Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subject-Dependent Physical Activity Recognition Model Framework with a Semi-supervised Clustering Approach

Activity recognition systems have been found to bevery effective for tracking users' activities in research areas like healthcare and assisted living. Wearable accelerometers that can help in classifying Physical Activities (PA) have been made available by MEMS technology. State-of-the-art PAclassification systems use threshold-based techniques and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. Each PA may exhibitinter-subject and intra-subject variability which is a major drawback for threshold and machine learning based techniques. Due to lack of empirical data in order to train classifier for ML clustering algorithms, there is a need to develop a mechanism which requires less training data for PA clustering. This paper describes a novel personalized PArecognition model framework based on a semi-supervised clustering approach to avoid fixed threshold techniques and traditional clustering methods by using a single accelerometer. The proposed methodology requires limited amount of data to compute (initial) centroids for PA clusters and achieved an accuracy of about 93% on average, moreover it has the potential capability of recognizing subjects' behavioral shifts and exceptional events, falls, etc.
Power Aware Routing Protocol (PARP) for Wireless Sensor Networks

Several wireless sensor network applications ought to decide the intrinsic variance between energy efficient communication and the requirement to attain preferred quality of service (QoS) such as packet delivery ratio, delay and to reduce the power consumption of wireless sensor nodes. In order to address this challenge, we propose the Power Aware Routing Protocol (PARP), which attains application-specified communication delays at low energy cost by dynamically adapting transmission power and routing decisions. Extensive simulation results prove that the proposed PARP attains better QoS and reduced power consumption.
Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib (PCI-32765) has significant activity in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies.

PURPOSE Survival and progression of mature B-cell malignancies depend on signals from the B-cell antigen receptor, and Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a critical signaling kinase in this pathway. We evaluated ibrutinib (PCI-32765), a small-molecule irreversible inhibitor of BTK, in patients with B-cell malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia received escalating oral doses of ibrutinib. Two schedules were evaluated: one, 28 days on, 7 days off; and two, once-daily continuous dosing. Occupancy of BTK by ibrutinib in peripheral blood was monitored using a fluorescent affinity probe. Dose escalation proceeded until either the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) was achieved or, in the absence of MTD, until three dose levels above full BTK occupancy by ibrutinib. Response was evaluated every two cycles. RESULTS Fifty-six patients with a variety of B-cell malignancies were treated over seven cohorts. Most adverse events were grade 1 and 2 in severity and self-limited. Dose-limiting events were not observed, even with prolonged dosing. Full occupancy of the BTK active site occurred at 2.5 mg/kg per day, and dose escalation continued to 12.5 mg/kg per day without reaching MTD. Pharmacokinetic data indicated rapid absorption and elimination, yet BTK occupancy was maintained for at least 24 hours, consistent with the irreversible mechanism. Objective response rate in 50 evaluable patients was 60%, including complete response of 16%. Median progression-free survival in all patients was 13.6 months. CONCLUSION Ibrutinib, a novel BTK-targeting inhibitor, is well tolerated, with substantial activity across B-cell histologies.
Tolerization of dendritic cells by HLA‐G

The expression of HLA‐G at the fetal‐maternal interface during pregnancy and in transplanted tissue makes this a key molecule in the acceptance of a semiallogeneic fetus and allogeneic transplant. Dendritic cells (DC) play a critical role in the control of innate and adaptive immune responses. DC are present in maternal decidua, but must be kept under tight control. Here we describe the mechanism of tolerization of DC by HLA‐G through inhibitory receptor interactions. The HLA‐G‐ILT (immunoglobulin‐like transcript) interaction leads to development of tolerogenic DC with the induction of anergic and immunosuppressive T cells. Using human monocyte‐derived DC and ILT4‐transgenic mice, we show that (i) HLA‐G induces the development of tolerogenic DC with arrest maturation/activation of myeloid DC, (ii) HLA‐G‐modified DC induce differentiation of anergic and immunosuppressive CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cells, and (iii) the gene expression profile provides evidence that HLA‐G induces tolerogenic DC by disruption of the MHC class II presentation pathway. Ligation of ILT4 receptor on DC from transgenic mice diminished peptide presentation by MHC class II molecules and significantly prolonged allograft survival. These findings provide support that HLA‐G is an important tolerogenic molecule on DC for the acceptance of a semiallogeneic fetus and transplanted tissue/organ.
L'homme-dieu contre l'âme du monde ? : essai d'analyse culturelle de l'habitation occidentale de la Terre

