Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Santé et économie en Europe

A l’heure des deficits, des conflits, du malaise des professionnels de sante et de l’inquietude des Europeens pour leur systeme de sante, comment concevoir les reformes ? Que vaut la vie humaine selon les pays et leur developpement ? Comment remunerer les medecins et les hopitaux ou faire payer les malades ? Que retenir des experiences etrangeres ? Le progres technique est-il vraiment cher et sera-t-il rationne ? A l’appui de graphiques convaincants, ce livre repond aux citoyens, aux professionnels et aux politiques. Il propose trois fascinants scenarios pour une Europe vieillissante.
Repair of critical-size bone defects using bone marrow stromal cells: a histomorphometric study in rabbit calvaria. Part I: use of fresh bone marrow or bone marrow mononuclear fraction.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare the bone healing observed after the use of (1) a scaffold enriched with fresh bone marrow, (2) a scaffold enriched with bone marrow mononuclear fraction, and (3) a scaffold alone. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty one rabbits were randomly divided into three groups of six animals and 1 group of 3 animals. Bilateral 12-mm diameter defects were created in the animals' parietal bones. In Control Group, the defects were filled with a xenograft alone (n = 6); in Group 1, with a xenograft enriched with fresh bone marrow (n = 6); in Group 2, with a xenograft enriched with bone marrow mononuclear fraction (n = 6) and in Unfilled Group, nothing was grafted (n = 3). In Groups 1, 2, and Control, one of the calvarial defects was randomly covered with a barrier membrane. The rabbits were sacrificed 8 weeks after surgery, and their parietal bones were harvested and analyzed histomorphometrically. RESULTS The histomorphometric analysis showed no difference between Group 1 and the Control Group regarding non-vital mineralized tissue area, but Group 2 showed a statistically significant higher percentage than the Control Group (P < 0.05) for both situations, with membrane (21.24 ± 3.78% and 13.52 ± 3.00%, respectively) and without membrane (20.91 ± 2.01% and 13.08 ± 1.72%, respectively). Group 2 showed the highest percentage of vital mineralized tissue area, followed by Group 1 and the Control Group (P < 0.05) for both situations, with membrane (28.17 ± 3.19%; 21.14 ± 7.38% and 13.06 ± 5.24%, respectively) and without membrane (21.13 ± 0.55%; 12.45 ± 6.34% and 6.56 ± 1.20%, respectively). Group 2 showed the lowest percentage of non-mineralized tissue area, followed by Group 1 and Control Group (P < 0.05) for both situations, with membrane (50.59 ± 6.64%; 58.75 ± 7.14% and 73.41 ± 6.87%, respectively) and without membrane (57.97 ± 1.91%; 71.74 ± 6.63% and 80.37 ± 2.67%, respectively). The sides in which the defects were covered with the barrier membrane showed better bone healing compared with the uncovered sides, in all groups (intragroup comparison, P < 0.05). The Unfilled Group specimens showed no bone formation. CONCLUSIONS Both methods using bone marrow stromal cells contributed to enhancing bone healing, especially that using the bone marrow mononuclear fraction. The use of a barrier membrane seemed to have a synergistic effect.
Beta-amyloid deposition and functional impairment in the retina of the APPswe/PS1DeltaE9 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

