Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Switched system based approach to analysis and synthesis of discrete-time linear systems with time-varying state delay

This paper establishes a framework for stability analysis and memoryless state-feedback control synthesis of linear discrete-time systems with time varying state delay. The underlying idea is converting the considered system into an equivalent constrained switched system, leading to sufficient and necessary condition for stability analysis. Based on this switched system modeling, available information about the time-varying delay such as known bounds of variation rate can be incorporated into the analysis in a natural way. Moreover, sufficient conditions for memoryless state-feedback control design are obtained in a similar style. The analysis and synthesis conditions are given in terms of solvability of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Numerical examples are included for illustration.
The microbiome is essential for normal gut intrinsic primary afferent neuron excitability in the mouse

Background The role of intestinal microbiota in the development and function of host physiology is of high interest, especially with respect to the nervous system. While strong evidence has accrued that intestinal bacteria alter host nervous system function, mechanisms by which this occurs have remained elusive. For this reason, we have carried out experiments examining the electrophysiological properties of neurons in the myenteric plexus of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in germ‐free (GF) mice compared with specific pathogen‐free (SPF) control mice and adult germ‐free mice that have been conventionalized (CONV‐GF) with intestinal bacteria.
De la hiérarchisation des créances à la titrisation économique: les apports de la norme comptable à l'évolution du financement d'une opération de LBO

Une operation de SBO consiste a realiser un montage de rachat d'entreprise en recourant a l'effet de levier financier que l'on combine avec un mecanisme de titrisation au niveau de l'actif de la societe faisant l'objet de la reprise. La crise bancaire a mis en evidence les dangers de la titrisation des credits. Des lors, est-ce que la technique du SBO peut quand meme etre consideree comme un des moyens de financer la reprise d'entreprise en France ? Est-ce que la norme comptable, notamment les normes comptables internationales, peuvent securiser de tels montages ? Il apparait que les recents evenements lies a la crise financiere rappellent l'importance pour les entreprises d'expliquer de maniere narrative le modele economique des operations qui, souvent complexes, masquent les risques identifies par la norme comptable. La technique du SBO comporte des interets indeniables et prouve que la titrisation peut etre utile. Son developpement peut etre securise par une transparence financiere permise tant par la normalisation comptable que par l'elaboration du business model. Ce papier se veut normatif. Son interet est double. Les nombreuses questions qu'il souleve sont liees a la crise economique et financiere actuelle. De plus, a notre connaissance, il existe tres peu de recherches sur les apports de la norme comptable au financement d'un LBO et plus particulierement d'un SBO.
Gain-Assisted Surface Plasmon Resonance Refractive Index Sensor

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has been a topic of intense research in refractive index sensors due to the benefits of high resolution, high sensitive, real-time, and label-free technology. But losses restrict the operational parameters of SPR-based devices. In this paper, a new design of SPR sensor structures using gain medium are proposed. These novel prisms-based structures are based on Otto and Kretschmann configurations. Regard to gain coefficient of an active layer, two different regimes have been introduced in which loss compensating and amplifying surface plasmons polaritons are occurred. The effect of geometrical parameters on SNR enhancement factor is investigated theoretically and finally, the optimum layers’ thicknesses for the fixed values of gain coefficient and wavelength will be examined. Signal-to-noise ratio in the proposed structures could be enhanced by a factor of two orders of magnitudes.
Exploiting Bacterial Whole-Genome Sequencing Data for Evaluation of Diagnostic Assays: Campylobacter Species Identification as a Case Study

ABSTRACT The application of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to problems in clinical microbiology has had a major impact on the field. Clinical laboratories are now using WGS for pathogen identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and epidemiological typing. WGS data also represent a valuable resource for the development and evaluation of molecular diagnostic assays, which continue to play an important role in clinical microbiology. To demonstrate this application of WGS, this study used publicly available genomic data to evaluate a duplex real-time PCR (RT-PCR) assay that targets mapA and ceuE for the detection of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, leading global causes of bacterial gastroenteritis. In silico analyses of mapA and ceuE primer and probe sequences from 1,713 genetically diverse C. jejuni and C. coli genomes, supported by RT-PCR testing, indicated that the assay was robust, with 1,707 (99.7%) isolates correctly identified. The high specificity of the mapA-ceuE assay was the result of interspecies diversity and intraspecies conservation of the target genes in C. jejuni and C. coli. Rare instances of a lack of specificity among C. coli isolates were due to introgression in mapA or sequence diversity in ceuE. The results of this study illustrate how WGS can be exploited to evaluate molecular diagnostic assays by using publicly available data, online databases, and open-source software.
Catheter-related infections and associated septicemia.

