Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Apprentissage automatique et recherche de l'information : application a l'extraction d'information de surface et au resume de texte

La these porte sur l'utilisation de methodes issues de l'apprentissage automatique pour des taches de recherche d'information dans les textes. Notre motivation a ete d'explorer le potentiel des techniques d'apprentissage pour repondre aux demandes d'acces a l'information textuelle liees au developpement de grandes bases de donnees texte et au web. Dans ce contexte il est devenu important d'etre capable de traiter de grandes quantites de donnees, d'apporter des solutions diversifiees aux nouvelles demandes des utilisateurs, et d'automatiser les outils qui permettent d'exploiter l'information textuelle. Nous avons pour cela explore deux directions. La premiere est le developpement de modeles permettant de prendre en compte l'information sequentielle presente dans les textes afin d'exploiter une information plus riche que la representation sac de mots traditionnellement utilisee par les systemes de recherche d'information. Pour cela nous proposons des modeles statistiques bases sur des modeles de markov caches et des reseaux de neurones. Nous montrons comment ces systemes permettent d'etendre les capacites des modeles probabilistes classiques de la recherche d'information et comment ils peuvent etre utilises en particulier pour des taches d'extraction d'information de surface. La deuxieme direction exploree concerne l'apprentissage semi-supervise. Il s'agit d'utiliser pour des taches d'acces a l'information une petite quantite de donnees etiquetees conjointement a une masse importante de donnees non etiquetees. Cela correspond a une situation de plus en plus frequente en recherche d'information. Nous proposons et analysons des algorithmes originaux bases sur un formalisme discriminant. Nous avons utilise ces techniques pour le resume de texte vu sous l'angle de l'extraction de phrases pertinentes d'un document. Ces travaux se sont concretises par le developpement du systeme d'aide au resume automatique (s. A. R. A. ).
[The analysis of selected biochemical parameters concentration in pregnant women with idiopathic edema of the lower limbs--preliminary report].

INTRODUCTION Pregnancy causes changes in the hormonal balance, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and lymphatic systems. The swelling of the lower limbs may also be one of the consequences of the enlarging uterus that increases body weight during pregnancy Determination of the serum concentrations of myeloperoxidase - MPO, extracellular matrix metalloproteinase - MMP, and intreleukine-6 - IL-6 allows for the assessment of inflammation. MPO belongs to the group of peroxidase enzymes with strong antibacterial and anti viral action. It is produced and released from the granules of neutrophils in inflammatory reactions, degenerative changes and neoplasmatic diseases. IL-6 is the main mediator of the inflammation in the live organism, released by monocytes and macrophages stimulated by interleukin-1. OBJECTIVE To assess the levels of inflammatory mediators: MMP MPO and IL-6 in women in the third trimester of pregnancy both healthy and those who experienced idiopathic edema of the lower limbs. MATERIAL AND METHODS We analyzed the changes in the concentration of biochemical parameters as: MMP-1, MPO and IL-6 in the serum of 20 healthy pregnant women between 36 and 40 weeks of gestation, and 8 pregnant women who developed idiopathic edema of the lower limbs. The R&D Systems Elisa tests were used to perform the measurement. The Quantikine Human IL-6 Immunoassay was used to measure the concentration of IL-6. The concentration was expressed in pg/ml. MMP-1 was measured using The Quantikine Human Pro -MMP-1. The value of MMP-1 concentration was expressed in ng/ml. MPO was measured using The Quantikine Human MPO Immunoassay and expressed in ng/ml. RESULTS The mean concentration of IL-6 was higher in the group of pregnant women with swelling of the lower limbs (group II) in comparison to healthy pregnant women (group I) and it was approximately 3,01 pg/ml, SD = 2,64, and 2,3 pg/ml, SD = 1,92, respectively. No statistical difference was found (p = 0,436). Parity has no influence on IL-6 concentration. The mean concentration of MPO in group I was 1797,04 ng/ml, SD = 1378,89, in II group it was 1702,54 ng/ml, SD = 1289,64. (p = 0,866). Parity has also no influence on MPO concentration. The mean concentration of MMP-1 in group I was 7,61 ng/ml, SD = 4,6, in group II it was 10,46 ng/ml, SD = 4,03. (p = 0,137). Significantly higher results were observed in primiparas with lower limbs swelling- 11,36 ng/ml when compared to multiparas - 9,57 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS 1. There are no significant differences in the concentrations of the studied inflammatory mediators between the groups of healthy pregnant women and those with idiopathic edema observed in the lower limbs. The significance of these differences requires further confirmation. 2. There was a statistically significant difference between the concentrations of MPO in the group of primiparas with a multiparas with lymphatic edema.
The Soda Debate Fizzes On

