Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voordelig samenwerken op de golven van de economie

De invloed van de economie op diverse aspecten van de samenleving haalt keer op keer het nieuws. Het consumenten- en producentenvertrouwen wordt via kranten, televisie en andere soorten media verwoord, gevolgd door de werkeloosheidscijfers en faillissementsaantallen. In dit onderzoek ga ik in op de invloed die de economie uitoefent op het realiseren van synergievoordelen bij gefuseerde of overgenomen organisaties. Het onderzoek concentreert zich op de periode waarin de laatste, zesde, fusiegolf tot een einde kwam en de economie stabiliseerde, stagneerde, en uiteindelijk daalde met een recessie als gevolg. Deze correlatie tussen enerzijds een fusiegolf en anderzijds de economische groei is een bekend fenomeen in recente geschiedenis. Er zijn zes grote fusiegolven bekend, welke allen eindigden in een economische stagnatie en recessie. De zesde fusiegolf is rond 2003 echt losgekomen en kende in 2006 en 2007 een absoluut hoogtepunt, met in 2008 de abrupte stilstand ervan (Thomson Financial, 2007).
Innate immune tolerance and the role of kupffer cells in differential responses to interferon therapy among patients with HCV genotype 1 infection.

BACKGROUND & AIMS In patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, interferon alfa (IFN-α) alters expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), but little is understood about factors that determine outcomes of therapy. We used a systems biology approach to evaluate the acute response of patients with chronic hepatitis C to IFN-α therapy. METHODS We collected liver biopsy samples from 8 treatment-naïve patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection at baseline and 24 hours after treatment with IFN-α-2a (10 MU subcutaneously). Blood samples were collected before and up to 48 hours after administration of IFN-α-2a to measure HCV RNA levels and for gene expression analysis. Patients then received pegylated IFN-α-2a and ribavirin on day 5 of the study; therapy continued for up to 48 weeks. RESULTS Based on the kinetics of HCV RNA during the first 12 weeks of therapy, 2 patients were rapid virologic responders, 4 were early virologic responders, and 2 did not respond to therapy (nonresponders). Nonresponders had high pretreatment levels of ISG expression in the liver but not in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In responders, after administration of IFN-α, intrahepatic ISG expression increased significantly from baseline and was associated with a rapid phase 1 decrease in HCV. We identified distinct hepatic expression and tissue distribution patterns of ISGs that segregated with treatment outcome. Importantly, Kupffer cells were a local source of IFN that promoted basal expression of ISG in hepatocytes of nonresponders. This finding was validated in cultured THP1 human macrophages that expressed IFN-β after exposure to viable HCV 2a. When Huh7 K2040 and Huh7 L2198S hepatoma cells were incubated with IFN-α-2a, expression of ISGs peaked by 4 hours and decreased by 72 hours, associated with an increase in level of HCV RNA. This indicates that constitutive exposure to IFN causes hepatoma cells to become tolerant of ISG function. CONCLUSIONS In patients with chronic HCV infection, IFN production by Kupffer cells might promote innate immune tolerance, characterized by a lack of response to IFN therapy. Strategies to disrupt the virus-host interactions that induce innate immune tolerance should improve therapy.
Bronchial allergen challenge: comparison between two different methods of provocation