Communications to the Editor not have active Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). All of these patients had a history of single or recurrent episodes of PCP and were receiving aerosolized pentamidine isethionate as prophylaxis against recurrence of PCP It was suspected that the pneumothoraces were caused by coughing due to the irritative effect of pentamidine therapy on the airways superimposed on abnormal decreased lung compliance secondary to interstitial fibrosis caused by previous PCP From January 1, 1988, to January 1, 1991, 1,200 known human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients were admitted to our institution. Thirty-two patients had spontaneous pneumothorax either on admission or during hospitalization. Twenty-four patients (75 percent) with spontaneous pneumothorax were not receiving PCP prophylaxis, and only three patients(lopercent)were receiving aerosolized pentamidine prophylaxis. The incidence of spontaneous pneumothorax in our AIDS group admitted to the hospital was 2.7 percent. At the Fifth International Conference on AIDS, Newsome et al’ reported that pneumothorax occurred in eight (2.5 percent) of the 327 patients with prior PCP who had been receiving aerosolized pentamidine prophylaxis for three to 13 months; the majority (75 percent) had evidence ofactive PCP When we compared the incidence of pneumothorax in patients receiving aerosolized pentamidine prophylaxis (2.5 percent) with that in our group, who for the most part received no prophylaxis, we found no statistical difference. Although we cannot exclude the possibility that inhaled pentamidine can directly cause pneumothorex, the evidence presented more likely implicates predisposing damage from prior episodes of PCP or, more likely, ongoing tissue
Hepatic hemangiomas and malignant tumors: improved differentiation with heavily T2-weighted conventional spin-echo MR imaging.

PURPOSE To determine whether hemangiomas and malignant tumors can be better differentiated at 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging with use of more heavily T2-weighted conventional spin-echo sequences. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-three patients with focal liver lesions (50 malignant tumors, 24 hemangiomas, nine cysts) larger than 1 cm were studied with a 3,000/80, 160 sequence (repetition time msec/echo time [TE] msec). T2 relaxation times and lesion/liver signal intensity ratios at TEs of 80 and 160 msec were measured. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of expert readers and quantitative measures were performed. RESULTS T2 relaxation times demonstrated the best performance in distinguishing hemangiomas from malignant tumors (area under ROC curve = .99 +/- .01). Mean T2 times were 76 msec +/- 11 for malignant tumors, 142 msec +/- 40 for hemangiomas, and 341 msec +/- 38 for cysts. A cutoff T2 value of 112 msec allowed discrimination between hemangiomas and malignant tumors with a 97% accuracy, 100% sensitivity, and 92% specificity. CONCLUSION Hemangiomas and malignant tumors are better differentiated with use of T2 relaxation times obtained with a more heavily T2-weighted sequence.
Hypocellular Paratrabecular Foci of Treated Small Cleaved Cell Lymphoma in Bone Marrow Biopsies