PURPOSE To determine whether beta-amyloid (Abeta) deposition affects the structure and function of the retina of the APPswe/PS1DeltaE9 transgenic (tg) mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. METHODS Retinas from 12- to 19-month old APPswe/PS1DeltaE9 tg and age-matched non-transgenic (ntg) littermates were single or double stained with thioflavine-S and antibodies against Abeta, glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP), microglial marker F4/80, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and syntaxin 1. Quantification of thioflavine-S positive plaques and retinal layer thickness was analyzed semi-quantitatively, whereas microglial cell size and levels of F4/80 immunoreactivity were evaluated using a densitometry program. Scotopic electroretinogram (ERG) recording was used to investigate retinal physiology in these mice. RESULTS Thioflavine-S positive plaques appeared at 12 months in the retinas of APPswe/PS1DeltaE9 tg mice with the majority of plaques in the outer and inner plexiform layers. Plaques were embedded in the inner plexiform layer strata displaying syntaxin 1 and ChAT. The number and size of the plaques in the retina increased with age. Plaques appeared earlier and in greater numbers in females than in male tg littermate mice. Microglial activity was significantly increased in the retinas of APPswe/PS1DeltaE9 tg mice. Although we did not detect neuronal degeneration in the retina, ERG recordings revealed a significant reduction in the amplitudes of a- and b-waves in aged APPswe/PS1DeltaE9 tg compared to ntg littermates. CONCLUSIONS The present findings suggest that Abeta deposition disrupts retinal structure and may contribute to the visual deficits seen in aged APPswe/PS1DeltaE9 tg mice. Whether Abeta is involved in other forms of age-related retinal dysfunction is unclear.
The effect of a eugregarine Gregarina polymorpha (Hammerschmidt) on the mealworm larva of Tenebrio molitor (L.).

SYNOPSIS. The larva of the beetle Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae), commonly referred to as the mealworm, harbors considerable numbers of gregarines in its midgut. These are not necessary for normal growth, nor do they prolong the life of larvae grown under optimal conditions of temperature, relative humidity and diet. When the larvae were grown under optimal conditions there was no significant difference between the length of larval life or the final pupal weight of mealworms harboring gregarines when compared with mealworms which had been reared free from gregarines. This applied both to infected and non-infected larvae grown singly and in communal cultures. When, however, larvae were grown on a sub-optimal diet, the gregarines had a considerable effect on the final pupal weight and the ability of the larva to complete development.
Inorganic Nitrogen Removal from Wastewater: Effect on Phytoplankton Growth in Coastal Marine Waters

Algal bioassays were used to demonstrate the high efficiency of a comnbined tertiary wastewater treatment and marine aquaculture system in removing inorganic nitrogen, and to show that the coastal waters off Woods Hole, Massachusetts, are limited in nitrogen for marine phytoplankton growth. When nutrients were removed from secondarily treated domestic wastewater through assimilation by phytoplankton in an outdoor growth pond, the pond effluent, in varying dilutions with seawater, could not support more phytoplankton growth than the seawater alone. However, when nitrogen was added back to the mixtures of pond effluent and seawater, the phytoplankton growth response was similar to that with a mixture of wastewater and seawater. This is similar to the findings of other researchers, and suggests that nitrogen may be the key growth-limiting nutrient in many coastal marine waters. The combined tertiary treatment-marine aquaculture system appears to be an effective means of removing nitrogen from secondarily treated wastewater and controlling eutrophication of coastal marine waters.
Accuracy Assessment of Digital Surface Models from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles' Imagery on Glaciers

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for photogrammetric surveying has recently gained enormous popularity. Images taken from UAVs are used for generating Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and orthorectified images. In the glaciological context, these can serve for quantifying ice volume change or glacier motion. This study focuses on the accuracy of UAV-derived DSMs. In particular, we analyze the influence of the number and disposition of Ground Control Points (GCPs) needed for georeferencing the derived products. A total of 1321 different DSMs were generated from eight surveys distributed on three glaciers in the Swiss Alps during winter, summer and autumn. The vertical and horizontal accuracy was assessed by cross-validation with thousands of validation points measured with a Global Positioning System. Our results show that the accuracy increases asymptotically with increasing number of GCPs until a certain density of GCPs is reached. We call this the optimal GCP density. The results indicate that DSMs built with this optimal GCP density have a vertical (horizontal) accuracy ranging between 0.10 and 0.25 m (0.03 and 0.09 m) across all datasets. In addition, the impact of the GCP distribution on the DSM accuracy was investigated. The local accuracy of a DSM decreases when increasing the distance to the closest GCP, typically at a rate of 0.09 m per 100-m distance. The impact of the glacier’s surface texture (ice or snow) was also addressed. The results show that besides cases with a surface covered by fresh snow, the surface texture does not significantly influence the DSM accuracy.
Evolution of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Eutectic Sn-Pb Solder Joint Aged under Thermal Gradient

