Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Privation de sommeil et déficits cognitifs: Implications pour le diagnostic et le traitement de l'insomnie

The primary goal of this research project was to objectively ascertain, through performance-based measures, the possible cognitive impairments associated with insomnia. To this end, three cognitive tasks were developed. All three tasks involved a specific cognitive process while also simultaneously requiring vigilance capacities for successful performance. Based on the three well-established memory systems outlined by the Atkinson and Shiffrin model (1968), the cognitive processes precisely targeted in each task were: 1) automatic switching of attention; 2) visuospatial working memory; and 3) semantic memory. Should these tasks effectively led to an objective measurement of the possible cognitive impairments associated with insomnia, the second goal of this research project was then to determine whether these measures were capable of assessing the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. In accordance with these objectives, the ability of the three tasks to detect the presence of cognitive impairment was studied sequentially, by using three distinct sleep deprivation paradigms: total sleep deprivation, partial sleep deprivation, and insomnia. Thus, the sensitivity of the three tasks was first examined with totally sleep-deprived individuals (study 1: pretestposttest design without control group including a night without sleep and a normal night of sleep). The most sensitive measures were then included in the second study, which involved partial sleep deprivation (study 2: pretest-posttest design without control group including a night limited to four hours of sleep and a normal night of sleep). Finally, tasks with the best ability to detect cognitive impairment resulting from partial sleep deprivation were incorporated into the last study, the latter being of a more exploratory nature focusing on insomnia (study 3: five case studies of participants with a diagnosis of insomnia investigated under a pretest-posttest design without control group including the administration of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia).
Bringing Digital Games to User Research and User Experience

In recent years, the gaming industry has grown up and digital games have become more complex products. With this maturity comes an increasing need for formal playtesting methods from user research and scientific methods from academia. Employing user research methods in game development, especially combined qualitative (e.g., questionnaires, interviews) and quantitative (e.g., EEG, EMG, game metrics) methods lead to a better understanding of the relationship and interactions between players and games. This panel gathers game user research industry and academic experts for discussing current methodological advancements and future challenges in playtesting, usability, playability evaluation, and general game user research.
Pricing link by time

The combination of loss-based TCP and drop-tail routers often results in full buffers, creating large queueing delays. The challenge with parameter tuning and the drastic consequence of improper tuning have discouraged network administrators from enabling AQM even when routers support it. To address this problem, we propose a novel design principle for AQM, called the pricing-link-by-time (PLT) principle. PLT increases the link price as the backlog stays above a threshold β, and resets the price once the backlog goes below β. We prove that such a system exhibits cyclic behavior that is robust against changes in network environment and protocol parameters. While β approximately controls the level of backlog, the backlog dynamics are invariant for β across a wide range of values. Therefore, β can be chosen to reduce delay without undermining system performance. We validate these analytical results using packet-level simulation.
Structure and Dynamics of Water at Carbon-Based Interfaces

Water structure and dynamics are affected by the presence of a nearby interface. Here, first we review recent results by molecular dynamics simulations about the effect of different carbon-based materials, including armchair carbon nanotubes and a variety of graphene sheets—flat and with corrugation—on water structure and dynamics. We discuss the calculations of binding energies, hydrogen bond distributions, water’s diffusion coefficients and their relation with surface’s geometries at different thermodynamical conditions. Next, we present new results of the crystallization and dynamics of water in a rigid graphene sieve. In particular, we show that the diffusion of water confined between parallel walls depends on the plate distance in a non-monotonic way and is related to the water structuring, crystallization, re-melting and evaporation for decreasing inter-plate distance. Our results could be relevant in those applications where water is in contact with nanostructured carbon materials at ambient or cryogenic temperatures, as in man-made superhydrophobic materials or filtration membranes, or in techniques that take advantage of hydrated graphene interfaces, as in aqueous electron cryomicroscopy for the analysis of proteins adsorbed on graphene.
Algorithm animation and its applications in instruction

Algorithm animation is one particular form of software visualization and is concerned with dynamic and interactive graphical displays of an algorithm's fundamental operations. Through it, learners can be easily to learn the difficult concepts of data structures and algorithms. An overview of algorithm animation and its applications in data structures and algorithms instruction was presented in this paper. We started by defining the concept of algorithm animation and its features. Next, we briefly introduced the history of algorithm animation. Then, we reviewed a series of educational experiences in using algorithm animation. Finally, in order to maximize the teaching potential of algorithm animation, we offered some advice on its design and application. The plan of our future work was also given in this paper. Note that a brief comparative analysis between China and other countries on the research of algorithm animation are presented in the necessary places of the paper.
Analysis of Facial Marks to Distinguish Between Identical Twins