Because of the new drug combinations being used to treat follicular lymphomas, the small cleaved cell lymphomatous foci in bone marrow biopsies appear to be altered. They become progressively hypocellular and contain a few and sometimes no small cleaved cells within oligo-cellular paratrabecular fibrous foci. These hypocellular paratrabecular foci (HPF) (a) are a clue that deeper sectioning is necessary to determine whether there are diagnostic foci of residual involvement by small cleaved cell lymphoma, (b) may indicate that other portions of the patient's bone marrow still contain viable foci of small cleaved cell lymphoma, and further, (c) should alert the clinician to the possibility of recurrence of small cleaved cell lymphoma in subsequent bone marrow biopsies. A comparison of patients who developed HPF in one or more of their bone marrow biopsy specimens with those who did not indicates that the changes are related to combinations of chemotherapy other than CHOP-Bleo (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, prednisone, bleomycin). Eighty-one percent of patients who developed HPF had received additional chemotherapeutic regimens, whereas 75% of patients whose bone marrows did not contain HPF had received only CHOP-B. The older age of the HPF-negative patients (median age 64 versus median age 43 for HPF-positive cases) may reflect more aggressive chemotherapy in the younger age group. While HPF appear to reflect some increased chemotherapeutic cytotoxicity affecting the lymphomatous foci in bone marrow, they do not appear to predict for a longer survival or cure.
Froude and Strouhal dimensionless numbers to study human gait: an experimental approach

Issued from fluid mechanics, the dimensionless approach enables characterising a mechanical phenomenon while discarding the effects of size, thereby establishing similarity between systems of different sizes. The inverted pendulum (IP) model has often been used to model human walking. In this line, Alexander (1989) introduced a dimensionless speed as the Froude number (Nfr 1⁄4 v/gl, with v, the forward velocity, g, the acceleration due to gravity, and l, the rigid leg length). The bouncing mass (BM, Figure 1) is preferred to model running and introduces an elastic component that captures the athlete’s ability to bounce and to jump (Figure 1). Considering the link between the stiffness and the natural oscillation frequency, Alexander (1989) also considered the Strouhal number (Str 1⁄4 f0 l/v, with f0 the natural frequency) as a dimensionless frequency. The p theorem, developed by Buckingham (1914), enounced that a physical equation using NP physical variables, which are dependant of ND base dimensions, necessitates NP–ND dimensionless numbers (p) to completely describe the mechanical phenomenon of a system. The BM model consists of a point mass oscillating at the end of a massless spring. Applying p theorem, five physical variables, gravity (g), frequency (f), initial spring length (l), mass (m) and stiffness (k), refer to three basic dimensions, L (m), M (kg), T (s). Thus, 2p dimensionless numbers are necessary to characterise the system behaviour. In that sense, Alexander suggested to taking into account Nfr and Str. Delattre et al. (2009) showed that neither Nfr nor Str were sufficient to characterise running mechanics or to establish similarity between the subjects’ dynamics. Each of the numbers makes its own contribution: Nfr contributing to predict antero-posterior kinetic events, and Str contributing to the temporal organisation. The authors suggested that a concomitant use of Nfr and Str would induce a more accurate movement characterisation. During walking, a flattening of the trajectory of the body centre of mass (CoM) compared to IP has been demonstrated experimentally (Lee and Farley 1998). This finding suggests a compliant leg that flattens the vertical excursion of the CoM and promotes a compliant inverted pendulum model (CIP, fig1). Applying p theorem to CIP, 2 p dimensionless numbers are necessary to characterise the system behaviour. This implies that an elastic phenomenon operates during walking and points to Str and Nfr as indicators for studying walking too. The aim of this study was to develop a concomitant consideration of Str and Nfr for an accurate dimensionless analysis of human walking and running.
Move to sell statins over the counter raises concerns

Doctors' leaders and consumer bodies have raised concerns about the UK government's decision to allow the cholesterol lowering agent, simvastatin, to become available without prescription in pharmacies. The reclassification, announced last week by the Department of Health to increase patients' choice and to help reduce coronary heart disease, will be the world's first for a statin. About 1.8 million people in England are prescribed statins, costing the NHS around £700m ($1200m; €1000m) a year. Some £309m is spent on simvastatin alone. The over the counter product, to be called Zocor Heart-Pro (10 mg), will be aimed at …
Adenosine Induces Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor-Mediated Mobilization of Intracellular Calcium Stores in Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons

