Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrating biological indicators in a Soil Monitoring Network ( SMN ) to improve soil quality diagnosis – a case study in Southern Belgium ( Wallonia )

Description of the subject. Soil organisms and their activities are essential for soil ecosystem functioning and they can thus be used as pertinent indicators of soil quality. Recent efforts have been undertaken to include biological indicators of soil quality into regional/national monitoring networks. Objectives. The aim of this study was to provide a first dataset of six biological indicators and two eco-physiological quotients for two landscape units in Wallonia. These spatial units are characterized by homogeneous climate conditions, soil type, land-use and management (here, grasslands in the Ardennes, and croplands in the Loam Region). Method. Respiration potential, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, net nitrogen mineralization, metabolic potential of soil bacteria and earthworm abundance were measured at a total of 60 sites in two different landscape units (LSU). Variability within each LSU was studied. Data was synthesized through calculation of a comprehensive score and presentation as radar plots. Results. All selected biological indicators were significantly higher under grassland than under cropland soils, highlighting the biological indicators’ power of discrimination between main land use types. Variability within LSU depended on the biological indicator and was generally higher in grassland than in cropland soils. Each site could unambiguously be assigned to its landscape unit based on its calculated comprehensive score. Radar plots allowed an assessment of the distribution of values within a landscape unit at a glance. Conclusions. The pilot-study defined the first baseline values for agricultural soils in Wallonia and laid the foundation for a monitoring network of biological soil quality.
Prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) concentrations in hypogonadal men during 6 years of transdermal testosterone treatment

Hypogonadism affects an estimated 2–4 million men in the USA, but only 5% receive treatment. Testosterone replacement therapy reduces the effects of testosterone deficiency on sexual function, mood and energy in hypogonadal patients. Long‐term hypogonadism management requires testosterone treatment to restore serum concentrations of testosterone and its active metabolites, within physiological ranges; a testosterone preparation that achieves physiological plasma concentrations without supra‐physiological escape is a preferred option. A previous 1‐year study European clinical study showed the efficacy and safety of a transdermal testosterone patch (Testopatch®). The present study shows the long‐term (6‐year) safety and efficacy of Testopatch in patients with primary or secondary hypogonadism. We show that, over the long‐term, Testopatch was associated with no relevant changes in PSA concentration and PSA velocity, or any significant prostate risks (there were no cases of prostate cancer).
Embedded system environment: A framework for TLM-based design and prototyping

This paper presents Embedded System Environment (ESE), which is a comprehensive set of tools for supporting a model-based design methodology for multi-processor embedded systems. It consists of two parts: ESE Front-End and ESE BackEnd. ESE Front-End provides automatic generation of SystemC transaction level models (TLMs) from graphical capture of system platform and application C/C++ code. ESE generated TLMs can be used either as virtual platforms for SW development or for fast and early timing estimation of system performance. ESE Back-End provides automatic synthesis from TLM to Cycle Accurate Model (CAM) consisting of RTL interfaces, system SW and prototype ready FPGA project files. ESE generated RTL can be synthesized using standard logic synthesis tools and system SW can be compiled along with application code for target processors. ESE automatically creates Xilinx EDK projects for board prototyping. Our experimental results demonstrate that ESE can drastically reduce embedded system design and prototyping time, while maintaining design quality similar to manual design.
Crowding Out in the Labor Market: A Prosocial Setting Is Necessary

Recent studies, mostly from prosocial settings, suggest that monetary rewards may crowd out effort exertion by economic agents. We design a field experiment with data entry workers to investigate the extent of such crowding-out effects in a labor market. Using simple variations in the job description of a task, we induce a natural work setting under the work frame and emphasize social preference under the social frame. We find that crowding out of labor participation critically depends on framing---whereas small monetary rewards reduce the participation rate under the social frame, the participation rate is nondecreasing in the wage rate under the work frame. Moreover, among the workers who participate in the task, those who receive a positive wage perform a considerably higher amount of work than those who are paid zero wage under either frame. Thus, there is weak evidence of crowding out only when the task is explicitly given a prosocial flavor and not under a regular work setting. Furthermore, emphasizing social preference in the labor market in such a way reduces the overall labor supply and seems to have an adverse effect on the quality of work. Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi. org/10.1287/mnsc.2013. 1807 . This paper was accepted by John List, behavioral economics.
Overexpression of decoy receptor 3 in synovial tissues of inflammatory arthritis.

