Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning From ISS-Modular Adaptive NN Control of Nonlinear Strict-Feedback Systems

This paper studies learning from adaptive neural control (ANC) for a class of nonlinear strict-feedback systems with unknown affine terms. To achieve the purpose of learning, a simple input-to-state stability (ISS) modular ANC method is first presented to ensure the boundedness of all the signals in the closed-loop system and the convergence of tracking errors in finite time. Subsequently, it is proven that learning with the proposed stable ISS-modular ANC can be achieved. The cascade structure and unknown affine terms of the considered systems make it very difficult to achieve learning using existing methods. To overcome these difficulties, the stable closed-loop system in the control process is decomposed into a series of linear time-varying (LTV) perturbed subsystems with the appropriate state transformation. Using a recursive design, the partial persistent excitation condition for the radial basis function neural network (NN) is established, which guarantees exponential stability of LTV perturbed subsystems. Consequently, accurate approximation of the closed-loop system dynamics is achieved in a local region along recurrent orbits of closed-loop signals, and learning is implemented during a closed-loop feedback control process. The learned knowledge is reused to achieve stability and an improved performance, thereby avoiding the tremendous repeated training process of NNs. Simulation studies are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Thermodynamics of the brane

The holographic dual of a finite-temperature gauge theory with a small number of flavours typically contains D-brane probes in a black hole background. We have recently shown that these systems undergo a first order phase transition characterised by a `melting' of the mesons. Here we extend our analysis of the thermodynamics of these systems by computing their free energy, entropy and energy densities, as well as the speed of sound. We also compute the meson spectrum for brane embeddings outside the horizon and find that tachyonic modes appear where this phase is expected to be unstable from thermodynamic considerations.
A mitogenic lactose-binding lectin from the sponge Geodia cydonium.

Two lectins with affinity for hog A + H blood group substance were extracted from the Mediterranean sponge Geodia cydonium. One, termed Geodia lectin I, was purified to near homogeneity by lactose elution from a column of hog A + H coupled to Sepharose 4B. Geodia lectin I was a glycoprotein (carbohydrate content about 14%) with m.w. of about 60,000 and an isoelectric point of pH 4.4. Subunits of about 15,000 daltons were linked by disulfide bonds. The lectin precipitated with various snail galactans composed entirely of DGal and LGal, to a slight degree with guaran, which has DGal alpha 1 leads to 6 in a terminal nonreducing position, and with blood group substances. Of 42 sugars tested, only lactose, dGal beta 1 leads to 4 DGlcNAc, DGal beta 1 leads to 3DGlcNAc, DGalNAc, inhibited precipitation. In view of the relatively high concentration of those disaccharides that inhibited relative to other lectins, the specificity of interaction is thought to be via beta-linked DGal residues that are part of a more complex combining site. Geodia lectin I was mitogenic for human peripheral blood lymphocytes with an optimal concentration of about 5.6 micrograms/ml if serum was omitted for the first 24 hr of culture to allow "triggering. " Fetal calf serum apparently contained a high concentration of substances that inhibited mitogenicity and hemagglutination by Geodia lectin I, presumably by specifically interacting with the binding site.
Simulation of vessel tissue remodeling with residual stress: an application to in-stent restenosis

ABSTRACT We present a numerical procedure to model the artery wall remodeling stimulated by stenting considering varying degree of residual stresses. This framework sets up biological remodeling with the existence of residual stress. Previous studies suggest that the residual stress originates from the growth and remodeling of the premature tissue. Meanwhile, it is known that tissue remodeling can happen under mechanical loading. However, none of the existing research studies the impact of residual stress on the mechanical-driven growth of biomaterials. To fill this gap, we build a numerical framework that couples the residual stress with a growth model, and examine its impact on tissue remodeling. The proposed approach is applied to in-stent restenosis, where the tissue remodeling process is modeled with finite element method, and the residual stress is generated geometrically using open angle method. The result shows that residual stress reverses the radial distribution of stress concentration, which is ameliorated by tissue remodeling. The thickening of vessel wall tends to increase with residual stress, which links to more severe in-stent restenosis. The results demonstrate the important interplay between residual stress and tissue remodeling. The findings suggest that residual stress should be considered in the future simulation of tissue remodeling.
Antigastric autoantibodies in Helicobacter pyloriinfection: implications of histological and clinical parameters of gastritis

