Benjamin David - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Benjamin David

An Architecture Validation Toolset for Ensuring Patient Safety in an Open Source Software Toolkit for Image-Guided Surgery Applications

... Patient Safety in an Open Source Software Toolkit for Image-Guided Surgery Applications. Gary... more ... Patient Safety in an Open Source Software Toolkit for Image-Guided Surgery Applications. Gary K., Kokoori S., David B., Otoom M., Blake ... Additional Comments: The aims and the approach seem to be very reasonable and I probably would have rated the paper much higher, if ...

Impact des technologies de l’information et de la communication sur la productivité et la structure de l’emploi

Le premier chapitre de cette these s’interesse a la relation entre les technologies de l’informat... more Le premier chapitre de cette these s’interesse a la relation entre les technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) et la productivite dans 8 pays de l’OCDE. L’objectif est de trouver une explication a la coexistence d’un progres technologique marque associe a l’absence de rupture dans les performances de productivite sur les dernieres decennies. Nos resultats suggerent qu’il y a une relation positive entre la diffusion des TIC et le progres technique tandis les variations d’efficience sont associees negativement avec ces technologies. Ces resultats suggerent que les economies etudiees sont toujours en phase d’adaptation. Le deuxieme chapitre analyse le role des TIC dans la polarisation du marche du travail. En utilisant des donnees de 8 pays industrialises, nos resultats attestent d’une contribution des TIC a cette dynamique et d’un impact differencie par pays et par industrie. Nous relevons aussi que la diffusion des TIC s’accompagne d’abord d’un biais technologique ...

The aim of this paper is to highlight the advantages of algorithmic methods for economic research... more The aim of this paper is to highlight the advantages of algorithmic methods for economic research with quantitative orientation. We describe four typical problems involved in econometric modeling, namely the choice of explanatory variables, a functional form, a probability distribution and the inclusion of interactions in a model. We detail how those problems can be solved by using "CART" and "Random Forest" algorithms in a context of massive increasing data availability. We base our analysis on two examples, the identification of growth drivers and the prediction of growth cycles. More generally, we also discuss the application fields of these methods that come from a machine-learning framework by underlining their potential for economic applications.

Modélisation non-linéaire de l'impact des TIC sur la productivité du travail

This paper focuses on dynamic of diffusion of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and... more This paper focuses on dynamic of diffusion of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and their impact on labor productivity. Our contribution lies in taking into account the non-linearity of this relationship arguing successively integration time and a time when new productivity gains appear. The existence of this particular sequence is modeled using a Logistic Smooth Transition model (LSTR) which permits to verify the delayed effect assumed for nine of the twelve countries studied. Different values of the adjustment periods across them are related to the structural characteristics of economies considered.

The influence of the plainsong restoration on the growth and development of the modern French liturgical organ school

Scientific Reports, 2020

We investigated root communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in relation to lavender (L... more We investigated root communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in relation to lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavandin (Lavandula intermedia) health status from organic and conventional fields affected by Phytoplasma infection. The intensity of root mycorrhizal colonization was significantly different between diseased and healthy plants and was higher in the latter regardless of agricultural practice. This difference was more pronounced in lavender. The root AMF diversity was influenced by the plant health status solely in lavender and only under the conventional practice resulting in an increase in the AMF abundance and richness. The plant health status did not influence the distribution of root AMF communities in lavandin unlike its strong impact in lavender in both agricultural practices. Finally, among the most abundant molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), four different MOTUs for each plant species were significantly abundant in the roots of healthy lave...

Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 2021

Sotorasib is a first-in class KRAS G12C covalent inhibitor in clinical development for the treatm... more Sotorasib is a first-in class KRAS G12C covalent inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of tumors with the KRAS p.G12C mutation. In the nonclinical toxicology studies of sotorasib, the kidney was identified as a target organ of toxicity in the rat but not the dog. Renal toxicity was characterized by degeneration and necrosis of the proximal tubular epithelium localized to the outer stripe of the outer medulla (OSOM), which suggested that renal metabolism was involved. Here, we describe an in vivo mechanistic rat study designed to investigate the time course of the renal toxicity and sotorasib metabolites. Renal toxicity was dose-and time-dependent, restricted to the OSOM, and the morphologic features progressed from vacuolation and necrosis to regeneration of tubular epithelium. The renal toxicity correlated with increases in renal biomarkers of tubular injury. Using mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, a strong temporal and spatial association between renal toxicity and mercapturate pathway metabolites was observed. The rat is reported to be particularly susceptible to the formation of nephrotoxic metabolites via this pathway. Taken together, the data presented here and the literature support the hypothesis that sotorasib-related renal toxicity is mediated by a toxic metabolite derived from the mercapturate and β-lyase pathway. Our understanding of the etiology of the rat specific renal toxicity informs the translational risk assessment for patients.

Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 2021

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) has numerous applications in biology. In an education setting, qPCR provi... more Quantitative PCR (qPCR) has numerous applications in biology. In an education setting, qPCR provides students an opportunity to better understand the PCR mechanism by providing both quantitative information about the reactions and also data to troubleshoot PCRs (e.g., melt curves). Here, we present a relatively short (2-h) laboratory activity to demonstrate qPCR to quantify plasmid copy number (CN) by measuring the cycle threshold ( C T ) values for a genomic gene and a plasmid gene using transformed cells as a template. The activity can be combined with additional laboratory exercises, including bacterial transformation, to create the template to be used in the qPCRs. This lab activity is ideal for undergraduate laboratory courses that include recombinant DNA technology.

Biomedical Engineering Education, 2020

The transition to remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the adaptatio... more The transition to remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the adaptation of an in-person cell culture lab practical to a virtual assessment in an introductory biomedical engineering lab course. The virtual lab practical was administered in the course LMS and implemented video, data analysis, and multiple-choice questions. Average student scores and grade distributions were comparable across in-person and virtual lab practical formats. Instructors observed fewer grading concerns for the virtual practical compared to previous in-person offerings. The virtual lab practical may be preferred over in-person lab practical in future offerings due to decreased student stress, lower cost, reduced required instructor time, and limited availability of equipment. Resources developed for the virtual practical, including video tutorials and a hemocytometer simulator to practice calculations, can be used by other educators and as supplements to existing course material.

Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 2019

Enzymes are ubiquitous in the fields of biology and microbiology, catalyzing critical reactions a... more Enzymes are ubiquitous in the fields of biology and microbiology, catalyzing critical reactions and enabling a broad range of biotechnological applications. Despite the important role that enzyme catalysis plays in biological processes, undergraduate students often struggle to understand enzyme kinetics in the classroom. In an attempt to improve students’ understanding of the topic, we present a relatively short and inexpensive laboratory activity designed to give students hands-on experience with generating and manipulating enzyme kinetic data. Students perform restriction digests of DNA at various time points, visualize the reaction products on an agarose gel, and quantify their data in order to construct Lineweaver-Burk plots which compare the effects of a restriction enzyme and its engineered version. The activity may be completed in a single two-hour lab session and, unlike other enzyme assays designed for laboratory courses, does not require a microplate reader to complete. Th...

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 2020

Decision tree is a renowned classifier reformed by innumerable tree generation techniques to cons... more Decision tree is a renowned classifier reformed by innumerable tree generation techniques to construct efficient trees. In this paper, a novel framework for constructing decision tree classifiers using ranked attributes and weights is presented. The tree is fabricated using proposed framework hierarchically from root to leaf using ranks and weights of attributes assigned to branches based on their contribution towards classification accuracy. The weights are perpetually updated until the tree furnishes maximum classification accuracy. This framework is experimented with cuckoo search, firefly search, wolf search and proposed limited lazy wolf search for ranking attributes and the experimental results illustrates the framework achieving excellent performance than the antecedent. For demonstrating the stability of proposed framework in all problems, numerous experiments are carried out using prominent benchmark datasets and a proposed crime propensity prediction dataset. The crime propensity prediction accuracy accomplished by fine tuning the proposed algorithm was 99.3617% directing crime free society.

