Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pertinence d'une approche culturelle appuyée sur Internet dans une grande école

Cette etude a pour cadre un module aidant les etudiants, en mobilite a l'Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, a mieux s'adapter aux particularites culturelles de la communaute francaise de l'Ecole. Nous analysons quelques-uns des modules thematiques proposes en insistant sur le choix des themes, des tâches a realiser, des consignes, la selection des sources, le mode d'accompagnement. Les activites de recherche en ligne encadrees qui ont ete proposees, a partir de sites Internet au contenu culturel (sites "bruts"), font appel a la prise d'initiative, aux competences d'analyse, de jugement critique et de synthese. Le guidage est souple, non directif et les activites peu balisees. Au travers de l'examen des reactions et de l'investissement des etudiants nous montrons que l'ingenierie mise en place porte ses fruits et peut etre demultipliee.
Genetic Variation in Attachment Glycoprotein Genes of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Subgroups A and B in Children in Recent Five Consecutive Years

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) outranks other viral agents as the cause of respiratory tract diseases in children worldwide. Molecular epidemiological study of the virus provides useful information for the development of globally effective vaccine. We investigated the circulating pattern and genetic variation in the attachment glycoprotein genes of HRSV in Beijing during 5 consecutive seasons from 2007 to 2012. Out of 19,942 tested specimens, 3,160 (15.8%) were HRSV antigen-positive. The incidence of HRSV infection in males was significantly higher than in females. Of the total 723 (23.1%) randomly selected HRSV antigen-positive samples, 462 (63.9%) and 239 (33.1%) samples were identified as subgroup A and B, respectively. Subgroups A and B co-circulated in the 5 consecutive HRSV seasons, which showed a shifting mixed pattern of subgroup dominance. Complete G gene sequences were obtained from 190 HRSV-A and 72 HRSV-B by PCR for phylogenetic analysis. Although 4 new genotypes, NA3 and NA4 for HRSV-A and BA-C and CB1 for HRSV-B, were identified here, they were not predominant; NA1 and BA9 were the prevailing HRSV-A and -B genotypes, respectively. We provide the first report of a 9 consecutive nucleotide insertion in 3 CB1 genotype strains. One Beijing strain of ON1 genotype with a 72 nucleotide insertion was found among samples collected in February 2012. The reversion of codon states in glycosylation sites to previous ones were found from HRSV strains in this study, suggesting an immune-escape strategy of this important virus.
Acculturation and dietary habits of Korean Americans

This is the first study to investigate how food and nutrient intakes vary with the levels of acculturation of Korean Americans using a dietary assessment tool tested for validity and reliability. The respondents were Korean Americans (n 486) resident in the Greater New York metropolitan area, USA. They were divided into two groups according to the total score of acculturation: low- and high-acculturated groups. Using a food-frequency questionnaire and a modified Suinn-Lew Asian self-identity acculturation scale, differences in the frequencies of food items, food groups and nutrient intakes consumed were analysed by level of acculturation. The low-acculturated group tended to consume significantly more rice, mixed rice, soyabean paste chigae (pot stew), saengsun (fish) chigae, kimchi chigae, other fish broiled or baked, eggs, kimchi, spinach, persimmons, and white or brown sugar in coffee or tea. The high-acculturated group demonstrated a statistically greater tendency to consume bread, cereal, spaghetti, ham, green salad, sweetcorn, chocolate, candies and diet soft drinks. The more acculturated an individual, the more significant was the tendency to consume sweets. The more acculturated group had significantly (P<0·05) higher intakes of % energy from total fat, thiamin, vitamin E and folate, while the low-acculturated group consumed greater amounts of Na, niacin and dietary fibre. The information from the present study can be used to describe dietary habits according to various aspects of acculturation, and allows a better understanding of the dynamics of acculturation and dietary habits.
Integration of Global Regulatory Mechanisms Controlling Vibrio Cholerae Behavior