OBJECTIVES Decoy receptor 3 (DCR3) was a newly identified soluble receptor which was reported to modulate the function of T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages. The aim of this study was to investigate DCR3 expression on the synovial tissue in different types of arthritis. METHODS We obtained synovial tissues from 17 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 17 ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 17 osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Synovial specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The amount of lymphocytes and mononuclear cells infiltration and vascularity during light microscopic examination was scored from 0-4. The expression of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD68 and DCR3 in lining layer (LL) and sublining layer (SL) cells was stained using the immunohistochemical method and analysed by microscopic examination (score from 0-4, 0=absent, 1=slight, 2=moderate, 3=large, 4=extreme). RESULTS OA patients were older than the RA and AS patients (65.9±10.3 years for OA, 58.4±17.7 for RA, and 43.2±16.4 for AS). Synovial tissues in RA patients had significantly increased mononuclear cells infiltration when compared to AS and OA patients (2.3±0.6, 1.9±0.5, 1.6±0.5, respectively, p<0.05). There was no striking difference in DCR3 expression in the synovial LL between RA, AS, and OA patients. CD4+ T cells and CD68+ monocytes/macrophages in the SL were more prominent in RA and AS than in OA (p<0.05). Similarly, DCR3 in the SL was more overexpressed in RA and AS than in OA (1.83±0.21, 1.71±0.36, 1.39±0.31, respectively, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The increased synovial inflammatory cells infiltration in RA and AS was associated with the elevated DCR3 expression.
Untersuchungen zu Phloembeladungsmechanismen bei Laubbäumen am Beispiel von Quercus robur und Fraxinus excelsior

Phloembeladung ist ein zentraler Mechanismus in der Translokation von Fotoassimilaten von den Orten der Fotosynthese zu den heterotrophen Organen einer Pflanze. Das Wissen uber diesen Prozess stammt in erster Linie aus Untersuchungen an krautigen Pflanzen – wenig ist uber diesen Mechanismus in Baumen bekannt. Aufgrund einiger physiologischer Besonderheiten von Baumen werden diese uberwiegend zu den passiven Phloembeladern gezahlt, wahrend bei krautigen Pflanzen bekannt ist, dass die Phloembeladung aktiv apoplastisch oder aktiv symplastisch ablauft. Da nur wenige empirische Daten uber die Beladung des Phloems in Geholzen vorliegen, wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit die Phloembeladung an zwei reprasentativ ausgewahlten Baumarten im Detail untersucht. Ausgehend von der Anatomie der kleinsten Blattadern (minor veins) und der im Phloem transportierten Zucker wird Quercus robur (Stiel-Eiche) zu den passiven Phloembeladern gezahlt, wahrend Fraxinus excelsior (Gemeine Esche) einen fur aktiv symplastische Belader typischen Aufbau des Phloems aufweist. Es konnte mithilfe der Nicht-wassrigen Fraktionierung (NWF) gezeigt werden, dass in beiden Arten das Phloem aktiv beladen werden muss, da ein steiler Konzentrationsgradient der Transportzucker in Richtung Mesophyll eine rein passive Diffusion verhindert. Zusatzlich wurden Saccharose-Transporter (SUT) fur Q. robur (QrSUT1) und F. excelsior (FeSUT1) isoliert und in Hefe charakterisiert. Es zeigte sich, dass beide Transporter Saccharose transportieren konnen und uber SUT-typische Substrataffinitaten verfugen (QrSUT1 = 6,78 mM, FeSUT1 = 2,08 mM). Der Transporter FeSUT1 konnte mit spezifischen Antikorpern in den Geleitzellen des Phloems nachgewiesen werden, was seine Bedeutung fur die Beladung des Phloems mit Saccharose unterstreicht. Quantitative Real-Time PCR-Analysen zeigten, dass in beiden Arten die Transporter in allen untersuchten Geweben und zu jeder Jahreszeit exprimiert wurden. Bei Q. robur ist die Expression von QrSUT1 in source-Blattern am starksten, wahrend FeSUT1 bei F. excelsior vor allem in Wurzeln exprimiert wird. Fur Q. robur spielt der SUT-vermittelte apoplastische Beladungsweg vermutlich eine geringere Rolle als fur F. excelsior. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen, dass der fur Baume generell postulierte passive Beladungsmechanismus in den beiden untersuchten Arten nicht zutrifft. Vielmehr ist davon auszugehen, dass das Phloem in ahnlicher Weise wie bei krautigen Pflanzen aktiv beladen wird. Q. robur ist wahrscheinlich ein aktiver apoplastischer Belader, wahrend F. excelsior das Phloem aktiv symplastisch und apoplastisch beladt.
Small RNAs from Seed to Mature Plant

