Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Network Adaptive Tracking Control of Uncertain MIMO Nonlinear Systems With Output Constraints and Event-Triggered Inputs

This article is concerned with a neural adaptive tracking control scheme for a class of multiinput and multioutput (MIMO) nonaffine nonlinear systems with event-triggered mechanisms, which include the fixed thresholds, triggering control inputs, and decreasing functions of tracking errors. Unlike the existing results of nonaffine nonlinear controller decoupling, a novel nonlinear multiple control inputs separated design method is proposed based on the mean-value theorem and the Taylor expansion technique. By this way, a weaker condition of nonlinear decoupling is provided to instead of the previous ones. Then, introducing a prescribed performance barrier Lyapunov function (PPBLF) and using neural networks (NNs), the presented event-triggered controller can maintain better tracking performance and effectively alleviate the computation burden of the communication procedure. Furthermore, it is proved that all the closed-loop signals are bounded and the system output tracking errors are confined within the prescribed bounds. Finally, the simulation results are given to demonstrate the validity of the developed control scheme.
Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Anti-Tyrosinase, Anti-Cholinesterase and Cytotoxic Activities of Essential Oils of Six Algerian Plants

In this study, the essential oils (EOs) of six Algerian plants (Artemisia campestris L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Juniperus phoenicea L., Juniperus oxycedrus L., Mentha pulegium L. and Lavandula officinalis Chaix) were obtained by hydrodistillation, and their compositions determined by GC-MS and GC-FID. The antioxidant activity of the EOS was evaluated via 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays. Moreover, their cytotoxic effect was evaluated—as well as their tyrosinase, acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase (AChE and BuChE) inhibitory activities. The chemical analyses detected 44, 45, 51, 53, 26 and 40 compounds in EOs of A. campestris, A. herba-alba, J. phoenicea, J. oxycedrus, M. pulegium and L. officinalis, respectively. A. campestris EO was mainly composed of β-pinene (20.7%), while A. herba-alba EO contained davanone D (49.5%) as the main component. α-Pinene (41.8%) was detected as the major constituent in both J. phoenicea (41.8%) and J. oxycedrus (37.8%) EOs. M. pulegium EO was characterized by pulegone as the most abundant (76.9%) compound, while linalool (35.8%) was detected as a major constituent in L. officinalis EO. The antioxidant power evaluation revealed IC50 values ranging from 2.61 to 91.25 mg/mL for DPPH scavenging activity, while the FRAP values ranged from 0.97–8.17 µmol Trolox equivalents (TX)/g sample. In the ABTS assay, the values ranged from 7.01 to 2.40 µmol TX/g sample. In the presence of 1 mg/mL of the samples, tyrosinase inhibition rates ranged from 11.35% to 39.65%, AChE inhibition rates ranged from 40.57% to 73.60% and BuChE inhibition rates ranged from 6.47% to 72.03%. A significant cytotoxic effect was found for A. herba-alba EO. The obtained results support some of the traditional uses of these species in food preservation and for protection against several diseases.
BrEXLB1, a Brassica rapa Expansin-Like B1 Gene Is Associated with Root Development, Drought Stress Response, and Seed Germination