Background—It has recently been shown that humoral antigastric autoreactivities occur in a substantial number ofHelicobacter pylori infected patients. Aims—To analyse the relevance of such antigastric autoantibodies for histological and serological parameters of the infection as well as for the clinical course. Methods—Gastric biopsy samples and sera from 126 patients with upper abdominal complaints were investigated for evidence of H pylori infection using histology and serology. Autoantibodies against epitopes in human gastric mucosa were detected by immunohistochemical techniques. Histological and clinical findings of all patients were then correlated with the detection of antigastric autoantibodies. Results—H pylori infection was significantly associated with antigastric autoantibodies reactive with the luminal membrane of the foveolar epithelium and with canalicular structures within parietal cells. The presence of the latter autoantibodies was significantly correlated with the severity of body gastritis, gastric mucosa atrophy, elevated fasting gastrin concentrations, and a decreased ratio of serum pepsinogen I:II. Furthermore the presence of anticanalicular autoantibodies was associated with a greater than twofold reduced prevalence for duodenal ulcer. Conclusion—The data indicate that antigastric autoantibodies play a role in the pathogenesis and outcome of H pylori gastritis, in particular in the development of gastric mucosal atrophy.
The Epidemiology of Chemical Eye Injuries

Purpose: To describe the epidemiology and identify categories of agents involved in chemical eye injuries. Methods: Retrospective case series of consecutive cases of chemical eye injury presenting to the emergency department (ED) at a large eye hospital. Six-hundred and thirty-three patients presented to the ED between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2009 for treatment of 640 chemical eye injuries. Information was collected via medical record review and chemical agents were classified into logical categories based on the patient-reported intended use of the product. Demographic measures, month of service, work-related status, and visual acuity at presentation were described overall and by chemical agent category. Results: Males were more often observed than females (58.4% vs. 41.6%). The mean age across all categories was 33.6 years. More injuries were observed in warmer months. The mean visual acuity for all available injured eyes was 0.17 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (20/30 Snellen). The most common categories of chemical agents were cleaning agents, personal care products, and automotive chemicals. Thirty-nine cases were observed as having misidentified a product which led to injury. Conclusion: Patterns of eye trauma resulting from chemicals differ by gender, across age groups, and during different months of the year. In most cases, chemical eye injuries do not threaten sight. Improvements in product labeling and design could represent an avenue to prevent some chemical eye injuries.
Fast Phasic Release Properties of Dopamine Studied with a Channel Biosensor

Few other neurotransmitters are of as intense interest to neuropsychiatry and neurology as dopamine, yet existing techniques to monitor dopamine release leave an important spatiotemporal gap in our understanding. Electrochemistry and fluorescence imaging tools have been developed to fill the gap, but these methods have important limitations. We circumvent these limitations by introducing a dopamine-gated chloride channel into rat dorsal striatal medium spiny neurons, targets of strong dopamine innervation, thereby transforming dopamine from a slow transmitter into a fast transmitter and revealing new opportunities for studying moment-to-moment regulation of dopamine release. We demonstrate pharmacological and biophysical properties of the channel that make it suitable for fast, local dopamine measurements, and we demonstrate for the first time spontaneous and evoked responses to vesicular dopamine release in the dorsal striatum. Evoked dopamine currents were separated into a fast, monosynaptic component and a slower-rising and decaying disynaptic component mediated by nicotinic receptor activation. In summary, LGC-53 represents a dopamine biosensor with properties suitable for temporal separation of distinct dopamine signals in targets of dopamine innervation.
Skeletal muscle gene expression in space‐flown rats