S'appuyant sur une conception elargie de l'idee d'habitation, l'essai presente une lecture critique de notre condition d'hommes urbanises. Il confronte deux attitudes qui animent nos comportements d'habitants, l'une portee par une disposition romantique, l'autre mue par la volonte de nous approprier le monde. Des elements pour une geopoetique de l'habitation sont d'abord exposes. A l'aide de travauy epidemiologiques, l'essai tente ensuite de montrer comment la reduction des contenus ontologiques et phenomenologiques que nous attribuons aux elements naturels de la Terre nous affecte. Eu egard aux principes du developpement durable, le sens de ce nouveau paradigme est discute pour observer que, malgre la mediatisation des preoccupations ecologistes, nos pratiques d'habitation relevent toujours d'une ideologie fortement anthropocentriste. Constatant les consequences de l'etalement urbain, l'essai propose enfin que la reglementation amenagiste autorise a l'avenir l'elevation du profil vertical des villes suisses afin de contenir l'emprise urbaine.
EXPath tool—a system for comprehensively analyzing regulatory pathways and coexpression networks from high-throughput transcriptome data

Abstract Next generation sequencing (NGS) has become the mainstream approach for monitoring gene expression levels in parallel with various experimental treatments. Unfortunately, there is no systematical webserver to comprehensively perform further analysis based on the huge amount of preliminary data that is obtained after finishing the process of gene annotation. Therefore, a user-friendly and effective system is required to mine important genes and regulatory pathways under specific conditions from high-throughput transcriptome data. EXPath Tool (available at: http://expathtool.itps.ncku.edu.tw/) was developed for the pathway annotation and comparative analysis of user-customized gene expression profiles derived from microarray or NGS platforms under various conditions to infer metabolic pathways for all organisms in the KEGG database. EXPath Tool contains several functions: access the gene expression patterns and the candidates of co-expression genes; dissect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between two conditions (DEGs search), functional grouping with pathway and GO (Pathway/GO enrichment analysis), and correlation networks (co-expression analysis), and view the expression patterns of genes involved in specific pathways to infer the effects of the treatment. Additionally, the effectively of EXPath Tool has been performed by a case study on IAA-responsive genes. The results demonstrated that critical hub genes under IAA treatment could be efficiently identified.
Molecular Mechanisms to Control Post-Transplantation Hepatitis B Recurrence

Hepatitis B often progresses to decompensated liver cirrhosis requiring orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Although newer nucleos(t)ide analogues result in >90% viral and hepatitis activity control, severely decompensated patients still need OLT because of drug-resistant virus, acute exacerbation, or hepatocellular carcinoma. Acute hepatitis B is also an indication for OLT, because it can progress to fatal acute liver failure. After OLT, the hepatitis B recurrence rate is >80% without prevention, while >90% of transplant recipients are clinically controlled with combined hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment. However, long-term HBIG administration is associated with several unresolved issues, including limited availability and extremely high cost; therefore, several treatment protocols with low-dose HBIG, combined with nucleos(t)ide analogues, have been investigated. Another approach is to induce self-producing anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) antibodies using an HBV envelope (HBs) antigen vaccine. Patients who are not HBV carriers, such as those with acutely infected liver failure, are good candidates for vaccination. For chronic HBV carrier liver cirrhosis patients, a successful vaccine response can only be achieved in selected patients, such as those treated with experimentally reduced immunosuppression protocols. The present protocol for post-OLT HBV control and the future prospects of newer treatment strategies are reviewed.
Selective effects of colds and influenza on human performance efficiency: a critical appraisal.