Expansins are structural proteins prevalent in cell walls, participate in cell growth and stress responses by interacting with internal and external signals perceived by the genetic networks of plants. Herein, we investigated the Brassica rapa expansin-like B1 (BrEXLB1) interaction with phytohormones (IAA, ABA, Ethephon, CK, GA3, SA, and JA), genes (Bra001852, Bra001958, and Bra003006), biotic (Turnip mosaic Virus (TuMV), Pectobacterium carotovorum, clubroot disease), and abiotic stress (salt, oxidative, osmotic, and drought) conditions by either cDNA microarray or qRT-PCR assays. In addition, we also unraveled the potential role of BrEXLB1 in root growth, drought stress response, and seed germination in transgenic Arabidopsis and B. rapa lines. The qRT-PCR results displayed that BrEXLB1 expression was differentially influenced by hormones, and biotic and abiotic stress conditions; upregulated by IAA, ABA, SA, ethylene, drought, salt, osmotic, and oxidative conditions; and downregulated by clubroot disease, P. carotovorum, and TuMV infections. Among the tissues, prominent expression was observed in roots indicating the possible role in root growth. The root phenotyping followed by confocal imaging of root tips in Arabidopsis lines showed that BrEXLB1 overexpression increases the size of the root elongation zone and induce primary root growth. Conversely, it reduced the seed germination rate. Further analyses with transgenic B. rapa lines overexpressing BrEXLB1 sense (OX) and antisense transcripts (OX-AS) confirmed that BrEXLB1 overexpression is positively associated with drought tolerance and photosynthesis during vegetative growth phases of B. rapa plants. Moreover, the altered expression of BrEXLB1 in transgenic lines differentially influenced the expression of predicted BrEXLB1 interacting genes like Bra001852 and Bra003006. Collectively, this study revealed that BrEXLB1 is associated with root development, drought tolerance, photosynthesis, and seed germination.
Primary Adrenal Epithelioid Sarcoma in a Child: A Case Report with Literature Review

Abstract Introduction; Epithelioid sarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm with evidence of epithelial differentiation. All the cases reported in the solid organs are of “proximal type” occurring in adults. We report a primary epithelioid sarcoma arising in the adrenal gland of a young male. Case report: An 11-year-old male patient presented with right loin pain. Imaging revealed a 10.8 × 10.8 × 13.5 cm complex cystic mass with obscured right adrenal gland. Clinical and radiological studies did not reveal metastases. Histologic features were those of proximal type epithelioid sarcoma with extensive central necrosis. Immunohistochemistry showed strong positivity for pancytokeratin, vimentin, and CD34. Nuclear expression of SMARCB1 (INI-1) protein was lost. Conclusion: Proximal type of epithelioid sarcoma can arise from solid organs such as the adrenal.
Image Set Classification Using a Distance-Based Kernel Over Affine Grassmann Manifold

Modeling image sets or videos as linear subspaces is quite popular for classification problems in machine learning. However, affine subspace modeling has not been explored much. In this article, we address the image sets classification problem by modeling them as affine subspaces. Affine subspaces are linear subspaces shifted from origin by an offset. The collection of the same dimensional affine subspaces of $\mathbb {R}^{D}$ is known as affine Grassmann manifold (AGM) or affine Grassmannian that is a smooth and noncompact manifold. The non-Euclidean geometry of AGM and the nonunique representation of an affine subspace in AGM make the classification task in AGM difficult. In this article, we propose a novel affine subspace-based kernel that maps the points in AGM to a finite-dimensional Hilbert space. For this, we embed the AGM in a higher dimensional Grassmann manifold (GM) by embedding the offset vector in the Stiefel coordinates. The projection distance between two points in AGM is the measure of similarity obtained by the kernel function. The obtained kernel-gram matrix is further diagonalized to generate low-dimensional features in the Euclidean space corresponding to the points in AGM. Distance-preserving constraint along with sparsity constraint is used for minimum residual error classification by keeping the locally Euclidean structure of AGM in mind. Experimentation performed over four data sets for gait, object, hand, and body gesture recognition shows promising results compared with state-of-the-art techniques.
A hybrid model of tumor growth and angiogenesis: In silico experiments

