Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The changing face of infective endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an evolving disease with a persistently high mortality and morbidity, even in the modern era of advanced diagnostic imaging, improved antimicrobial chemotherapy, and potentially curative surgery. Despite these improvements in health care, the incidence of the disease has remained unchanged over the past two decades and may even be increasing. Chronic rheumatic heart disease is now an uncommon antecedent, whereas degenerative valve disease of the elderly, mitral valve prolapse, intravenous drug misuse, preceding valve replacement, and vascular instrumentation have become increasingly common, coinciding with an increase in staphylococcal infections and those caused by fastidious organisms. The current understanding of this difficult condition is reviewed and recent developments in medical and surgical management are updated.
A concurrent multi-bank memory arbiter for dynamic IP cores using idle skip round robin

We present an implementation of a memory arbiter design that gives dynamic IP cores interfaced to multiple internal networks on the programmable chip concurrent access to multiple banks of the SRAM. The arbiter which uses a new fast version of round robin that we call idle skip, has a small instruction set which is invoked by applications allowing them to read and write multiple memory locations, read and write multiple memory locations in a streaming fashion and perform inter application communication with and without access to external SRAM. An atomic test and set instruction is provided that allows applications on the FPGA to lock regions of memory in arbitrary sized blocks to enable fine grained producer consumer style interaction between the dynamic IP cores and the host, and between dynamic IP cores of the FPGA.
Transcription of myelin basic protein promoted by regulatory elements in the proximal 5’ sequence requires myelinogenesis

Myelination in the central nervous system requires synthesis by oligodendrocytes of enormous amounts of lipids and proteins for incorporation in the developing myelin membranes. To approach the regulatory events coordinating the transcriptional activation of the genes that encode myelin proteins, we examined control of the myelin basic protein (MBP) locus. MBP plays a major role in myelin compaction. During development, MBP is already expressed in mature non-myelinating oligodendrocytes. Here we show that, in transgenic animals in which the E. coli lacZ reporter gene is under the control of increasingly large portions (256, 1900 and 3200 bp) of the MBP promoter, 5’ of the initiation of transcription site, reporter gene expression was initiated after myelin formation had started. This delayed expression of the transgene compared to MBP, strongly suggests that premyelinating expression is dependent on regulatory elements located outside of the 3200 bp sequence studied, while expression occurring at the time of myelin formation is dependent on the proximal promoter sequence.
Bandpass Sigma-Delta Modulator for Sensor Signal Processing

This paper presents a system architecture for sensor signal digitization utilizing a bandpass sigma-delta modulator. The first version of the proposed system architecture was implemented in 5V 0. 7μm CMOS technology. The first version of the proposed system architecture is useful for our capacitive pressure sensor measurement. The paper describes the possibilities of using the proposed enhanced system architecture in impedance spectroscopy and in capacitive pressure sensor measurement. The bandpass sigma-delta modulators are well suited for wireless applications. This paper shows another way how to use its advantages.
A case report of the use of magnesium sulphate during anaesthesia in a patient who had adrenalectomy for phaeochromocytoma.

INTRODUCTION Patients with phaeochromocytoma have haemodynamic instability during adrenalectomy. CLINICAL PICTURE A case showing major swings of blood pressure during tumour handling. TREATMENT Magnesium sulphate infusion alone failed to prevent severe hypertension. OUTCOME The patient had to be given phentolamine and sodium nitroprusside to control the severe hypertension. CONCLUSION The greatest value of magnesium sulphate is in controlling catecholamine release at induction and intubation, and in association with other agents in controlling arrhythmias and hypertension during tumour handling.
ROCK TO SEDIMENT—SLOPE TO SEA WITH 10BE—RATES OF LANDSCAPE CHANGE

