pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
A Systems Approach to Modeling Catastrophic Risk and Insurability

This paper describes a spatial-dynamic, stochastic optimization model that takes account of the complexities and dependencies of catastrophic risks. Following a description of the general model, the paper briefly discusses a case study of earthquake risk in the Irkutsk region of Russia. For this purpose the risk management model is customized to explicitly incorporate the geological characteristics of the region, as well as the seismic hazards and the vulnerability of the built environment. In its general form, the model can analyze the interplay between investment in mitigation and risk-sharing measures. In the application described in this paper, the model generates insurance strategies that are less vulnerable to insolvency
Oral versus intravenous high-dose methylprednisolone for treatment of relapses in patients with multiple sclerosis (COPOUSEP)

International audienceSummaryBackground High doses of intravenous methylprednisolone are recommended to treat relapses in patients with multiple sclerosis, but can be inconvenient and expensive. We aimed to assess whether oral administration of high-dose methylprednisolone was non-inferior to intravenous administration. Methods We did this multicentre, double-blind, randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial at 13 centres for multiple sclerosis in France. We enrolled patients aged 18–55 years with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who reported a relapse within the previous 15 days that caused an increase of at least one point in one or more scores on the Kurtzke Functional System Scale. With use of a computer-generated randomisation list and in blocks of four, we randomly assigned (1:1) patients to either oral or intravenous methylprednisolone, 1000 mg, once a day for 3 days. Patients, treating physicians and nurses, and data and outcome assessors were all masked to treatment allocation, which was achieved with the use of saline solution and placebo capsules. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who had improved by day 28 (decrease of at least one point in most affected score on Kurtzke Functional System Scale), without need for retreatment with corticosteroids, in the per-protocol population. The trial was powered to assess non-inferiority of oral compared with intravenous methylprednisolone with a predetermined non-inferiority margin of 15%. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00984984. Findings Between Jan 29, 2008, and June 14, 2013, we screened 200 patients and enrolled 199. We randomly assigned 100 patients to oral methylprednisolone and 99 patients to intravenous methylprednisolone with a mean time from relapse onset to treatment of 7·0 days (SD 3·6) and 7·4 days (3·9), respectively. In the per-protocol population, 66 (81%) of 82 patients in the oral group and 72 (80%) of 90 patients in the intravenous group achieved the primary endpoint (absolute treatment difference 0·5%, 90% CI −9·5 to 10·4). Rates of adverse events were similar, but insomnia was more frequently reported in the oral group (77 [77%]) than in the intravenous group (63 [64%]). Interpretation Oral administration of high-dose methylprednisolone for 3 days was not inferior to intravenous administration for improvement of disability scores 1 month after treatment and had a similar safety profile. This finding could have implications for access to treatment, patient comfort, and cost, but indication should always be properly considered by clinicians. Funding French Health Ministry, Ligue Française contre la SEP, Tev
Dealing with internal inconsistency in double-bounded dichotomous choice: an application to community-based health insurance

International audienceContingent valuation method is commonly used in the field of health economics in an attempt to help policy makers in their policy-making decision process. The use of the double-bounded dichotomous choice format results in a substantial gain in statistical efficiency over the single-bounded dichotomous choice format. Yet, there is internal inconsistency with a downward mean shifting in the second responses. Using data from a community-based health insurance survey, this paper aims at testing whether double certainty calibration reduces internal inconsistency in a double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation survey. Results suggest that double calibration significantly reduces internal inconsistency while maintaining the efficiency gain arising from the double-bounded format
Risk perception, a key component of systemic vulnerability of coastal zones to erosion-submersion. Case study on the French Mediterranean coast.

International audienceThis research is based on a view of vulnerability comprised of four main components: hazards (marine-meteorological factors and climate change, geomorphologic process), assets at stake (identification and valuation, commercial and non commercial goods, damage valuation), management (public policies of prevention and reparation), and perception of risk. Risks perception has a major position in systemic vulnerability evaluations because it gives precious indications on the variability of the points of view of the stakeholders, the degree of conscientiousness and sensibility of the exposed inhabitants, their attachment to their territory, their reactions to the hazards, etc. So it provides indications on their adaptation capacity. The results of a large survey conducted in 2009 of over more than 560 inhabitants and shopkeepers of a low and very urbanised stretch of the French Mediterranean coast (Palavas zone, Hérault) are analysed
Global Profiling of Proteolysis during Rupture of Plasmodium falciparum from the Host Erythrocyte