Identical twin face recognition is a challenging task due to the existence of a high degree of correlation in overall facial appearance. Commercial face recognition systems exhibit poor performance in differentiating between identical twins under practical conditions. In this paper, we study the usability of facial marks as biometric signatures to distinguish between identical twins. We propose a multiscale automatic facial mark detector based on a gradient-based operator known as the fast radial symmetry transform. The transform detects bright or dark regions with high radial symmetry at different scales. Next, the detections are tracked across scales to determine the prominence of facial marks. Extensive experiments are performed both on manually annotated and on automatically detected facial marks to evaluate the usefulness of facial marks as biometric signatures. Experiment results are based on identical twin images acquired at the 2009 Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. The results of our analysis signify the usefulness of the distribution of facial marks as a biometric signature. In addition, our results indicate the existence of some degree of correlation between geometric distribution of facial marks across identical twins.
Coherent States for Generalized Laguerre Functions

We explicitly construct a Hamiltonian whose exact eigenfunctions are the generalized Laguerre functions. Moreover, we present the related raising and lowering operators. We investigate the corresponding coherent states by adopting the Gazeau–Klauder approach, where resolution of unity and overlapping properties are examined. Coherent states are found to be similar to those found for a particle trapped in a Poschl–Teller potential of the trigonometric type. Some comparisons with Barut–Girardello and Klauder–Perelomov methods are noted.
Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and detection of tumour cell dissemination in breast cancer patients: plasmid versus cell line dilutions.

BACKGROUND We previously developed a real-time quantitative RT-PCR technique to detect breast carcinoma cells in peripheral blood (PB). The aim of the current study was to improve cytokeratin 19 (CK19) quantification using plasmid dilutions of cloned PCR fragments to obtain a more reliable and reproducible quantification of CK19 transcripts. MATERIALS AND METHODS PB samples of 14 stage IV breast cancer patients and 23 healthy controls were examined with RT-PCR using plasmid quantification. RESULTS Median CK19+ copy numbers of one and 11 were detected in the control group and stage IV breast cancer patients, respectively (Mann-Whitney, P </=0.0001). When comparing the results obtained using cell line dilutions with those obtained using plasmid dilutions, a good correlation was observed (r(2) = 0.98). CONCLUSIONS Plasmid dilutions are more reliable than cell line dilutions for quantification of gene expression, and more objective criteria for positivity could be defined based on the characteristics of the standard curve (slope and intercept). A more universally accepted agreement on the definition of the cut-off value for positivity is needed.
1 Approaches to High Accuracy Retrieval

Our main research focus this year was on the use of multi-word units (MWU) in query expansion. MWUs comprise a number of lexical units, such as named entities (“United Nations” ), nominal compounds (“amusement park” ), etc. Although MWUs can belong to different parts of speech, our focus was on nominal MWUs. We used a combined syntactico-statistical approach for selecting nominal MWUs. In the first selection pass we obtained valid noun phrases, and in the second pass we used statistical measures to select strongly bound MWUs. We have experimented with using two statistical measures of selecting MWUs from text: the C-value (Frantzi and Ananiadou 1996) and the Log-Likelihood ratio (Dunning 1993). Selected MWUs were then suggested to the user for interactive query expansion. We have studied two main research questions:
Critical Review of rate constants for reactions of hydrated electrons, hydrogen atoms and hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH/⋅O− in Aqueous Solution

Kinetic data for the radicals H⋅ and ⋅OH in aqueous solution,and the corresponding radical anions, ⋅O− and eaq−, have been critically pulse radiolysis, flash photolysis and other methods. Rate constants for over 3500 reaction are tabulated, including reaction with molecules, ions and other radicals derived from inorganic and organic solutes.
The Evidence for Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia Today

Hyperalgesia is an increased response to painful sensation. Opioid-induced hyperalgesia occurs after sustained opioid exposure and/or following abrupt cessation of opioid. At the cellular level, adenylyl cyclase superactivation and elevated cAMP levels lead to PKA-mediated enhanced neurotransmitter release. Spinal glutamate, substance P, and CGRP enhance pain through NMDA, NK-1, and CGRP receptors respectively. Non-opioid receptor mediated OIH may be caused by M3G activation of TLR4. In controlled human experiments OIH is evident to cold pain, but less consistently found with pain caused by other modalities such as heat, electricity, or pressure. Hyperalgesia detected in response to cold pain can be reduced by the NMDA antagonist ketamine. Patients on methadone maintenance also show an increased sensitivity to nociception between doses. Multi-modal analgesia may be the best strategy for treatment of OIH in the clinical setting.
Caregivers' perspectives on the SafeCare® programme: Implementing an evidence‐based intervention for child neglect

