Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of hydrofracturing and microseismic signals in porous versus tight rocks

This work discusses the dynamic development of hydraulic fractures, their evolution and the resulting seismicity during fluid injection in a coupled numerical model. The model describes coupling between a solid that can fracture dynamically and a compressible fluid that can push back at the rock and open fractures. With a series of numerical simulations it is shown how the fracture pattern and seismicity change depending on changes in depth, injection rate, Young’s modulus and breaking strength. Simulations indicate that the Young’s modulus has the largest influence on the fracture dynamics and also the related seismicity. Simulations of rocks with a Young’s modulus smaller than 10 GPa show dominant mode I failure and a growth of fracture aperture with a decrease in Young’s modulus. Simulations of rocks with a Young’s modulus higher than 10 GPa show fractures with a constant aperture and fracture growth that is mainly governed by a growth in crack length and an increasing amount of mode II failure. This change in fracture geometry evolution has an effect on the observed seismicity. Rocks with a Young’s modulus of 10 GPa have the smallest moment magnitude while both decrease and increase of Young’s modulus value contribute to a growth of the seismic moment magnitude. The signal is further altered by non-linear change in dip and tensile angle depending on the Young’s modulus value. It is proposed that two distinct failure regimes are observed in the simulations. Below 10 GPa a fracture propagates through growth in aperture, this causes the fracture tip to be under constant extension. For rocks above 10 GPa, the aperture is small and the fracture is under compression. In this case fracture growth is driven by stress intensification at the crack tip, which causes fracture opening to have greater proportion of mode II compared to mode I. To suppliment the observations made from numerical simulations, laboratory experiments with air injection into vertically orientated Hele-Shaw cell were carried out. Strain analysis of the recorded experiments showed stress regimes that are very similar to the ones observed during numerical simulations with soft rocks. In both cases negative strain fields could be observed in front of the fracture tip. This indicates that fracture propagation for soft materials is driven by tensile failure and walls being pushed apart. Further analysis on fracture propagation mechanisms and solid media response were carried out. These results are applicable to the prediction of fracture dynamics and seismicity during fluid injection, especially since we see a transition from one failure regime to another at around 10 GPa, a Young’s modulus that lies in the middle of possible values for natural shale rocks.
La lombalgie aigue commune : essai prospectif randomisé contrôlé évaluant l’efficacité d’un document écrit d’information sur le maintien des activités habituelles à 3 mois

Contexte : Les lombalgies representent une cause majeure de limitation d’activite dans le monde. L'interet d'une information ecrite en complement d'une information orale en consultation a ete demontre dans la prise en charge de la Lombalgie Aigue Commune (LAC), mais les documents disponibles sont souvent peu adaptes en soins primaires. Objectif : Evaluer l’efficacite d’un nouveau document ecrit associant des informations sur la LAC et des exercices reproductibles a domicile, sur le maintien des activites de la vie quotidienne a 3 mois. Methode : Essai interventionnel controle, randomise en cluster, prospectif. Recrutement des patients en Isere entre mai et decembre 2016 par des medecins generalistes installes, repartis dans 2 groupes par tirage au sort:un groupe avec le document ecrit d’information (DEI), l’autre sans. Le nombre de patients necessaires etait calcule a 100, chaque medecin incluant 6 patients. Critere de jugement principal:score a l’echelle de Quebec a l’inclusion et a 3 mois, dont l’evolution a ete comparee dans les 2 groupes de patients. Les tests statistiques utilises etaient:Chi2, Student, Fisher. Resultats : Les 26 medecins ont recrutes 81 patients, 44 avaient recu le DEI. Apres exclusions et perdus de vue, l’effectif restant etait de 60 patients (30 dans chaque groupe). L’evolution du score de l’echelle de Quebec dans le groupe ayant recu le DEI n’a pas montre de difference statistiquement significative par rapport au groupe controle (p= 0.28). Conclusion : L’essai n’a pas permis de conclure quant a l’efficacite de ce nouveau DEI sur le maintien des activites habituelles a 3 mois. Cette etude meriterait d'etre reconduite avec une puissance plus importante.
Tratamiento de epicondilitis de codo con plasma rico en plaquetas versus corticosteroide local