After reading the well-conducted and analyzed observational study by McGartland et al. and its accompanying editorial, we are concerned because the message sent is that the effect of soft drink (SD) consumption on bone health is entirely explained by dietary displacement of other nutrients, mainly from milk and dairy products, and that any untoward effect of SDs can be effectively counteracted by an adequate calcium intake. It should be emphasized that this explanation is nothing more than non–evidence-based opinion. The unproven hypothesis that the adverse effects of SDs on bone health are entirely caused by milk displacement has been approved by a consensus of experts, but is supported only by circumstantial evidence such as the known salutary effect of calcium supplementation on BMD, the absence of acute effects of SDs on renal handling of calcium in healthy volunteers, and the inverse relationship between SD consumption and milk intake. Fitzpatrick and Heaney summarily exonerate SDs of having metabolic effects on their own, disregarding the two major pieces of published evidence that suggest the contrary is indeed the case. First, McGartland et al. showed that the statistically significant relationship between SD intake and BMD of the heel in girls persists (although weakened), even after adjusting by liquid milk consumption and calcium intake among many other factors. The orthodox interpretation of this finding is that SD consumption has an effect on BMD that is independent of milk or calcium intake. Second, our group showed that rats drinking cola SDs ad libitum reduced their solid food intake by one-half and had impaired BMD. A pair-fed group of rats drinking tap water had a significant body weight reduction, but their BMD was not different from BMD of control rats and was significantly higher than BMD of rats drinking cola SDs. This finding strongly supports that SDs have a metabolic effect on their own. Fitzpatrick had previously disqualified the pair-fed rats as an adequate comparison group, but we still think that it is the best comparison group to test the hypothesis that the effects of SDs are caused by nutriment displacement. Evidence continues to accumulate in support that SD consumption is associated with poor bone health. The association seems not to be restricted to a particular kind of SD. However, the pathophysiological explanation of how SDs affect bone and mineral metabolism has not been clarified. More research is needed to find out the mechanisms responsible for the observed disorders that may constitute public health problems, given the growing exposure of the world’s population to SDs.
Measuring effectiveness. What to expect without a randomized control group.

Randomized controlled trials or studies are often considered the ideal way to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment compared to a control. In such a study, the randomization procedure ensures that the subjects receiving the treatment and control are equal with respect to all conditions except for receiving the treatment or the control. Differences found by statistical comparisons of the results of such a study can be attributed to the effect of the treatment or how much the treatment differs from the control when all other things are held constant. Randomized controlled trials are not always possible, and even when possible they are often performed with such restrictions that they do not provide the true measure of the effectiveness of the treatment in the "real world" or under "conditions of usual practice. " This article reviews the use of nonrandomized studies to measure effectiveness when a randomized control group is not available. Various types of nonrandomized studies are reviewed, along with their advantages and disadvantages. Often, these studies require statistical adjustments such as matching or covariance analysis to adjust for inequalities or to remove biases between the treatment and control groups; these are reviewed as well.
Middle-Age Male Mice Have Increased Severity of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Are Unresponsive to Testosterone Therapy1

Treatment with sex hormones is known to protect against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis. However, little is known about how age affects the course of EAE or response to hormone treatment. This study demonstrates striking differences between middle-age vs young C57BL/6 male mice in the clinical course of EAE and response to both testosterone (T4) and estrogen (E2) hormone therapy. Unlike young males that developed an acute phase of EAE followed by a partial remission, middle-age males suffered severe chronic and unremitting EAE that was likely influenced by alterations in the distribution and function of splenic immunocytes and a significant reduction in suppressive activity of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in the spleen and spinal cord. Middle-age males had reduced numbers of splenic CD4+ T cells that were generally hypoproliferative, but enhanced numbers of splenic macrophages and MHC class II-expressing cells, and increased secretion of the proinflammatory factors IFN-γ and MCP-1. Surprisingly, middle-age males were unresponsive to the EAE-protective effects of T4 and had only a transient benefit from E2 treatment; young males were almost completely protected by both hormone treatments. T4 treatment of young males inhibited proliferation of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35–55-specific T cells and secretion of TNF-α and IFN-γ. The effects of T4 in vivo and in vitro were reversed by the androgen receptor antagonist, flutamide, indicating that the regulatory effects of T4 were mediated through the androgen receptor. These data are the first to define age-dependent differences in EAE expression and response to hormone therapy.
Maternal Global Methylation Status and Risk of Congenital Heart Diseases