Bronchial allergen challenge was performed twice in ten well‐defined stable asthmatic patients. On each provocation day the allergen was administered either by a standard method at tidal volume breathing or by a dosimeter method. Ten‐fold increasing concentrations of allergen were administered with an interval of 10 min. Total amount of allergen of 9, 90, 900, 9000 and 90000 SQ units using the standard method, whereas the corresponding amount by the dosimeter method was 0.5, 5, 50, 500, and 5000 SQ units. The bronchial response was determined by forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and by total resistance to breathing (Rt) measured by an opening interrupter method. The provocation was stopped when a decrease of at least 20% of the post‐saline FEV1 and a 4O% increase in post‐saline Rt, was observed. A PC20‐FEV1 and a PC40‐Rt was calculated by interpolation on the log dose‐response curve. The late reaction was recorded and defined as a 20% reduction in peak expiratory flow (PEF) occurring during the 24‐hr period after challenge. The comparability of PC20‐FEV1 and PC40‐Rt obtained with the standard method and with the dosimeter was high. r= 0.89 and r= 0.88. Furthermore, no significant difference was found by comparing Δ FEV1 and Δ Rt during provocation by either method as well as the occurrence and magnitude of the late reaction. We conclude that there exists a high comparability of the bronchial response to an allergen challenge performed either by a standard method at tidal volume breathing by continuous inhalation of the allergen aerosol or by a dosimeter method of inhalation despite the difference in the total allergen doses inhaled.
Characterization of a Membrane-associated Rhoptry Protein of Plasmodium falciparum*

Invasive forms of apicomplexan parasites contain secretory organelles called rhoptries that are essential for entry into host cells. We present a detailed characterization of an unusual rhoptry protein of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the rhoptry-associated membrane antigen (RAMA) that appears to have roles in both rhoptry biogenesis and host cell invasion. RAMA is synthesized as a 170-kDa protein in early trophozoites, several hours before rhoptry formation and is transiently localized within the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi within lipid-rich microdomains. Regions of the Golgi membrane containing RAMA bud to form vesicles that later mature into rhoptries in a process that is inhibitable by brefeldin A. Other rhoptry proteins such as RhopH3 and RAP1 are found in close apposition with RAMA suggesting direct protein-protein interactions. We suggest that RAMA is involved in trafficking of these proteins into rhoptries. In rhoptries, RAMA is proteolytically processed to give a 60-kDa form that is anchored in the inner face of the rhoptry membrane by means of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. The p60 RAMA form is discharged from the rhoptries of free merozoites and binds to the red blood cell membrane by its most C-terminal region. In early ring stages RAMA is found in association with the parasitophorous vacuole.
Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome Induced by α–Lipoic Acid in a Caucasian Woman: Case Report

Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) is a rare cause of hypoglycemia characterized by the production of autoantibodies to insulin in individuals without prior insulin administration. Drugs containing the sulfydryl group are known to be associated with this syndrome (1). IAS induced by α-lipoic acid (ALA) (a popular health supplement containing a sulfydryl group) has been described only in Japanese patients (2–4). We report on the first case of IAS likely induced by ALA in a Caucasian patient. A 70-year-old Italian woman was referred to our hospital on 21 October 2010 because of recurrent episodes of sweating, weariness, and fainting occurring both fasting and postprandial. Her symptoms began 3 days before she entered the hospital. The patient, a …
Survival of patients with stage I lung cancer detected on CT screening.

BACKGROUND The outcome among patients with clinical stage I cancer that is detected on annual screening using spiral computed tomography (CT) is unknown. METHODS In a large collaborative study, we screened 31,567 asymptomatic persons at risk for lung cancer using low-dose CT from 1993 through 2005, and from 1994 through 2005, 27,456 repeated screenings were performed 7 to 18 months after the previous screening. We estimated the 10-year lung-cancer-specific survival rate among participants with clinical stage I lung cancer that was detected on CT screening and diagnosed by biopsy, regardless of the type of treatment received, and among those who underwent surgical resection of clinical stage I cancer within 1 month. A pathology panel reviewed the surgical specimens obtained from participants who underwent resection. RESULTS Screening resulted in a diagnosis of lung cancer in 484 participants. Of these participants, 412 (85%) had clinical stage I lung cancer, and the estimated 10-year survival rate was 88% in this subgroup (95% confidence interval [CI], 84 to 91). Among the 302 participants with clinical stage I cancer who underwent surgical resection within 1 month after diagnosis, the survival rate was 92% (95% CI, 88 to 95). The 8 participants with clinical stage I cancer who did not receive treatment died within 5 years after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Annual spiral CT screening can detect lung cancer that is curable.
Laying Performance and Egg Quality of Hens Supplemented with Sodium Bicarbonate During the Late Laying Period

