Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of a non-MHC susceptibility locus in type I diabetes linked to HLA on chromosome 6.

Linkage studies have led to the identification of several chromosome regions that may contain susceptibility loci to type I diabetes (IDDM), in addition to the HLA and INS loci. These include two on chromosome 6q, denoted IDDM5 and IDDM8, that are not linked to HLA. In a previous study, we noticed that the evidence for linkage to IDDM susceptibility around the HLA locus extended over a total distance of 100 cM, which suggested to us that another susceptibility locus could reside near HLA. We developed a statistical method to test this hypothesis in a panel of 523 multiplex families from France, the United States, and Denmark (a total of 667 affected sib pairs, 536 with both parents genotyped), and here present evidence (P = .00003) of a susceptibility locus for IDDM located 32 cM from HLA in males but not linked to HLA in females and distinct from IDDM5 and IDDM8. A new statistical method to test for the presence of a second susceptibility locus linked to a known first susceptibility locus (here HLA) is presented. In addition, we analyzed our current family panel with markers for IDDM5 and IDDM8 on chromosome 6 and found suggestions of linkage for both of these loci (P = .002 and .004, respectively, on the complete family panel). When cumulated with previously published results, with overlapping families removed, the affected-sib-pair tests had a significance of P = . 0001 for IDDM5 and P = . 00004 for IDDM8.
Subsidization in Mixed Oligopoly with Managerial Delegation : Price Competition

This paper studies optimal production subsidy in a mixed duopoly with separation between ownership and management. Although many existing literature shows that the first best production allocation is achieved under several economic environments (so-called irrelevance result), we find that this result holds in the following two cases. (1) The owners simultaneously /sequentially decide their sales weight in the managerial delegation contracts. (2) The managers simultaneously / equentially choose their quantity levels. Therefore, the irrelevance result is robust against the introduction of sales delegation with separation between ownership and management, even if the firms simultaneously /sequentially determine their sales delegation weights or quantity levels. JEL Classification: D21, L13, L33
Power Minimization Problems of Logic Networks

As a method for greatly reducing power dissipation in logic networks, we propose some logic organization techniques for logic networks. By such techniques, their power dissipation is to be minimized under certain input conditions, or the average power dissipation in the whole network should be minimized. A logic network in which these problems are taken into account will be called a power minimized logic circuit (PML).
Fossiles de la Préhistoire charentaise

Au temps ou les dinosaures peuplaient les Charentes. les oceans recouvraient largement des terres aujourd'hui emergees et ce qui est devenu un sommet de falaise etait encore le fond d'une mer profonde. Perchees au sommet des falaises de Meschers, des huitres intriguent les promeneurs qui se demandent quel tsunami a bien pu projeter si haut les coquillages de la Gironde toute proche. Mais il s'agit la d'huitres datant d'il y a environ 75 millions d'annees ! Bernard Palissy porte le premier un regard scientifique sur les fossiles charentais, et comme Leonard de Vinci il conclue que les fossiles sont les restes d'etres vivants. Alcide d'Orbigny quant a lui est le fondateur charentais de la paleontologie francaise, Augustin Boisselier le premier chasseur de dinosaures. La recherche paleontologique est renouvelee, son but est desormais de trouver les " chainons manquants ". Les fouilles se multiplient. Dinosaures, mammouths, insectes pieges dans l'ambre enrichissent chaque jour la connaissance du passe et rejoignent les collections des musees d'histoire naturelle car le sous-sol des Charentes offre regulierement des decouvertes paleontologiques majeures, notamment cette derniere decennie : ambre des carrieres d'Archingeay, fleurs primitives de Tonnay-Charente, dinosaures d'Angeac. un patrimoine paleontologique inestimable et en partie unique au monde. 400 photographies presentent plus de 350 especes fossiles animales et vegetales qui jalonnent les Charentes et leurs marges (Vendee, Poitou, Limousin, Perigord et Gironde). Des vegetaux aux vertebres, en passant par les invertebres (arthropodes, mollusques.), ce guide rappelle les principales caracteristiques morphologiques et anatomiques de chaque groupe (botanique ou zoologique). Les textes scientifiques de Didier Neraudeau et Romain Vullo, accompagnes des dessins et reconstitutions de Mazan, mettent en valeur les especes fossiles emblematiques des Charentes. En cela, ils aident les amateurs a identifier leurs decouvertes et initient le lecteur a une biodiversite disparue qui a precede l'Homme.
Rhizophydium brooksianum sp. nov., a multipored chytrid from soil

