Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analyse échocardiographique des déformations myocardiques en speckle tracking

For 20 years, analysis of systolic myocardial function by echocardiography is a major challenge to improve the detection and the quantification of myocardial contractility abnormalities. The principle of myocardial deformation analysis consists in evaluating the percentage of myocardial thickening or shortening during the cardiac cycle. After a big step forward with the advent of tissue Doppler imaging for 15 years, the 4 last years have seen the apparition of a new technique of bidimensional analysis, without angle dependency, based on the tracking of the acoustic markers of the myocardial wall, and called speckle tracking echocardiography or 2D strain . This thesis reports serial studies oriented on the validation of this new tool and on the experimental application of this technique in the detection of myocardial ischemia during pharmacological dobutamine stress echocardiography, in comparison with myocardial perfusion analysis by contrast echocardiography. Finally, we report some clinical experiences using the speckle tracking echocardiography which attest of some clinical potential applications of this technique in the management of the patients with different cardiomyopathies: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, lone paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and analysis of myocardial regional deformation during low doses dobutamine infusion to investigate viability in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. L analyse de la fonction systolique en echocardiographie represente un challenge majeur depuis une vingtaine d annees dans le but d ameliorer la detection et la quantification des anomalies de la contraction myocardique. L analyse des deformations myocardiques consiste a etudier le pourcentage d etirement ou de raccourcissement myocardiques au cours du cycle cardiaque. Apres le grand pas en avant dans ce domaine, consecutif a l avenement du Doppler tissulaire il y a un quinzaine d annees, ces 4 dernieres annees ont vu naitre une nouvelle technique d analyse bidimensionnelle des deformations, porteuse de grands espoirs car s affranchissant de la limitation liee a l angle d incidence Doppler et basee sur le suivi des marqueurs acoustiques de la paroi myocardique : le speckle tracking echocardiography ou 2D strain . Cette these rapporte tout d abord une serie de travaux orientes sur la validation de ce nouvel outil. Nous avons ensuite applique experimentalement cette technique pour evaluer sa capacite a detecter l ischemie myocardique lors d un examen de stress sous dobutamine en comparaison a l analyse de perfusion myocardique en echographie de contraste. Enfin, nous exposons plusieurs experiences cliniques qui temoignent de quelques applications potentielles de cette technique dans la prise en charge des patients porteurs de cardiopathies diverses : myocardiopathie hypertrophique, fibrillation auriculaire paroxystique et recherche de viabilite sous faibles doses de dobutamine chez les patients porteurs d une cardiopathie ischemique.
Edge-aware simplification of roof and facade point clouds into a uniformly dense point cloud:

Point clouds can be obtained by airborne or terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanning or directly from street-view panoramic imagery. Point clouds obtained from airborne scanners cover most roof information but lack facade information. Similar but orthogonal to airborne scanning, street-view point clouds cover well of the facade information but lack roof points. Therefore, it is necessary to combine those point clouds in order to construct a complete building model. For this combination, simplification is needed in which edge preservation, outlier removal, noise smoothing and uniform density have to be considered as these properties are desired in many post-processing applications. In this thesis, an algorithm pipeline is proposed that is able to take in an outlier-ridden, noisy and non-uniform roof and facade point clouds and generate an outlier-removed, edge-aware and uniform point cloud. The algorithm pipeline can be divided into two independent phases: outlier removal and simplification. The outlier removal algorithm can remove singly scattered and small cluster of outliers, whereas the simplification algorithm pipeline is able to generate a noise-reduced, uniform and edge-aware point cloud. The pipeline is validated to be able to achieve the objectives. Proof of efficiency in running-time is given, so that it can be used for processing large-size real-scene point clouds.
Composite right/left‐handed wideband metamaterial antenna loaded with SRRs and CSRRs to improve gain and efficiency

A coplanar waveguide-fed metamaterial antenna is presented. The proposed antenna is composed of two-unit cell composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL) loaded with split ring resonators (SRRs) and complementary SRRs (CSRRs). The wideband characteristic is obtained by merging the three closely spaced resonances of CRLH-TL. The loading of SRRs and CSRRs not only improves the impedance matching but also enhances the overall gain and radiation efficiency. The measured results show a −10 dB fractional bandwidth of 67% (6.48–13 GHz) with the realised gains of 2.98, 3.43, 3.15, 2.75 and 2.61 dBi at the resonant frequencies 8.3, 9.2, 10.3, 11 and 12 GHz, respectively. The radiation efficiency is above 67% over the entire band of operation with a peak value of 81.72%. The measured results agree well with the simulated results. The proposed antenna is suitable for X-band (8–12 GHz) applications.
Microbial Dynamics during labneh Ambaris Production in Earthenware Jars