This qualitative study examined caregivers' experiences with SafeCare®, an evidence-based programme that focuses on child neglect through modules on health, safety, and parenting. Shortly after completing SafeCare, 30 caregivers participated in a semi-structured interview about their experiences with the programme. Overall, caregivers indicated that the programme helped with improvements in their parenting skills. Among the factors that contributed to a positive experience were the simplicity of language, the skills-based approach, and the quality of the relationship with the SafeCare provider. Caregivers also noted several factors that made it difficult to fully benefit from the programme, including financial constraints, removal of their child from the home, and general distrust towards the child welfare system. Findings provide relevant information for SafeCare providers in terms of identifying areas that work well for caregivers completing the programme, as well as areas that might serve as impediments. Implications for contemporary child welfare practice are also considered.
Enhanced Survival and Cure of F98 Glioma–Bearing Rats following Intracerebral Delivery of Carboplatin in Combination with Photon Irradiation

Purpose: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of intracerebral (i.c.) administration of carboplatin by means of convection-enhanced delivery (CED) in combination with fractionated, external beam photon irradiation for the treatment of F98 glioma–bearing rats. Experimental Design: Carboplatin (20 μg/20 μL) was administrated i.c. by CED to F98 glioma–bearing rats, 13 days after stereotactic implantation of 103 tumor cells. One day following initiation of CED, a 24-Gy X-ray dose was administered in three daily fractions of 8 Gy each. Photon irradiation was carried out using either a conventional (6 MV) linear accelerator or a monochromatic synchrotron source (80 keV) at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The primary end point of this study was overall survival. Results: The median survival times were 79 and 60 days and the corresponding percent increase in life spans were 182% and 114%, respectively, for the combination of carboplatin chemotherapy and irradiation with either 6-MV or 80-keV photons. A subset of long-term survivors (>200 days) were observed in both chemoradiotherapy groups: 16.6% and 8.3% for 6 MV and 80 keV, respectively. In contrast, the median survival times for 6-MV or 80-keV irradiated controls, chemotherapy alone, and untreated controls were 42, 51, 45, and 28 days, respectively. Conclusions: Our results convincingly show the therapeutic efficacy of i.c. administration of carboplatin by means of CED in combination with either 6-MV or 80-keV photons. Further studies are warranted to optimize this combination of chemoradiotherapy for malignant gliomas.
Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function in an elderly nonsmoking population.

OBJECTIVE To examine risk factors for chronic airway disease (CAD) in elderly nonsmokers, as determined by pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and to correlate reported respiratory symptoms with PFT measures. DESIGN An observational survey. SETTING Several communities in California. MEASUREMENTS Exposures and respiratory history were assessed by standardized questionnaire. PFTs were performed and prediction equations derived. RESULTS Significant risk factors for obstruction on PFTs in multiple logistic regression included reported environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure (relative risk [RR]=1.44), parental CAD or hay fever (RR=1.47), history of childhood respiratory illness (RR=2.15), increasing age, and male sex. The number of years of past smoking was of borderline significance (RR=1.29 for 10 years of smoking; p=0.06). The prevalence of obstruction on PFTs was 24.9% in those with definite symptomatic CAD, compared with 7.5% in those with no symptoms of CAD. The prevalence of obstruction was 36.0% among those with asthma and 70.6% among those with emphysema. Also, symptomatic CAD correlated with reduction in lung function by analysis of covariance. The mean percent predicted FEV1 adjusted for covariates was 90.6% in persons with definite symptoms of CAD, compared with 97.8% in those without it (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Age, sex, parental history, childhood respiratory illness, and reported ETS exposures were significant risk factors for obstruction on PFTs. Self-reported respiratory symptoms also correlated significantly with PFTs.
Use of β-Glucanases and β-1,4-Xylanases to Supplement Diets Containing Alfalfa and Rye for Laying Hens: Effects on Bird Performance and Egg Quality

SUMMARY It is well established that the use of alfalfa in diets for monogastric animals is limited by its high fiber content. However, alfalfa is a natural source of xanthophylls and gives poultry products a desirably yellow color. In addition, alfalfa saponins may contribute to reduce the levels of cholesterol in the meat and egg yolk. We have investigated the potential utilization of β-glucanases and β-1,4-xylanases for enhancing the nutritive value of alfalfa for laying hens. An experiment was conducted with 864 ISA Brown layer hens from 40 to 52 wk of age and fed on diets containing rye (19.6%) or rye and alfalfa (15.1%). The results suggested that inclusion of alfalfa in the diets reduced body weights and total egg mass (P < 0.01). Dietary supplementation with polysaccharidases was unable to significantly improve the performance of laying hens. However, egg yolks from birds that consumed diets containing alfalfa were more deeply pigmented, presenting an increase in yellowness (b*). In contrast, at the percentage of incorporation tested, inclusion of alfalfa in the diets was unable to lower the levels of cholesterol content in the egg yolk. Taken together the results suggest that exogenous plant cell wall hydrolases are not effective for improving the nutritive value of alfalfa-containing diets for laying hens, although inclusion of small percentages of the dehydrated leguminous meal may directly affect the quality of the generated poultry products.
Modeling I/O interference for data intensive distributed applications