The obligate intracellular parasite pathogen Plasmodium falciparum is the causative agent of malaria, a disease that results in nearly one million deaths per year. A key step in disease pathology in the human host is the parasite-mediated rupture of red blood cells, a process that requires extensive proteolysis of a number of host and parasite proteins. However, only a relatively small number of specific proteolytic processing events have been characterized. Here we describe the application of the Protein Topography and Migration Analysis Platform (PROTOMAP) (Dix, M. M., Simon, G. M., and Cravatt, B. F. (2008) Global mapping of the topography and magnitude of proteolytic events in apoptosis. Cell 134, 679-691; Simon, G. M., Dix, M. M., and Cravatt, B. F. (2009) Comparative assessment of large-scale proteomic studies of apoptotic proteolysis. ACS Chem. Biol. 4, 401-408) technology to globally profile proteolytic events occurring over the last 6-8 h of the intraerythrocytic cycle of P. falciparum. Using this method, we were able to generate peptographs for a large number of proteins at 6 h prior to rupture as well as at the point of rupture and in purified merozoites after exit from the host cell. These peptographs allowed assessment of proteolytic processing as well as changes in both protein localization and overall stage-specific expression of a large number of parasite proteins. Furthermore, by using a highly selective inhibitor of the cysteine protease dipeptidyl aminopeptidase 3 (DPAP3) that has been shown to be a key regulator of host cell rupture, we were able to identify specific substrates whose processing may be of particular importance to the process of host cell rupture. These results provide the first global map of the proteolytic processing events that take place as the human malarial parasite extracts itself from the host red blood cell. These data also provide insight into the biochemical events that take place during host cell rupture and are likely to be valuable for the study of proteases that could potentially be targeted for therapeutic gain
A Quantile Approach to Integration
with Respect to Non-additive Measures

The aim of this paper is to introduce some classes of aggregation
functionals when the evaluation scale is a complete lattice.
We focus on the notion of quantile of a lattice-valued function which have several properties of its real-valued counterpart and we 
study a class of aggregation functionals that generalizes Sugeno 
integrals to the setting of complete lattices. 
Then we introduce in the real-valued case some classes
of aggregation functionals that extend Choquet and Sugeno integrals by considering a multiple quantile model
Application of an inverse neural network model for the identification of optimal amendment to reduce Copper toxicity in phytoremediated contaminated soils

International audienceArtificial neural network ANN prediction approaches applied to the modeling of soil behavior are often solved in the forward direction, by measuring the response of the soil (outputs) to a given set of soil inputs. Conversely, one may be interested in the assessment of a given set of soil inputs that leads to given (target) soil outputs. This is the inverse of the former problem. In this study, we develop and test an inverse artificial neural network model for the prediction of the optimal soil treatment to reduce copper (Cu) toxicity assessed by a given target concentration of Cu in dwarf bean leaves (BL) from selected soil inputs. In this study the inputs are the soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and a given target toxicity value of Cu, whereas the output is the best treatment to reduce the given toxicity level. It is shown that the proposed method can successfully identify the best soil treatment from the soil properties (inputs). Two important challenges for optimal treatment prediction using neural networks are the non-uniqueness of the solution of the inverse problem and the inaccuracies in the measurement of the soil properties (inputs). It is shown that the neural network prediction model proposed can overcome both these challenges. It is also shown that the proposed inverse neural network method can potentially be applied with a high level of success to the phytoremediation of contaminated soils. Before large-scale application, further validation is needed by performing several experiments and investigations including additional factors and their combinations to capture the complex soil behavior
Characterization of juvenile pyroclasts from the Kos Plateau Tuff (Aegean Arc): insights into the eruptive dynamics of a large rhyolitic eruption