Thermal gradients exist in solder joints used in high power device packages due to high device temperature and low substrate temperature. This paper presents the effect of thermal gradient on the microstructure and mechanical properties of eutectic Sn-37Pb solder joint. The solder joint comprises a multilayered Cu/electroless Ni-P/Sn-37Pb/electroless Ni-P/Cu material system. Thermal gradients ranging from 1.3 times 103 to 1.5 times 103degC/cm were imposed on the solder joint by heating its one end and cooling the other. The thermal gradient in the solder joint has been found to influence the size distribution of Sn-rich and Pb-rich phases, solder composition, and fracture behavior. An explanation of these thermal gradient induced phenomena is provided.
Progression from Hormone Dependence to Autonomy in Mammary Tumors as an in Vivo Manifestation of Sequential Clonal Selection'

The natural history of breast cancer with respect to its progression from hormone dependence to autonomy was studied by successively transplanting the earliest possible form of a rat mammary adenocarcinoma in syngeneic rats and isolating sublines of this tumor manifesting new endocrinological and other biological characteristics over a period of 15 years. The original, fully mammotropin dependent tumor MT-W9, whose growth is dependent entirely on pharmacological levels of mammotropin sup plied by an extraneous source, gave rise to an estrogen dependent variant, MT-W9A. This MT-W9A grows only in normal adult female hosts and regresses promptly upon oophorectomy. Subsequently, this tumor produced a sub line, the fully autonomous MT-W9B, which grows well in any syngeneic rats regardless of their hormonal status. The third subline derived from the autonomous tumor was designated MT-W9C, the androgen-responsive line, because it grows better in male than in female rats. Having reversed its original female preference, it might also be characterized as reversely responsive. Chromosomal analysis of these 4 tumors disclosed 4 distinct stem cell lines, but each tumor also contained small numbers of cells from other stem lines. The progression from mammotropin dependence to andro gen responsiveness in this mammary tumor system seems to have been accomplished by merely shifting from I stem line to another in an orderly sequence, and it appears to be an irreversible process. In addition to the hormone depend ency, the progression of the tumor is accompanied by a gradual increase of cachexia-producing effects on the host that may be related to the immunogenicity of tumor cells. These 4 distinct hormonal characteristics encompass the entire known spectrum of breast cancer in man and animals with the exception of the metastasizing property. These tumors are being studied by many investigators and are maintained vertically and horizontally in syngeneic rats by us. The hormonal and cytogenetic characteristics of each stem cell line have been stable for over a decade.
Effect of the Extract from Fungus Garden of Termite on Drosophila Model of Parkinson ’ s Disease

Tranditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was successfully used in many cases of chronic disease treatment. The fungus garden of termite, a mixture of leaves, growing fungi, and secretion of termite, is often used for protection of the liver, and treatments for disorder diseases, Parkinson's disease (PD), and so on. However, the mechanism is unknown. To reveal the effective component, we applied the ethanol extract from fungus garden of termite treat Drosophila model 444 Lirong Yan et al of PD. The result showed that the extract rescued the climbing defect, increased the movement activity, and extended the lifespan of the PD Drosophila. Histological observation of brain tissue of PD Drosophila indicated that the number of nerve cells increased and vacuoles reduced in the group treated with termite fungus garden. It implied that PD Drosophila model is effective in screening of TCM for treatment of PD disease, and the fungus garden of termite is helpful for cure of PD disease.
Rotation immunity characteristics of non-contact fingerprint recognition using local luminance variation

This study presents the non-contact type of fingerprint recognition method using the local features: the histograms of oriented gradients (HOG) or local luminance variation. A non-contact type of fingerprint recognition can solve contact type problems that the performance decreases by surface condition and so on. However, the noncontact fingerprint capturing causes low contrast between the ridges and the valleys and induces the 3-D rotation of the fingerprint image. In this study, the fingerprint recognition performances of the proposed method were investigated using the fingerprint images rotated in the yaw rotation. From the experimental results, the local luminance variation had the immunity of yaw rotation variation from -10° to 10°.
Conversion of Sugarcane Shoots to Reducing Sugars

