heroin groups had higher rates than controls (both P < 0.001), but alcoholics did not (P = 0.44). Abstinence was associated with lower rates for heroin abusers (P = 0.03), but not for cocaine or alcohol abusers (both P > 0.50). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that discount rates vary with the preferred drug of abuse, and that high discount rates should be considered in the development of substance abuse prevention and treatment efforts.
A GA-Based Role Assignment Approach for Web-based Cooperative Learning Environments

Web-based cooperative learning focuses on (1) the interaction and the collaboration of community members, and (2) the sharing and the distribution of knowledge and expertise by network technology to enhance learning performance. Numerous research literatures related to web-based cooperative learning have demonstrated that cooperative scripts have a positive impact to specify, sequence, and assign cooperative learning activities. Besides, literatures have indicated that role-play in web-based cooperative learning environments enhances two or more students to work together toward the completion of a common goal. Since students generally do not know each other and they lack the face-to-face contact that is necessary for the negotiation of assigning group roles in web-based cooperative learning environments, this paper intends to further extend the application of genetic algorithm (GA) and propose a GA-based algorithm to tackle the problem of role assignment in web-based cooperative learning environments, which not only saves communication costs but also reduces conflict between group members in negotiating role assignments. Keywords—genetic algorithm (GA); role assignment; role-play; web-based cooperative learning.
The bacteriology of cervical mucus of ewes at oestrus following treatment with fluoro-progestagen impregnated intravaginal sponges.

Summary The presence of an intravaginal sponge impregnated with the fluoro-progestagen is responsible for an alteration in the bacterial flora of cervical mucus of the ewe at the first oestrus following withdrawal. There is an increase in the number of coliform organisms, specifically E. coli, Alcaligenes spp and other Gram negative bacteria, and C. pyogenes, probably through contamination of the string by facees and urine and the actual presence of an intravaginal foreign body.