The responses of various microbial populations to modifications in the physicochemical properties of a food matrix, as well as interactions between these populations already present, are the main factors that shape microbial dynamics in that matrix. This work focused on the study of microbial dynamics during labneh Ambaris production, a traditional Lebanese concentrated fermented goat milk made in jars during 3 months. This was assessed in two earthenware jars at a production facility. DNA metabarcoding of the ITS2 region as well as the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was used to characterize the fungal and bacterial communities, respectively. Viable bacterial isolates were also identified by Sanger sequencing of the V1–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Our results showed that the dominant microorganisms identified within labneh Ambaris (Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lentilactobacillus kefiri, Lactococcus lactis, Geotrichum candidum, Pichia kudriavzevii and Starmerella sp.) settle early in the product and remain until the end of maturation with varying abundances throughout fermentation. Microbial counts increased during early fermentation stage, and remained stable during mid-fermentation, then declined during maturation. While microbial compositions were globally comparable between the two jars during mid-fermentation and maturation stages, differences between the two jars were mainly detected during early fermentation stage (D0 until D10). No significant sensorial differences were observed between the final products made in the two jars. Neither coliforms nor Enterobacteriaceae were detected in their viable state, starting D7 in both jars, suggesting the antimicrobial properties of the product.
Early Career Materials Researcher Prospective

Clay-based nanocomposites (CBNC) contain one or multiple clay materials within a matrix system (typically a polymer). There is a growing interest in clay nanocomposites due to their unique properties, such as increased mechanical strength, thermal stability, gas barrier properties and flame retardancy. Due to clay’s abundance and low toxicity, clay nanocomposites offer an eco-friendly alternative to conventional materials in various fields, making them an essential component in the pursuit of healthcare and sustainable applications. Recently, the printing of clay nanocomposite has emerged as an active research topic thanks to the benefits of additive manufacturing, such as rapid prototyping, on-demand manufacturing and low-cost fabrication of complex structures. This review aims to summarize the recent progress in 3D-printed CBNCs and potential printable CBNC systems. In addition, research challenges and opportunities are also discussed in healthcare and sustainable applications, emphasizing their potential for future developments in these fields.
Could there be a relationship between feeding characteristics and the shape of condylus occipitalis and foramen magnum in mammals?

: The aim of the study was to investigate the shape of the foramen magnum and condylus occipitalis of mammalian species belonging to different feeding groups. For this, two-dimensional geometric morphometric method analyses were applied. The data from the skulls of the 12 species were used. In principal component analysis, the first three principal components accounted for 70.353%of the total shape variation. According to the first principal component, the dorsal edge of the condylus occipitalis and foramen magnum contributed the most to shape variation. Most of the individuals were correctly separated according to the feeding groups. The most accurate grouping features were herbivorous and omnivorous. The mean shape of the foramen magnum and condylus occipitalis differed according to the feeding groups. As a result, our hypothesis was strengthened that the general shape of the analyzed region is influenced by the feeding factor
E-Bayesian and Hierarchical Bayesian Estimation of Hazard rate for Kumaraswamy Distribution

: In this article, with the use of the Bayesian, Expected Bayesian, and H-Bayesian estimation methods, the shape parameter and hazard rate of the Kumaraswamy distribution are calculated. Three separate loss functions the Squared Error loss function(SELF), the Precautionary loss function(PLF), and the Asymmetry loss function(ALF) along with an informative prior the Gamma prior are used to provide the estimates . The deﬁnitions and properties of the proposed estimators are given. Monte Carlo simulation is used to compare all of the estimates in terms of mean square error (MSE). Taking data from the real world, different estimation methodologies’ efﬁcacy has also been studied. Numerical analyses show that the E-Bayesian estimates outperform the Bayesian and Hierarchical estimates.
An Innovative Faster R-CNN-Based Framework for Breast Cancer Detection in MRI

Replacing lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer globally, breast cancer (BC) today accounts for 1 in 8 cancer diagnoses and a total of 2.3 million new cases in both sexes combined. An estimated 685,000 women died from BC in 2020, corresponding to 16% or 1 in every 6 cancer deaths in women. BC represents a quarter of a total of cancer cases in females and by far the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in 2020. However, when detected in the early stages of the disease, treatment methods have proven to be very effective in increasing life expectancy and, in many cases, patients fully recover. Several medical imaging modalities, such as X-rays Mammography (MG), Ultrasound (US), Computer Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Digital Tomosynthesis (DT) have been explored to support radiologists/physicians in clinical decision-making workflows for the detection and diagnosis of BC. In this work, we propose a novel Faster R-CNN-based framework to automate the detection of BC pathological Lesions in MRI. As a main contribution, we have developed and experimentally (statistically) validated an innovative method improving the “breast MRI preprocessing phase” to select the patient’s slices (images) and associated bounding boxes representing pathological lesions. In this way, it is possible to create a more robust training (benchmarking) dataset to feed Deep Learning (DL) models, reducing the computation time and the dimension of the dataset, and more importantly, to identify with high accuracy the specific regions (bounding boxes) for each of the patient’s images, in which a possible pathological lesion (tumor) has been identified. As a result, in an experimental setting using a fully annotated dataset (released to the public domain) comprising a total of 922 MRI-based BC patient cases, we have achieved, as the most accurate trained model, an accuracy rate of 97.83%, and subsequently, applying a ten-fold cross-validation method, a mean accuracy on the trained models of 94.46% and an associated standard deviation of 2.43%.
Evaluation of Hematological Profiles and Monocyte Subpopulations in Water Buffalo Calves after Immunization with Two Different IBR Marker Vaccines and Subsequent Infection with Bubaline alphaherpesvirus-1