Preventing crimes ahead of time by predicting crime propensity in released prisoners using Data Mining techniques

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 2019

Criminologists and psychologists around the world are finding new initiatives to identify crimina... more Criminologists and psychologists around the world are finding new initiatives to identify criminals and understand crime scenes. This work focuses on predicting the occurrence of crimes for a released prisoner, based on crime propensity prediction, using a supervised machine learning technique. This original research is intended to design and develop a new dataset of 30 attributes that exists nowhere and is exclusively created to define prisoners so as to differentiate them by their propensity to crime using psychological and behavioural factors obtained from jails and assorted sources. The research incorporates an analysis of seven search methods, in tandem with seven subset evaluation techniques, to undertake feature selection, and nine classification algorithms for the classification of prisoners. It is found that the wolf search algorithm, used with the correlation-based feature subset evaluation technique and radial basis function classifier, performs best providing 97.8% precision, 97.5% recall and low error values.

How not to miss major spinal pathology in patients with back pain

British journal of hospital medicine (London, England : 2005), Jan 2, 2017

B ack pain is a common presenting symptom in primary and secondary care with between 60 and 80% o... more B ack pain is a common presenting symptom in primary and secondary care with between 60 and 80% of the UK population experiencing back pain at some point in their lifetime (Sieper et al, 2009). Major spinal pathology is rare but delayed or missed diagnoses can lead to significant loss of function for the patient and potentially serious medicolegal consequences for the clinician (Todd et al, 2009). The key to improving the diagnosis of major spinal pathology and reducing the incidence of secondary neurological sequelae is threefold: 1. Focused history and physical examination 2. Appropriate radiological and laboratory investigations 3. Emergent transfer of patients to specialist spinal centres for definitive management when necessary. This article covers the essential clinical information that must be obtained from the history and physical examination in patients presenting with atraumatic back pain. For the purpose of this article major spinal pathology is divided into infective, neoplastic and degenerative causes. The key features of each category are outlined to remind

This paper investigates the relationship between Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)... more This paper investigates the relationship between Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and productivity within 240 industries from 8 OECD countries. Specifically, it aims at providing explanations for the coexistence of this strong technological evolution together with the absence of break in the productivity trend during the last decades. We calculate the total factor productivity changes and their components (technical progress and pure efficiency changes) over the period 1973-2005 using the Malmquist productivity index and we then relate these measures with data on ICT diffusion using regression trees. Our results suggest that ICT diffusion is accompanied by opposite movements that conceal the potential of these technologies. Indeed, we find evidence of a clearly identifiable positive relationship between computerization and technical progress, while ICT diffusion negatively affects pure efficiency changes. Our findings support the existence of an adjustment period and are consistent with the fact that the economies under consideration are still in a phase of adaptation.

이차원 슬롯라인 결합을 이용한 이차원 능동 위상배열 안테나에 관한 연구 ( A Study of a Planar Active Phased Array Antenna using Two Dimensionally Coupled Slot lines )

한국통신학회논문지, Aug 1, 1998

Http Www Theses Fr, Dec 9, 2011

Thèse dirigée par Lingai LUO et codirigée par Julien RAMOUSSE préparée au sein du Laboratoire Opt... more Thèse dirigée par Lingai LUO et codirigée par Julien RAMOUSSE préparée au sein du Laboratoire Optimisation de la Conception et Ingénierie de l'Environnement dans l'École Doctorale SISEO Amélioration de l'efficacité énergétique d'une solution innovante de chauffage basse température et de rafraîchissement Thèse soutenue publiquement le 9 décembre 2011 devant le jury composé de :

Weatherproof reel for electric cords or the like

Walking cast with a removable sole and method of making

This paper analyses the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the job marke... more This paper analyses the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the job market polarization. We rely on an evolutionary framework by applying a "distance from mean approach". Using data for 8 industrialized economies, we account for probable heterogeneous and timevarying effects through the estimation of a semiparametric smooth coefficient model. Our results show a significant contribution of ICT on polarization dynamics with some differences between countries and industries. We also find evidence that diffusion of ICT is initially accompanied by a Skill Bias Technological Change (SBTC), then contributing to job market polarization. Finally, our findings highlight a progressive weakening of the positive link between ICT diffusion and the increasing demand for high-skilled workers over time.