Abstract Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are being used by plants to direct gene expression. In plants, different classes of sRNAs exist based on their biogenesis and origin. Among them, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) chiefly mask post-transcriptional gene expression. Initiation of translational inhibition or degradation requires the binding of miRNAs with the complementary messenger RNA (mRNA) target sites. From seed germination to plant formation, current studies report that sRNAs have a significant role in various plant developmental phases. Moreover, these sRNAs have been engaged throughout the plant evolutionary pathway, playing an active role in the shaping and functioning of various plant organs. Given the importance of sRNAs in the plant development and life cycle, this review article elaborates on the critical involvement of sRNAs in different phases of plant life starting from the seed and progressing towards the mature plant.
Plasma 1,5-Anhydro-D-Glucitol as New Clinical Marker of Glycemic Control in NIDDM Patients

To elucidate the value of using plasma 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol (AG) as a marker of glycemic control in diabetic patients, the relationship between the plasma concentration of AG and glucosuria was examined in 152 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). After recovery from the deterioration of glycemic control in NIDDM patients had started, AG began to increase day by day. The recovery of plasma AG showed a constant linear increase curve when excellent glycemic control was attained. The ordinary daily recovery rate of plasma AG was estimated to be 0.3 μg/ml, which was independent of body weight, sex, age, the difference in treatment, the duration of diabetes, or the level of plasma AG among NIDDM patients. This rate decreased according to the increase in urinary glucose. When we calculated the decrease rate of plasma AG (ΔAG), assuming 0.3 μ/day to be the maximum increase rate in a day, we found a high correlation between βAG and urinary glucose at almost all AG levels except the normal range and observed that plasma AG ((A)) times urinary glucose (G) was relatively constant. The formula A × G = 16 is a simple equation for rough estimation of urinary glucose from the plasma AG concentration in a stable glycemic-controlled NIDDM patient, and we call it the A ⋅ G index. The plasma AG also correlated significantly with fasting plasma glucose (r = −.810) and glycosylated hemoglobin (r = −.856) in the same stable glycemic-controlled NIDDM patients. Based on these observations, we propose that plasma AG can serve as a new marker that may provide sensitive and analytical information about glycemic control.
Comparing Effectiveness of Experimental and Implemented Bycatch Reduction Measures: the Ideal and the Real

Abstract: Fishers, scientists, and resource managers have made substantial progress in reducing bycatch of sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals through physical modifications to fishing gear. Many bycatch‐avoidance measures have been developed and tested successfully in controlled experiments, which have led to regulated implementation of modified or new fishing gear. Nevertheless, successful bycatch experiments may not translate to effective mitigation in commercial fisheries because experimental conditions are relaxed in commercial fishing operations. Such a difference between experimental results and real‐world results with fishing fleets may have serious consequences for management and conservation of protected species taken as bycatch. We evaluated preimplementation experimental measures and postimplementation efficacy from primary and gray literature for three case studies: acoustic pingers that warn marine mammals of the presence of gill nets, turtle excluder devices that reduce bycatch of turtles in trawls, and various measures to reduce seabird bycatch in longlines. Three common themes to successful implementation of bycatch reduction measures are long‐standing collaborations among the fishing industry, scientists, and resource managers; pre‐ and postimplementation monitoring; and compliance via enforcement and incentives.
Self-disclosing communication.

