Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved Risk Analysis by Dual Direct Detection of Total and Infectious Cryptosporidium Oocysts on Cell Culture in Combination with Immunofluorescence Assay

ABSTRACT The inactivation of Cryptosporidium oocysts is a main driver in the selection of water treatment disinfection strategies, and microbial risk analysis provides a sound basis for optimizing water treatment processes. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency method 1622/23 provides an estimate of the total oocyst count; however, it cannot be used directly for risk assessment, as it does not determine the fraction of infectious oocysts. Improved assessment of the risk for designated sources or in treated water requires evaluation of the total number of oocysts and an estimate of their infectivity. We developed a dual direct detection method using differential immunofluorescent staining that allows detection of both oocysts and cell culture infection foci for each sample. Using Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, various pH levels, proteases, and gastroenteric compounds and substrates were assessed to determine their abilities to enhance the number of infection foci. The results showed that the key trigger for oocyst stimulation was acidification. Addition of a low concentration of d-glucose (50 mM) to the infection media increased rates of infectivity, while a higher dose (300 mM) was inhibitory. The total number of oocysts in each sample was determined by counting the oocysts remaining on a cell monolayer and the oocysts recovered from cell monolayer washes during processing using a simple filtration technique. With the dual direct detection on cell culture with immunofluorescence assay method, it is now possible to determine the numbers of total and infectious oocysts for a given sample in a single analysis. Direct percentages of infectivity are then calculated, which allows more accurate assessments of risk.
Work-related premature ageing: old concept but emerging stakes

Many industrial countries try to raise the retirement age in a context of economic constraints, ageing populations and public pension funds financial difficulties.1 ,2 One important barrier for delaying retirement is premature ageing caused by arduous and difficult working conditions, a situation known for many decades, if not centuries.3 Although general health has improved in the last century in most industrial countries, clearly indicating more successful ageing, many social inequalities remain.4 These inequalities stem in part from different work trajectories, which in turn, may explain premature ageing,5 without existing cellular ageing indicator. …
Shapelet-Based Sparse Representation for Landcover Classification of Hyperspectral Images

This paper presents a sparse-representation-based classification approach with a novel dictionary construction procedure. By using the constructed dictionary, sophisticated prior knowledge about the spatial nature of the image can be integrated. The approach is based on the assumption that each image patch can be factorized into characteristic spatial patterns, also called shapelets, and patch-specific spectral information. A set of shapelets is learned in an unsupervised way, and spectral information is embodied by training samples. A combination of shapelets and spectral information is represented in an undercomplete spatial-spectral dictionary for each individual patch, where the elements of the dictionary are linearly combined to a sparse representation of the patch. The patch-based classification is obtained by means of the representation error. Experiments are conducted on three well-known hyperspectral image data sets. They illustrate that our proposed approach shows superior results in comparison to sparse-representation-based classifiers that use only limited spatial information and behaves competitively with or better than state-of-the-art classifiers utilizing spatial information and kernelized sparse-representation-based classifiers.
Effect of anticoagulants on activation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes induced by shear stress.

We analyzed how actin polymerization, CD11b expression and homotypic aggregation could be used as markers to study leukocyte activation. Leukocytes were obtained from blood anticoagulated with: citrate, unfractioned heparin (UH) and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). Flow cytometry was used to study actin polymerization and expression of CD11b after leukocyte exposure to shear stress. Leukocyte aggregation was microscopically assessed. Shear increased both actin polymerization and expression of CD11b in citrated blood (100.1±7.1 vs. 85.8±8.5 p< 0.05 and 53.5±3.5 vs. 20.7±5.1; p< 0.005 respectively). These parameters remained unmodified in UH samples. Using both anticoagulants together, we observed increase in CD11b expression induced by shear stress (59.3±2.1 vs. 25.1±11.0; p< 0,05). LMWH samples showed higher basal levels of actin polymerization and CD11b expression than citrated samples (237±40.8, vs. 85.8±8.5 p< 0.05 and 47.8±2.6, vs. 20.7±5.1; p< 0.005) but no changes induced by shear were observed. When LMWH was used in combination with citrate we observed a decrease in basal activation and significant modifications in CD11b expression induced by shear stress (80.0±4.1 vs. 50.4±2.7). Leukocyte aggregation was modified by UH at basal levels and by LMWH after shear stress. These results indicate that exposure to shear stress results in leukocyte activation. The choice of anticoagulant is a crucial factor in studies of leukocyte function.
Effects of macrophage‐colony‐stimulating factor deficiency on the maturation of microglia and brain macrophages and on their expression of scavenger receptor