International audienceSilicic pumices formed during explosive volcanic eruptions are faithful recorders of the state of the magma in the conduit, close to or at the fragmentation level. We have characterized four types of pumices from the non-welded rhyolitic Kos Plateau Tuff, which erupted 161,000 years ago in the East Aegean Arc, Greece. The dominant type of pumice (>90 vol.%) shows highly elongated tubular vesicles. These tube pumices occur throughout the eruption. Less common pumice types include: (1) “frothy” pumice (highly porous with large, sub-rounded vesicles), which form 5–10 vol.% of the coarsest pyroclastic flow deposits, (2) dominantly “microvesicular” and systematically crystal-poor pumices, which are found in early erupted, fine-grained pyroclastic flow units, and are characterized by many small (<50 μm in diameter) vesicles and few mm-sized, irregular voids, (3) grey or banded pumices, indicating the interaction between the rhyolite and a more mafic magma, which are found throughout the eruption sequence and display highly irregular bubble shapes. Except for the grey-banded pumices, all three other types are compositionally identical and were generated synchronously as they are found in the same pyroclastic units. They, therefore, record different conditions in the volcanic conduit leading to variable bubble nucleation, growth and coalescence. A total of 74 pumice samples have been characterized using thin section observation, SEM imagery, porosimetry, and permeametry. We show that the four pumice types have distinct total and connected porosity, tortuosity and permeability. Grey-banded pumices show large variations in petrophysical characteristics as a response to mingling of two different magmas. The microvesicular, crystal-poor, pumices have a bimodal bubble size distribution, interpreted as reflecting an early heterogeneous bubble nucleation event followed by homogeneous bubble nucleation close to fragmentation. Finally, the significant differences in porosity, tortuosity and permeability in compositionally identical tube and frothy pumices are the result of variable shear rates in different parts of the conduit. Differential shear rates may be the result of either: (1) pure shear, inducing a vertical progression from frothy to tube and implying a relatively thick fragmentation zone to produce both types of pumices at the same time or (2) localized simple shear, inducing strongly tubular vesicles along the wall and near-spherical bubbles in the centre of the conduit and not necessarily requiring a thick fragmentation zone
FIT for the purpose? Open space planning standards in Britain

Open space is often neglected in academic discussion of leisure policy, yet local authorities in England are responsible for 94,000 ha of formal parks, 4400 ha of equipped playgrounds and 285,000 ha of other public open space, involving a net annual expenditure £750m, which is greater than the expenditure on, for example, indoor sport and sport development (£630m) (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy [CIPFA], 2009). Furthermore, visiting parks is arguably the most popular of publicly facilitated leisure activities after the use of public broadcasting (Veal, 2006) and with continued urban renewal, and population growth in England and Wales of a million every 4 years (Office for National Statistics, 2008), the provision of open space, as a component of new urban infrastructure, remains a significant public policy issue
Survival gains needed to offset persistent adverse treatment effects in localised prostate cancer

Men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer (LPC) face difficult choices between treatment options that can cause persistent problems with sexual, urinary and bowel function. Controlled trial evidence about the survival benefits of the full range of treatment alternatives is limited, and patients' views on the survival gains that might justify these problems have not been quantified. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was administered in a random subsample (n = 357, stratified by treatment) of a population-based sample (n = 1381) of men, recurrence-free 3 years after diagnosis of LPC, and 65 age-matched controls (without prostate cancer). Survival gains needed to justify persistent problems were estimated by substituting side effect and survival parameters from the DCE into an equation for compensating variation (adapted from welfare economics). Median (2.5, 97.5 centiles) survival benefits needed to justify severe erectile dysfunction and severe loss of libido were 4.0 (3.4, 4.6) and 5.0 (4.9, 5.2) months. These problems were common, particularly after androgen deprivation therapy (ADT): 40 and 41% overall (n = 1381) and 88 and 78% in the ADT group (n = 33). Urinary leakage (most prevalent after radical prostatectomy (n - 839, mild 41%, severe 18%)) needed 4.2 (4.1, 4.3) and 27.7 (26.9, 28.5) months survival benefit, respectively. Mild bowel problems (most prevalent (30%) after external beam radiotherapy (n = 106)) needed 6.2 (6.1, 6.4) months survival benefit
Protein C receptor (PROCR) is a negative regulator of Th17 pathogenicity

Th17 cells are key players in defense against pathogens and maintaining tissue homeostasis, but also act as critical drivers of autoimmune diseases. Based on single-cell RNA-seq profiling of pathogenic versus nonpathogenic Th17 cells, we identified protein C receptor (PROCR) as a cell surface molecule expressed in covariance with the regulatory module of Th17 cells. Although PROCR expression in T cells was controlled by the cooperative action of the Th17 lineage-specific transcription factors RORγt, IRF4, and STAT3, PROCR negatively regulated Th17 differentiation. CD4+ T cells from PROCR low expressor mutant mice readily differentiated into Th17 cells, whereas addition of the PROCR ligand, activated protein C, inhibited Th17 differentiation in vitro. In addition, PROCR acted as a negative regulator of Th17 pathogenicity in that it down-regulated expression of several pathogenic signature genes, including IL-1 and IL-23 receptors. Furthermore, T cell–specific deficiency of PROCR resulted in the exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and higher frequencies of Th17 cell in vivo, indicating that PROCR also inhibits pathogenicity of Th17 cells in vivo. PROCR thus does not globally inhibit Th17 responses but could be targeted to selectively inhibit proinflammatory Th17 cells
Azimuthal asymmetries in the debris disk around HD61005

