Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Régulation coopérative des intersections : protocoles et politiques

Dans ce travail, nous exploitons le potentiel offert par les vehicules autonomes cooperatifs, pour fluidifier le trafic dans une intersection isolee puis dans un reseau d’intersections. Nous proposons le protocole SVAC (Systeme du Vehicule Actionneur Cooperatif) permettant de reguler une intersection isolee. SVAC est base sur une distribution individuelle du droit de passage qui respecte un ordre precis donne par une sequence de passage.Pour optimiser la sequence de passage, nous definissons la politique PED (Politique d’Evacuation Distribuee) permettant d’ameliorer le temps d’evacuation total de l’intersection. La creation de la sequence de passage est etudiee a travers deux modelisations. Une modelisation sous forme de graphes permettant le calcul de la solution optimale en connaissant les dates d’arrivee de tous les vehicules, et une modelisation de type reseaux de Petri avec dateurs pour traiter la regulation temps-reel. Des tests reels avec des vehicules equipes ont ete realises pour etudier la faisabilite du protocole SVAC. Des simulations mettant en jeu un trafic realiste permettent ensuite de montrer la capacite de fluidifier le trafic par rapport a une regulation classique par feux tricolores.La regulation d’un reseau d’intersections souleve les problemes d’interblocage et de reorientation du trafic. Nous proposons le protocole SVACRI (Systeme du Vehicule Actionneur Cooperatif pour les Reseaux d’Intersections) qui permet d’eliminer a priori les risques d’interblocage a travers la definition de contraintes d’occupation et de reservation de l’espace et du temps. Nous etudions egalement la possibilite d’ameliorer la fluidite du trafic a travers le routage des vehicules, en tirant avantage du protocole SVACRI. Enfin, nous generalisons le systeme de regulation propose pour la synchronisation des vitesses aux intersections.
Attenuation of Early Atherogenesis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor–Deficient Mice by Proteasome Inhibition

Objective—Low and nontoxic proteasome inhibition has anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antioxidative effects on vascular cells in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that low-dose inhibition of the proteasome could provide antiatherogenic protection. The present study investigated the effect of low-dose proteasome inhibition on early lesion formation in low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice fed a Western-type diet. Methods and Results—Male low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice, 10 weeks old, were fed a Western-type diet for 6 weeks with intraperitoneal injections of bortezomib or solvent. Bortezomib was injected at a dose of 50 &mgr;g/kg body weight. Cholesterol plasma levels were not affected by bortezomib treatment. En face Oil Red O staining of aortae and aortic root cryosections demonstrated significant reduction of atherosclerotic lesion coverage in bortezomib-treated animals. Bortezomib significantly reduced vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and macrophage infiltration as shown by histological analysis. Bortezomib treatment resulted in a significant reduction of superoxide content, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation products, serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and interleukin-6. Gene expression microarray analysis showed that expressional changes induced by Western-type diet were attenuated by treatment with low-dose bortezomib. Conclusion—Low-dose proteasome inhibition exerts antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects and attenuates development of atherosclerotic lesions in low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice.
A simple and robust algorithm for the detection of multidirectional scratch from digital images

Over time, old films and pictures are eroded and often get corrupted with physical scratches. Digitization of these physically corrupted films lead to the presence of various scratch marks and aberrations oriented along multiple directions in the digitized image. Detection of these scratches for subsequent restoration is a rather difficult task because of the sensitiveness to noise and interference of background contour textures. To address this problem, we propose a highly robust and real time spatial scratch detection algorithm for static images. We deal with the more potent problem of detecting scratches in images regardless of orientation, color or shape by coupling binary detection with Hough Transformation and image rotation. Unavailability of temporal information makes such detection even more challenging. Experimental results suggest the effectiveness of our proposed method keeping in consideration computational time complexity constraints.
Adherence with levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone versus levodopa/carbidopa and entacapone as separate tablets in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract Background: Observational studies suggest that single-tablet formulations are associated with improved adherence versus the same components taken as separate tablets. The objective of this study was to compare adherence in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) receiving levodopa therapy as levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone tablets (LCE) versus levodopa/carbidopa (LC) tablets and entacapone (E) as separate tablets (LC and E). Methods: This was a retrospective, observational cohort study using a large health insurance claims database. Subjects included persons with a PD diagnosis who were receiving LC without E and then received either an add-on therapy with E as a separate tablet (LC and E) or LCE as one tablet (LCE). The primary study outcome was treatment adherence, estimated from pharmacy refills based on the ‘percent of days covered’ (PDC) with LCE or LC and E during follow-up and compared for patients receiving LCE and LC and E using multivariate regression analyses. Results: In multivariate analyses controlling for differences between groups in baseline characteristics, including pre-index dosage of and adherence with LC, receipt of LCE (n = 388) was associated with 79% lower mean non-adherence during follow-up (95% CI: 73–83%; p < 0.001) versus LC and E (n = 823), 86% lower odds of unsatisfactory adherence (95% CI: 80–91%; p < 0.001), and a 26% lower risk of discontinuation (95% CI: 6–42%; p < 0.013). Limitations: This was an observational study with the inherent potential for selection bias. Pharmacy claims may not provide an accurate estimate of adherence. Requiring subjects to have a certain number of prescriptions before and after the index date may yield a sample that is not representative of all patients initiating levodopa therapy in typical clinical practice. Conclusions: Better adherence with LCE may have important implications for maintaining function in patients receiving chronic oral levodopa therapy. Further research is needed to confirm these results and examine the association between improved adherence and clinical and economic outcomes.
Insulin Regulation of Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Gene Expression Is Rapamycin-sensitive and Requires Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase*