Cholera is an acute water-borne diarrheal disease caused by the facultative Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae of serogroup O1 of the classical and El Tor biotypes and serogroup O139. Characteristics of this bacterium are its comma-shaped morphology, expression of a fast-rotating polar flagellum, and production of cholera toxin (CT). The O1 V. cholerae serogroup contains a common A antigen and can be subdivided in Ogawa and Inaba serotypes on the basis of serotype-specific antigens B and C, respectively (Kaper et al., 1995). Mankind has experienced seven recorded cholera pandemics. The seventh and current pandemic is characterized by the predominance of the O1 serogroup El Tor biotype, with periodic emergence of O139 strains, which exhibit a new lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and a capsule (Albert, 1994). Cholera, which continues to be a major public health concern in endemic areas of South Asia and Africa, is estimated to cause 5.5 million cases of disease and 130,000 deaths per year. The disease, which commonly occurs as rapidly spreading and difficult to contain outbreaks in low-income countries, is a common sequel of natural and human disasters. The typical cholera symptoms include a profuse ricewatery diarrhea and vomiting. If untreated, this condition can lead to severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and death. Cholera infections can be effectively treated with oral rehydration and, in cases of severe illness, with antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment lessens the duration of illness and reduces the excretion of highly infective Vibrios (Nelson et al., 2011). The downside however, is the emergence of multiple-antibiotic resistant O1 and O139 strains (Das & Kaur, 2008; Roychowdhury et al., 2008; Okeke et al., 2007; Mwansa et al., 2007; Faruque et al., 2007).
THE DETERMINANTS OF UNDERPRICING: INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS ON THE NEUER MARKT AND THE NOUVEAU MARCHÉ

This paper analyses the determinants of underpricing of firms that went public on the Nouveau Marche between 1996 and 2000 and on the Neuer Markt between 1997 and 2000. Evidence suggests that firms that went public on the Nouveau Marche experienced lower underpricing than their counterparts that went public on the Neuer Markt. This difference in underpricing is partly explained by the differential performance of the two stock markets. The stock market performance has a positive significant impact on underpricing in both markets. However, the impact is stronger in the sample of the Neuer Markt than in the sample of the Nouveau Marche. Moreover, underwriter reputation lowers the underpricing of firms in the sample of the Neuer Markt, while underwriter reputation does not affect the underpricing of firms in the sample of the Nouveau Marche.
Has2 is required upstream of Rac1 to govern dorsal migration of lateral cells during zebrafish gastrulation

The large extracellular polysaccharide Hyaluronan (HA) and its synthesizing enzymes (Has) have been implicated in regulating the migratory potential of metastatic cancer cells. Here, we analyze the roles of zebrafish Has2 in normal development. Antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (MO)-mediated knockdown of zebrafish Has2 leads to the loss of HA, and severe migratory defects during gastrulation, somite morphogenesis and primordial germ cell migration. During gastrulation, ventrolateral cells of has2 morphant embryos fail to develop lamellipodia and to migrate dorsally, resulting in a blockage of dorsal convergence, whereas extension of the dorsal axis is normal. The effect is cell autonomous, suggesting that HA acts as an autocrine signal to stimulate the migration of HA-generating cells. Upon ectopic expression in axial cells, has2 causes the formation of supernumerary lamellipodia and a blockage of axis extension. Epistasis analyses with constitutively active and dominant-negative versions of the small GTPase Rac1 suggest that HA acts by Rac1 activation, rather than as an essential structural component of the extracellular matrix. Together, our data provide evidence that convergence and extension are separate morphogenetic movements of gastrulation. In addition, they suggest that the same HA pathways are active to auto-stimulate cell migration during tumor invasion and vertebrate embryogenesis.
Food-Insecure Dietary Patterns Are Associated With Poor Longitudinal Glycemic Control in Diabetes: Results From the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study