Rhizophydium136 was isolated from pollen bait placed in a water culture containing garden soil from Penobscot County, Maine. It is an important isolate because its entire mitochondrial genome has been sequenced and it is the representative member of the Chytridiales in a fungal phylogeny based on mitochondrial protein sequences. Also, this isolate is included in an 18S rDNA, chytrid phylogeny. On nutrient agar, many inflated rhizoidal axes extend from the base of the zoosporangium, zoosporangia mature in 3 d and zoospores discharge through numerous, lenticular, discharge pores. Smooth-walled resting spores form in crowded cultures. Zoospores are a variation of the Rhizophydium subtype. This chytrid differs from R. sphaerotheca sensu Barr and because it cannot be placed in a described species it herein is described as Rhizophydium brooksianum sp. nov. Many of the differences between Rhizophydium brooksianum and other multipored Rhizophydium isolates were observed only in pure culture. Attributing a spherical, multipored Rhizophydium to a species that was described without developmental information from pure culture is untenable. Epitypes or neotypes for inadequately characterized species need to be selected, and cultures made available.
Enquête entomologique dans le foyer historique de trypanosomose humaine africaine de Bendjé (Gabon)

La situation de la maladie du sommeil est très peu connue au Gabon. De nombreux foyers historiques n’ont pas été prospectés depuis plus de 15 ans. Le foyer historique de Bendjé fournit régulièrement quelques cas, dépistés passivement, qui concernent le plus souvent des pêcheurs dont il est a priori difficile de déterminer le lieu probable de contamination du fait de leur grande mobilité au cours de leurs activités. La présence des hommes infectés dans ce foyer historique pourrait favoriser son réveil s’il existe un contact étroit entre les différents éléments potentiellement présents du cycle épidémiologique (homme, vecteur, trypanosome). Afin de vérifier l’existence éventuelle d’un risque trypanosomien dans ce foyer, nous y avons mené une enquête entomologique. Des pièges ont été posés dans des biotopes fréquentés par l’homme et laissés en place pendant quatre jours. Trois espèces de glossines (Glossina palpalis palpalis, G. pallicera newsteadi et G. caliginea) ont été capturées et deux espèces de trypanosomes (Trypanosoma vivax et T. brucei s.l.) identifiées par PCR. Ces résultats suggèrent l’existence d’un cycle de transmission animal. Le contact entre les hommes et les glossines est particulièrement étroit dans tous les types de site prospectés, à l’exception de la mangrove.
Barrières à l'initiation des traitements antirétroviraux : le cas d'une zone rurale de la région du KwaZulu Natal en Afrique du Sud.

Les traitements antiretroviraux (TARV) sont proposes a large echelle en Afrique sub-Sahariennedepuis plus de dix ans, au depart destines a controler la morbidite severe des personnes a un stade avance del’infection a VIH. Les recommandations pour initier les TARV ont ensuite evolue a mesure que les etudescliniques et epidemiologiques mettaient en evidence les benefices therapeutiques et preventifs d’une initiationprecoce des TARV. Des essais randomises sont actuellement en cours en Afrique australe pour verifier lesbenefices d’une approche universelle de depistage et de traitement a des stades precoces de l’infection a VIH(approche « Test and Treat ») sur l’incidence du VIH en communaute. Cependant, la couverture antiretroviraleest encore loin d’etre optimale au sud du Sahara, notamment en Afrique du Sud ou 6,3 millions de personnesvivent avec le VIH. L’objectif de cette these est de comprendre quelles sont les barrieres a l’initiation des TARVen nous interessant a une zone rurale fortement touchee par le VIH au sein de la province sud-africaine duKwaZulu-Natal. Apres avoir brievement decrit le suivi des patients de l’entree dans un large programme desoins VIH jusqu’a l’initiation des TARV, nous avons mesure l’evolution des taux d’initiation des TARV suite al’expansion des criteres d’eligibilite dans ce programme. Nous avons ensuite identifie certaines barrieres al’initiation des TARV en croisant les donnees du programme de soins VIH a celles recueillies au sein d’unesurveillance demographique. Les resultats de cette these permettent de mieux apprehender les questionsrelatives a l’acces aux TARV qui pourraient se poser avec une approche « Test and Treat ».
Contrôle de la minéralisation de la coquille de l'oeuf par les constituants de sa matrice organique : variabilités qualitatives de sa composition entre oiseaux domestiques et quantitatives entre coquilles de différentes solidités