In the cholinergic basal forebrain, we found previously that the extracellular adenosine concentration increase that accompanies sleep deprivation, acting via the A1 receptor, led to activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-κB and to the upregulation of A1 adenosine receptor mRNA. We thus began to examine intracellular signaling mechanisms. We report here that adenosine, acting in a dose-dependent manner and predominantly via A1receptors, stimulated IP3 receptor-regulated calcium release from intracellular stores. To the best of our knowledge, this calcium signaling pathway effect is a novel action of the Gi-coupled A1 adenosine receptor in neurons. Moreover, this calcium mobilization was not seen at all in noncholinergic neurons but was present in a large proportion of cholinergic neurons. These data suggest a potential role for a calcium-signaling pathway in adenosine-induced long-term effects of sleep deprivation and a key role for cholinergic neurons in this process.
Eating gestures detection by tracking finger motion

Research interests in individuals' eating habits are growing recently since unhealthy eating habits are highly related to various diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Monitoring people's eating behavior provides opportunities to give feedbacks and suggestions towards healthy eating habits. Body worn inertial sensors are gaining popularity to provide a good solution for eating behavior recognition since they are convenient for subjects to wear in daily life. In this paper, a novel approach of detecting eating gestures by tracking finger motion is proposed. A dataset of 375 gestures, doing 7 activities is created for training and testing classifiers. A Teager energy based algorithm is designed for segmentation of gesture series. Seven state-of-the-art learning methods are tested to make binary (eating/non-eating) or multiclass (seven classes) classification. Accelerometer and gyroscope datasets are tested separately and compared. The results show that for finger motion data, K Nearest Neighbor (KNN) performs best and achieves 97.1% accuracy in binary classification, which performs better than on wrist motion dataset. The results indicate finger motion is an effective indicator for classifying eating and non-eating behaviors.
PIRLS 2001 testinin ülkelerarası yapı geçerliliğinin incelenmesi

Bu calismada, PIRLS 2001 basari testinin, 35 ulkede yapilmis olan uygulamasindan elde edilen faktor yapilarinin birbirine denkligi cok gruplu dogrulayici faktor analizi ile incelenmistir. Oncelikle PIRLS 2001 basari testinin faktor yapisinin 35 ulkede degismezligi tum ulkelerde uygulanmis olan dort ayri alt olcek baglaminda ayri ayri test edilmistir. Daha sonra ceviri etkisinin olcegin faktor denkligi uzerinde etkisinin bulunup bulunmadigini gormek amaciyla bu uygulamanin yapildigi ulkeler uygulamanin ayni dilde yapildigi ve uygulamanin birbirinden farkli dillerde yapildigi ulkeler olarak bolunmus ve faktor degismezligi bu ulkeler icin test edilmistir. Ulkelerin gelismislik duzeylerinin testin faktor yapisinin degismezligi uzerinde etkisinin olup olmadigini gormek amaciyla ulkeler gelismis, gelismemis ve OECD ulkeleri olmak uzere gruplanmis ve bu ulkelerdeki faktor degismezlikleri incelenmistir. Daha sonra Turkiye uygulamasinin PIRLS 2001 uygulamasina katilan diger ulkelerle faktor yapisi bakimindan denk olup olmadigi incelenmis son olarak ise Turkiye uygulamasi ile Avrupa birligi ulkelerindeki uygulamalarin faktor yapilarinin birbirine denk olup olmadigi yine cok gruplu dogrulayici faktor analizi ile test edilmistir. Elde edilen bulgular PIRLS 2001 testinin faktor yapisinin uygulamaya katilan tum ulkelerde birbirine orta duzeyde denk sayilabilecegini, faktor yapilarinin bazi alt testler haricinde ceviri ve sed’den etkilenmedigini gostermistir. Ayrica PIRLS 2001 uygulamasinin faktor yapisinin, Turkiye ve Avrupa Birligi uyesi ulkelerinde birbirine denk sayilabilecegi gorulmustur.
Influence of spatial and temporal variations on organic pollutant biodegradation rates in an estuarine environment