Self-disclosure is a relatively infrequent form of communication but one which is claimed to be important in a variety of contexts. Various writers have identified individuals' ability and willingness to self-disclose as determinants of their personal health and satisfaction, success in being understood and working competently with others, and ability to provide communication experiences which others find satisfying and therapeutic. This paper summarizes the contributions of the self-disclosure literature for an understanding of self-disclosing communication. Although this literature is extensive, a considerable portion of it is irrelevant from a communication perspective. Conceptualizations of self-disclosure differ in important ways, making it difficult to compare studies. Further, much of the research studied self-disclosure as a personality trait rather than a process of communication or analyzed exchanges of messages in terms of a linear model of communication. The present study explicates a conceptualization of self-disclosure as an invitation to share experience and communication as an interpersonal transaction. Five generalizations about self-disclosing communication consistent with these conceptualizations are drawn from the literature. The utility of the review for analyses of particular communication problems is described.
Einstein centennial review article / Article de synthèse commémoratif du centenaire de l'année miraculeuse d'Einstein Fundamental physical constants: looking from different angles 1

We consider fundamental physical constants that are among a few of the most important pieces of information we have learned about Nature after intensive centuries-long study. We discuss their multifunctional role in modern physics including problems related to the art of measurement, natural and practical units, the origin of the constants, their possible calculability and variability, etc.
Le bien-être et la santé au travail. Position du problème.

L'une des thematiques de recherche de l'INRS est centree sur le bien-etre et la sante au travail. Cette preoccupation pour le bien-etre prend de l'ampleur, a la fois dans les institutions concernees par la sante au travail, dans les themes de recherches au niveau europeen et dans un certain nombre d'entreprises. A l'heure ou les atteintes manifestes a la sante continuent de concerner un nombre important de salaries, qu'il s'agisse des pathologies emergentes ou des accidents du travail, il n'est pas inutile de preciser les raisons de l'interet pour cette thematique. En tout etat de cause, il est apparu a l'INRS que le probleme meritait d'etre pose et cette note scientifique vise a amener le lecteur a mieux cerner les attendus du sujet et a l'aider a poser les premiers jalons a partir desquels des axes de progres seront developpes par l'INRS dans le cadre de cette thematique.
Méthodes par abstraction et extraction pour le résumé de conversations orales issues de centres d’appels téléphoniques

Le resume automatique de document repose generalement sur des methodes par extraction qui selectionnent dans le texte des passages pertinents et les juxtaposent pour former un resume. Ces methodes sont peu adaptees a la problematique du resume de conversations orales de part la nature spontanee de celles-ci et l’importance de l’interaction entre les locuteurs. En ne selectionnant que certains passages, les resumes par extraction ne contiennent qu’un verbatim de ce qui a ete dit, et non pas une description synthetique de ce qui s’est passe lors de la conversation. C'est pourquoi des approche abstractives basees sur la detection de concepts permettrait de palier ces difficultes.Dans un premier temps nous testons et analysons des methodes de resumes par extraction appliquees a des donnees orales. Puis nous etudions l'interet de l'utilisation de modeles semantiques dans la tâche de resume automatique. Enfin nous proposons une methode de resume a base de patrons.Les methodes de resume par remplissage de patrons ont montre leur interet dans des domaines specifiques pour le resume automatique de texte. Dans notre cas, elles permettent de traiter du probleme de difference de genre entre les donnees source (transcriptions de conversations) et la forme des resumes a generer (narration synthetique). Toutefois, elles necessitent l’ecriture manuelle de patrons de resumes et l’annotation manuelle de quantites de donnees source en concepts a detecter pour remplir ces patrons.
Percutaneous mitral valve annuloplasty for ischemic mitral regurgitation: First in man experience with a temporary implant