Tumor associated angiogenesis is the development of new blood vessels in response to proteins secreted by tumor cells. These new blood vessels allow tumors to continue to grow beyond what the pre-existing vasculature could support. Here, we construct a mathematical model to simulate tumor angiogenesis by considering each endothelial cell as an agent, and allowing the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nutrient fields to impact the dynamics and phenotypic transitions of each tumor and endothelial cell. The phenotypes of the endothelial cells (i.e., tip, stalk, and phalanx cells) are selected by the local VEGF field, and govern the migration and growth of vessel sprouts at the cellular level. Over time, these vessels grow and migrate to the tumor, forming anastomotic loops to supply nutrients, while interacting with the tumor through mechanical forces and the consumption of VEGF. The model is able to capture collapsing and breaking of vessels caused by tumor-endothelial cell interactions. This is accomplished through modeling the physical interaction between the vasculature and the tumor, resulting in vessel occlusion and tumor heterogeneity over time due to the stages of response in angiogenesis. Key parameters are identified through a sensitivity analysis based on the Sobol method, establishing which parameters should be the focus of subsequent experimental efforts. During the avascular phase (i.e., before angiogenesis is triggered), the nutrient consumption rate, followed by the rate of nutrient diffusion, yield the greatest influence on the number and distribution of tumor cells. Similarly, the consumption and diffusion of VEGF yield the greatest influence on the endothelial and tumor cell numbers during angiogenesis. In summary, we present a hybrid mathematical approach that characterizes vascular changes via an agent-based model, while treating nutrient and VEGF changes through a continuum model. The model describes the physical interaction between a tumor and the surrounding blood vessels, explicitly allowing the forces of the growing tumor to influence the nutrient delivery of the vasculature.
Inflammation Alters the Secretome and Immunomodulatory Properties of Human Skin-Derived Precursor Cells

Human skin-derived precursors (SKP) represent a group of somatic stem/precursor cells that reside in dermal skin throughout life that harbor clinical potential. SKP have a high self-renewal capacity, the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types and low immunogenicity, rendering them key candidates for allogeneic cell-based, off-the-shelf therapy. However, potential clinical application of allogeneic SKP requires that these cells retain their therapeutic properties under all circumstances and, in particular, in the presence of an inflammation state. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the impact of pro-inflammatory stimulation on the secretome and immunosuppressive properties of SKP. We demonstrated that pro-inflammatory stimulation of SKP significantly changes their expression and the secretion profile of chemo/cytokines and growth factors. Most importantly, we observed that pro-inflammatory stimulated SKP were still able to suppress the graft-versus-host response when cotransplanted with human PBMC in severe-combined immune deficient (SCID) mice, albeit to a much lesser extent than unstimulated SKP. Altogether, this study demonstrates that an inflammatory microenvironment has a significant impact on the immunological properties of SKP. These alterations need to be taken into account when developing allogeneic SKP-based therapies.
Individual, Family, and Environmental Correlates of Motor Competence in Young Children: Regression Model Analysis of Data Obtained from Two Motor Tests

Physical activity and motor competence (MC) have been considered to be closely related and prevent childhood obesity. The aim of the study was two-fold: to examine MC measured with two different tools in relation to individual, family, and environmental correlates and to investigate gender differences in MC. The Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3) was administered to three- to seven-year-old children (n = 945), while the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) was also used for five- to seven-year-old children (n = 444). The parent questionnaire (n = 936) included questions about individual (e.g., participation in organized sports), family (e.g., parents’ education level), and environmental (e.g., access to sports facilities) correlates. The children’s temperament was assessed using the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory (CCTI) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and linear mixed-effects regression models. The regression models explained 57% and 38% of the variance in TGMD-3 and KTK, respectively. Individual correlates, including older age, more frequent participation in sports, and specific temperament traits of activity and attention span-persistence, were the strongest predictors for better MC. Small gender differences were found in both assessment tools, albeit in a different manner. In conclusion, socioecological correlates of MC in young children are multidimensional, and individual correlates appear to be the most important predictors of MC. Importantly, the correlates can differ according to the MC assessment tools.
Risk of Injury in Physically Active Students: Associated Factors and Quality of Life Aspects

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the potential factors of hypermobility and pain threshold on the risk of injury in physically active students and to verify which domains of quality of life are rated lower by young people with a history of injuries. Methods: The study included 278 students (138 women and 140 men) who regularly undertake physical activity. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, pain threshold, incidence of hypermobility syndrome, information on the history of injuries to the locomotor system, and the quality of life of the study participants were collected. Results: In the group studied, hypermobility and pain threshold had a statistically significant related on the risk of injury. Participants with a history of injuries had lower scores for an individual’s overall perception of their own health and the physical domain. There were also significant differences in the psychological domain of the quality of life between males and females with a history of injuries. Conclusion: In the studied group, the risk of injuries was related to diagnosed hypermobility and pain threshold measured on the lower limbs. The study also showed that people with a history of injuries had statistically significantly lower scores in the individual general perception of their own health and in the physical domain. Gender had a significant impact on the quality of life of people with injuries.
Towards implementation of AI in New Zealand national diabetic screening program: Cloud-based, robust, and bespoke