The influence of spatial and temporal environmental variations on rates of organic pollutant biodegradation were assessed by using heterotrophic uptake kinetics. These studies were conducted at three sites, representing the gradient from freshwater to estuarine to marine systems. Of the compounds tested, total uptake Vmax rates decreased in the order of nitrilotriacetic acid, m-cresol, chlorobenzene, and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene. In general, the freshwater site exhibited the highest uptake rates, with somewhat lower rates at the estuarine site. Rates at the marine site were much lower than at the other sites, except during the winter. Metabolic rates at both the freshwater and estuarine areas were significantly decreased during periods of low water temperature. Rates at the marine site were relatively uniform throughout the year. Linear regression analysis was used to compare m-cresol biodegradation rates to characteristics of the microbial community, which included direct microscopic counts, CFU counts, and cellular incorporation of amino acids. The observed rates did not consistently correlate well with any of the measured characteristics of the microbial community.
Dispersal and establishment of Huon pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii)

Huon pine had a mast year in 1989 resulting in massive seedfall. It was found that Huon pine had extremely limited lateral seed dispersal by wind, although the chances of dispersal by water appear extremely good, due to its flotation capabilities. Green rosellas (Platycercus caledonicus Gmelin) were observed feeding on the seed and may play some role both as predators and dispersers of seed. A low percentage of successful germination was achieved and germination rate was slow. Seedlings appear to establish mostly on soil substrates but also occur on logs and trunks. Colonisation, even downstream, can take a considerable period of time and may partly explain the restricted distribution of Huon pine. The implications of these results for conservation and management are discussed.
Attachment of Fusobacterium nucleatum to fibronectin immobilized on gingival epithelial cells or glass coverslips.

To learn more about colonization of the oral epithelium by Fusobacterium nucleatum and the role of fibronectin in mediating adhesion of this microorganism, we studied attachment of this bacterium to cultured gingival epithelial cells that were coated with exogenous, purified plasma fibronectin. The three strains of F. nucleatum studied adhered in large numbers to epithelial cells that had been coated with fibronectin, compared with buffer-coated control cells. Bacterial adherence was also enhanced when epithelial cells were coated with whole human saliva. However, cells coated with saliva depleted of fibronectin did not facilitate adhesion of bacteria. Bacterial adhesion was restored when purified fibronectin was added back. We also tested adherence of bacteria to coverslips coated with fibronectin, saliva, and saliva depleted of fibronectin. The bacteria adhered to coverslips coated with fibronectin or whole human saliva, but did not adhere to coverslips coated with fibronectin-depleted saliva. Bacterial adhesion to coverslips was restored upon addition of purified fibronectin to the fibronectin-depleted saliva. Bacterial attachment to fibronectin-coated coverslips was found to be temperature-dependent, with maximal adhesion observed at 37 degrees C. Pre-treatment of F. nucleatum with soluble fibronectin inhibited attachment of the bacteria by 92%, whereas pre-treatment with bovine serum albumin had no effect. Pre-treatment of bacteria with laminin or type IV collagen caused moderate inhibition of attachment by 60% and 50%, respectively. Treatment of fibronectin-coated coverslips with Fab fragments of anti-fibronectin IgG blocked the attachment of F. nucleatum by 93%. Fab fragments of the other antisera tested had no inhibitory effect. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Team Software Process (TSP): mejoras en la estimación, calidad y productividad de los equipos en la gestión del software.

Este articulo presenta los resultados de una experiencia basada en Team Software Process (TSP), los cuales muestran que a medida que los equipos incrementan sus conocimientos y adquieren mayor experiencia en su uso, estos van mejorando en estimaciones, disminuyen la densidad de los defectos e incrementan la productividad. Los resultados estan basados en un analisis de los datos suministrados por 22 equipos de trabajo formados por 5 a 6 estudiantes del cuarto curso de la carrera Informatica, en los formularios ajustados a formato TSP,. Se recogieron datos de estimaciones de tamano, esfuerzo, asi como de sus valores reales y de los defectos. A partir de estos datos primarios, se ha realizado el analisis de las desviaciones obtenidas al estimar el tamano a lo largo de los dos ciclos. Se ha analizado tambien la calidad en terminos de defectos/KLOC, asi como la planificacion en terminos de productividad y costes. Finalmente, se presentan las lecciones aprendidas de la utilizacion de la metodologia TSP haciendo hincapie en la calidad del proceso de medida y en el entrenamiento.