▪ Abstract Measurements of cosmogenic nuclides, predominately 10Be, allow new insights into the ways in which and the rates at which sediment is generated, transported, and deposited over timescales ranging from 103 to 106 years. Samples from rock exposures are used to estimate erosion rates at points on the landscape, whereas samples of fluvial sediment provide estimates of basin-scale rates of denudation integrated over 104 km2. Nuclide data show that hilltop, bare rock outcrops erode more slowly than basins as a whole, suggesting the potential for relief to increase over time as well-drained outcrops grow higher. More elaborate experiments and interpretive models provide insight into the distribution of hillslope processes, including the bedrock-to-soil conversion rate, which appears to increase under shallow soil cover and then decrease under deeper soils. Changes in average nuclide activity down slopes can be used to estimate grain speed over millennia, suggesting, for example, that sediment o.
Reliability of Reinforced Concrete Girders Under Corrosion Attack

Reinforcement corrosion is a major problem for many reinforced concrete structures. Currently, most reliability-based studies of reinforced concrete structures do not account for the effects of corrosion. The authors of this paper present a reliability-based approach to the design of reinforced concrete bridge girders that are under corrosion attack. Reserve and residual reliability constraints are satisfied via the proposed approach. The approach is based on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standard specifications for highway bridges and on data of chloride corrosion of steel in concrete. Initially, the authors investigate the effects of corrosion on both moment and shear reliabilities. Then, a reliability-based design approach based on minimization of total material cost including corrosion effects is proposed. Several design examples are provided to demonstrate the approach. The authors conclude by suggesting and illustrating a reliability-based design approach based on minimization of expected lifetime cost including corrosion effects and cost of failure consequences.
Major global radiation of corvoid birds originated in the proto-Papuan archipelago

A central paradigm in island biogeography has been the unidirectional “downstream” colonization of islands from continents (source to sink) based on the idea that less-diverse island communities are easier to invade than biologically more-diverse continental communities. Recently, several cases of “upstream” colonization (from islands to continents) have been documented, challenging the traditional view. However, all these cases have involved individual island species that have colonized mainland regions. Here, using molecular phylogenetic data, divergence time estimates, lineage diversity distributions, and ancestral area analyses, we reconstruct the spread of a species-rich (>700 species) passerine bird radiation (core Corvoidea) from its late Eocene/Oligocene origin in the emerging proto-Papuan archipelago north of Australia, including multiple colonizations from the archipelago to Southeast Asia. Thus, islands apparently provided the setting for the initiation of a major songbird radiation that subsequently invaded all other continents. Morphological and behavioral adaptations of the core Corvoidea as generalist feeders in open habitats, which facilitated dispersal and colonization, apparently evolved in the descendants of sedentary forest birds that invaded the proto-Papuan archipelago. The archipelago evidently provided islands of the right size, number, and proximity to continental areas to support the adaptation and diversification of vagile colonizers that went on to increase avian diversity on a global scale.
Online Mental Health Resources in Rural Australia: Clinician Perceptions of Acceptability

Background Online mental health resources have been proposed as an innovative means of overcoming barriers to accessing rural mental health services. However, clinicians tend to express lower satisfaction with online mental health resources than do clients. Objective To understand rural clinicians’ attitudes towards the acceptability of online mental health resources as a treatment option in the rural context. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 rural clinicians (general practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers). Interviews were supplemented with rural-specific vignettes, which described clinical scenarios in which referral to online mental health resources might be considered. Symbolic interactionism was used as the theoretical framework for the study, and interview transcripts were thematically analyzed using a constant comparative method. Results Clinicians were optimistic about the use of online mental health resources into the future, showing a preference for integration alongside existing services, and use as an adjunct rather than an alternative to traditional approaches. Key themes identified included perceptions of resources, clinician factors, client factors, and the rural and remote context. Clinicians favored resources that were user-friendly and could be integrated into their clinical practice. Barriers to use included a lack of time to explore resources, difficulty accessing training in the rural environment, and concerns about the lack of feedback from clients. Social pressure exerted within professional clinical networks contributed to a cautious approach to referring clients to online resources. Conclusions Successful implementation of online mental health resources in the rural context requires attention to clinician perceptions of acceptability. Promotion of online mental health resources to rural clinicians should include information about resource effectiveness, enable integration with existing services, and provide opportunities for renegotiating the socially defined role of the clinician in the eHealth era.
ITS-1 versus ITS-2 pyrosequencing: a comparison of fungal populations in truffle grounds