This paper provides an appraisal of the results published from the MRC Common Cold Unit on human performance efficiency during minor upper respiratory tract infection, i.e., colds and influenza. Despite strict controls employed in the methods of data collection, the robustness of the results and some of the conclusions drawn are questioned. In particular, the claim that colds and influenza lead to selective (and different) effects is criticised as being based on incomplete data. The lack of replication, the small sample sizes, possible response biases and use of controls are considered. Overall, it is argued that there are insufficient data to provide conclusive evidence for selective effects and that over-generalisation from such studies can be misleading.
Isolation and characterization of a putative multidrug resistance pump from Vibrio cholerae

Multidrug‐resistant strains of Vibrio cholerae (the causative agent of the diarrhoeal disease cholera) have recently been described. In an attempt to identify a homologue of the Escherichia coli TolC in V. cholerae, we isolated a DNA fragment (pVC) that enabled an E. coli tolC mutant to grow in the presence of 0.05% deoxycholate (DOC). However, other TolC defects were not complemented. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this fragment revealed the presence of two open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2) separated by 9 bp and encoding 42.4 and 55.8 kDa proteins respectively. The translational products of these two ORFs correlated closely with the molecular weights of the predicted proteins. The deduced amino acid sequences of ORF1 and ORF2 showed a high degree of similarity with conserved regions of the E. coli efflux pump proteins, EmrA and EmrB. The presence of pVC2 within the E. coli efflux pump mutants defective in either the emrAB or the acrAB genes provided the mutants with resistance against several antibiotics. A V. cholerae isogenic mutant defective in ORF2 was constructed by gene replacement. Characterization of this mutant has shown it to be more sensitive to CCCP, PMA, PCP, nalidixic acid and DOC than the parent strain. These results suggest that ORF1 and ORF2 constitute an operon encoding two components of a putative multidrug resistance pump in V. cholerae. In addition, the presence of both structural and functional similarities between VceAB and EmrAB suggests that VceAB is a homologue of EmrAB.
P53 and MDM2 Over-expression and Five-year Survival of Kidney Cancer Patients Undergoing Radical Nephrectomy--Iranian Experience.

BACKGROUND Relatively little is known with certainty about the status and role of p53 or MDM2 in predicting prognosis and survival of renal cell carcinoma. The present study aimed to determine the value of P53 and MDM2 over-expression, alone and simultaneously, to predict five-year survival of patients with kidney cancer in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with kidney cancer referred to Hasheminejad Kidney Center between 2007 and 2009, underwent radical nephrectomy and had pathology reports of clear cell, papillary or chromophobe renal cell carcinoma were included in our cohort study. Other histological types of renal cell carcinoma were not included. The patients with missed, incomplete or poor quality paraffin blocks were also excluded. Overall ninety one patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. To assess the histopathological features of the tumor, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples were performed. The five-year survival was determined by the patients' medical files and telephone following-up. RESULTS In total, 1.1% of all samples were revealed to be positive for P53. Also, 20.8% of all samples were revealed to be positive for MDM2.The patients were all followed for 5 years. In this regard, 5-year mortality was 30.5% and thus 5-year survival was 85.3%. According to the Cox proportional hazard analysis, positive P53 marker was only predictor for patients' 5-year survival that the presence of positive p53 increased the risk for long-term mortality up to 2.8 times (HR=2.798, 95%CI: 1.176-6.660, P=0.020). However, the presence of MDM2 could not predict long-term mortality. In this regard, analysis by the ROC curve showed a limited role for predicting long-term survival by confirming P53 positivity (AUC=0.610, 95%CI: 0.471-.750, P=0.106). The best cutoff point for P53 to predict mortality was 0.5 yielding a low sensitivity (32.0%) but a high specificity (97.9%). In similar analysis, measurement of MDM2 positivity could not predict mortality (AUC=0.449, 95%CI: 0.316-.583, P=0.455). CONCLUSIONS The simultaneous presence of both P53 and MDM2 markers in our population is a rare phenomenon and the presence of these markers may not predict long-term survival in patients who undergoing radical nephrectomy.
ADC mapping of the human optic nerve: Increased resolution, coverage, and reliability with CSF‐suppressed ZOOM‐EPI