Macrophage‐colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF) regulates the survival, proliferation and differentiation of the mononuclear phagocyte lineage. Osteopetrotic (op/op) mice defective in producing functional M‐CSF were used in order to investigate the role of M‐CSF on the development of microglia and brain macrophages and the expression of scavenger receptor (SR). Adult op/op and littermate mice at 10–47 weeks of age were investigated by immunohistochemistry with a panel of monoclonal antibodies (F4/80, Mac‐1, anti‐major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and anti‐SR), electron microscopy and reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Microglia were weakly immunolabeled with F4/80 and Mac‐1 in op/op and littermate mice, but the number of microglia in op/op mice was reduced in the cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem compared with that of normal littermates. The numbers of Mac‐1‐positive microglia in op/op mice was 39% (pons) and 30% (cerebellar cortex) lower than that in normal littermates (P< 0.05). In addition, the microglia cell processes in op/op mice were often shorter than those in control mice. In op/op and littermate mice, both MHC class II and SR were present in perivascular cells and macrophages of the leptomeninx and choroid plexus. Ultrastructurally, perivascular cells appeared to be immature, since their cytoplasm was narrow and contained few inclusion bodies compared with those of control mice. Reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction showed a weak expression for SR mRNA in the brains of op/op mice as well as littermate mice. These results indicate that microglia are partly dependent on M‐CSF for their proliferation and differentiation and that M‐CSF has no significant effect on the expression of SR in the physiological brain. The study also suggests that M‐CSF affects the maturation of perivascular cells at the ultrastructural level.
Sparse 2-D Array Placement for Arbitrary Pattern Mask and With Excitation Constraints: A Simple Deterministic Approach

We present a novel algorithm for the synthesis of planar (2-D) arrays subject to arbitrary pattern masks and excitation constraints (e.g., dynamic range). The algorithm is simple and deterministic, and considers the radiating element pattern. The procedure starts with a conventional constrained fixed-grid synthesis on a regular lattice, yielding a goal radiated field. Next, element locations are selected sequentially by maximizing projection on field difference to goal, while excitation amplitudes are computed using fixed-grid constrained synthesis for irregular lattices. The final result is the sparse layout and constrained excitation coefficients. The proposed method is validated against literature results; application examples are given for circular flat-top, isoflux and triangular flat-top shaped beam patterns, with constraints on excitation coefficients dynamic range, both for isotropic and patch-type element patterns.
A morphological study of the development of the allantois of rat embryos in vivo.

The muridine allantois is purely mesodermal in origin (Mossman, 1937) and first appears as a bud of cells emerging from the caudal region of the embryo at the headfold stage. The bud then becomes prolongated, extending from the embryo into the extra-embryonic coelomic cavity and towards the ectoplacental cone. It continues to grow until it makes contact, and fuses with the chorionic mesoderm (Amoroso, 1952). After the fusion of the allantois with the 'chorion', these tissues, together with cells of the ectoplacental cone, develop to form the fetal components of the chorioallantoic placenta. The allantois remains intact throughout the remaining period of gestation connecting, and conveying fetal blood between, the fetus and the chorioallantoic placenta. The gross structural changes occurring during the development of the muridine allantois have been described for both the mouse (Amoroso, 1952; Snell & Stevens, 1966; Theiler, 1972) and the rat (Steven & Morriss, 1975) but there are no detailed descriptive studies. In this paper the growth and differentiation of the allantois of the rat, as seen by direct observation of freshly dissected embryos, conventional histological techniques and scanning and electron microscopy, is described in detail.
A global measure to assess switching antipsychotic medications in the treatment of schizophrenia

It is common practice to switch antipsychotic medications in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia to enhance clinical efficacy and/or reduce drug‐related side effects. The conventional Clinical Global Impression (CGI) of severity scale is a well‐understood measure to track switching effects but does not differentiate between the severity of clinical symptoms and the impact of side effects.
PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH MOVEMENT DISORDERS: FACTORS INFLUENCING COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION

A questionnaire sent to the parents of 105 patients aged between nine and 20 years with movement disorders was answered by 81 parents. 51 per cent of the patients were undergoing physiotherapy, and these had been having physiotherapy for almost all of their lives. Patients with lower mobility scores and those with both parents participating tended to continue with physiotherapy. Mobility scores were less of a determinant for girls than for boys for continuing or discontinuing physiotherapy. The diagnosis of cerebral palsy combined with an early start to physiotherapy also gave a higher continuation rate.
Enactivism : A theory enabling the creation of new knowledge within the framework of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards

Learning theory which best promotes connected learning is I believe, enactivism. The emerging theory of enactivism, which Begg (2002) describes as a development from constructivism, provides a sound basis for teaching and learning, incorporating the concept of ‘power with’ (student and teacher working together in community) and obviating the dualistic approach (an approach that enshrines ‘right or wrong’ and ‘either-or’) to teaching and learning that has dominated education in the twentieth century.
Deriving a logical data model for a system using the RECAST method