In a recent study pyrosequencing of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1) has validated the effectiveness of such technology in the survey of soil fungal diversity. Here we compare the two ITS regions, ITS-1 and ITS-2, of the fungal populations occurring in Tuber melanosporum/Quercus pubescens truffle grounds and sampled in two areas, one devoid of vegetation (“burned”, brulé in French) where T. melanosporum fruiting bodies are usually collected, and outside the brulé. TS1F/ITS2 and ITS3/ITS4 were used respectively for the amplification of the ITS-1 and ITS-2 regions. Two amplicon libraries were built, one for inside and the other for outside. A set of 15.788 reads was obtained. After the removal of low quality sequences, 3568 and 3156 sequences were obtained from inside the brulé with the ITS-1 and ITS-2 primers respectively. The sequences obtained from outside the brulé were 4490 with the ITS-1 primers and 2432 with the ITS-2 primers. Most of the sequences obtained for both ITS fragments could be attributed to fungal organisms. The pair of primers, ITS1-F/ITS2, was more selective, producing fewer non-fungal sequences (1% inside, 3% outside), in addition to a higher number of sequences, than the pair ITS3/ITS4 (6% inside, 11% outside). Although differences are present in the taxa percentages between ITS-1 and ITS-2, both reveal that Ascomycota were the dominant fungal phylum and that their number decreased moving from inside the brulé to outside, while the number of Basidiomycota increased. Taken together, both the short ITS-1 and ITS-2 reads obtained by the high throughput 454 sequencing provide adequate information for taxon assignment and are suitable to correlate the dynamics of the fungal populations to specific environments.
An Analysis of Reputation : Currency of the Stack Exchange Network Apoorva

The advent of online discussion forums has given rise to a new kind of collaboration-based network known as social question-and-answer (SQA) networks. In a typical SQA network, users post questions and seek responses from other users, after which the community votes on which of the responses adequately answers the provided question. This results in a voting-based system by which user answers are ranked, which contributes to the status of the user. However, such a system is activity-based, which means computing the reputation of users is impossible on large networks without an established reputation system. Or is it? This report analyzes various features of a subset of SQA sites on the Stack Exchange network and determines multiple different metrics to evaluate user status. Our results show that user reputation can be reasonably modelled by the quantity (not just the quality) of their answers and demonstrate a meaningful way to model user reputation on other SQA networks (like Piazza or Quora) using only the structural characteristics of the networks themselves. We used a number of features such as the fraction of upvotes and downvotes, timerank, Stack Exchange reputation, and centrality measures to determine whether an answer is chosen as the accepted answer for a question. We were able to predict the answer with 67% accuracy.
USER-GENERATED PORNOGRAPHIC VIDEO DETECTION USING SHOT-BASED SENSOR PATTERN NOISE

Illegal distribution of user-generated pornography (UGP) videos raises lots of negative aspects associated with the digital contents. This paper proposes a first forensic technique to detect UGP video. To discriminate UGP videos, we exploit shot based sensor pattern noise (SPN) from an image under investigation. By thresholding average peakto-correlation (PCE) values from the shot based SPNs, the video is decided as a UGP video. Preliminary experiments, which consist of UGP videos, normal videos, and Japanese commercial pornographic videos, indicate adequate performance of the proposed technique.
La incidencia de las TIC y el compromiso en la creación de valor y la lealtad en el canal de comercialización

En el actual contexto empresarial altamente competitivo, gran numero de organizaciones tienden a reducir el numero de proveedores para centrarse en establecer relaciones estrechas y duraderas con un numero reducido de ellos. Si bien las tecnologias de la informacion y la comunicacion ofrecen grandes ventajas en las relaciones entre empresas, el vinculo entre la inversion en dichas tecnologias de la informacion y el valor de la relacion no es claro. En el presente trabajo pretendemos analizar la influencia de la inversion del proveedor en diversas aplicaciones tecnologicas sobre el compromiso, el valor de la relacion y la lealtad hacia el proveedor desde el punto de vista de la empresa cliente.
Is Spreading Depolarization Characterized by an Abrupt, Massive Release of Gibbs Free Energy from the Human Brain Cortex?