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have become a prominent method of AI implementation in medical classification tasks. Grading Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) has been at the forefront of the development of AI for ophthalmology. However, major obstacles remain in the generalization of these CNNs onto real-world DR screening programs. We believe these difficulties are due to use of 1) small training datasets (<5,000 images), 2) private and ‘curated’ repositories, 3) locally implemented CNN implementation methods, while 4) relying on measured Area Under the Curve (AUC) as the sole measure of CNN performance. To address these issues, the public EyePACS Kaggle Diabetic Retinopathy dataset was uploaded onto Microsoft Azure™ cloud platform. Two CNNs were trained; 1 a “Quality Assurance”, and 2. a “Classifier”. The Diabetic Retinopathy classifier CNN (DRCNN) performance was then tested both on ‘un-curated’ as well as the ‘curated’ test set created by the “Quality Assessment” CNN model. Finally, the sensitivity of the DRCNNs was boosted using two post-training techniques. Our DRCNN proved to be robust, as its performance was similar on ‘curated’ and ‘un-curated’ test sets. The implementation of ‘cascading thresholds’ and ‘max margin’ techniques led to significant improvements in the DRCNN’s sensitivity, while also enhancing the specificity of other grades.
Associations between Trauma Exposure and Physical Conditions among Public Safety Personnel: Associations entre l’exposition à un traumatisme et les problèmes physiques chez le personnel de la santé publique

Background: Trauma exposure is associated with adverse health-related correlates, including physical comorbidities, and is highly prevalent among public safety personnel (PSP). The current study (1) examined the association between context of index trauma exposure (part of job vs. other) and physical conditions and (2) established the prevalence of physical conditions according to PSP category (e.g., police, paramedic) and index trauma type (e.g., serious accident, physical assault) in a large Canadian sample of PSP. Methods: PSP completed an online survey between September 2016 and January 2017. Multivariable logistic regressions examined associations between context of index trauma exposure (i.e., part of job vs. other) and physical condition categories. Cross-tabulations with chi-square analyses examined whether the prevalence of physical conditions significantly differed according to PSP category and index trauma type. Results: There were 5,267 PSP included in the current study. Results from the most stringent model of logistic regressions demonstrated that, compared to PSP who experienced their index trauma in any other context, PSP who experienced it as part of their job had reduced odds of “other” physical conditions (adjusted odds ratio = 0.73, 95% confidence interval, 0.57 to 0.94, P < 0.05). Results also revealed significant differences in the prevalence of physical conditions across all PSP categories and select index trauma types. Conclusion: Results highlight the relevance of trauma exposure outside of an occupational context among PSP and may have implications for the positive impact of stress inoculation and resiliency training programs for PSP.
JNK-dependent intestinal barrier failure disrupts host–microbe homeostasis during tumorigenesis

Significance The intestinal epithelium forms a tight barrier to the environment and is constantly regenerated. Precise control of barrier function and tissue renewal is important to maintain homeostasis. Using an inducible tumor model in the Drosophila intestine, this study shows that tumor progression disrupts the intestinal barrier and leads to commensal dysbiosis, thereby further fueling tumor growth. This reenforcing feedback loop can be interrupted by treatments with JNK inhibitor or antibiotics. In all animals, the intestinal epithelium forms a tight barrier to the environment. The epithelium regulates the absorption of nutrients, mounts immune responses, and prevents systemic infections. Here, we investigate the consequences of tumorigenesis on the microbiome using a Drosophila intestinal tumor model. We show that upon loss of BMP signaling, tumors lead to aberrant activation of JNK/Mmp2 signaling, followed by intestinal barrier dysfunction and commensal imbalance. In turn, the dysbiotic microbiome triggers a regenerative response and stimulates tumor growth. We find that inhibiting JNK signaling or depletion of the microbiome restores barrier function of the intestinal epithelium, leading to a reestablishment of host–microbe homeostasis, and organismic lifespan extension. Our experiments identify a JNK-dependent feedback amplification loop between intestinal tumors and the microbiome. They also highlight the importance of controlling the activity level of JNK signaling to maintain epithelial barrier function and host–microbe homeostasis.
Injury to Southern Highbush Blueberries by Southern Red Mites and Management Using Various Miticides

