71 research outputs found
The failed liberalisation of Algeria and the international context: a legacy of stable authoritarianism
The paper attempts to challenge the somewhat marginal role of international factors in the study of transitions to democracy. Theoretical and practical difficulties in proving causal mechanisms between international variables and domestic outcomes can be overcome by defining the international dimension in terms of Western dominance of world politics and by identifying Western actions towards democratising countries. The paper focuses on the case of Algeria, where international factors are key in explaining the initial process of democratisation and its following demise. In particular, the paper argues that direct Western policies, the pressures of the international system and external shocks influence the internal distribution of power and resources, which underpins the different strategies of all domestic actors. The paper concludes that analysis based purely on domestic factors cannot explain the process of democratisation and that international variables must be taken into more serious account and much more detailed
Application of deep learning models to improve ulcerative colitis endoscopic disease activity scoring under multiple scoring systems
Background and Aims
Lack of clinical validation and inter-observer variability are two limitations of endoscopic assessment and scoring of disease severity in patients with ulcerative colitis [UC]. We developed a deep learning [DL] model to improve, accelerate and automate UC detection, and predict the Mayo Endoscopic Subscore [MES] and the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity [UCEIS].
Methods
A total of 134 prospective videos [1550 030 frames] were collected and those with poor quality were excluded. The frames were labelled by experts based on MES and UCEIS scores. The scored frames were used to create a preprocessing pipeline and train multiple convolutional neural networks [CNNs] with proprietary algorithms in order to filter, detect and assess all frames. These frames served as the input for the DL model, with the output being continuous scores for MES and UCEIS [and its components]. A graphical user interface was developed to support both labelling video sections and displaying the predicted disease severity assessment by the artificial intelligence from endoscopic recordings.
Results
Mean absolute error [MAE] and mean bias were used to evaluate the distance of the continuous modelâs predictions from ground truth, and its possible tendency to over/under-predict were excellent for MES and UCEIS. The quadratic weighted kappa used to compare the inter-rater agreement between expertsâ labels and the modelâs predictions showed strong agreement [0.87, 0.88 at frame-level, 0.88, 0.90 at section-level and 0.90, 0.78 at video-level, for MES and UCEIS, respectively].
Conclusions
We present the first fully automated tool that improves the accuracy of the MES and UCEIS, reduces the time between video collection and review, and improves subsequent quality assurance and scoring
Bioluminescent Imaging of Trypanosoma brucei Shows Preferential Testis Dissemination Which May Hamper Drug Efficacy in Sleeping Sickness
Monitoring Trypanosoma spread using real-time imaging in vivo provides a fast method to evaluate parasite distribution especially in immunoprivileged locations. Here, we generated monomorphic and pleomorphic recombinant Trypanosoma brucei expressing the Renilla luciferase. In vitro luciferase activity measurements confirmed the uptake of the coelenterazine substrate by live parasites and light emission. We further validated the use of Renilla luciferase-tagged trypanosomes for real-time bioluminescent in vivo analysis. Interestingly, a preferential testis tropism was observed with both the monomorphic and pleomorphic recombinants. This is of importance when considering trypanocidal drug development, since parasites might be protected from many drugs by the blood-testis barrier. This hypothesis was supported by our final study of the efficacy of treatment with trypanocidal drugs in T. brucei-infected mice. We showed that parasites located in the testis, as compared to those located in the abdominal cavity, were not readily cleared by the drugs
Neutrinoless Double -Decay: Status and Future
A brief summary of the status of neutrino masses, mixing and oscillations is
presented. Neutrinoless double -decay is considered. Predictions for the
effective Majorana mass are reviewed. A possible test of the calculations of
nuclear matrix elements of the -decay is proposed.Comment: A report at the International conference ``Non-Accelerator New
Physics'' NANP05 Dubna, Russia, June 20-25, 200
Recommended from our members
Accuracy of citrulline, I-FABP and d-lactate in the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia
Data availability:
Research data are not shared.Supplementary Information oi available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98012-w#Sec14 .Early diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) remains a clinical challenge, and no biomarker has been consistently validated. We aimed to assess the accuracy of three promising circulating biomarkers for diagnosing AMIâcitrulline, intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP), and D-lactate. A cross-sectional diagnostic study enrolled AMI patients admitted to the intestinal stroke center and controls with acute abdominal pain of another origin. We included 129 patientsâ50 AMI and 79 controls. Plasma citrulline concentrations were significantly lower in AMI patients compared to the controls [15.3 ÎŒmol/L (12.0â26.0) vs. 23.3 ÎŒmol/L (18.3â29.8), pâ=â0.001]. However, the area under the receiver operating curves (AUROC) for the diagnosis of AMI by Citrulline was low: 0.68 (95% confidence intervalâ=â0.58â0.78). No statistical difference was found in plasma I-FABP and plasma D-lactate concentrations between the AMI and control groups, with an AUROC of 0.44, and 0.40, respectively. In this large cross-sectional study, citrulline, I-FABP, and D-lactate failed to differentiate patients with AMI from patients with acute abdominal pain of another origin. Further research should focus on the discovery of new biomarkers.Grants from MSD-Avenir and APHP funded the SURVIBIO study; Alexandre Nuzzo received Ph.D. Grants from âFondation de l'Avenirâ and the French Gastroenterology Society (SNFGE)
Fractal, Kilim, JAC : une expérience comparative
International audienceCet article compare trois techniques pour la sĂ©paration des caractĂ©ristiques fonctionnelleset non-fonctionnelles des applications : Fractal, Kilim, et JAC. Les trois sont des frameworksdu consortium ObjectWeb. Les deux premiĂšres sont dĂ©diĂ©es Ă lÂassemblage et la configurationde composants Java, tandis que JAC est un framework de programmation orientĂ©e aspecten Java. A travers lÂĂ©tude dÂun service distribuĂ© de partage de donnĂ©es selon lÂalgorithme decohĂ©rence de K. Li P. Hudak, nous montrons les similitudes et les diffĂ©rences entre les troisframeworks. Au delĂ de cet exemple, nous tentons de gĂ©nĂ©raliser et proposons diffĂ©rents critĂšrespour comparer les trois approches
- âŠ