Bubaline alphaherpesvirus-1 (BuAHV-1) and Bovine alphaherpesvirus-1 (BoAHV-1) are respiratory viruses that can cause an infection known as “Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis” (IBR) in both water buffalo and bovine species. As the main disease control strategy, vaccination can protect animals from clinical disease through the development of specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. In the present study, the time-related circulatory kinetics of hematological profile and bubaline monocyte subsets have been investigated in vaccinated buffalo calves after challenge infections with BuAHV-1. Thirteen buffalo calves were selected and grouped into the VAX-1 group, which received an IBR-live-attenuated gE-/tk-deleted marker vaccine; the VAX-2 group, which received an IBR-inactivated gE-deleted marker vaccine; the CNT group, which remained an unvaccinated control. Fifty-five days after the first vaccination, the animals were infected with 5 × 105.00 TCID50/mL of wild-type BuAHV-1 strain via the intranasal route. Whole blood samples were collected at 0, 2, 4, 7, 10, 15, 30, and 63 days post-challenge (PCDs) for the analysis of hematological profiles and the enumeration of monocyte subsets via flow cytometry. The analysis of leukocyte compositions revealed that neutrophils were the main leukocyte population, with a relative increase during the acute infection. On the other hand, a general decrease in the proportion of lymphocytes was observed early in the post-infection, both for the VAX-1 and VAX-2 groups, while in the CNT group, the decrease was observed later at +30 and +63 PCDs. An overall infection-induced increase in blood total monocytes was observed in all groups. The rise was especially marked in the animals vaccinated with an IBR-live-attenuated gE-/tK-deleted marker vaccine (VAX-1 group). A multicolor flow cytometry panel was used to identify the bubaline monocyte subpopulations (classical = cM; intermediate = intM; and non-classical = ncM) and to investigate their variations during BuAHV-1 infection. Our results showed an early increase in cMs followed by a second wave of intMs. This increase was observed mainly after stimulation with live-attenuated viruses in the VAX-1 group compared with the animals vaccinated with the inactivated vaccine or the non-vaccinated animal group. In summary, the present study characterized, for the first time, the hematological profile and distribution of blood monocyte subsets in vaccinated and non-vaccinated water buffalo in response to experimental infection with BuAHV-1. Although not experimentally proven, our results support the hypothesis of a linear developmental relationship between monocyte subsets.
Ornithodoros sonrai Soft Ticks and Associated Bacteria in Senegal

The soft ticks, Ornithodoros sonrai, are known as vectors of the tick-borne relapsing fever caused by Borrelia spp. and have also been reported to carry other micro-organisms. The objective of this study was to collect and to identify O. sonrai ticks and to investigate the micro-organisms associated with them. In 2019, an investigation of burrows within human dwellings was conducted in 17 villages in the Niakhar area and in 15 villages in the Sine-Saloum area in the Fatick region of Senegal. Ticks collected from the burrows were identified morphologically and by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Micro-organism screening was performed by bacteria-specific qPCR and some identifications were made by standard PCR and gene sequencing. O. sonrai ticks were found in 100% (17/17) of the villages surveyed in the Niakhar area and in 66% (10/15) of the villages in the Sine-Saloum area. A total of 1275 soft tick specimens were collected from small mammal burrows. The ticks collected were morphologically identified as O. sonrai. About 20% (259/1275) of the specimens were also submitted to MALDI-TOF MS for identification. Among the resulting MS profiles, 87% (139/159) and 95% (95/100) were considered good quality specimens, preserved in alcohol and silica gel, respectively. All spectra of good quality were tested against our MALDI-TOF MS arthropod spectra database and identified as O. sonrai species, corroborating the morphological classification. The carriage of four micro-organisms was detected in the ticks with a high prevalence of Bartonella spp. , Anaplasmataceae, and Borrelia spp. of 35, 28, and 26%, respectively, and low carriage of Coxiella burnetii (2%). This study highlights the level of tick infestation in domestic burrows, the inventory of pathogens associated with the O. sonrai tick, and the concern about the potential risk of tick involvement in the transmission of these pathogens in Senegal.
The Prognostic Significance of KIAA1522 Expression in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients

The majority of lung cancers belong to the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) category, which is linked to a high mortality rate despite significant progress in diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, there is a need for novel prognostic NSCLC biomarkers to improve prognosis which currently remains poor. Recent studies and analyses of gene expression data of NSCLC revealed that high expression of KIAA1522 was significantly associated with poor prognosis and decreased overall survival. We identified 98 patients who underwent radical curative surgical resections or metastasectomy for pulmonary adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma at our institution or the pathological diagnosis confirmed by our pathologists. Following the latest data, we utilized immunohistochemistry to assess the expression of KIAA1522 and investigated its association with various clinic-demographic parameters, pathological stages, recurrence rates, overall survival, and disease-free survival in patients who achieved complete remission. Notably, there were no significant differences in the expression profiles of KIAA1522 between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma samples (p=0.6). Survival analysis was conducted using log-rank tests and a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. Of the 98 samples, 54 (55.1%) exhibited high expression of KIAA1522, and patients with high KIAA1522 expression had a significantly shorter overall survival than the low-expression group (p=0.01). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models in which metastatic patients were included revealed that along with older age, higher TNM stage (tumor, node, metastasis system), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, high expression of KIAA1522 served as an independent prognostic factor. A high expression profile was not significantly associated with relapses in those whose complete remission had been achieved. Still, those patients with high expression of KIAA1522 tended to exhibit a shorter disease-free survival rate. In conclusion, our findings suggest that KIAA1522 expression is an independent factor for predicting overall survival and may serve as a valuable prognostic indicator for relapse and disease-free survival in NSCLC patients.
The Impact of Environmental Features on Drivers’ Situation Awareness Using Real-World Driving Scenarios

Abstract Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) need to account for the driver’s awareness of the environment to be effectively used. This study examines the impact of environmental features (eg, visual complexity, object density, roadway type, lighting) on drivers’ situation awareness (SA). This is achieved using a controlled study with 40 participants. Using a split-plot design, the participants were shown 30 out of 75 real-world driving scenarios displayed in a driving simulator environment. Participants’ responses to Situational Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) queries on the type and coordinates of objects in the scene were used to calculate SA scores. A hurdle model was developed to estimate participants’ SA scores. The key findings highlight visual complexity as a significant predictor of SA scores. This predictor was easy to compute and able to capture the complexity of objects that impact road safety as well as the visual clutter in the background. The model showed that drivers were able to identify at least one object of interest in complex environments with high visual complexity and with many objects. A higher proportion of vulnerable road users was associated with a greater likelihood of a non-zero SA score, but the SA score was lower compared to environments with higher proportions of cars. The findings of this study provide insights into the environmental factors to be considered for SA predictive models.
Organizational based self-esteem: A systematic literature review

In the era of Society 5.0, businesses confront numerous opportunities and dangers. Despite the company's efforts to remain competitive in its industry, it faces numerous internal threats. Therefore, employees as valuable assets in the operation of the business require special treatment. Companies must prioritize employee welfare by assuring employees' psychological health. Organization-based self-esteem may be said to have been developed by employees who are invested in the organization, eligible for advancement, and have faith that their requirements will be met there. They are more likely to take pride in their work if they value themselves and their contributions to the company. This study uses a Systematic Literature Review scheme aimed at reviewing research previously related to Organizational Based Self Esteem within the scope of Human Resource Management. There are 120 pieces of research literature found and then filtered using the PRISMA method. Using the PICO method in collecting data using 2 sources, namely Science Direct and Emerald Insight. The results of filtering and data inclusion obtained 30 journals as material for the final review. Through this study, it was concluded that companies that have adopted self-esteem-based organizations (OBSE) realize that employees tend to feel more valued, supported, and motivated. Thus, having better performance, higher productivity, and greater job satisfaction.
Publicly available ex vivo transcriptomics datasets to explore CNS physiology and neurodegeneration: state of the art and perspectives

The central nervous system (CNS) is characterized by an intricate composition of diverse cell types, including neurons and glia cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia), whose functions may differ along time, between sexes and upon pathology. The advancements in high-throughput transcriptomics are providing fundamental insights on cell phenotypes, so that molecular codes and instructions are ever more described for CNS physiology and neurodegeneration. To facilitate the search of relevant information, this review provides an overview of key CNS transcriptomics studies ranging from CNS development to ageing and from physiology to pathology as defined for five neurodegenerative disorders and their relative animal models, with a focus on molecular descriptions whose raw data were publicly available. Accurate phenotypic descriptions of cellular states correlate with functional changes and this knowledge may support research devoted to the development of therapeutic strategies supporting CNS repair and function.