The Reverse Engineering into CASE Technology method (RECAST) takes the source code for an existing COBOL system and derives a no-loss representation of the system documented in the format of Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) documentation. One key element of the method is the abstraction of the system data and its representation as a logical data model. The RECAST method considers how to derive the entities (with their relationships and attributes) both for systems accessing file-based data and for those accessing data from IDMSX databases. The functional specification of the system is derived primarily by considering the processing that affects these entities. This paper describes how the abstraction of the data design is achieved and discusses the results of using RECAST to derive the data models of two operational systems that have been used as case studies for the research project.
Research progress of noise radar technologies

Noise radar uses random noise as the probing signal which can obtain high resolution and go around some drawbacks in conventional pulse, CW or FM radars. In this paper, the selection criteria for random signal are discussed and the characteristics of several noise radar signals are analyzed and compared. And two signal processing methods in noise radar: correlation processing method and spectral interferometry method are studied. In addition, some issues related to capabilities and constraints of noise radar technology in microwave imaging application are discussed.
Peircean Triadicity: Application to Deictic Use

This investigation traces the ontogeny of the use of the word “I” and how its symbolic use promotes imaginative thinking. Peirce’s triadic system is contrasted with Vygotsky’s dyadic system to highlight the import of thirdness in characterizing the ontogeny of person deictics within conversational roles. Person deictics, such as “I”, are indexes at first. Later when their social function/meaning is apprehended they serve as symbols as well; still later they are used psychologically in self-to-self monologs, and acquire distinctive interpretants when used unconventionally. Early indexical uses of “I” are non-symbolic – “I” referring to self-only absent recognition of conversational roles. “I” is employed symbolically when its referent shifts and when its invariant meaning (speaker) is apprehended. Person deictics enhance the emergence of imagination when the symbolic use transcends their inter-psychological regulation through human to human conversation to their intrapsychological function in self-to-self discourse. Extension of functional roles (speaker/listener) to dolls/puppets (in representational play scenarios) constitutes an extended use of the symbolic function because inanimates cannot assume conversational roles; and such use triggers the association of different interpretants to the category of deictic use. The symbolic use of “I” as speaker facilitates apprehension of self as object, which is a major determinant of when in ontogeny children extend the use of person deictics from immediate to dynamic to final
Iterative Hybrid Algorithm for Semi-supervised Classification

In the typical supervised learning scenario we are given a set of labeled examples and we aim to induce a model that captures the regularity between the input and the class. However, most of the classification algorithms require hundreds or even thousands of labeled examples to achieve satisfactory performance. Data labels come at high costs as they require expert knowledge, while unlabeled data is usually cheap and easy to obtain. The aim of semi-supervised learning is to build models using both labeled and unlabeled data. In this study, we propose an Iterative Hybrid Algorithm which blends a generative and discriminative model with the goal to benefit from the advantages of both and to make most use of the unlabeled data. We conduct experiments on a synthetic data set, which allows us to easily observe the behavior of the method and compare its performance with two other methods, the Hybrid Model proposed in [2] and Entropy Minimization [6]. We observe that when there are only few labeled examples, the Iterative Hybrid Algorithm achieves better performance than the Entropy Minimization method, but is outperformed by the Hybrid Model. However, as the number of labeled examples increases the difference between the two methods diminishes. The performance of the Entropy Minimization method is still behind the other two methods.
Spherical Signature Description of 3 D Point Cloud and Environmental Feature Learning based on Deep Belief Nets for Urban Structure Classification

This paper suggests the method of the spherical signature description of 3D point clouds taken from the laser range scanner on the ground vehicle. Based on the spherical signature description of each point, the extractor of significant environmental features is learned by the Deep Belief Nets for the urban structure classification. Arbitrary point among the 3D point cloud can represents its signature in its sky surface by using several neighborhood points. The unit spherical surface centered on that point can be considered to accumulate the evidence of each angular tessellation. According to a kind of point area such as wall, ground, tree, car, and so on, the results of spherical signature description look so different each other. These data can be applied into the Deep Belief Nets, which is one of the Deep Neural Networks, for learning the environmental feature extractor. With this learned feature extractor, 3D points can be classified due to its urban structures well. Experimental results prove that the proposed method based on the spherical signature description and the Deep Belief Nets is suitable for the mobile robots in terms of the classification accuracy.
On the free radical scavenging activities of melatonin's metabolites, AFMK and AMK