In the evolution of the cerebral cortex, the sophisticated organization in a steady state far away from thermodynamic equilibrium has produced the side effect of two fundamental pathological network events: ictal epileptic activity and spreading depolarization. Ictal epileptic activity describes the partial disruption, and spreading depolarization describes the near-complete disruption of the physiological double Gibbs–Donnan steady state. The occurrence of ictal epileptic activity in patients has been known for decades. Recently, unequivocal electrophysiological evidence has been found in patients that spreading depolarizations occur abundantly in stroke and brain trauma. The authors propose that the ion changes can be taken to estimate relative changes in Gibbs free energy from state to state. The calculations suggest that in transitions from the physiological state to ictal epileptic activity to spreading depolarization to death, the cortex releases Gibbs free energy in a stepwise fashion. Spreading depolarization thus appears as a twilight state close to death. Consistently, electrocorticographic recordings in the core of focal ischemia or after cardiac arrest display a smooth transition from the initial spreading depolarization component to the later ultraslow negative potential, which is assumed to reflect processes in cellular death.
Requirement of p27Kip1 for Restriction Point Control of the Fibroblast Cell Cycle

Cells deprived of serum mitogens will either undergo immediate cell cycle arrest or complete mitosis and arrest in the next cell cycle. The transition from mitogen dependence to mitogen independence occurs in the mid- to late G1 phase of the cell cycle and is called the restriction point. Murine Balb/c-3T3 fibroblasts deprived of serum mitogens accumulated the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p27Kip1. This was correlated with inactivation of essential G1 cyclin-CDK complexes and with cell cycle arrest in G1. The ability of specific mitogens to allow transit through the restriction point paralleled their ability to down-regulate p27, and antisense inhibition of p27 expression prevented cell cycle arrest in response to mitogen depletion. Therefore, p27 is an essential component of the pathway that connects mitogenic signals to the cell cycle at the restriction point.
Proposition systématique d'une tentative d'arrêt de tabac chez tout fumeur, en médecine générale : essai clinique pragmatique randomisé en grappes : à propos de 255 patients

Introduction : PACT 2 a pour but de mesurer l’impact d’une proposition systematique d’arret du tabac avec remise gratuite possible de 7 jours de substitution nicotinique, en comparaison a un conseil minimal. Methode : L’etude est randomisee en grappes et l’analyse se fait en intention de traiter. 255 patients fumeurs ont ete inclus de mars 2013 a mars 2014 en Aquitaine par 40 medecins investigateurs. 129 patients sont suivis dans le « bras sevrage » ayant recu une intervention proactive. 126 sont inclus dans le « bras temoin » recevant un simple conseil minimal. Le recueil de donnees s’est fait a l’aide d’un questionnaire auto-administre a l’inclusion puis par une evaluation a plus de 3 mois, avec comme critere de jugement principal l’arret de tabac permanent en fin de suivi. Resultats : On note une plus grande probabilite d’arreter le tabac pendant quelques jours et au moins 7 jours dans le « bras sevrage ». Les patients du « bras sevrage » sont plus nombreux a arreter le tabac (17,8% contre 13,5% dans le « bras temoin »). Les resultats sont non significatifs statistiquement pour les arrets de quelques jours ou les arrets a plus de 3 mois. Ils sont significatifs pour les arrets d’au moins 7 jours. Discussion : Il faut reflechir a lever certains obstacles a la fois chez les fumeurs mais aussi chez les medecins generalistes pour verifier la faisabilite d’une telle demarche. Si les benefices d’une action plus incitative sont confirmes, cela pourrait aboutir a un changement de la prise en charge du sevrage tabagique en soins primaires.
La sociologie, l’État, la nation