The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the human optic nerve (ON) has been quantified in vivo, and mean ADC maps are shown along the complete length of the nerve from the globe to the optic chiasm. The mean ADC, over the whole nerve, is shown to be 1058 × 10–6 mm2 s–1 (standard deviation (SD), over nine 3‐mm slices, 101×10–6 mm2 s–1; range (833–1178)×10–6 mm2 s–1). The robustness of the method relies on acquisition of high‐resolution coronal images of the ON using the ZOOM‐EPI technique, which makes use of a shortened echo train length for increased resolution with decreased susceptibility‐induced distortions. Suppression of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and fat signals from tissues that surround the ON also helps successful identification and delineation of the nerve. Averaging of magnitude images is used to compensate for the inherently low signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of the acquired images; the effects of the Rayleigh distributed noise in such images are allowed for during ADC calculations. Magn Reson Med 47:24–31, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Noradrenaline Release in the Medial Preoptic Area During the Rat Oestrous Cycle: Temporal Relationship with Plasma Secretory Surges of Prolactin and Luteinising Hormone

During the rat oestrous cycle, the afternoon of pro‐oestrous is characterised by preovulatory surges of luteinising hormone (LH) and prolactin. On the afternoon of oestrous, a secretory surge of prolactin has also been reported. Because the medial preoptic area (MPOA) is known to regulate prolactin and LH secretory surges and noradrenaline has been demonstrated to stimulate these hormones release, we evaluated whether noradrenaline release in the MPOA was temporally associated with plasma prolactin and LH surges in cycling rats. During the 4 days of oestrous cycle, noradrenaline concentrations were determined in microdialysates from the MPOA, collected at 30‐min intervals from 10.30 h to 19.00 h. Plasma prolactin and LH levels were measured in blood samples withdrawn hourly from 14.00 h to 19.00 h on pro‐oestrous and from 13.00 h to 18.00 h on the other days of the cycle. On the afternoons of both pro‐oestrous and oestrous, noradrenaline levels increased at 14.00 h and remained elevated until 16.30 h. Conversely, they were low and constant throughout metoestrous and dioestrous. Correlating with noradrenaline release in the MPOA, plasma prolactin surges occurred during the afternoons of both pro‐oestrous and oestrous. On pro‐oestrous, the afternoon LH surge was also preceded by the increase in MPOA noradrenaline whereas, during oestrous, LH secretion was low and unaltered. A temporal association between noradrenaline release and prolactin secretion suggests that noradrenergic neurotransmission in the MPOA regulates prolactin surges in female rats. Moreover, our data also suggest that MPOA noradrenaline requires specific conditions to physiologically regulate LH secretion, which seems to occur during the afternoon of pro‐oestrous.
An endothelial laminin isoform, laminin 8 (α4β1γ1), is secreted by blood neutrophils, promotes neutrophil migration and extravasation, and protects neutrophils from apoptosis

During extravasation, neutrophils migrate through the perivascular basement membrane (BM), a specialized extracellular matrix rich in laminins. Laminins 8 (LN-8) (α4β1γ1) and 10 (LN-10) (α5β1γ1) are major components of the endothelial BM, but expression, recognition, and use of these laminin isoforms by neutrophils are poorly understood. In the present study, we provide evidence, using a panel of novel monoclonal antibodies against human laminin α4 (LNα4) chain, that neutrophils contain and secrete LN-8, and that this endogenous laminin contributes to chemoattractant-induced, αMβ2-integrin–dependent neutrophil migration through albumin-coated filters. Phorbol ester–stimulated neutrophils adhered to recombinant human (rh) LN-8, rhLN-10, and mouse LN-1 (mLN-1) (α1β1γ1) via αMβ2-integrin, and these laminin isoforms strongly promoted chemoattractant-induced neutrophil migration via the same integrin. However, only rhLN-8 enhanced the spontaneous migration. In addition, recruitment of neutrophils into the peritoneum following an inflammatory stimulus was impaired in LNα4-deficient mice. rhLN-8 also protected isolated neutrophils from spontaneous apoptosis. This study is the first to identify a specific laminin isoform in neutrophils and provides evidence for the role of LN-8 in the adhesion, migration, extravasation, and survival of these cells.
Fast and robust joint estimation of vocal tract and voice source parameters

A new pitch-synchronous method of joint estimation is described to estimate vocal tract and voice source parameters from speech signals based on an autoregressive model with an exogenous input (ARX) model. The method uses Kalman filtering to estimate the time-varying coefficients and simulated annealing to deal with the non-linear optimization of Rosenberg-Klatt parameters. A compact method is suggested in the algorithm in order to reduce the computation cost. Further, an automatic model order selection method is proposed to determine the proper analysis pole-order of the ARX model, based on the estimated formant bandwidths. The new method has been shown to be much faster than our previous method and the order selection technique has been shown to be effective. Finally, an ATR two-channel speech database including varying sentence-level prominence patterns is used to verify the proposed method.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a surgeon's perspective.

Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is the only effective treatment in adults with symptomatic aortic stenosis. The operation unequivocally extends life and relieves symptoms 1 . The operative mortality for isolated AVR in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Database, as well as in the New York State database, is 3%. Even lower operative mortality has been reported from centres of excellence 2 . Additionally, surgical AVR is a durable procedure, with currently available bioprosthetic valves demonstrating improved freedom from structural valve disease 3 . Despite these data, many patients with severe aortic stenosis are never referred for surgical consultation, due to perceived prohibitive operative risk, or the presence of serious comorbidities thought to overwhelm any cardiac benefits of successful operation. Medical therapy in this patient cohort remains poor. While balloon valvuloplasty (BAV) may offer effective palliation its benefit is transient, with significant procedural mortality (8-14%) and discouraging one-year survival (54-75%) 4 . As surgeons, it is tempting to quote the low mortality for conventional AVR represented in large databases to all patients seeking surgical consultation. In truth, there is a high-risk population that should not be quoted such a favourable perioperative mortality, or more importantly, be assured freedom from significant morbidity. These patients are not well represented in the large databases, because they have not traditionally been offered AVR. Small numbers of such patients are clustered at the steep ends of the risk curves where discrimination is greatly reduced. In the STS database, for example, estimated operative risk that is only double the average mortality represents less than 10% of the database population. As a consequence, predictions of mortality, morbidity, and post-operative quality of life in these patients are poorly data-driven, and are usually based on the clinical instincts of surgeons and referring cardiologists. Regardless of the metric applied, there are patients for whom alternatives to conventional AVR might offer a much more favourable risk-benefit profile.
Réadaptation cardiaque après plastie mitrale

Le benefice de la readaptation cardiovasculaire est bien etabli dans le traitement des cardiopathies ischemiques et dans la prise en charge de l’insuffisance cardiaque. En revanche, il a ete peu etudie apres chirurgie valvulaire, notamment apres plastie mitrale, alors que plusieurs etudes ont montre qu’il n’existait pas d’amelioration des capacites fonctionnelles en l’absence de reconditionnement a l’effort. Par ailleurs, le temps necessaire a la cicatrisation du tissu mitral repare est mal connu. Le reentrainement physique precoce au decours d’une plastie mitrale doit donc etre evalue. Le but de cette etude multicentrique a ete d’evaluer la faisabilite d’un programme de readaptation cardiaque precocement apres plastie mitrale. Deux cent cinquante-et-un patients ont ete inclus dans 13 centres de readaptation cardiaque, 16 ± 10 jours apres la realisation d’une plastie mitrale entre septembre 2002 et juin 2003 et ont beneficie d’un programme de readaptation cardiaque comportant 15 seances de gymnastique et de reentrainement sur cycloergometre sur 3 a 5 semaines. Une echographie transthoracique et une epreuve d’effort avec mesure des echanges respiratoires ont ete realisees avant et apres le programme de readaptation. Aucun evenement indesirable lie a la readaptation n’a ete deplore. Les echographiques ont montre l’absence d’effet deletere sur le resultat de la plastie mitrale et sur le remodelage ventriculaire gauche. Par ailleurs, une augmentation significative du pic de VO2 et du seuil ventilatoire respectivement de 22 % et de 16 % a ete observee (p < 0,0001). La realisation d’un programme de readaptation cardiovasculaire en postoperatoire precoce d’une plastie mitrale est sure et s’accompagne d’une amelioration des capacites fonctionnelles comparables a celles obtenues lors du reentrainement des patients coronariens ou insuffisants cardiaques.