La caracterisation biochimique et fonctionnelle de la matrice organique extraite de la coquille d'uf est necessaire pour confirmer son implication dans le processus de mineralisation et l'etablissement des proprietes biomecaniques de la coquille. Nous avons compare la structure et la matrice organique extraite de coquilles d'oeufs de differentes especes aviaires. Nous avons observe des analogies microstructurales et de compositions organiques chez les especes phylogenetiquement proches. L'universalite de distribution de differents constituants renforce l'hypothese de leur implication dans le processus de calcification. L'etude des particularites de la coquille de l'oeuf de pintade vis a vis du modele poule a ete realisee afin de mieux comprendre l'origine de sa resistance exceptionnelle. Nous avons demontre que la mineralisation, dans l'uterus, debute 3 heures plus tot chez la pintade sans modifications de la vitesse de depot. La difference d'epaisseur de coquille n'explique cependant pas totalement la solidite accrue de la coquille de pintade. D'autres facteurs, affectant la structure interviendraient. L'implication de l'ovocleidin-17 dans le processus de mineralisation est renforcee car sa secretion est synchronisee avec le depot de coquille. Une approche quantitative a ete developpee pour etablir la relation existant entre la concentration de constituants proteiques de la matrice et la solidite de la coquille. Nous avons developpe une methode d'extraction de la matrice organique. Puis, nous avons optimise des dosages ELISA specifiques de trois proteines presentes dans les extraits de coquille. Les concentrations en ovotransferrine, ovocleidin-17 et ovalbumine sont superieures au sein des coquilles produites par des poules âgees donc de faible solidite. Cette observation renforce l'hypothese d'un role de ces constituants dans le processus de mineralisation de coquille et dans l'etablissement de ses proprietes biomecaniques. Plusieurs proteines du blanc d'oeuf ont ete identifiees au sein de la coquille. Les segments du tractus genital participant a l'elaboration de la coquille ont la capacite de les synthetiser. L'expression de ces proteines par l'isthme, lieu de synthese des premiers cristaux, suggerent leur participation a la phase d'initiation de la structure calcifiee.
Gastroenteritis Outbreaks Caused by Norovirus GII.17, Guangdong Province, China, 2014–2015

In the past decade, the most prevalent norovirus genotype causing viral gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide, including China, has been GII.4. In winter 2014–15, norovirus outbreaks in Guangdong, China, increased. Sequence analysis indicated that 82% of the outbreaks were caused by a norovirus GII.17 variant.
Atrapados en la marca-país

Sobre datos de 14.284 botellas provenientes de seis regiones/pais: Argentina, Australia, Chile, California (Estados Unidos de America), Borgona (Francia) y Sudafrica, y cinco cosechas: 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004 y 2005, se estima un modelo de precios hedonicos que relaciona causalmente precio del vino con calidad individual y marca-pais. Se confirma una relacion positiva y estadisticamente significativa entre precio y calidad individual, y se detecta que el premio o castigo que reciben los vinos por marca-pais -al igual que la elasticidad precio-calidad- se ha mantenido estable en el tiempo. A igual calidad individual y respecto de los vinos californianos, los vinos chilenos y argentinos siguen siendo castigados hoy en mas de un 50%. Se constata tambien que el problema de la marca-pais no tendra solucion mientras paises entrantes a esta industria, como Chile o Argentina, no produzcan una masa critica de vinos de excepcional calidad, factor que a fin de cuentas determina la consistencia de una buena imagen o reputacion colectiva de sus productores.
Analyse numérique du comportement sismique des barrages en terre : influence de la plasticité et de la pression d'eau