Antecedentes: La epicondilitis es una patologia con una alta frecuencia en la poblacion mexicana, estudios recientes refieren buenos resultados con plasma rico en plaquetas. Sin embargo, el tratamiento mas comunmente usado en Mexico es la aplicacion de corticoesteroide. Objetivo: Realizar en estudio comparativo en donde se determine que tratamiento tiene mejores resultados (plasma rico en plaquetas vs corticoesteroide). Material y metodos: Se conformaron dos grupos de personas aleatorizadas haciendo dos grupos, el grupo A fue tratado con una sola aplicacion de plasma rico en plaquetas y el grupo B fue tratado con 40 mg de metil prednisolona, dosis unica. Se realizo una evaluacion con la escala visual analoga y con la escala Quick DASH, dicha prueba fue aplicada previo al procedimiento, al mes, a los tres y seis meses. Resultados: Los resultados fueron comparados con un analisis de t de Student. Al mes de la evaluacion, los pacientes muestran mejoria sin diferencia significativa. A los tres meses, el plasma rico en plaquetas muestra mejores resultados; sin embargo, a los seis meses se ve un discreto decremento de esta. Conclusiones: De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, el plasma rico en plaquetas muestra mejores resultados en cuanto mejoria del dolor y duracion del tratamiento; sin embargo, aun esta pendiente definir el numero de aplicaciones, asi como la posibilidad de obtener mejores resultados al acompanarlo de rehabilitacion
Enhancing virtual teams: social relations v. communication technology

Are virtual teams an adequate alternative for co‐located (face‐to‐face) teams in case of complex, equivocal relations? Business scientists are predominantly pessimistic. They argue that “rich” media – those that transmit higher levels of nonverbal cues – are necessary in these circumstances. In this paper a less pessimistic answer is formulated. Starting from the distinction between the report and command aspect of communication, it is argued that a better understanding of both aspects enables the researcher/adviser to change organizations (e.g. by replacing two‐way “monologue” by dialogue and creating trust between parties) in such a way that new and divergent demands on communication emerge. This possibly allows us to drop the demanding face‐to‐face demands threatening the success of network organizations in general and virtual teams in particular.
Adaptive output feedback control of Bouc-Wen hysteretic systems

Abstract The hysteretic behaviour is an essential feature of many technological systems e.g. magnetorheological suspensions, buildings dampers, etc. In these systems, the hysteretic behaviour is conveniently accounted for through the well known Bouc-Wen model. But this involves several unknown parameters as well as internal signals that all are not accessible to measurements. Furthermore, not all parameters come in linearly. All these difficulties make hysteretic system control a challenging problem. Previous solutions have simplified the problem supposing some of the inaccessible internal variables to be measurable or some unknown parameters to be available. In this paper, a high-gain type adaptive output feedback controller is developed which contrasts with the previous solutions. It is shown that the resulting closed-loop control system is shown to be globally stable and the output reference tracking can be made arbitrarily small by choosing conveniently the design parameters.
An Escherichia coli mutant resistant to phleomycin, bleomycin, and heat inactivation is defective in ubiquinone synthesis

A mutant of Escherichia coli, selected for resistance to the antibiotic and antitumor agent phleomycin, has been characterized, and the phleomycin resistance determinant has been identified. The mutant is equally resistant to bleomycins. The resistance to phleomycin is strongly dependent on the nature of the C-terminal amine of the drug, with the greatest resistance being shown to phleomycins and bleomycins with the most basic terminal amines. The mutation also confers resistance to the lethal effects of heating at 52 degrees C. Other characteristics of the phleomycin-resistant strain include a slow growth rate, an inability to grow on succinate as the sole carbon source (Suc- phenotype), cross resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics, and a slight sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, methyl methanesulfonate, and gamma-irradiation. Some of these characteristics, together with mapping data, suggested that the phleomycin resistance and Suc- determinant probably lies within the ubiF gene coding for an enzyme effecting a step in the biosynthesis of ubiquinone. The phenotypes of known mutants defective in this and other steps of the ubiquinone pathway were found to be closely similar to those of the original phleomycin-resistant strain.
Desiderata for Vector-Space Word Representations

A plethora of vector-space representations for words is currently available, which is growing. These consist of fixed-length vectors containing real values, which represent a word. The result is a representation upon which the power of many conventional information processing and data mining techniques can be brought to bear, as long as the representations are designed with some forethought and fit certain constraints. This paper details desiderata for the design of vector space representations of words.
Fibrosis and matrix metalloproteinases in rat renal allografts

The temporal activity and gene expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP) were investigated in a rat model of chronic allograft nephropathy. Gelatinolytic activity of MMP‐2 and ‐9 were demonstrated by zymography, and MMP‐2,‐9 and TIMP‐3 mRNA by in situ hybridization. The generation of fibrosis was determined as total collagen content/DNA. Significantly more latent and active MMP‐2, as well as latent MMP‐9, were seen in allografts than in autografts. Intense MMP‐2 mRNA expression was demonstrated in the allografts during the first 20 days after transplantation, located mainly in the interstitium of the kidney. In addition, some tubular cells expressed MMP‐2 mRNA. After day 20, MMP‐2 gene expression was faint. MMP‐9 mRNA expression in allografts was located mainly in the glomerulus. TIMP‐3 mRNA expression was downregulated in allografts. MMP‐2, MMP‐9 and TIMP‐3 seem to play a critical role in the development of fibrosis in the renal allograft.
A modified two-scale scattering model for randomly rough surface. I. The scattering field and the scattering coefficient