OBJECTIVE To determine whether dietary patterns associated with food insecurity are associated with poor longitudinal glycemic control. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In a prospective, population-based, longitudinal cohort study, we ascertained food security (Food Security Survey Module), dietary pattern (Healthy Eating Index–2005 [HEI 2005]), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in Puerto Rican adults aged 45–75 years with diabetes at baseline (2004–2009) and HbA1c at ∼2 years follow-up (2006–2012). We determined associations between food insecurity and dietary pattern and assessed whether those dietary patterns were associated with poorer HbA1c concentration over time, using multivariable-adjusted repeated subjects mixed-effects models. RESULTS There were 584 participants with diabetes at baseline and 516 at follow-up. Food-insecure participants reported lower overall dietary quality and lower intake of fruit and vegetables. A food insecurity*HEI 2005 interaction (P < 0.001) suggested that better diet quality was more strongly associated with lower HbA1c in food-insecure than food-secure participants. In adjusted models, lower follow-up HbA1c was associated with greater HEI 2005 score (β = −0.01 HbA1c % per HEI 2005 point, per year, P = 0.003) and with subscores of total vegetables (β = −0.09, P = 0.04) and dark green and orange vegetables and legumes (β = −0.06, P = 0.048). Compared with the minimum total vegetable score, a participant with the maximum score showed relative improvements of HbA1c of 0.5% per year. CONCLUSIONS Food insecurity was associated with lower overall dietary quality and lower consumption of plant-based foods, which was associated with poor longitudinal glycemic control.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid Impairs Endothelial Function

Objectives—To determine the effect of dietary supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on body mass index (BMI), body fat distribution, endothelial function, and markers of cardiovascular risk. Methods and Results—Forty healthy volunteers with BMI >27 kg/m2 were randomized to receive a CLA isomeric mixture or olive oil in a 12-week double-blind study. Subcutaneous body fat and abdominal/hepatic fat content were assessed using skin-fold thicknesses and computed tomography scanning, respectively. Endothelial function was assessed by brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). Plasma isoprostanes were measured as an index of oxidative stress. CLA supplementation did not result in a significant change in BMI index or total body fat. There was a significant decrease in limb (−7.8 mm, P<0.001), but not torso skin-fold thicknesses or abdominal or liver fat content. Brachial artery FMD declined (−1.3%, P=0.013), and plasma F2-isoprostanes increased (+91pg/mL, P=0.042). Conclusions—A CLA isomeric mixture had at most modest effects on adiposity and worsened endothelial function. On the basis of these results, the use of the isomeric mixture of CLA as an aid to weight loss cannot be recommended.
How word-beginnings constrain the pronunciations of word-ends in the reading aloud of English: the phenomena of head- and onset-conditioning

Background. A word whose body is pronounced in different ways in different words is body-inconsistent. When we take the unit that precedes the vowel into account for the calculation of body-consistency, the proportion of English words that are body-inconsistent is considerably reduced at the level of corpus analysis, prompting the question of whether humans actually use such head/onset-conditioning when they read. Methods. Four metrics for head/onset-constrained body-consistency were calculated: by the last grapheme of the head, by the last phoneme of the onset, by place and manner of articulation of the last phoneme of the onset, and by manner of articulation of the last phoneme of the onset. Since these were highly correlated, principal component analysis was performed on them. Results. Two out of four resulting principal components explained significant variance in the reading-aloud reaction times, beyond regularity and body-consistency. Discussion. Humans read head/onset-conditioned words faster than would be predicted based on their body-consistency and regularity only. We conclude that humans are sensitive to the dependency between word-beginnings and word-ends when they read aloud, and that this dependency is phonological in nature, rather than orthographic.
A spectral transition measure based MELCEPSTRAL features for obstruent detection

Obstruents are the key landmark events found in the speech signal. In this paper, we propose use of spectral transition measure (STM) to locate the obstruents in the continuous speech. The proposed approach does not take in to account any prior information (like phonetic sequence, speech transcription, and number of obstruents in the speech). Hence this approach is unsupervised and unconstraint approach. In this paper, we propose use of state-of-the-art Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC)-based features to capture spectral transition for obstruent detection task. It is expected more spectral transition in the vicinity of obstruents. The entire experimental setup is developed on TIMIT database. The detection efficiency and estimated probability are around 77 % and 0.77 respectively (with 30 ms agreement duration and 0.4 STM threshold).
The Economics and Politics of Contracting out with the Private Sector : Evidence from the US Transit Industry 1 Binyam Reja Operations Evaluation Department The World Bank