La these porte sur l'analyse de l'influence de la plasticite et de la pression d'eau sur la reponse sismique des barrages en terre. Les analyses sont effectuees en utilisant le logiciel FLAC 3D. Le travail comporte trois chapitres: Le premier chapitre presente une analyse bibliographique sur les recherches menees sur des barrages de la terre. Il presente d'abord une analyse des observations realisees lors des de tremblements de terre. Ensuite, il donne une synthese des differentes methodes d'analyse sismique des barrages en terre. Le deuxieme chapitre presente une analyse numerique du comportement sismique des barrages en terre. L'analyse est conduite pour la phase solide. L'analyse est d'abord conduite pour un cas simple qui concerne la reponse elastique du barrage. La deuxieme partie du chapitre concerne une analyse plus realiste du barrage, ou le comportement elastoplastique du sol est considere. Cette analyse est conduite en utilisant le critere non associe de Mohr-Coulomb. Le troisieme chapitre presente une analyse numerique de l'influence de l'interaction eau-squelette sur la reponse sismique des barrages en terre. L'analyse est conduite d'abord sous condition non drainee, qui correspond a une analyse simplifiee de la reponse du barrage. Cette analyse ne fournit pas la variation de la pression d'eau; elle constitue une premiere etape de l'analyse de la reponse sismique du barrage en contraintes totales. Par la suite une analyse couplee est conduite en contraintes effectives en utilisant le critere non associe de Mohr-Coulomb. Cette analyse fournit la variation de la pression d'eau. Elle permet d'etudier l'influence de la phase de l'eau sur la reponse de barrage a un chargement sismique reel. Cette analyse est d'abord conduite pour un cas de reference, qui est suivi d'une comparaison des analyses drainee et non drainee.
Stroke scale score and early prediction of outcome after stroke.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score as a predictor of functional outcome after ischemic stroke. DESIGN A cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY The study was carried out between September 2001 and May 2002 at the Department of Medicine, Civil Hospital, Karachi. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study included 50 patients who presented to Civil Hospital, Karachi, during the study period with acute stroke and were evaluated with CT scan of brain. Only those patients were enrolled in the study that had acute ischemic stroke. The enrolled subjects were then evaluated for the neurological impairment using National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The subjects were followed-up and their functional outcome was assessed using Barthel index (BI) on the 7th day of their admission. RESULTS Of the fifty patients enrolled in the study, 31(62%) were males and 19 (38%) were females, with age ranging from 45 years to 95 years and a mean age of 59.9 years. Neurological impairment at presentation was assessed by NIHSS. The score ranged between 2 and 28. The functional outcome was evaluated on the 7th day using Barthel index (BI), which ranged from 0 to 80. NIHSS score was found to be a good predictor of functional outcome in patients with ischemic stroke (p<0.001). Other factors like gender, hypertension and heart disease did not affect the functional recovery in such patients. Various factors were found to be significant for early prediction of stroke recovery. The NIHSS score was the strongest predictor of outcome after ischemic stroke. Age at the time of the event was also found to be an important predictor for stroke recovery. CONCLUSION The NIHSS score is a good predictor of patient' recovery after stroke. Assessing the patient's neurological impairment at first presentation of ischemic stroke can guide the physician regarding the prognosis and management plan.
Colonization of Cattle Intestines by Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter lanienae