Skeletal muscles are vulnerable to marked atrophy under microgravity. This phenomenon is due to the transcriptional alteration of skeletal muscle cells to weightlessness. To further investigate this issue at a subcellular level, we examined the expression of ~26,000 gastrocnemius muscle genes in space‐flown rats by DNA microarray analysis. Comparison of the changes in gene expression among spaceflight, tail‐suspended, and denervated rats revealed that such changes were unique after spaceflight and not just an extension of simulated weightlessness. The microarray data showed two spaceflight‐specific gene expression patterns: 1) imbalanced expression of mitochondrial genes with disturbed expression of cytoskeletal molecules, including putative mitochondria‐anchoring proteins, A‐kinase anchoring protein, and cytoplasmic dynein, and 2) up‐regulated expression of ubiquitin ligase genes, MuRF‐1, Cbl‐b, and Siah‐1A, which are rate‐limiting enzymes of muscle protein degradation. Distorted expression of cytoskeletal genes during spaceflight resulted in dislocation of the mitochondria in the cell. Several oxidative stress‐inducible genes were highly expressed in the muscle of spaceflight rats. We postulate that mitochondrial dislocation during spaceflight has deleterious effects on muscle fibers, leading to atrophy in the form of insufficient energy provision for construction and leakage of reactive oxygen species from the mitochondria.
On-demand multicast routing protocol

This paper presents a novel multicast routing protocol for mobile ad hoc wireless networks. The protocol, termed ODMRP (on-demand multicast routing protocol), is a mesh-based, rather than a conventional tree-based multicast scheme and uses a forwarding group concept (only a subset of nodes forwards the multicast packets via scoped flooding). It applies on-demand procedures to dynamically build routes and maintain multicast group membership. ODMRP is well suited for ad hoc wireless networks with mobile hosts where bandwidth is limited, topology changes frequently, and power is constrained. We evaluate ODMRP's scalability and performance via simulation.
THREE-FREQUENCY RESONANCES IN DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS

We investigate numerically and experimentally dynamical systems having three interacting frequencies: a discrete mapping (a circle map), an exactly solvable model (a system of coupled ordinary differential equations), and an experimental device (an electronic oscillator). We compare the hierarchies of three-frequency resonances we find in each of these systems. All three show similar qualitative behaviour, suggesting the existence of generic features in the parameter-space organization of three-frequency resonances.
Herd-level risk factors for infection with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in US dairies and association between familiarity of the herd manager with the disease or prior diagnosis of the disease in that herd and use of preventive measures.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate associations among herd infection status, herd management practices, and familiarity of the herd manager with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) or prior disease diagnosis in that herd to support development of Johne's disease-control programs. DESIGN Population-based cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION 1,004 US dairies, each with > or = 30 cows, representing 79.4% of US dairy cows. PROCEDURE Questionnaires were administered to dairy managers, and blood samples were collected from cows during herd visits. Sera were tested for antibodies to M paratuberculosis, using a commercially available ELISA. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between use of management practices, herd disease status, and familiarity of the manager with Johne's disease or prior diagnosis of Johne's disease in that herd. RESULTS Results from serologic testing revealed that 3.4% of cows and 21.6% of dairy herds were infected with M paratuberculosis. Factors associated with infection included number of cows in herd, region of country, percentage of cows born at other dairies, group housing for periparturient cows, and group housing for preweaned calves. Few preventive practices were positively associated with prior diagnosis of Johne's disease (time of separation of newborn calf from dam) or familiarity of the manager with the disease (teats and udder washed before colostrum collected). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Risk factors associated with Johne's disease in this study confirmed those management practices generally recommended for disease control. An educational problem, however, is the finding that herd managers familiar with Johne's disease generally use management practices similar to those used by managers unfamiliar with the disease.
Decision for biological treatment in real life is more strongly associated with the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) than with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)

