Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prospective Associations between Physical Activity and Memory in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: Examining Social Determinants

Objectives To examine associations between physical activity (PA) and prospectively assessed memory in a cohort of cognitively healthy adults, after accounting for understudied social determinants. Methods We used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). PA (exposure) and memory (outcome) were assessed using validated measures in 2013–2015 and 2015–2018, respectively. Respondents reported their daily number of hours spent engaging in five different PAs. We conducted multiple imputation and used linear regression (n = 41,394), adjusting for five categories of covariates: demographics, sensory health characteristics, health behaviors, health status, and social determinants (sex/gender, education, income, social support, perceived social standing, race, and sexual orientation). Results In crude models, nearly every intensity and duration of PA was associated with better memory. In fully adjusted models, protective associations were attenuated; however, some associations held: all durations of walking, most durations of light activities, moderate activities for ≥1 hour, and strenuous activities for 1 to <2 hours. Discussion Some forms of PA may be associated with better memory. The benefits of higher intensity PA may only be realized after social determinants are addressed.
Long-Term Outcomes With Adalimumab Therapy in Pediatric Crohn Disease: Associations With Adalimumab Exposure

ABSTRACT Background/Aims: Pediatric Crohn disease (CD) treatment goals have evolved. Among children receiving adalimumab (ADA) we examined long-term durability of clinical remission, linear growth, and associations of trough concentration (TC) with biomarker, endoscopic and imaging outcomes. Methods: Single-center retrospective study. Pediatric CD activity index, C-reactive protein, fecal calprotectin, and height measured longitudinally. Discontinuation due to secondary loss of response (LOR) was assessed using Cox proportional hazards model. Associations between TC and clinical and biomarker remission, endoscopic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) improvements were assessed using Cox regression with time-dependent covariates. Results: Between January 2007 and June 2018, 213 children (median age 14.1 years (interquartile range [IQR] 12.5–15.7) 65% males) initiated ADA. One hundred and seventy-four (82%) achieved clinical remission (PCDAI < 10). During 24.8 (IQR 15.6–38.4) months follow-up, 26 (15%) discontinued ADA due to LOR, and 10 (6%) due to adverse events. Being anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) naïve and inflammatory behavior associated with increased likelihood of clinical remission (odds ratio [OR] 2.39, P = 0.033, and 3.13, P = 0.013, respectively) and with decreased LOR (hazard ratio [HR] 0.3, P = 0.002, and HR 0.35, P = 0.01, respectively). Cumulative LOR among 135 anti-TNF naïve patients: 0%, 8%, 15% within 1, 2, 3 years, similarly durable with mono- and immunomodulator combination therapy. Among pre-/early pubertal children mean height (−0.82) normalized to −0.07. TC consistently >7.5 ug/mL was associated with durable clinical remission (HR = 17.24, P < 0.001); TC >10 ug/mL with durable biomarker remission (HR = 6.56, P < 0.001) and endoscopic (OR 10.4, P = 0.002) and MRI (OR 7.6, P = 0.001) improvements. Conclusion: ADA monotherapy maintains durable clinical remission. Biomarker remission, mucosal and transmural improvements were associated with greater ADA exposure.
Electrostatic sheathing of lipoprotein lipase is essential for its movement across capillary endothelial cells