Sugarcane Shoots is an abundantly available residual resources consisting of lignocelluloses which take it into the benefit. The present study was focused on utilizing of sugarcane shoot for reducing sugar production as a substrate in ethanol production. Physical and chemical pretreatments of sugarcane shoot were investigated. Results showed that the size of sugarcane shoot influenced the cellulose content. The maximum cellulose yield (60 %) can be obtained from alkaline pretreated sugarcane shoot with 1.0 M NaOH at 30 C for 90 min. The cellulose yield reached up to 93.9% (w/w). Enzymatically hydrolyzed of cellulosic residual in 0.04 citrate buffer (pH 5) with celluclast 1.5L (0.7 FPU/ml) resulted in the highest amount of reducing sugar at a rate of 32.1 g/l after 4 h incubation at 50°C, and 100 C for 5 min . Cellulose conversion was 55.5%. Keywords—Conversion, Sugarcane Shoots, Reducing Sugars.
Generation of Reactive Oxygen and Antioxidant Species by Hydrodynamically Stressed Suspensions of Morinda citrifolia

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by plant cell suspension cultures, in response to the imposition of both biotic and abiotic stress, is well‐documented. This study investigated the generation of hydrogen peroxide by hydrodynamically stressed cultures of Morinda citrifolia, over a 5‐h period post‐stress imposition. Suspensions were exposed to repeated passages through a syringe, under laminar flow conditions, corresponding to cumulative energy dissipation levels of approximately 3–6 J kg‐1. Extracellular hydrogen peroxide was detected using a luminol‐based chemiluminescence assay. The addition of exogenous hydrogen peroxide facilitated the detection of low levels of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of antioxidants. Immediately after shear exposure, there was evidence of significant antioxidative capacity in the sheared cell cultures, which potentially masked any oxidative burst (OB), but which decreased over the following 40 min. This antioxidative capacity was determined to derive from the shearing process. Trials in which ground cellular debris was added to control suspensions suggested that some of the antioxidative capacity observed in stressed suspensions was directly associated with debris generated by the shearing process. Using UV‐vis spectrophotometry and HPLC, stress‐related increases in the levels of phenolic compounds were detected in suspension filtrates. Under the stress conditions investigated, maximum hydrogen peroxide levels of 11.5 μM were observed, 5 h after shear exposure. This study emphasizes the importance of considering both oxidative and antioxidative capacities as part of a holistic approach to the determination of the OB in hydrodynamically stressed plant cell suspension cultures.
Establecimiento de un mecanismo de pago por servicios ambientales sobre un soporte GIS en la cuenca del río Calan, Honduras

Se plantea una metodologia de pago por servicios ambientales (PSA) basada en un soporte GIS que permite integrar los servicios ambientales a la formulacion de planes de desarrollo rural, a la planificacion territorial del espacio rural y al abastecimiento de agua potable a ciudades. Se parte de un estudio de caso para mostrar la metodologia basado en la situacion de la ciudad de Siguatepeque y su territorio rural, en el centro de Honduras. Los bosques montanosos que la rodean desaparecen por el continuo avance de la frontera agricola. Una forma de preservarlos y contribuir al mismo tiempo a la superacion de la pobreza rural local es dar valor de mercado a productos y servicios ambientales que hasta el momento no lo tenian, como la regulacion del ciclo hidrologico. Los habitantes de dicha ciudad, ante la falta de agua potable de calidad, estan dispuestos a pagar por ella. El sistema PSA propuesto consiste en el pago de una externalidad, la provision de agua potable cuyos fondos pueden emplearse en la gestion de los bosques y el desarrollo de los habitantes de la cuenca abastecedora. Con ayuda de un SIG se cartografian puntos y areas criticas, se ordena la cuenca y se estiman los cambios que permitiran que este sistema de financiacion de desarrollo rural se perpetue en el tiempo. La incorporacion de un SIG en la definicion de un sistema PSA discrimina las diferentes areas cuyos cambios de usos permiten mantener la calidad del recurso hidrico y constituye la base de su sistema de monitoreo. Esta precision permite reducir las zonas en las que invertir los fondos obtenidos garantizando la eficiencia del mecanismo.
Probabilistic octree modeling of a 3D dynamic environment