The paper studies contracting practices in the US transit industry. It employs the methods of transaction cost economics and public choice theory to develop an empirical model of bus contracting in the US transit industry. The empirical results shed light on why transit services in the US remain largely public, despite many attempts to introduce competition by contracting out services to the private sector. The results show that the decision by transit agencies to contract out with the private sector is constrained by the transaction costs of contracting and the institutional and subsidy arrangements that govern the transit industry in the US. Services that require idiosyncratic investments to provide large densities of passengers are less likely to be contracted out than those services that are provided using standard, small vehicles. Similarly, increases in federal subsidies and dedicated subsidies are found to discourage contracting out with the private sector. On the other hand, increases in state and local subsidies, other things being equal, encourage contracting. Agencies that have high labor costs –– indicating strong labor unions –– are less likely to contract out. In light of these findings, the paper concludes that piecemeal contracting out of services is not likely to increase the role of the private sector in the provision of public transit services. Structures of subsidies and federal arrangements creates intertwined incentives that discourage contracting by transit agencies, thus foiling the attempts to increase efficiencies by establishing competition for transit markets.
Its8, a Fission Yeast Homolog of Mcd4 and Pig-n, Is Involved in GPI Anchor Synthesis and Shares an Essential Function with Calcineurin in Cytokinesis*

In fission yeast, calcineurin is required for cytokinesis and ion homeostasis; however, most of its physiological roles remain obscure. To identify genes that share an essential function with calcineurin, we screened for mutations that confer sensitivity to the calcineurin inhibitor FK506 and high temperature and isolated the mutant its8-1. its8 + encodes a homolog of the budding yeast MCD4 and human Pig-n that are involved in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor synthesis. Consistently, reduced inositol labeling of proteins suggested impaired GPI anchor synthesis in its8-1 mutants. The temperature upshift induced a further decrease in inositol labeling and caused dramatic increases in the frequency of septation in its8-1mutants. BE49385A, an inhibitor of MCD4 and Pig-n, also increased the septation index of the wild-type cell. Osmotic stabilization suppressed these morphological defects, indicating that cell wall weakness caused by impaired GPI anchor synthesis resulted in abnormal cytokinesis. Furthermore, calcineurin-deleted cells exhibited hypersensitivity to BE49385A, and FK506 exacerbated the cytokinesis defects of the its8-1 mutant. Thus, calcineurin and Its8 may share an essential function in cytokinesis and cell viability through the regulation of cell wall integrity.
Formal specification and reasoning for situated multi-agent system