Debris disks offer valuable insights into the latest stages of circumstellar disk evolution, and can possibly help us to trace the outcomes of planetary formation processes. In the age range 10 to 100 Myr, most of the gas is expected to have been removed from the system, giant planets (if any) must have already been formed, and the formation of terrestrial planets may be on-going. Pluto-sized planetesimals, and their debris released in a collisional cascade, are under their mutual gravitational influence, which may result into non-axisymmetric structures in the debris disk. High angular resolution observations are required to investigate these effects and constrain the dynamical evolution of debris disks. Furthermore, multi-wavelength observations can provide information about the dust dynamics by probing different grain sizes. Here we present new VLT/SPHERE and ALMA observations of the debris disk around the 40 Myr-old solar-type star HD 61005. We resolve the disk at unprecedented resolution both in the near-infrared (in scattered and polarized light) and at millimeter wavelengths. Thanks to the new observations, we propose a solution for both the radial and azimuthal distribution of the dust grains in the debris disk. We find that the disk has a moderate eccentricity (e∼0.1) and that the dust density is two times larger at the pericenter compared to the apocenter. With no giant planets detected in our observations, we investigate alternative explanations besides planet-disk interactions to interpret the inferred disk morphology. We postulate that the morphology of the disk could be the consequence of a massive collision between ∼1000 km-sized bodies at ∼61 au. If this interpretation holds, it would put stringent constraints on the formation of massive planetesimals at large distances from the star
A new measure of consensus with reciprocal preference relations: The correlation consensus degree

Producción CientíficaThe achievement of a ‘consensual’ solution in a group decision making problem depends on experts’ ideas, principles, knowledge, experience, etc. The measurement of consensus has been widely studied from the point of view of different research areas, and consequently different consensus measures have been formulated, although a common characteristic of most of them is that they are driven by the implementation of either distance or similarity functions. In the present work though, and within the framework of experts’ opinions modelled via reciprocal preference relations, a different approach to the measurement of consensus based on the Pearson correlation coefficient is studied. The new correlation consensus degree measures the concordance between the intensities of preference for pairs of alternatives as expressed by the experts. Although a detailed study of the formal properties of the new correlation consensus degree shows that it verifies important properties that are common either to distance or to similarity functions between intensities of preferences, it is also proved that it is different to traditional consensus measures. In order to emphasise novelty, two applications of the proposed methodology are also included. The first one is used to illustrate the computation process and discussion of the results, while the second one covers a real life application that makes use of data from Clinical Decision-Making.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Project ECO2012-32178
Fusing moving average model and stationary wavelet decomposition for automatic incident detection: case study of Tokyo Expressway

Abstract:Traffic congestion is a growing problem in urban areas all over the world. The transport sector has been in full swing event study on intelligent transportation system for automatic detection. The functionality of automatic incident detection on expressways is a primary objective of advanced traffic management system. In order to save lives and prevent secondary incidents, accurate and prompt incident detection is necessary. This paper presents a methodology that integrates moving average (MA) model with stationary wavelet decomposition for automatic incident detection, in which parameters of layer coefficient are extracted from the difference between the upstream and downstream occupancy. Unlike other wavelet-based method presented before, firstly it smooths the raw data with MA model. Then it uses stationary wavelet to decompose, which can achieve accurate reconstruction of the signal, and does not shift the signal transfer coefficients. Thus, it can detect the incidents more accurately. The threshold to trigger incident alarm is also adjusted according to normal traffic condition with congestion. The methodology is validated with real data from Tokyo Expressway ultrasonic sensors. Experimental results show that it is accurate and effective, and that it can differentiate traffic accident from other condition such as recurring traffic congestion
Complexity of functional connectivity networks in mild cognitive impairment subjects during a working memory task

Objectives: The objective is to study the changes of brain activity in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Using magneto-encephalogram (MEG) signals, the authors investigate differences of complexity of functional connectivity network between MCI and normal elderly subjects during a working memory task. Methods: MEGs are obtained from 18 right handed patients with MCI and 19 age-matched elderly participants without cognitive impairment used as the control group. The brain networks’ complexities are measured by Graph Index Complexity (Cr) and Efficiency Complexity (Ce). Results: The results obtained by both measurements show complexity of functional networks involved in the working memory function in MCI subjects is reduced at alpha and theta bands compared with subjects with control subjects, and at the theta band this reduction is more pronounced in the whole brain and intra left hemisphere. Conclusions: Ce would be a better measurement for showing the global differences between normal and MCI brains compared with Cr. Significance: The high accuracy of the classification shows Ce at theta band can be used as an index for assessing deficits associated with working memory, a good biomarker for diagnosis of MC