The reactions of N1‐acetyl‐N2‐formyl‐5‐methoxykynuramine (AFMK) and N1‐acetyl‐5‐methoxykynuramine (AMK) with •OH, •OOH, and •OOCCl3 radicals have been studied using the density functional theory. Three mechanisms of reaction have been considered: radical adduct formation (RAF), hydrogen transfer (HT), and single electron transfer (SET). Their relative importance for the free radical scavenging activity of AFMK and AMK has been assessed. It was found that AFMK and AMK react with •OH at diffusion‐limited rates, regardless of the polarity of the environment, which supports their excellent •OH radical scavenging activity. Both compounds were found to be also very efficient for scavenging •OOCCl3, but rather ineffective for scavenging •OOH. Regarding their relative activity, it was found that AFMK systematically is a poorer scavenger than AMK and melatonin. In aqueous solution, AMK was found to react faster than melatonin with all the studied free radicals, while in nonpolar environments, the relative efficiency of AMK and melatonin as free radical scavengers depends on the radical with which they are reacting. Under such conditions, melatonin is predicted to be a better •OOH and •OOCCl3 scavenger than AMK, while AMK is predicted to be slightly better than melatonin for scavenging •OH. Accordingly it seems that melatonin and its metabolite AMK constitute an efficient team of scavengers able of deactivating a wide variety of reactive oxygen species, under different conditions. Thus, the presented results support the continuous protection exerted by melatonin, through the free radical scavenging cascade.
Comprehending by varying Focal Distance

While we are used to vary levels of abstraction during software development and while these variations are at least partially supported by tools, the tools aiding in software comprehension can currently not be understood as zoom lenses providing stereovision. The extended abstract given below addresses the comprehension issue from the perspective of the relationship between forward and backward engineering.
Quel capitalisme pour l’Algérie : Eléments de réflexion sur une Expérience ,son devenir et ses perspectives

Au terme de cette analyse et de cette approche nous pouvons formuler un certain nombre de conclusions que nous presentons dans ce qui suit. Au plan theorique d’abord une theorie de la transition ou des transitions reste a mener, a concevoir et a ecrire. C’est dans ce cadre que devra se situer une reelle refondation de l’Etat et qui ne pourra etre que pluridisciplinaire et multidimens-sionnelle. Pour ce qui est de l’Algerie, nous avons pu montrer que l’echec de la mise en place des differentes reformes est du a la nature des relations entre l’economique et le politique imposees par l’Etat rentier et neo patrimonial. C’est en definitif la nature de l’Etat et le poids du politique qui font obstacle aux changements. Mots cles :Capitalisme - Transition a l'economie de marche - Gradualisme - Etat - Nature rentiere et neo patrimoniale de l'Etat - Etat-Nation - Etat Providence. ومن خلال هذا البحث تمكنا من استخلاص العديد من النتائج لعل أبرزها: تبين من الجانب النظري للدراسة أن نظريات التحول تبقى مجالا خصبا للبحث وللبناء الممنهج للنظريات الواجبة التدوين. وضمن هذا السياق، من الضروري القيام بعملية إعادة تأسيس الدولة بالاعتماد على الحقول المعرفية المتعددة. أما بالنسبة للجزائر تمكنت الدراسة من إثبات أن فشل الإصلاحات الاقتصادية راجع إلى طبيعة العلاقة الرابطة بين المجال السياسي والاقتصادي، التي فرضها نهج الدولة الريعية والأثرياء الجدد، وكنتيجة منطقية فإن الدولة والضغط السياسي يعتبران من العوامل المعرقلة لعملية التحول. الكلمات المفتاحية: الانتقال إلى اقتصاد السوق،بيق بونق، التدرج، الدولة، الدولة الريعية والأثرياء الجدد، الدولة القومية، دولة الرفاهة.
The novel of critical engagement: Paul Auster's City of Glass

ity of Glass, the first of three short novels included in Paul Auster's New York Trilogy, is, like its two companions, a detective novel. Its protagonist plays the role of a detective, takes a case, and embarks upon a program of surveillance and decipherment to solve a mystery. In this it partakes of a tradition of the popular form of the twentieth-century detective novel. Peter Brooks, in Reading for the Plot, uses a Sherlock Holmes story ("The Musgrave Ritual") to illustrate how the process of mystery solving can be seen as a model of the narrative act, citing Tzvetan Todorov and other critics who have noted the exemplary character of detective fiction (23-27). City of Glass, we might say, takes up where Brooks leaves off (in this instance), posits the detective novel as an allegory for novels in general and then uses it to examine the possibilities of the form. In this it partakes of a somewhat more rarefied, metafictional tradition, of which Michel Butor's Passing Time is a notable example. Butor's focus is the fictional representation of temporality. City of Glass also considers this question, but it differs from Passing Time in the central position it assigns to theory in general. In broad strokes, we can say that Auster poses the question, How many of the normally assigned qualities of the novel, especially those qualities that have become attached to it through critical exegesis, formulation and application of theory, and scientific or semiotic analysis, can be abandoned, mutilated, ruined in and by a narrative that remains identifiable as a novel? Auster's handling of literary theory resembles, in many ways, the treatment of philosophical concepts we find