GPIHBP1, an endothelial cell (EC) protein, captures lipoprotein lipase (LPL) within the interstitial spaces (where it is secreted by myocytes and adipocytes) and transports it across ECs to its site of action in the capillary lumen. GPIHBP1’s 3-fingered LU domain is required for LPL binding, but the function of its acidic domain (AD) has remained unclear. We created mutant mice lacking the AD and found severe hypertriglyceridemia. As expected, the mutant GPIHBP1 retained the capacity to bind LPL. Unexpectedly, however, most of the GPIHBP1 and LPL in the mutant mice was located on the abluminal surface of ECs (explaining the hypertriglyceridemia). The GPIHBP1-bound LPL was trapped on the abluminal surface of ECs by electrostatic interactions between the large basic patch on the surface of LPL and negatively charged heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) on the surface of ECs. GPIHBP1 trafficking across ECs in the mutant mice was normalized by disrupting LPL-HSPG electrostatic interactions with either heparin or an AD peptide. Thus, GPIHBP1’s AD plays a crucial function in plasma triglyceride metabolism; it sheathes LPL’s basic patch on the abluminal surface of ECs, thereby preventing LPL-HSPG interactions and freeing GPIHBP1-LPL complexes to move across ECs to the capillary lumen.
Rosacea and Dry Eye Disease

ABSTRACT Ocular rosacea is a chronic potentially sight-threatening inflammatory condition, which can occur in approximately 20% of patients without skin involvement. However, an accurate diagnosis of ocular rosacea has not been defined yet due to its rather nonspecific symptoms and clinical findings. Therefore, this article updates the current recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of ocular rosacea and the previously published consensus recommendations from the ROSCO expert panel on the management of rosacea.
Safety, feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of the Neurofenix platform for Rehabilitation via HOMe Based gaming exercise for the Upper-limb post Stroke (RHOMBUS): results of a feasibility intervention study

Objectives To investigate the safety, feasibility and acceptability of the Neurofenix platform for home-based rehabilitation of the upper limb (UL). Design A non-randomised intervention design with a parallel process evaluation. Setting Participants’ homes, South-East England. Participants Thirty adults (≥18 years), minimum 12-week poststroke, not receiving UL rehabilitation, scoring 9–25 on the Motricity Index (elbow and shoulder), with sufficient cognitive and communicative abilities to participate. Interventions Participants were trained to use the platform, followed by 1 week of graded game-play exposure and 6-week training, aiming for a minimum 45 min, 5 days/week. Outcomes Safety was determined by assessing pain and poststroke fatigue at 8 and 12 weeks, and adverse events (AEs). Impairment, activity and participation outcomes were measured. Intervention feasibility was determined by the amount of specialist training and support required to complete the intervention, time and days spent training, and number of UL movements performed. Acceptability was assessed by a satisfaction questionnaire and semistructured interviews. Results Participants (14 women; mean (SD) age 60.0 (11.3) years) were a median of 4.9 years poststroke (minimum-maximum: 1–28 years). Twenty-seven participants completed the intervention. The odds of having shoulder pain were lower at 8 weeks (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.83, p=0.010) and 12 weeks (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.86, p=0.014) compared with baseline. Fugl-Meyer upper extremity, Motor Activity Log and passive range of movement improved. No other gains were recorded. Poststroke fatigue did not change. Thirty mild and short-term AEs and one serious (unrelated) AE were reported by 19 participants. Participants trained with the platform for a median of 17.4 hours over 7 weeks (minimum-maximum: 0.3–46.9 hours), equating to a median of 149 min per week. The median satisfaction score was 36 out of 40. Conclusion The Neurofenix platform is a safe, feasible and well accepted way to support UL training for people at least three months poststroke. Trial registration number ISRCTN60291412.
Association between age‐related sensory impairment with sarcopenia and its related components in older adults: a systematic review