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the association between the maternal methylation status as reflected by low S-adenosylmethionine and high S-adenosylhomocysteine, is detrimental for cardiogenesis and congenital heart disease (CHD) in the offspring. METHODS: As part of a case–control study in the western part of the Netherlands, we evaluated 231 mothers of children with CHD and 315 control mothers of nonmalformed children. The total case group was analyzed and stratified into isolated (n=180) and nonisolated CHDs (n=51). The latter subgroup was further subdivided into Nonsyndromic (n=20), Down Syndrome (n=19), and Other Syndromes (n=12). A multivariable general linear model was used to test for differences between the case groups and controls. All analyses were adjusted for current B vitamin supplement use. RESULTS: Plasma total homocysteine was significantly different between the total case group (median, range 10.3, 4.0–43.8, P=.026) and the nonisolated cases (11.1, 5.5–43.8, P=.006) compared with the controls (10.0, 5.3–42.0). The subgroup of Down Syndrome presented significantly higher total homocysteine and S-adenosylhomocysteine levels and a lower S-adenosylmethionine/S-adenosylhomocysteine ratio than controls. CONCLUSION: Maternal hyperhomocysteinemia, and not hypomethylation, is a risk factor for having a child with CHD. Maternal hypomethylation, however, seems to be associated with offspring having CHD and Down syndrome. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Limited-stage small-cell lung cancer: patterns of intrathoracic recurrence and the implications for thoracic radiotherapy.

PURPOSE This analysis was performed to determine the most appropriate volume that should be encompassed by thoracic radiation treatments (TRTs) for patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LSSCLC) who have responded to initial chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective review of all patients (N = 67) with LSSCLC who were not entered onto a research protocol and were treated at our institution between the years of 1982 and 1990 was performed. Fifty-nine of 67 patients had adequate information regarding the size of the tumor before the start of chemotherapy (computed tomographic [CT] scan of chest or chest x-ray), the size of the tumor before TRT, and the TRT field size based on a simulation radiography. All 59 patients were treated with cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy, and TRT was generally delivered concomitantly with chemotherapy following two to three cycles of chemotherapy alone. RESULTS Of 59 patients, 28 were treated with TRT field sizes that encompassed postchemotherapy tumor volumes, and 31 patients were treated with TRT field sizes that encompassed prechemotherapy tumor volumes (defined as a volume that included at least a 1.5-cm margin on the prechemotherapy tumor volume). Nineteen patients had an intrathoracic recurrence of disease as the first site of recurrent small-cell carcinoma: 10 of 31 patients treated with TRT fields that encompassed prechemotherapy tumor volumes and nine of 28 patients treated with TRT fields that encompassed postchemotherapy tumor volumes. For the 28 patients treated with TRT fields that encompassed postchemotherapy tumor volumes, the greatest distance that the prechemotherapy tumor volume (without margins) extended beyond the edge of the TRT field was 0.5 to 5.0 cm, with a median of 2.5 cm. All 19 of the intrathoracic recurrences were in-field failures, although two patients (one prechemotherapy volume and one postchemotherapy volume) did have concurrent pleural effusions. CONCLUSION These results indicate that the use of TRT fields that encompass postchemotherapy tumor volumes does not increase the risk of marginal failures or intrathoracic failures outside the TRT field.
A Sustainability Assessment on Sino-Foreign Cooperative Design Major and an Appraisal of the Innovative Application of MOOCS

In the recent advocated reform of education and teaching by China’s education ministry, the MOOCS teaching concept and mode is widely used in higher education teaching systems. This paper focuses on the Sino-foreign cooperative design major and examines its unique curriculum, teaching system, talent cultivation and other characteristics, through the selection of different levels and different types of representative colleges and universities and Sino-foreign cooperative design majors. Utilizing varieties of methods including questionnaire investigation, face-to-face interview and discussion, statistical analysis, long-term tracking research and so on, this paper aims to research, analyze, demonstrate and reveal the effects of introducing MOOCS mechanisms in education. The teaching of the Sinoforeign cooperative design major, especially points to embodied advantages and disadvantages to show its reliability, performability and existing risks. The paper puts forward suggestions for improvement; countermeasures and sustainability assessments so as to further improve and optimize MOOCS, deepen application and better promote the reform of education and teaching in the corresponding fields in China.
Conception et analyse d'un microsystème pour l'injection transdermique

Ce travail de these presente en detail la conception et le developpement d'un actionneur microfluidique pour la distribution de fluide au travers d'une matrice de microaiguilles. Cet actionneur est un element d'un projet de recherche europeen, Angioskin, visant a realiser le traitement d'une maladie de peau (le psoriasis) par injection d'ADN codant pour une proteine antiangiogenique. Le contexte medical de ce projet a impose plusieurs contraintes sur les caracteristiques du systeme de distribution fluidique ; ce dernier doit permettre de manipuler de petites quantites de fluide tout en limitant les pertes, et assurer l'injection d'une quantite definie de produit de maniere uniforme au travers d'une matrice de cent microaiguilles malgre des conditions d'injection variables. Enfin, il a aussi ete necessaire de s'assurer que les molecules d'ADN pouvaient circuler correctement, et surtout sans etre degradees, dans le microsysteme afin de garder leurs proprietes therapeutiques. Ce microsysteme a ete realise en PDMS, et est constitue d'un reseau de micro-reservoirs connectes par des canaux ainsi que plusieurs elements de controle (valves, diode fluidique, resistance hydrodynamique). Ce systeme a fait l'objet d'un brevet europeen (EP1852142).
The Role of Ownership and Governance Mechanism in Sukuk Financing by Malaysian Firms: An Application of A Double Selection Model