Following the establishment of the National Quality Registry for systemic psoriasis treatment (PsoReg), the two psoriasis outcome measurements, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), are now integrated in clinical practice in Sweden. According to current guidelines, the initiation of a biological treatment should depend on a combination of the physician's (PASI) and the patients’ assessment of the disease impact on a health‐related quality of life measure (DLQI).
A Systematic Review of the Endoscopic Repair of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Objectives To provide an up-to-date review of the literature on the safety and efficacy of the endoscopic technique for cerebrospinal (CSF) leak repairs. Data Sources PubMed, Medline/Old Medline, and Cochrane Central databases. Review Methods Using the above outlined data sources, studies involving the endoscopic repair of CSF leaks were reviewed independently by 2 researchers. Studies included met the following criteria: full-text article written in the English language, at least 5 human patients undergoing purely endoscopic surgical repair of a CSF leak, and documented follow-up. Data extracted included leak etiology, presentation and location, the use of imaging, intrathecal fluorescein, and adjunctive measures as well as the success rate of the repair. Results Fifty-five studies, involving 1778 fistulae repairs, were included for analysis. Spontaneous leaks were most prevalent, with the ethmoid roof and sphenoid the most common sites involved. The overall success rate of repair was high at 90% for primary and 97% for secondary repairs. A low complication rate of less than 0.03% was reported. Conclusion The endoscopic repair of CSF fistula is both safe and effective and should be considered the standard of care for most cases. Evidence supporting adjunctive measures such as lumbar drains and antibiotics remains limited despite their common use.
The life history of the salmonpoisoning fluke, Nanophyetus salmincola (Chapin).

The life history of Nanophyetus (= Troglotrema) salmincola (Chapin) has been studied by several workers who were interested chiefly in a disease of canines transmitted by this trematode (Simms, Donham and Shaw, 1931; Cordy and Gorham, 1950; and Philip et al, 1954). The etiologic agent has been considered by various workers to be distemper virus (Suckley, 1855), a bacterium (Bonebrake, 1925), an ameba (Pernot, 1911), mechanical destruction (Hoeppli, 1926), a haemosporidian or rickettsia (Simms and Muth, 1933), a rickettsia (Cordy and Gorham, 1950), and Neorickettsia helmintheca, Philip, Hadlow and Hughes, 1953. The role of the fluke is still not clear, but its association with salmon-poisoning disease was established in 1925 by C. R. Donham (see Donham, 1928). Donham's fluke was named Nanophyes salmincola by E. A. Chapin (1926), who (1928) amended the generic name to Nanophyetus. This animal, along with Nanophyetus schikhobalowi Skrjabin and Podjapolskaja, 1931, from Siberian aborigines, was subsequently transferred to Troglotrema Odhner, 1914, by Witenberg (1932) who believed T. schikhobalowi to be conspecific with T. salmincola. Wallace (1933) considered Troglotrema for a related fluke, Sellacotyle mustelae Wallace, 1935, and retained the genus Nanophyetus for salmincola. The molluscan host was believed (Simms, Donham and Shaw, 1931) to be Oxytrema (= Goniobasis) silicula (Gould) as a result of work and unpublished drawings of Sinitsin (Wallace, 1935). There was confusion (Donham, 1928) as to which of several cercariae was that of N. salmincola. Sinitsin's (1930) descriptions of the larval forms are indeed confused. The important fish hosts were known to be species of Salvelinus, Salmo, and Onchorhynchus. Distomulum oregonensis, proposed for the metacercariae by Ward and Mueller (1926) who believed them to cause pop-eye disease of trout, was relegated to synonymy (Price, 1929). The purpose of this research was to complete the life history of Nanophyetus salmincola and to illustrate the various stages.
A Novel Sensor Kinase Is Required for Bordetella bronchiseptica To Colonize the Lower Respiratory Tract