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) controls the flow of carbon through the pentose phosphate pathway and also produces NADPH needed for maintenance of reduced glutathione and reductive biosynthesis. Hepatic expression of G6PDH is known to respond to several dietary and hormonal factors, but the mechanism behind regulation of this expression has not been characterized. We show that insulin similarly induces expression of endogenous hepatic G6PDH and a reporter construct containing 935 base pairs of the G6PDH promoter linked to luciferase in transient transfection assays. Using well tested and structurally distinct inhibitors of Ras farnesylation, lovastatin and B581, and a specific inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase activation, PD 98059, we show that the Ras/Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is not utilized for the insulin-induced stimulation of G6PDH gene expression in primary rat hepatocytes. Similarly, using well characterized inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, wortmannin and LY 294002, we show that PI 3-kinase activity is necessary for the induction of G6PDH expression by insulin. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of FRAP protein, which is involved in the activation of pp70 S6 kinase, blocks the insulin induction of G6PDH, suggesting that S6 kinase is also necessary for the insulin induction of G6PDH expression.
Evolving to an SDN-enabled isp backbone: key technologies and applications

Software-defined networking provides a promising approach to build and operate high-performance networks with high efficiency and affordable cost. While SDN is of great importance to ISPs, it is infeasible to replace the entire existing infrastructure with a clean slate of SDN design. Most early SDN practices concentrate on small-scale greenfield designs. Here, we focus on mission-critical large-scale backbone networks, and discuss the key technologies and applications for ISPs' SDN adoption. Taking an evolutionary viewpoint, we discuss strategies and approaches to integrate SDN capabilities with traditional technologies to achieve the high-performance traffic engineering, fast service provisioning, and rapid failure restoration required for existing network operations.
Multilineage mobilization of peripheral blood progenitor cells in humans following administration of PEG‐rHuMGDF

The most important physiological regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis is the ligand for the c‐mpl receptor (thrombopoietin/megakaryocyte growth and development factor, MGDF). We examined the effect of pegylated‐recombinant human MGDF (PEG‐rHuMGDF): patients received PEG‐rHuMGDF at doses of 0.03, 0.1, 0.3 or 1.0 μg/kg/d or placebo for 10 d maximum in a double‐blinded randomized study. There was a dose‐dependent elevation in circulating platelet counts but no alteration in erythrocyte or total leucocyte counts. The number of bone marrow megakaryocytes was increased approximately 2‐fold. The frequency of bone marrow progenitor cells was not altered. In contrast, both to the bone marrow results and to published pre‐clinical data, there was a dose‐dependent mobilization into the blood of progenitor cells of multiple cell lineages. Increased levels of Meg‐CFC (maximum increase 30‐fold), day 7 and day 14 GM‐CFC and BFU‐E were demonstrated at doses of 0.3 and 1.0 μg/kg/d PEG‐rHuMGDF. At 0.1 μg/kg/d, mobilization of Meg‐CFC alone occurred in two‐thirds of patients. Maximum blood levels of progenitor cells occurred at day 12. Thus, administration of PEG‐rHuMGDF to humans resulted in mobilization of progenitor cells of multiple lineages despite its ‘lineage‐specific’ activity on mature cell development.
Individual Differences in the Self-image of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities: The Roles of Severity, Time of Diagnosis, and Parental Perceptions

The self-images of 49 adolescents with learning disabilities (Grades 9 through 12, mean age=15.9) and 49 normally achieving peers (Grades 9 through 12, mean age=16.0) were compared using the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ). The group with LD scored significantly lower than the comparison group on 4 of the 10 OSIQ scales. Later diagnosed adolescents with LD scored significantly higher than early-diagnosed adolescents on two of the scales. Severity of the learning disability was not found to be related to self-image scores. In a second study, parental perceptions of the self-images of 28 of the 49 students with LD were studied by administering the Offer Parent-Adolescent Questionnaire (OPAQ) and an informal questionnaire to their parents. On 6 of the 10 OPAQ scales, parents perceived their children as having a lower self-image than the adolescents themselves reported. Significant but moderate relationships were found between parents'perceptions and adolescent self-image scores. Results of the two studies are interpreted in terms of a multidimensional conception of self-image that considers factors inherent to the individual as well as interpersonal and institutional factors.
Probabilistic spectral gain modification applied to beamformer-based noise reduction in a car environment