This study was conducted to determine effects of dietary NaHCO supplementation on egg 3 production and egg quality during the late laying period. Hisex Brown layers, 54 wks of age, were blocked according to the cage location and then assigned randomly to receive one of four diets containing 0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4% NaHCO for 75 d. Each diet was replicated in 6 groups; each consisting of 2 cages containing 10 3 hens. Feed intake (FI) and egg production (EP) were recorded daily and egg weight (EW) was measured biweekly. A sample of 12 eggs from each group were collected randomly every 25 d for specific gravity (SG), shape index (SI), shell stiffness (SS), shell thickness (ST), yolk color (YC), albumen index (AI), yolk index (YI) and Haugh unit (HU). The mortality rate (MR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were lower, whereas FI, EP and EW were greater for hens fed the experimental diets than those for hens fed the control diet. Moreover, increasing NaHCO level linearly decreased MR and FCR, linearly increased EP and EW and quadratically 3 increased FI. Specific gravity and YI for hens fed the experimental diets were lower than for fed the control diet. The diets did not affect SI, SS, ST, YC, AI and HU. However, SG and YI decreased linearly and AI increased linearly with increasing NaHCO level. In conclusion, increasing sodium bicarbonate level 3 positively affected laying performance and altered inner egg quality, but did not improve shell quality, during the late laying period in hens.
Association of autism severity with a monoamine oxidase A functional polymorphism

A functional polymorphism (the upstream variable‐number tandem repeat region, or uVNTR) in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) promoter region has been reported to be associated with behavioral abnormalities as well as increased serotonergic responsivity. We examined the relation between MAOA‐uVNTR alleles and the phenotypic expression of autism in 41 males younger than 12.6 years of age. Children with the low‐activity MAOA allele had both lower intelligence quotients (IQ) and more severe autistic behavior than children with the high‐activity allele. In follow‐up testing of 34 of the males at the 1‐year time‐point, those with the low‐activity allele showed a worsening in IQ but no change in the severity of their autistic behavior. We conclude that functional MAOA‐uVNTR alleles may act as a genetic modifier of the severity of autism in males.
Leptomeningeal Contrast Enhancement Is Associated with Disability Progression and Grey Matter Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis

Leptomeningeal contrast enhancement (LMCE) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a newly recognized possible biomarker in multiple sclerosis (MS), associated with MS progression and cortical atrophy. In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of LMCE foci and their impact on neurodegeneration and disability. Materials. 54 patients with MS were included in the study. LMCE were detected with a 3 Tesla scanner on postcontrast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) sequence. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, number of relapses during 5 years from MS onset, and number of contrast-enhancing lesions on T1 weighted MRI were counted. Results. LMCE was detected in 41% (22/54) of patients. LMCE-positive patients had longer disease duration (p = 0,0098) and higher EDSS score (p = 0,039), but not a higher relapse rate (p = 0,091). No association of LMCE with higher frequency of contrast-enhancing lesions on T1-weighted images was detected (p = 0,3842). Analysis of covariates, adjusted for age, sex, and disease duration, revealed a significant effect of LMCE on the cortex volume (p = 0.043, F = 2.529), the total grey matter volume (p = 0.043, F = 2.54), and total ventricular volume (p = 0.039, F = 2.605). Conclusions. LMCE was shown to be an independent and significant biomarker of grey matter atrophy and disability in MS.
Headset removal for virtual and mixed reality

Virtual Reality (VR) has advanced significantly in recent years and allows users to explore novel environments (both real and imaginary), play games, and engage with media in a way that is unprecedentedly immersive. However, compared to physical reality, sharing these experiences is difficult because the user's virtual environment is not easily observable from the outside and the user's face is partly occluded by the VR headset. Mixed Reality (MR) is a medium that alleviates some of this disconnect by sharing the virtual context of a VR user in a flat video format that can be consumed by an audience to get a feel for the user's experience. Even though MR allows audiences to connect actions of the VR user with their virtual environment, empathizing with them is difficult because their face is hidden by the headset. We present a solution to address this problem by virtually removing the headset and revealing the face underneath it using a combination of 3D vision, machine learning and graphics techniques. We have integrated our headset removal approach with Mixed Reality, and demonstrate results on several VR games and experiences.
A relational database conversion and normalization tool