ABSTRACT The location and abundance of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter lanienae in the intestines of beef cattle were investigated using real-time quantitative PCR in two studies. In an initial study, digesta and tissue samples were obtained along the digestive tract of two beef steers known to shed C. jejuni and C. lanienae (steers A and B). At the time of slaughter, steer B weighed 540 kg, compared to 600 kg for steer A, yet the intestine of steer B (40.5 m) was 36% longer than the intestine of steer A (26.1 m). In total, 323 digesta samples (20-cm intervals) and 998 tissue samples (3.3- to 6.7-cm intervals) were processed. Campylobacter DNA was detected in the digesta and in association with tissues throughout the small and large intestines of both animals. Although C. jejuni and C. lanienae DNA were detected in both animals, only steer A contained substantial quantities of C. jejuni DNA. In both digesta and tissues of steer A, C. jejuni was present in the duodenum and jejunum. Considerable quantities of C. jejuni DNA also were observed in the digesta obtained from the cecum and ascending colon, but minimal DNA was associated with tissues of these regions. In contrast, steer B contained substantial quantities of C. lanienae DNA, and DNA of this bacterium was limited to the large intestine (i.e., the cecum, proximal ascending colon, descending colon, and rectum); the majority of tissue-associated C. lanienae DNA was present in the cecum, descending colon, and rectum. In a second study, the location and abundance of C. jejuni and C. lanienae DNA were confirmed in the intestines of 20 arbitrarily selected beef cattle. DNA of C. jejuni and C. lanienae were detected in the digesta of 57% and 95% of the animals, respectively. C. jejuni associated with intestinal tissues was most abundant in the duodenum, ileum, and rectum. However, one animal contributed disproportionately to the abundance of C. jejuni DNA in the ileum and rectum. C. lanienae was most abundant in the large intestine, and the highest density of DNA of this bacterium was found in the cecum. Therefore, C. jejuni colonized the proximal small intestine of asymptomatic beef cattle, whereas C. lanienae primarily resided in the cecum, descending colon, and rectum. This information could be instrumental in developing efficacious strategies to manage the release of these bacteria from the gastrointestinal tracts of cattle.
Muscarinic control of the excitability of hindlimb motoneurons in chronic spinal‐transected salamanders

The excitability of spinal motoneurons (MNs) is regulated by acetylcholine via the activation of muscarinic receptors. The objective of the present study was to determine whether this cholinergic modulation of MN excitability is altered following a chronic spinal cord transection. Juvenile salamanders (Pleurodeles waltlii) were spinally transected at the mid‐trunk level, and patch‐clamp recordings from hindlimb MNs in spinal cord slices were performed 9–30 days after transection, with and without bath application of muscarine (20 μm). Our results showed that the input–output relationship was larger in MNs recorded 2 weeks after spinal transection than in MNs recorded 3–4 weeks after spinal transection. They further revealed that muscarine increased both the gain of MNs and the proportion of MNs that could exhibit plateau potentials and afterdischarges, whereas it decreased the amplitude of the medium afterhypolarizing potential. Moreover, muscarine had no effect on the hyperpolarization‐activated cation current (Ih), whereas it increased the inward rectifying K+ current (IKir) in MNs recorded ≥ 2 weeks after spinal transection. We conclude that following chronic spinal cord injury, the muscarinic modulation of some intrinsic properties of MNs previously reported in acute spinal‐transected animals [ S. Chevallier et al. (2006)The Journal of Physiology, 570, 525–540] was preserved, whereas that of other intrinsic properties of MNs was suppressed, either transiently (IKir) or definitively (Ih). These alterations in muscarinic modulation of MN excitability may contribute to the spontaneous recovery of locomotion displayed in long‐term chronic spinal‐transected salamanders.
HOS based minimal transmit redundancy space-time FIR precoder-blind equalizer

A higher-order statistics based minimal transmit redundancy space-time FIR precoder-blind equalizer is proposed. For most block based transmission systems such as OFDM, a long guard period, which is longer than or equal to the channel order, is required to avoid inter-block interference. This guard period is a type of redundancy which consumes valuable bandwidth. The blind equalizer that we have proposed can blindly equalize the received precoded signal without the long guard period requirement. Simulation results have shown that the BER performance gain increases as more received data are used to design the equalizer which allows accurate estimation of the cumulant matrices. The proposed algorithm was also shown to be robust toward channel order overestimation
Mechanical Control Systems and Kinematic Systems

The aim of this technical note is to analyze the equivalence between the second-order equations describing the dynamics of mechanical systems, and the associated kinematic system when dealing with nonholonomic systems with controls. If the system is fully actuated, both systems are equivalent. However, if it is underactuated an extra condition must be imposed to ensure that a weak equivalence holds. Furthermore, the notion of decoupling vector fields is generalized to a vector field distribution. This point of view may be used to obtain better solutions when a cost function is introduced to the controllability problem. The results are applied to some particular examples and to mechanical systems with symmetries.