Objective: This study evaluated human feasibility and acute efficacy of a novel percutaneous transvenous mitral annuloplasty (PTMA™) device (Viacor) placed temporarily in the coronary sinus (CS): the implant allows in‐situ incremental adjustment to optimally reduce the anterior–posterior mitral annulus (MA) dimension, and improve leaflet co‐aptation and reducing mitral regurgitation (MR). Background: Surgical annuloplasty remains the standard treatment of severe ischemic MR but its application is limited by high morbidity and mortality. The effectiveness of PTMA device (Viacor) to reduce MR in the short‐term has been demonstrated in animals studies but not in humans. Methods: Symptomatic patients with ischemic MR graded 2+ to 4+ requiring surgical mitral annuloplasty were screened. Patients with any mitral leaflet or mitral apparatus abnormality were excluded. Preoperatively, under general anesthesia and transesophageal echocardiography guidance, a temporary PTMA device was placed via the right internal jugular or subclavian vein. Results: Four patients were studied. After device placement and adjustment, regurgitant volume was substantially reduced (45.5 ± 24.4 to 13.3 ± 7.3 ml) via MA anterior–posterior diameter reduction (40.75 ± 4.3 to 35.2 ± 1.6 mm) in 3 patients. In one patient, the PTMA device could not be deployed due to extreme angulated anatomy. Conclusions: PTMA in human is feasible and reduces ischemic MR (to grade 1+) by reducing MA anterior–posterior diameter. Temporary placement of the PTMA device may assist in the development of permanent implants and ensure optimal efficacy. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Effect of Fish Consumption on DDT and DDE Levels in Breast Milk Among Hispanic Immigrants

A study was conducted to (1) determine the concentration of DDT/DDE in the breast milk of mothers residing in the Yakima river basin (WA, USA), (2) assess the relative impact of fish consumption on the total DDT/DDE body burden, and (3) determine if the amount of DDT/DDE received by their breastfed infants exceeds levels that could produce deleterious effects. Results indicate that fish consumption did not significantly increase DDT/DDE breast milk concentrations. Subjects born in Mexico had elevated levels of DDT/DDE in breast milk compared to levels found in US born subjects regardless of fish consumption. Infant daily intake levels for the various subject groups were determined and compared to acceptable and tolerable daily intake levels. With benefits of breast milk well understood, breastfeeding should still be strongly recommended for these mothers.
The improved BiCG method for large and sparse linear systems on parallel distributed memory architectures

For the solutions of large and sparse linear systems of equations with unsymmetric coefficient matrices, we propose an improved version of the BiConjugate Gradient method (IBiCG) method based on [5, 6] by using the Lanczos process as a major component combining elements of numerical stability and parallel algorithm design. For Lanczos process, stability is obtained by a coupled two-term procedure that generates Lanczos vectors scaled to unit length. The algorithm is derived such that all inner products, matrix-vector multiplications and vector updates of a single iteration step are independent and communication time required for inner product can be overlapped efficiently with computation time of vector updates. Therefore, the cost of global communication on parallel distributed memory computers can be significantly reduced. The resulting IBiCG algorithm maintains the favorable properties of the Lanczos process while not increasing computational costs. Data distribution suitable for both irregularly and regularly structured matrices based on the analysis of the non-zero matrix elements is presented. Communication scheme is supported by overlapping execution of computation and communication to reduce waiting times. The efficiency of this method is demonstrated by numerical experimental results carried out on a massively parallel distributed memory system.
Introduction au dossier « Whose right to the city ?/Le droit à la ville, pour qui ? »

Introduction Le “droit a la ville” s’est impose ces dernieres annees comme un concept cle, autant dans les spheres academiques que dans les mouvements issus de la societe civile ou au sein des politiques publiques. Des institutions onusiennes aux mouvements citoyens de reappropriation de l’espace urbain, l’accessibilite de la ville pour tous est devenue une preoccupation fondamentale. En formulant ce concept de « droit a la ville », Lefebvre (1968) referait a une reappropriation des processus.