We present a formal specification to engineer situated multi-agent Systems (situated MAS), which has revealed the need for specifying and reasoning of its global property. This paper shows how MAS is specified with modified Object-Z notation with trace semantic of action system, and how to reason about safety and liveness property in this specification. Independent and joint MAS examples are are used to illustrate specifying and reasoning in specification for situated MAS.
Evaluation of nano-technology-modified zirconia oral implants: a study in rabbits.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to screen candidate nano-technology-modified, micro-structured zirconia implant surfaces relative to local bone formation and osseointegration. MATERIALS AND METHODS Proprietary nano-technology surface-modified (calcium phosphate: CaP) micro-structured zirconia implants (A and C), control micro-structured zirconia implants (ZiUnite), and titanium porous oxide implants (TiUnite) were implanted into the femoral condyle in 40 adult male New Zealand White rabbits. Each animal received one implant in each hind leg; thus, 20 animals received A and C implants and 20 animals received ZiUnite and TiUnite implants in contralateral hind legs. Ten animals/group were euthanized at weeks 3 and 6 when biopsies of the implant sites were processed for histometric analysis using digital photomicrographs produced using backscatter scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS The TiUnite surface demonstrated significantly greater bone-implant contact (BIC) (77.6+/-2.6%) compared with the A (64.6+/-3.6%) and C (62.2+/-3.1%) surfaces at 3 weeks (p<0.05). Numerical differences between ZiUnite (70.5+/-3.1%) and A and C surfaces did not reach statistical significance (p>0.05). Similarly, there were non-significant differences between the TiUnite and the ZiUnite surfaces (p>0.05). At 6 weeks, there were no significant differences in BIC between the TiUnite (67.1+/-4.2%), ZiUnite (69.7+/-5.7%), A (68.6+/-1.9%), and C (64.5+/-4.1%) surfaces (p>0.05). CONCLUSION TiUnite and ZiUnite implant surfaces exhibit high levels of osseointegration that, in this model, confirm their advanced osteoconductive properties. Addition of CaP nano-technology to the ZiUnite surface does not enhance the already advanced osteoconductivity displayed by the TiUnite and ZiUnite implant surfaces.
Treatment With Hypnotherapy Reduces the Sensory and Motor Component of the Gastrocolonic Response in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Objective Postprandial symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome are common and relate to an exaggerated motor and sensory component of the gastrocolonic response. We investigated whether this response can be affected by hypnotherapy. Methods We included 28 patients with irritable bowel syndrome refractory to other treatments. They were randomized to receive gut-directed hypnotherapy 1 hour per week for 12 weeks (N = 14) or were provided with supportive therapy (control group; N = 14). Before randomization and after 3 months, all patients underwent a colonic distension trial before and after a 1-hour duodenal lipid infusion. Colonic sensory thresholds and tonic and phasic motor activity were assessed. Results Before randomization, reduced thresholds after vs. before lipid infusion were seen in both groups for all studied sensations. At 3 months, the colonic sensitivity before duodenal lipids did not differ between groups. Controls reduced their thresholds after duodenal lipids for gas (22 ± 1.7 mm Hg vs. 16 ± 1.6 mm Hg, p < .01), discomfort (29 ± 2.9 mm Hg vs. 22 ± 2.6 mm Hg, p < .01), and pain (33 ± 2.7 mm Hg vs. 26 ± 3.3 mm Hg, p < .01), whereas the hypnotherapy group reduced their thresholds after lipids only for pain (35 ± 4.0 mm Hg vs. 29 ± 4.7 mm Hg, p < .01). The colonic balloon volumes and tone response at randomization were similar in both groups. At 3 months, baseline balloon volumes were lower in the hypnotherapy group than in controls (83 ± 14 ml vs. 141 ± 15 ml, p < .01). In the control group, reduced balloon volumes during lipid infusion were seen (141 ± 15 ml vs. 111 ± 19 ml, p < .05), but not after hypnotherapy (83 ± 14 ml vs. 80 ± 16 ml, p > .20). Conclusion Hypnotherapy reduces the sensory and motor component of the gastrocolonic response in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. These effects may be involved in the clinical efficacy of hypnotherapy in IBS.
TCR Signaling Emerges from the Sum of Many Parts

“How does T cell receptor signaling begin? ” Answering this question requires an understanding of how the parts of the molecular machinery that mediates this process fit and work together. Ultimately this molecular architecture must (i) trigger the relay of information from the TCR-pMHC interface to the signaling substrates of the CD3 molecules and (ii) bring the kinases that modify these substrates in close proximity to interact, initiate, and sustain signaling. In this contribution we will discuss advances of the last decade that have increased our understanding of the complex machinery and interactions that underlie this type of signaling.
Discovery of underlying morphological relations using an agglomerative clustering algorithm

This paper presents a hierarchical clustering algorithm aimed at creating groups of stems with similar characteristics. The resulting groups (clusters) are expected to comprise stems belonging to the same inflectional paradigm (e.g. verbs in passive voice) which will aid the creation of a morphological lexicon. A new metric for calculating the distance between the data objects is proposed, that better suits the specific application by addressing problems that may occur due to the limited amount of information from the data. A series of experimental results are also provided, that demonstrate the performance of the algorithm, compare different distance metrics in terms of their effectiveness and assist in choosing appropriate approaches for a number of parameters.
Is "Symbolic Racism" Racism? A Review Informed by Intergroup Behavior

Holding that white racism pervades American politics, the theory of symbolic racism has been the subject of considerable controversy. A review of the theory and controversy reveals that Sniderman's apparent refutation (Sniderman, 1991) does not address the form of the theory advanced by Sears (1988) and Kinder (1986). The review highlights the symbolic racism construct (defined as the conjunction of traditional values and a racist negative affect toward blacks) and points to the need to investigate the relationship between the values and the affect. Research on intergroup behavior suggests that the values are likely to be fused with motives for in-group favoring but that whites' solidarity with other whites is likely more motivationally significant than their negative affect towards blacks. Nonetheless, a racist negative affect may be learned and motivationally significant.