This paper constructs the randomly rough surface via the Fourier series of the surface height function and analyzes the statistical characteristics of the Fourier coefficients. By using a low-pass filter, the surface is split into two parts-Kirchhoff surface and perturbation surface. According to the scattering characteristics of the two kinds of surface, some assumptions and approximations are introduced to obtain the far-zone scattering field and the bistatic scattering coefficient.
Growth of bacteria in inoculated platelets: implications for bacteria detection and the extension of platelet storage

BACKGROUND: Recent reports from Europe have advocated the use of bacterial culturing of platelets on Day 2 or 3 of storage to extend the shelf life of platelets to 7 days, thereby reducing the outdating of platelets and preserving a limited medical resource. To assess the optimal timing, the necessary sensitivity, and the possible efficacy of bacterial detection, the bacterial growth characteristics were reviewed in 165 platelet units, each inoculated on the day of collection with one of the following organisms: Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis from four previously published studies.
OPT-80, a macrocyclic antimicrobial agent for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infections: a review.

BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea has become a major problem over the last years. Increasing incidence and more severe clinical cases initiated the search for new treatment options. OBJECTIVE OPT-80, also known as tiacumicin B, lipiarmycin or PAR-101, is a macrocyclic antimicrobial with little or no systemic absorption after oral administration and narrow activity spectrum against Gram-positive aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. METHODS Data on OPT-80 available from published studies, presentations at conferences and the manufacturer were collected and reviewed. RESULTS/CONCLUSION The in vitro studies of OPT-80 and clinical C. difficile strains showed high activity at low concentrations. Safety and efficacy of the drug were found to be favourable. More Phase II and III clinical trials are to be completed.
4 Angiogenesis , Lymphangiogenesis and Lymphovascular Invasion : Prognostic Impact for Bladder Cancer Patients

Bladder cancer is the second most common tumor of the urogenital tract. Urothelial carcinoma is the most frequent histologic type, being unique among epithelial carcinomas in its divergent pathways of tumorigenesis. Surgery continues to have a predominant role in the management of urothelial bladder cancer (Kaufman et al., 2009). However, the debate about the best treatment approach for T1G3 and muscle invasive tumors continually challenges all urologic surgeons and oncologists. This debate involves several aspects. First, a significant number of T1G3 tumors recurs and progresses rapidly after transurethral resection and BCG treatment (Wiesner et al., 2005). Second, half of patients with invasive tumors have a dismal outcome despite an effective treatment by radical cystectomy (Sternberg et al., 2007). Third, the extension of lymphadenectomy remains an issue of controversy, although clinical evidence suggests that an extended lymph node dissection may not only provide prognostic information, but also a significant therapeutic benefit for both lymph node-positive and lymph node-negative patients undergoing radical cystectomy (May et al., 2011). In muscle invasive bladder cancer, the presence of tumor foci in lymph nodes is an early event in progression, and the lymphatic vessels within or in the proximity to the primary tumor serve as the primary conduits for tumor dissemination (Youssef et al., 2011). Fourth, although urothelial bladder cancer is a chemo-sensitive tumor (Kaufman et al., 2000; von der Maase et al., 2000), adjuvant systemic chemotherapy does not reveal benefits (Walz et al., 2008), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy is not yet accepted as the best approach in invasive bladder cancer (Clark, 2009). Therefore, in order to solve the aforementioned problems, it is crucial to improve the knowledge about tumor microenvironment, regulation of cancer metabolism and neovascularization.
Control of rpoS transcription in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas: why so different?

In Escherichia coli, the stationary phase alternative sigma factor σs controls the expression of genes involved cell survival in response to cessation of growth (stationary phase) and provides cross‐protection to various stresses. Levels of σs increase dramatically at the onset of stationary phase and are regulated at the transcriptional, post‐transcriptional and post‐translational level, making this one of the most complex regulatory systems in bacteria. The basic mechanisms for the control of translation and σs proteolysis have been understood. However, studies on the transcriptional control in E. coli lag behind and are controversial. The cAMP‐CRP complex and the two component BarA/UvrY system have been implicated and, ppGpp and polyphosphate appear to have a signalling role. σs has also been reported to be a general stress regulator in the fluorescent pseudomonads (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens and P. putida) and recent studies on σs regulation highlight that transcriptional regulation in these bacteria apparently plays a major role. Global regulatory systems, the GacA/GacS two component system and quorum sensing all affect rpoS expression, as does the TetR family PsrA regulator that directly binds to‐ and activates the rpoS promoter in stationary phase. This striking difference in regulation between E. coli and Pseudomonas can be partly attributed to the differences in the functional role of σs in the two bacterial species. This report will review mainly recent studies on rpoS transcriptional regulation and will try to rationalize the current knowledge into a working model.
Young mothers, education and social exclusion