In this paper, we propose a new noise reduction technique for improving the performance of conventional beamformers used in cars. To this end, the probabilistic discrimination on target-directional signal presence is used as a parameter for the spectral gain modification (SGM) of a beamformer output. The direction of arrival (DOA)-based target-to-non-target-directional signal ratio (TNR) is first estimated by using spatial cues such as phase differences from multiple microphone signals. Next, the estimated TNR is utilized to estimate the target-directional signal presence probabilities (TDSPPs) that include global and local terms. The performance of the proposed SGM is evaluated by the degree of noise reduction, average and segmental signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), as well as perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ) scores under car noise conditions whose SNR varies from -5 to 20 dB. As a result, it is shown that the proposed SGM significantly improves the target-directional signal enhancing performance against conventional beamformers, i.e., delay-and-sum beamformer (DSB), super directive beamformer (SDB) and generalized sidelobe canceller (GSC), for all input SNRs.
Methotrexate treatment in cutaneous lupus erythematosus: subcutaneous application is as effective as intravenous administration

uloma formation and amastigotes. PCR identified these as L. donovani. Numerous milia were identified in the margin of the lesion prior to treatment with intralesional sodium stibogluconate. Milia are subepidermal keratin cysts and most commonly occur on the face. They can arise spontaneously or may occur following trauma including burns, radiotherapy and dermabrasion. Inflammatory dermatoses such as epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, porphyria cutanea tarda, bullous pemphigoid and bullous lichen planus can all result in milia formation. Prolonged use of topical corticosteroids leading to skin atrophy has been reported to cause milia and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug benoxaprofen causes milia formation. Primary milia are thought to derive from vellus hairs at the inferior portion of the infundibulum whereas secondary ones, as in our patients, are derived from eccrine sweat ducts, abnormal epidermis or hair follicles. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by protozoal infection with one of the Leishmania species following the bite of a female sand fly. The Leishmania causes a granulomatous tissue response. There follows the development, usually at the site of the bite, of a papule or nodule which ulcerates after 1–3 months; however, this process may take considerably longer. Lesions self heal with scarring but this can take many months depending on the species involved. Treatment is advocated to accelerate resolution and to try to minimize scarring particularly in cosmetically sensitive sites. Infection with some species may lead to dissemination and mucosal disease. Milia have not previously been reported as sequelae of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Interestingly, milia have been reported following the resolution of type 1 reactions complicating borderline tuberculoid and mid-borderline leprosy. Mycobacterium leprae, like Leishmania species, causes granulomatous inflammation but in the two cases described there was no report of ulceration. Milia have not been reported following the use of sodium stibogluconate or allopurinol. We feel that the milia in these children formed as a consequence of the disruption of the epidermis and dermoepidermal junction due to the granulomatous inflammation and consequent ulceration caused by infection with Leishmania species. Milia are easily treated and should if necessary be dealt with to try to minimize the cosmetic and psychological impact of an already potentially disfiguring condition.
Stanley depth of powers of the edge ideal of a forest

Let K be a field and S = K[x1, . , xn] be the polynomial ring in n variables over the field K. Let G be a forest with p connected components G1, . , Gp and let I = I(G) be its edge ideal in S. Suppose that di is the diameter of Gi, 1 ≤ i ≤ p, and consider d = max{di | 1 ≤ i ≤ p}. Morey has shown that for every t ≥ 1, the quantity max { ⌈ d−t+2 3 ⌉ + p− 1, p } is a lower bound for depth(S/I). In this paper, we show that for every t ≥ 1, the mentioned quantity is also a lower bound for sdepth(S/I). By combining this inequality with Burch’s inequality, we show that any sufficiently large powers of edge ideals of forests are Stanley. Finally, we state and prove a generalization of our main theorem.
Space Edge Cloud Enabling Service Migration for On-Orbit Service

In recent years, with the development of fast space response systems represented by image processing and specific target detection, the higher requirements for space-based on-orbit services have been placed. The space-based on-orbit service has the advantages of performing communication and calculations at the data source side, which can reduce the delay of satellite service data return, thereby responding quickly to emergencies. However, the high dynamic topology of satellite network and the sudden change of node access traffic will affect the on-orbit quality of service significantly. In order to approach this challenge, this paper proposes a space-based service architecture. Based on the real-time traffic data of the satellite network, the service is migrated according to the change of upstream and downstream traffic. In this paper, a migration model is constructed based on the network and mission characteristics of the space-based edge cloud. This migration model can balance the time delay dynamically and optimize the energy consumption by matching the migration node with the time delay and energy consumption. The simulation results show that the proposed service migration strategy can satisfy the customized requirements of different services, while reducing the service delay and packet loss rate under the network traffic congestion, so that the overall benefit of satellite network is improved.
Gestão do Conhecimento - Técnicas de implementação na empresa