The Database Preservation Toolkit is a software that automates the migration of a relational database to the second version of the Software Independent Archiving of Relational Databases format. This flexible tool supports the currently most popular Relational Database Management Systems and can also convert a preserved database back to a Database Management System, allowing for some specific usage scenarios in an archival context. The conversion of databases between different formats, whilst retaining the databases’ significant properties, poses a number of interesting implementation issues, which are described along with their current solutions. To complement the conversion software, the Database Visualization Toolkit is introduced as a software that allows access to preserved databases, enabling a consumer to quickly search and explore a database without knowing any query language. The viewer is capable of handling big databases and promptly present search and filter results on millions of records. This paper describes the features of both tools and the methods used to pilot them in the context of the European Archival Records and Knowledge Preservation project on several European national archives.
Hyperspectral Imagery Clustering With Neighborhood Constraints

This letter presents a new technique for clustering hyperspectral images that exploits neighborhood-constrained spatial information. The main feature of the proposed method is the introduction of a neighborhood homogeneity index (NHI) and the use of this index to measure the spatial homogeneity in a local area. A new similarity measurement integrates NHI and spectral information using an adaptive distance norm for clustering. The performance of the proposed neighborhood-constrained-clustering algorithm was assessed through a synthetic image and a real hyperspectral image and compared with those obtained by advanced spectral-spatial clustering algorithms. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme gives better performances.
Towards scientific applications for interactive ray casting

Interactive visualization of large structured and unstructured data sets is a permanent challenge for scientific visualization. Large data sets are for example created by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) finite element method (FEM), and computer aided design (CAD). For visualizing those data sets not only accelerated rasterization by means of using specialized hardware i.e. graphics cards is of interest, but also ray casting, as it is perfectly suited for scientific visualization. Ray casting does not only support many rendering modes (e.g., opaque rendering, semi transparent rendering, iso surface rendering, maximum intensity projection, x-ray, absorption emitter model, .) for which it allows the creation of high quality images, but it also supports many primitives (e.g., not only triangles but also spheres, curved iso surfaces, NURBS, implicit functions, .). It furthermore scales basically linear to the amount of processor cores used and - this makes it highly interesting for the visualization of large data sets - it scales for static scenes sublinear to data size. Interactive ray casting is currently not widely used within the scientifc visualization community. This is mainly based on historical reasons, as just a few years ago no applicable interactive ray casters for commodity hardware did exist. Interactive scientific visualization has only been possible by using graphics cards or specialized and/or expensive hardware. The goal of this work is to broaden the possibilies for interactive scientific visualization, by showing that interactive CPU based ray casting is today feasible on commodity hardware and that it may efficiently be used together with GPU based rasterization. In this thesis it is first shown that interactive CPU based ray casters may efficiently be integrated into already existing OpenGL frameworks. This is achieved through an OpenGL friendly interface that supports multiple threads and single instruction multiple data (SIMD) operations. For the visualization of rectilinear (and not necessarily cartesian) grids are new implicit kd-trees introduced. They have fast construction times, low memory requirements, and allow ontoday's commodity desktop machines interactive iso surface ray tracing and maximum intensity projection of large scalar fields. A new interactive SIMD ray tracing technique for large tetrahedral meshes is introduced. It is very portable and general and is therefore suited for portation upon different (future) hardware and for usage upon several applications. The thesis ends with a real life commercial application which shows that CPU-based ray casting has already reached the state where it may outperform GPU-based rasterization for scientific visualization.
Towards Framework for Choosing 360-degree Video SDK