ABSTRACT Bacterial virulence is influenced by the activity of two-component regulator systems (TCSs), which consist of membrane-bound sensor kinases that allow bacteria to sense the external environment and cytoplasmic, DNA-binding response regulator proteins that control appropriate gene expression. Respiratory pathogens of the Bordetella genus require the well-studied TCS BvgAS to control the expression of many genes required for colonization of the mammalian respiratory tract. Here we describe the identification of a novel gene in Bordetella bronchiseptica, plrS, the product of which shares sequence homology to several NtrY-family sensor kinases and is required for B. bronchiseptica to colonize and persist in the lower, but not upper, respiratory tract in rats and mice. The plrS gene is located immediately 5′ to and presumably cotranscribed with a gene encoding a putative response regulator, supporting the idea that PlrS and the product of the downstream gene may compose a TCS. Consistent with this hypothesis, the PlrS-dependent colonization phenotype requires a conserved histidine that serves as the site of autophosphorylation in other sensor kinases, and in strains lacking plrS, the production and/or cellular localization of several immune-recognized proteins is altered in comparison to that in the wild-type strain. Because plrS is required for colonization and persistence only in the lower respiratory tract, a site where innate and adaptive immune mechanisms actively target infectious agents, we hypothesize that its role may be to allow Bordetella to resist the host immune response.
Plasma Volume Expansion with 5% Albumin Compared to Ringer’s Acetate during Normal and Increased Microvascular Permeability in the Rat

Background:It is believed that the effectiveness of colloids as plasma volume expanders is dependent on the endothelial permeability for macromolecules. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the plasma volume expanding effect of 5% albumin relative to that of a crystalloid solution is reduced if microvascular permeability is increased. Methods:A control group was resuscitated with either 5% albumin (8 ml/kg) or Ringer’s acetate (36 ml/kg) immediately after a hemorrhage of 8 ml/kg (n = 29). In a second group, permeability was increased by inducing sepsis through cecal ligation and incision (n = 28). Three hours after cecal ligation and incision, the animals were resuscitated with either 5% albumin in a ratio of 1:1 relative to the volume of lost plasma, or Ringer’s acetate in a ratio of 4.5:1. Results:In the hemorrhage group, plasma volumes at 15 min after resuscitation with albumin or Ringer’s acetate had increased by 9.8 ± 2.6 ml/kg (mean ± SD) and 7.4 ± 2.9 ml/kg and were similar at 2 and 4 h. Plasma volume 3 h after cecal ligation and incision had decreased by approximately 7 ml/kg, and at 15 min after resuscitation with albumin or Ringer’s acetate it had increased by 5.7 ± 2.9 and 2.4 ± 3.0 ml/kg, respectively (P < 0.05). At 2 and 4 h after resuscitation, plasma volumes did not differ between the groups. Conclusion:This study does not support the hypothesis that the plasma-volume-expanding effect of albumin relative to that of crystalloids is decreased under conditions characterized by increased permeability.
Multiple Threats to Child Health from Fossil Fuel Combustion: Impacts of Air Pollution and Climate Change

Background: Approaches to estimating and addressing the risk to children from fossil fuel combustion have been fragmented, tending to focus either on the toxic air emissions or on climate change. Yet developing children, and especially poor children, now bear a disproportionate burden of disease from both environmental pollution and climate change due to fossil fuel combustion. Objective: This commentary summarizes the robust scientific evidence regarding the multiple current and projected health impacts of fossil fuel combustion on the young to make the case for a holistic, child-centered energy and climate policy that addresses the full array of physical and psychosocial stressors resulting from fossil fuel pollution. Discussion: The data summarized here show that by sharply reducing our dependence on fossil fuels we would achieve highly significant health and economic benefits for our children and their future. These benefits would occur immediately and also play out over the life course and potentially across generations. Conclusion: Going beyond the powerful scientific and economic arguments for urgent action to reduce the burning of fossil fuels is the strong moral imperative to protect our most vulnerable populations. Citation: Perera FP. 2017. Multiple threats to child health from fossil fuel combustion: impacts of air pollution and climate change. Environ Health Perspect 125:141–148; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/EHP299