Data intensive applications such as MapReduce can have large performance degradation from the effects of I/O interference when multiple processes access the same I/O resources simultaneously, particularly in the case of disks. It is necessary to understand this effect in order to improve resource allocation and utilization for these applications. In this paper, we propose a model for predicting the impact of I/O interference on MapReduce application performance. Our model takes basic parameters of the workload and hardware environment, and knowledge of the I/O behavior of the application to predict how I/O interference affects the scalability of an application. We compare the model's predictions for several workloads (TeraSort, WordCount, PFP Growth and PageRank) against the actual behavior of those workloads in a real cluster environment, and confirm that our model can provide highly accurate predictions.
Asymmetric English Auctions Revisited

I introduce a property of player's valuations that ensures the existence of an ex post efficient equilibrium in asymmetric English auctions. The use of this property has the advantage of yielding an ex post efficient equilibrium without assuming differentiability of valuations or that signals are drawn from a density. These technical, non economic, assumptions have been ubiquitous in the study of (potentially) asymmetric English auctions. Therefore, my work highlights the economic content of what it takes to obtain efficient ex post equilibria. I generalize prior work by Echenique and Manelli (2006) and by Birulin and Izmalkov (2003). Relative to Krishna (2003), I weaken his single crossing properties, drop his differentiability and densities assumptions, but I assume that one player's valuation is weakly increasing in other players' signals, while he uses a different assumption (neither stronger nor weaker).
Does the influence of peers and parents on adolescents' drunkenness differ between Roma and non-Roma adolescents in Slovakia?

Background. Roma adolescents have been shown to use less alcohol than non-Roma adolescents. This could be due to the protective influences of peers and parents. Objective. The purpose of this study was to explore differences in the levels of peer and parental influence and their effects on drunkenness between Roma and non-Roma adolescents. Design. Data were obtained in Eastern Slovakia from 330 Roma (mean age=14.50; 48.5% boys) and 722 non-Roma (mean age=14.86; 53.2% boys) primary school pupils. We analysed data on adolescent drunkenness (being drunk at least once in the past four weeks), parental monitoring (parents knowing with whom their children are when they go out) and peer influence (best friend drinking alcohol at least once a week) using logistic regression. Results. Roma adolescents self-reported more parental monitoring and less peer influence when compared with their non-Roma counterparts (p<0.001). Less parental monitoring contributed to the probability of drunkenness only among girls (OR/CI: 4.17/2.00–8.69). This effect of parental monitoring was not modified by ethnicity. Peer influence affected drunkenness in both boys (OR/CI: 3.34/1.91–5.85) and girls (4.84/2.55–9.19), but there was no significant interaction of ethnicity with peer influence. Conclusion. While both boys and girls seem to be sensitive to peer influence, only girls appear to be sensitive to parental monitoring in regard to drunkenness. Stronger parental monitoring and weaker peer influence partially explain the lower prevalence of drunkenness among Roma adolescents, whereas the effects of these factors per level do not vary between Roma and non-Roma adolescents.
Biometric Systems: A Face Recognition Approach

In this paper we propose a biometric face recognition system based on local features. Informative feature locations in the face image are located by Gabor ﬁlters, which gives us an automatic system that is not dependent on accurate detection of facial features. The feature locations are typically located at positions with high information content (such as facial features), and at each of these positions we extract a feature vector consisting of Gabor coefﬁcients. We report some initial results on the ORL dataset.
Measuring intra- and international linguistic competence: Appropriation of WEs and ELF discourse in the commercials for two standardized English tests

ABSTRACT The author examines discourses of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) in the commercials for 2 standardized English tests: the International English Language Testing System for study abroad in English-dominant countries and the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program for Canadian permanent residency and citizenship. It illustrates how ELF and WEs, perceived as antithetical to Standard U.S. or U.K. English, have been used in these advertisements to represent diverse groups’ alignment with monolithic ideologies of globalization and nationalism—that is, unity in diversity. As such, these constructs concerning alternative varieties of English have not necessarily done anything to change the ideological underpinnings of standardized English tests, even if some of the tests are now advertised according to ELF or WEs discourses. Therefore, critical researchers and educators need to be cautious against the assumption that discourses of ELF and WEs are inherently more socially just than discourses of Standard English, as any of these discourses can serve the same ends regardless of their underlying theoretical positions.