Dans les societes occidentales, l’histoire de la nation comme communaute politique a ete liee a la formation et a la reproduction de l’Etat moderne. Le present article tente de poser le rapport entre l’evolution des formes de l’Etat moderne et la representation de la nation, avant de se pencher sur le lien entre les transformations politiques actuelles et la question nationale.
L'espadon: de la recherche a l'exploitation durable

A l'inverse de la situation en Europe, La Reunion est le seul departement francais dont la peche a connu, depuis cinq ans une croissance importante et ceci aussi bien pour la peche artisanale associee aux DCP, pour la peche semi-industrielle palangriere que pour la peche industrielle dans les terres australes. Deux evenements capitaux contribuent au developpement rapide de la peche thoniere et donnent a La Reunion, l'acces a ses ressources pelagiques. L'implantation en 1988 des premiers DCP par l'Institut francais de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer (Ifremer) engendre un veritable bouleversement au sein de la pecherie artisanale et relance un secteur en perte de vitesse depuis 1980. En 1991, au vu du succes des palangriers asiatiques debarquant a La Reunion, un armement local equipe son bateau de 12 m d'une palangre semi-automatique et procede a des essais qui se revelent prometteurs. Quelques mois plus tard, l'incitation a l'investissement par des defiscalisation, le soutien des collectivites locales a la filiere peche, ainsi que l'arrivee de pecheurs metropolitains pousses par la crise de la peche en Europe, suscitent des vocations dans le secteur. C'est l'emergence d'une flottille ciblant l'espadon (Xiphias gladius) destine principalement au marche europeen et approvisionne par fret aerien. Conformement aux objectifs definis au niveau international par la commission thoniere de l'ocean Indien (CTOI), la France, en tant qu'Etat pecheur, se doit de contribuer au developpement durable de l'exploitation et a la gestion a long terme des ressources pelagiques.
Outbreak of Scrub Typhus in Southern India during the Cooler Months

Abstract: Orientia tsutsugamushi, the agent of scrub typhus, is a strict intracellular bacterium which is found in many parts of Asia including India. During the past few years, the number of patients with rickettsial infection and scrub typhus has increased, especially during the cooler months. We report in this study a recent outbreak of scrub typhus recorded during the cooler months (October 2001 to February 2002) in patients admitted to our hospital with acute febrile illness associated with diverse signs and symptoms. Overall, 28 patients were clinically and serologically confirmed to have scrub typhus. Fever for more than one week was the only common manifestation. Myalgias was the next most common feature (52%), and rash was observed in only 22% of the cases. Seventeen patients treated with doxycycline recovered in 1 to 3 days, as well as two patients who received chloramphenicol. In five patients who received ciprofloxacin, fever subsided only after five days. Finally three patients (10.7%) died, including one patient treated with doxycycline. These data indicate that scrub typhus is a reemerging infectious disease in India with a possibility of drug resistance. This reemergence emphasizes the need for further prospective studies to design effective control measures.
Facile preparation of luminescent and intelligent gold nanodots based on supramolecular self-assembly

A new strategy for preparing luminescent and intelligent gold nanodots based on supramolecular self-assembly is described in this paper. The supramolecular self-assembly was initiated through electrostatic interactions and ion pairing between palmitic acid and hyperbranched poly(ethylenimine). The resulting structures not only have the dynamic reversible properties of supramolecules but also possess torispherical and highly branched architectures. Thus they can be regarded as a new kind of ideal nanoreactor for preparing intelligent Au nanodots. By preparing Au nanodots within this kind of supramolecular self-assembly, the environmental sensitivity of intelligent polymers and the optical, electrical properties of Au nanodots can be combined, endowing the Au nanodots with intelligence. In this paper, a supramolecular self-assembly process based on dendritic poly(ethylenimine) and palmitic acid was designed and then applied to prepare fluorescent and size-controlled Au nanodots. The pH response of Au nanodots embodied by phase transfer from oil phase to water phase was also investigated.