Reports of severe infestations caused by southern red mites (SRM), Oligonychus ilicis McGregor (Acari: Tetranychidae), have increased in recent years in southern highbush blueberries (SHB). Currently, there is little known about the management of tetranychids in SHB, and only two miticides (fenazaquin and fenpyroximate) have recently been labeled for use in SHB. Oligonychus ilicis has caused up to 80%–100% losses in some blueberry plantings, and growers are looking for management tools for this new pest of blueberries. We report on injury to SHB from O. ilicis and the performance of seven miticides used to manage SRM populations, including spiromesifen, spiromesifen plus surfactant, vegetable oil concentrate, fenazaquin, “proprietary miticide” (referred to as Pro1), bifenazate, and fenpyroximate. Miticide efficacy was rated based on the number of SRM recorded on collected leaves and plant damage ratings using an arbitrary index (from 0 = no bronzing to 4 = 100% bronzing). Characteristic symptoms of leaf injury included purple or bronzed leaf color, leaf dryness and roughening. Fenpyroximate significantly reduced mite numbers three days after application. Additionally, plants treated with fenpyroximate or fenazaquin showed significantly less bronzing compared with the control plants. Overall, fenpyroximate and fenazaquin showed the best performance for the management of O. ilicis on SHB.
Leishmania donovani Subverts Host Immune Response by Epigenetic Reprogramming of Macrophage M(Lipopolysaccharides + IFN-γ)/M(IL-10) Polarization

Key Points L. donovani induces histone lysine methyltransferases/demethylases in the host. L. donovani–induced epigenetic enzymes induce host M(IL-10) polarization. Knockdown of epigenetic enzymes inhibited parasite multiplication in infected host. Visual Abstract Reciprocal changes in histone lysine methylation/demethylation of M(LPS + IFN-γ)/M(IL-10) genes is one of the factors that direct macrophage polarization and contribute to host defense/susceptibility toward infection. Although, histone lysine methyltransferases and lysine demethylases orchestrate these events, their role remains elusive in visceral leishmaniasis, a disease associated with macrophage M(IL-10) polarization. In this study, we observed that L. donovani induced the expression of histone lysine methyltransferases Ash1l, Smyd2, and Ezh2 and histone lysine demethylases Kdm5b and Kdm6b in J774 macrophages and BALB/c mice. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that L. donovani facilitated H3K36 dimethylation at TNF-α promoter by Smyd2 and H3K27 trimethylation at inducible NO synthase promoter by Ezh2 to suppress their expression in macrophages. Furthermore, infection-induced Kdm5b and Kdm6b modulated H3K4 and H3K27 trimethylation at IL-12, TNF-α, and arginase-1 promoters, respectively, whereas H3K4 trimethylation by Ash1l at IL-10 promoter induced its expression. Analysis of transductional events revealed that HIF-1α upregulated Kdm5b and Kdm6b expression, whereas Ash1l and Ezh2 expression were induced by transcription factor MeCP2. Additionally, Smyd2 was induced by c-Myc in infected macrophages. Knockdown of Ash1l, Ezh2, Kdm5b, and Kdm6b by specific small interfering RNA and Vivo-Morpholino, as well as inhibition of Smyd2 by its specific inhibitor, AZ505, led to increased protective proinflammatory response and inhibited amastigote multiplication in infected J774 macrophages and BALB/c mice, respectively. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that L. donovani exploits specific histone lysine methyltransferases/demethylases to redirect epigenetic programming of M(LPS + IFN-γ)/M(IL-10) genes for its successful establishment within the host.