This thesis examines the education and social inclusion and exclusion of young mothers, focusing on the experiences of sixteen pregnant young women and mothers attending a course of antenatal education during 2007. I use a critical feminist approach to examine the meanings of education in this setting alongside the young women's mothering identities. The thesis interrogates the effects of New Labour's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy in relation to the young women in my study. I analyse how the concept of 'social exclusion' has cast the 'teenage mother' as responsible for reproducing a cycle of disadvantage, obscuring the socially including aspects of young motherhood. I argue that policy constructions of teenage motherhood are contradicted by the lived experience of the young mothers in my study. In defiance of discourses of the teenage mother as unfit mother, the young women construct themselves in many cases as ready for motherhood and as resilient adults who choose to 'take responsibility' for their actions, re-engage with education and want to 'do the best' for their children. I challenge the idea that 'interventions' such as this antenatal educational setting are part of a policy framework that seeks to teach 'middle-class' parenting methods to working-class young women. Rather, the professionals working in the setting transform policy discourses to support and defend the young women from stigma. I contrast the young women's positive experiences in the setting with their negative school experiences, and show how the process of educational disaffection often happens prior to pregnancy, and how pregnancy precipitates increased motivation. The young women use pregnancy as a way to transition from a 'bad girl' to a 'good mother' identity, and as an opportunity to re-evaluate family relationships and friendships. I conclude by making policy recommendations with regard to the education of pregnant young women and mothers.
Study of spectral and temporal effects in the perception of noise degraded speech

Cochlear Implants (CI) are surgically installed biomedical gadgets that give hearing to significantly hard of hearing individuals by direct electrical incitement of the auditory nerve. It has been recognized that auditory simulation models in cochlear implants improve the perception of speech significantly. For music and hearing perception in noisy environments, phase cue plays a major role but it is not being conveyed by the present day auditory models. This paper describes the results of a study on the spectro-temporal effects on the perception of English phonemes comprising vowels and consonants. An auditory simulation model is developed to extract and process the spectral and temporal features using Hilbert algorithm. Six English phonemes are presented to normal hearing listeners under various signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and their speech intelligibility scores are computed. Significant improvement is achieved and hence this model should be helpful for enhancing the speech intelligibility of cochlear implant subjects.
East of the Andes: The genetic profile of the Peruvian Amazon populations.

OBJECTIVES Assuming that the differences between the Andes and the Amazon rainforest at environmental and historical levels have influenced the distribution patterns of genes, languages, and cultures, the maternal and paternal genetic reconstruction of the Peruvian Amazon populations was used to test the relationships within and between these two extreme environments. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed four Peruvian Amazon communities (Ashaninka, Huambisa, Cashibo, and Shipibo) for both Y chromosome (17 STRs and 8 SNPs) and mtDNA data (control region sequences, two diagnostic sites of the coding region, and one INDEL), and we studied their variability against the rest of South America. RESULTS We detected a high degree of genetic diversity in the Peruvian Amazon people, both for mtDNA than for Y chromosome, excepting for Cashibo people, who seem to have had no exchanges with their neighbors, in contrast with the others communities. The genetic structure follows the divide between the Andes and the Amazon, but we found a certain degree of gene flow between these two environments, as particularly emerged with the Y chromosome descent cluster's (DCs) analysis. DISCUSSION The Peruvian Amazon is home to an array of populations with differential rates of genetic exchanges with their neighbors and with the Andean people, depending on their peculiar demographic histories. We highlighted some successful Y chromosome lineages expansions originated in Peru during the pre-Columbian history which involved both Andeans and Amazon Arawak people, showing that at least a part of the Amazon rainforest did not remain isolated from those exchanges.
Trial of levodopa in senile dementia.

Concentrations of various neurotransmitter enzymes in the brain may be reduced in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease or senile dementia. '2 Levodopa may alleviate the dopamine deficiency in the striatum in Parkinsonism, but there have been conflicting reports about its effect on any associated dementia.3 The drug has also been reported to improve the intellectual function of some patients suffering from senile dementia associated with extrapyramidal features.3 We have further assessed the effect of levodopa on senile dementia.
NEUTRON CAPTURE EXPERIMENTS ON UNSTABLE NUCLEI Annual Technical Report for the Period November 2003 – November 2004 Issued : January 2005

Jon M. Schwantes*, Ralf Sudowe, Charles M. Folden III, Heino Nitsche, and Darleane C. Hoffman Heavy Element Nuclear and Radiochemistry Group Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, California 94720 *Current affiliation: Isotope & Nuclear Chemistry Group, Chemistry Division Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545