360-degree videos are gaining popularity among consumers. Still, software developers are early adopters of technology so it is important to map their needs for 360-degree video development. They use software development kits that help creating software on the 360-degree video software domain. We want to find out which factors developers need to take into account when choosing these software development kits. In this position paper we describe a preliminary 360-degree video SDK choosing criteria, based on literature and our own experiences, which we plan to evaluate with a survey.
Utilisation du territoire. L’artificialisation des terres de 2006 à 2014 : pour deux tiers sur des espaces agricoles

Les sols artificialises continuent de s’etendre, avec 490 000 hectares gagnes entre 2006 et 2014. Apres un pic entre 2006 et 2008, leur progression se stabilise autour de 55 000 hectares par an depuis 2008. Ils constituent desormais 9,3 % du territoire metropolitain. Cette extension s’est effectuee pour deux tiers aux depens des espaces agricoles. Les sols impermeabilises – bâtis ou non – occupent deux tiers de l’ensemble des sols artificialises. Pres de la moitie des terres artificialisees entre 2006 et 2014 sont destinees a l’habitat individuel et 16 % aux reseaux routiers
Neurological emergencies: acute stroke

Stroke causes a vast amount of death and disability throughout the world, yet for many healthcare professionals it remains an area of therapeutic nihilism, and thus uninteresting. This negative perception is shared by the general public, who often have a poor understanding of the early symptoms and significance of a stroke. Yet within the past few years there have been many important developments in the approach to caring for stroke patients, for both the acute management and secondary prevention. After the completion of numerous clinical trials, there is now robust evidence to either support or discredit various interventions. Even more exciting is the prospect of yet more data becoming available in the near future, testing a whole array of treatments, as clinical interest in stroke expands exponentially. In this review an evidence based approach to the management of acute stroke within the first few days is presented, including ischaemic and haemorrhagic events, but not subarachnoid haemorrhage. It is explained why stroke is regarded as a medical emergency, and the importance of a rational, methodic approach to the initial assessment, which is the key to accurate diagnosis and subsequent management, is emphasised. The potential early problems associated with stroke are identified and specific interventions for different stroke types are discussed. The review ends with a brief discussion of the implications that the evolving treatments have for the organisation of modern stroke services.
Simulating Oriental Black-Ink Painting

"Soft" brushes respond elastically to the force exerted by an artist against the paper. When modeled, they effectively simulate oriental black-ink painting, eliminating unnatural spline curve editing. The interactive modeling algorithm for soft brushes lets users resize brushes and choose a particular color, texture, or type of bristles. With this unique approach, a user produces brush strokes by brush movement. Unlike the flat-brush based approach, here 3D visual information comes from the elastic deformation of bristles on the paper-crucial information in black-ink painting. We look first at the modeling process for soft brushes, then at how to effectively apply them in black-ink painting.
Human allograft acceptance is associated with immune regulation.

The ultimate goal of transplantation is drug-free allograft acceptance, which is rarely encountered in transplant recipients. Using a novel human-to-mouse "trans vivo" delayed-type hypersensitivity assay, we assessed donor-reactive cell-mediated immune responses in kidney and liver transplant patients, four of whom discontinued all immunosuppression. One of these subjects (J.B.) rejected his graft after 7 years of stable function, while the others (D.S., R.D., M.L.) continue to have excellent graft function 5, 28, and 4 years after the cessation of immunosuppression. PBMCs from J.B. exhibited strong responses to both donor and recall antigens whereas PBMCs from patients D.S. , R.D. , and M.L. responded strongly to recall, but not donor, antigens. Furthermore, when donor and recall antigens were colocalized, the recall response in these three patients was inhibited. This donor antigen-linked nonresponsiveness was observed in four other patients who are still maintained on immunosuppression. The weakness of donor-reactive DTH responses in these patients is due to donor alloantigen-triggered regulation that relies on either TGF-beta or IL-10. In D.S. , regulation is triggered by a single donor HLA Class I antigen, either in membrane-bound or soluble form. This demonstrates that allograft acceptance in humans is associated with an immune regulation pattern, which may be useful in the diagnosis and/or monitoring of transplant patients for allograft acceptance.