After controlling for the double selection bias in a sequential three-equation model of the decisions to issuance, to choose a Sukuk structure, and the volume of Sukuk engagements, we find robust evidence suggesting that ownership structure and governance mechanisms play a significant role in controlling agency costs through issuance of Sukuk. In line with monitoring hypothesis, we find that higher government ownership positively influences the decisions to participate, issue a debt-like Sukuk and volume thereof. Similarly, in line with complementarity hypothesis, the empirical evidence suggests that firms with higher board of directors’ independence are more likely to participate in issuing Sukuk with higher volumes. We also find that ethnicity, in the form of a higher proportion of Malay/Muslim members on the board of directors, does not influence the initial decision on whether or not to issue Sukuk. However, once the decision to issue Sukuk is made, firms with higher institutional ownership or a higher proportion of Malay/Muslim board members are more likely to issue equity-like Sukuk.
Tratamiento del síndrome hiperquinético en la infancia

En este articulo se revisa el manejo del transtorno por deficit de atencion con hiperactividad en la infancia. Se comentan algunos aspectos concernientes al diagnostico, la patogenesis, la comorbilidad, el examen fisico y la entrevista clinica que son relevantes para el diseno de un plan terapeutico integral. Dado que la mayoria de los ninos presentan muchos problemas, suele estar indicado el tratamiento multimodal. Este tratamiento incluye intervenciones psicologicas, educativas y farmacologicas. La terapia cognitiva-conductual puede ser eficaz en muchos casos. Debe darse medicacion si la hiperactividad persiste a pesar de abordajes psicologicos adecuados. Como regla general, el metilfenidato es de primera eleccion. En caso de ineficacia, intolerancia o comorbilidad, se planteara una monoterapia alternativa con antidepresivos o clonidina.
Knowledge management in the Peruvian non-profit sector

Purpose – In third world countries the subsistence of millions of persons depends on the work of organizations operating in the non‐profit sector. The purpose of this paper to explore how knowledge management awareness and practices could create more efficient organizations despite their lack of human and financial resources. This paper aims to make a contribution to the knowledge management literature in the non‐profit sector of third world countries. In particular, the main results from an explorative survey of Peruvian non‐profit organizations are analyzed and discussed.Design/methodology/approach – Data was generated from a questionnaire survey of 106 Peruvian organizations operating in the non‐profit sector. Part of the questionnaire was inspired from an existing knowledge management acquisition cycle for non‐profit organizations.Findings – Though only medium to low levels of knowledge management awareness were found in the Peruvian non‐profit sector, implicit knowledge management practices were obse.
Screening People with Disturbed Sleep for Depression

Disturbed sleep may be associated with a multitude of environmental, medical, and psychological conditions. Since sleep disturbances are leading manifestations of major depression, a common potentially fatal disorder, persons with disturbed sleep must be screened for depression. Different forms of disturbed sleep are associated with specific subtypes of depression. Those with evidence of depression must then be referred for prompt treatment to abort serious adverse outcomes, including suicide.
Time-dependent capability of human oocytes for activation and pronuclear formation during metaphase II arrest.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to investigate the fertilization rate and developmental potential of human oocytes in relation to the duration of their metaphase II (MII) arrest stage following the extrusion of the first polar body (1PB). METHODS Immature metaphase I oocytes (MI; study oocytes, n = 468) that underwent meiotic maturation during brief in vitro culture and their matured in vivo, MII siblings (control oocytes, n = 3293) were subjected to ICSI. Fertilization and early cleavage were evaluated in both study and control groups. RESULTS The overall fertilization rate was significantly lower in the oocytes matured in vitro than in those matured in vivo (42 versus 77%, P < 0.0001). A significant relationship was observed between oocyte activation potential and the length of MII arrest. The majority of study oocytes injected soon after PB extrusion remained unfertilized (64%; 98/154 oocytes). The proportion of normally activated oocytes that contained two pronuclei and two PBs gradually increased with prolonged time of MII arrest (43 and 61% at 2 and 3-6 h after 1PB extrusion). Significantly more embryos originating from the study than control oocytes were arrested soon after the first two cleavage divisions (39 and 17%; P < 0.0001) and exhibited multinucleated blastomeres (23 and 13%; P < 0.0001), which suggests the existence of chromosomal abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS Human oocytes progressively develop the ability for full activation and normal development during the MII arrest stage.