Probabilistic occupancy grids have proved to be very useful for workspace modeling in 2D environments. Due to the expansion of computational load, this approach was not tractable for mapping a 3D environment in real applications. In this paper, the original occupancy grid scheme is revisited and a generic closed-form function is introduced to avoid numerical computation of probabilities for a range sensor with Gaussian error distribution. Occupancy probabilities are computed and stored in a multiresolution octree for improved performance and compactness. Occupancy models are built in local reference frames and linked to a global reference frame through uncertain spatial relationships that can be updated dynamically. This scheme is used for building a 3D map in a telerobotic maintenance application of electric power lines where perturbations may cause motion of object assembly.
Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology in the Intervertebral Disc

Study Design. A review is presented on current knowledge of the micromechanical factors in the intervertebral disc, their role in modifying cell biology, and changes with degeneration. Objectives. To identify current knowledge, knowledge gaps, and areas for future research in micromechanics of the intervertebral disc. Summary of Background Data. Mechanical factors play important roles in the initiation and progression of intervertebral disc degeneration. Evidence suggests that substantial biologic remodeling occurs in the intervertebral disc in response to mechanical stimuli that may play a critical role in determining the fate of a degenerating intervertebral disc. Information is needed on the precise mechanical stimuli that these cells experience and the mechanisms that govern their responses. Methods. A review is presented of cell morphology, cell mechanics, and the internal strains and other mechanical factors predicted to occur at the cell level. A review of intervertebral disc cell responses to well-controlled physical stimuli is also presented with a focus on in vitro studies of explants and isolated cells. Results. Important differences in cell morphology, mechanics, micromechanical factors, and mechanobiology are noted to occur between cells of the nucleus pulposus and anulus fibrosus. Changes in these features with degeneration are critically understudied, particularly degeneration-associated changes in cell morphology, cell mechanics, and altered physiology with mechanical loading. Conclusions. Information on the mechanisms that govern cell responses to mechanical stimuli in the intervertebral disc are just emerging. Studies must address determination of the factors that control micromechanical stimuli, but also mechanisms by which mechanics may interact with genetic factors to regulate expression and remodeling of extracellular matrix molecules, cytokines and mediators of pain and inflammation in degenerating tissue.
Transition-metal adatoms on graphene: Influence of local Coulomb interactions on chemical bonding and magnetic moments

We address the interaction of graphene with 3d transition metal adatoms and the formation of localized magnetic moments by means of first-principles calculations. By comparing calculations within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) to GGA+U we find that the electronic configuration and the adsorption geometries can be very sensitive to effects of local Coulomb interactions U in the transition metal d-orbitals. We find high-spin configurations being favorable for Cr and Mn adatoms independent of the functional. For Fe, Co and Ni different electronic configurations are realized depending on the value of the local Coulomb interaction strength U. Chemical control over the spin of the adatoms by hydrogenation is demonstrated: NiH and CoH adsorbed to graphene exhibit spin S=1/2 and S=1, respectively.
Is cerebral palsy preventable?

Purpose of reviewTo use evidence of good medical quality to update information on strategies for prevention of cerebral palsy, and on the success of these preventive efforts to date. Recent findingsCauses of cerebral palsy, and therefore promising approaches to prevention, differ by gestational age group and by clinical subtype. Neuroimaging and neuropathology indicate the importance of white matter disorders and of ischemic stroke in cerebral palsy; birth asphyxia, congenital malformations, placental pathology, and genetic variants also contribute to cerebral palsy risk. Multiplicity of risk factors markedly increases risk. Recent studies indicate that mild hypothermia lessens cerebral palsy risk in term infants with moderate neonatal encephalopathy, and the possibility that administration of magnesium sulphate to women in preterm labor may aid in primary prevention of cerebral palsy in very preterm infants. SummaryPast efforts to prevent cerebral palsy have not had the benefits sought, but recent results provide new hope and new challenges.