Este trabalho visa apresentar o conhecimento como recurso estrategico das organizacoes modernas bem como, definir algumas linhas orientadoras na implementacao da Gestao do Conhecimento. Para tal, abordamos os seguintes temas: A importância do conhecimento nas organizacoes; Tarefas da Gestao do Conhecimento; Caracteristicas do recurso conhecimento; Tecnicas da Gestao do Conhecimento. Como resultado, destaca-se que: A Gestao do Conhecimento devera ser prioridade dos orgaos de topo uma vez que, no contexto empresarial actual caracterizado pela competitividade global e inovacoes tecnologicas constantes, o conhecimento e um recurso de valor inestimavel; Essa preocupacao deve ser canalizada atraves da estrutura organizacional, estimulando-se a existencia de uma cultura de inovacao e de empreendorismo; As tecnicas da Gestao do Conhecimento assentam sobretudo na fluidez da comunicacao organizacional e na existencia de canais de informacao que permitam o acesso aos dados pelos destinatarios correctos e em tempo util de aplicacao; As tecnologias de informacao funcionam como um poderoso suporte para a Gestao do Conhecimento devendo, ser adaptadas as necessidades da empresa e dos respectivos utilizadores. Porem, nunca deverao funcionar como o seu instrumento unico pois, o contacto pessoal continua a ser a forma mais eficaz de transmissao do conhecimento.
Good vibrations: Do electrical therapeutic massagers work?

Health, leisure and beauty activities are increasing in popularity, with a particular emphasis on self-help and alternative health practices. One product type that has increased sales with this expansion is the hand-held electric massager. These are products that use vibration as a means of alleviating muscular strains and pains, as well as promoting relaxation. Paradoxically, these products are extremely popular as gifts, but are soon discarded. A multi-disciplinary research team was commissioned by a British manufacturer of electrical consumer products to investigate user attitudes and perceptions of existing massagers, to identify areas of user dissatisfaction. The manufacturer was also concerned about a possible stigma attached to these products because of an association with sex aids. This paper provides an account of the perceptions of both consumers and therapists regarding the use of these products. Identifying the differences between the perceptions of consumers and therapists should help provide a basis for effective integration of user needs, manufacturer requirements, designers' skills and sound therapeutic practice. The results provide insight to support the development of more effective hand-held massagers.
Hand Rejuvenation: A Review and Our Experience

BACKGROUND The aged hand is characterized by cutaneous and dermal atrophy, with deep intermetacarpal spaces, prominent bones and tendons, and bulging reticular veins. Epidermal changes include solar lentigines, seborrheic keratoses, actinic keratoses, skin laxity, rhytides, tactile roughness, and telangiectasia. STUDY DESIGN A Medline search was performed on hand rejuvenation from 1989 to 2011, and results are summarized. Practical applications of these procedures are also discussed. RESULTS Reports of injectable hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, poly‐L‐lactic acid, autologous fat transfer, vein treatment, and chemical peels, along with lasers and light sources such as Q‐switched laser, intense pulsed light, photodynamic therapy, nonablative resurfacing lasers, and ablative resurfacing lasers, in the rejuvenation of hands were found. CONCLUSION Review of the literature revealed options for minimally invasive treatment for rejuvenation of the skin and volume restoration of the dorsal hand. These treatments include injectables and fat transfer for volume restoration; sclerotherapy or vein ablation for dorsal hand vein treatment; and chemical peels, lasers, light, and energies for the treatment of epidermal and dermal changes.
Logics of Online Collaboration: Scripts, Polychronicity and Improvisation

This paper evolves around the challenge of ensuring sufficiently guided learning on one side and self-directed, learner-centred learning on the other side. An online course using collaborative case-based learning is taken as an example to discuss tradeoffs between designing collaborative processes upfront and the need to allow for emergent, unspecified forms of collaboration. To do so, collaborative learning is conceptualised as being influenced by three different kinds of logic: formal, informal and practical. Examples for scripted, polychronic and improvised interactions are to illustrate the interplay between the three kinds of logic.
Keeping mitochondria in shape: a matter of life and death

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that participate in energy conversion, metabolism, signaling and apoptosis. To fulfill their multiple tasks, mitochondria come in varied morphologies and ultrastructures resulting from the equilibrium between fusion and fission, Furthermore, they are in close contact with the endoplasmic reticulum generating an essential interface in cell physiology and death.