Sensory impairments and sarcopenia are both highly prevalent age‐related conditions, with the former having been postulated to contribute to the pathogenesis of the latter condition. Confirming this hypothesis may therefore help to better inform strategies for early treatment and intervention of sarcopenia. We performed a systematic review of the current literature examining the relationships between four major sensory impairments [vision (VI), hearing (HI), smell (SI), and taste (TI)] with (i) sarcopenia; and (ii) its associated components (low handgrip strength, slow gait speed, and low muscle mass). PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for observational studies investigating the relationship of VI, HI, SI, and TI with sarcopenia, low handgrip strength, slow gait speed, and low muscle mass, in adults aged 50 years or older, from inception until 24 May 2021. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale. This study was registered with PROSPERO, reference CRD42021247967. Ten cross‐sectional and three longitudinal population‐based studies of community‐dwelling adults (N = 68 235) were included, with five studies investigating more than one sensory impairment. In total, 8, 6, 3, and 1 studies investigated the relationship between VI, HI, SI, and TI and sarcopenia and its related components, respectively. Follow‐up duration for the longitudinal studies ranged from 4 to 11 years. All studies had a low or moderate risk of bias. We found that the presence of VI and SI, but not TI, independently increased the odds of sarcopenia. In addition, VI and SI were each independently associated with low muscle mass; and VI, HI, and SI were each independently associated with slow gait speed. However, we found inconclusive evidence for the associations between VI, HI and SI, and low handgrip strength. Our systematic review suggests a potential association between the presence of single or multiple sensory impairments and a greater likelihood of sarcopenia and/or deficits in its associated components, especially for VI, HI, and SI. Prospective studies are needed to untangle the relationship between sensory impairment and sarcopenia to better inform clinical guidelines for disease prevention and management.
Monitoring the Damage of Armyworm as a Pest in Summer Corn by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Imaging.

The timely, rapid, and accurate near real-time observations are urgent to monitor the damage of corn armyworm, because the rapid expansion of armyworm would lead to severe yield losses. Therefore, the potential of machine learning algorithms for identifying the armyworm infected areas automatically and accurately by multispectral Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) dataset is explored in this study. And the study area is in Beicuizhuang Village, Langfang City, Hebei Province, which is the main corn-producing area in the North China Plain. Firstly, we identified the optimal combination of image features by Gini-importance and the comparation of four kinds of machine learning methods including Random Forest (RF), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Naive Bayes Classifier (NB) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) was done. And RF was proved to be the most potential with the highest Kappa and OA of 0.9709 and 0.9850, respectively. Secondly, the armyworm infected areas and healthy corn areas were predicted by an optimized RF model in the UAV dataset, and the armyworm incidence levels were classified subsequently. Thirdly, the relationship between the spectral characteristics of different bands and pest incidence levels within the Sentinel-2 and UAV images were analyzed, and the B3 in UAV images and the B6 in Sentinel-2 image were less sensitive for armyworm incidence levels. So the Sentinel-2 image was used to monitor armyworm in two towns. The optimized dataset and RF model are effective and reliable, which can be used for identifying the corn damage by armyworm using UAV images accurately and automatically in field-scale. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Knowledge Modeling and Route Planning Based on Taxi' Experience

It is believed that the routes chosen by taxi drivers are more reasonable and passable,and it is important to plan the route using the taxi drivers' experience.This paper establishes the taxi drivers' experience knowledge model based on analyzing the historical floating car data(FCD)and the taxi drivers' route planning rules.The road network is classified into different experience levels,and a new route planning algorithm is proposed based on the road network of experience levels.In the end,this paper finishes 350 experiments with the road network and historical FCD of Wuhan,and compares the new algorithm with the traditional shortest path algorithm,the results show us that the routes planed by the taxi' experience and knowledge model are more coherent and consistent,and that the traveling time can be reduced.
Virtual stick balancing: skill development in Newtonian and Aristotelian dynamics

Human reaction delay significantly limits manual control of unstable systems. It is more difficult to balance a short stick on a fingertip than a long one, because a shorter stick falls faster and therefore requires faster reactions. In this study, a virtual stick balancing environment was developed where the reaction delay can be artificially modulated and the law of motion can be changed between second-order (Newtonian) and first-order (Aristotelian) dynamics. Twenty-four subjects were separated into two groups and asked to perform virtual stick balancing programmed according to either Newtonian or Aristotelian dynamics. The shortest stick length (critical length, Lc) was determined for different added delays in six sessions of balancing trials performed on different days. The observed relation between Lc and the overall reaction delay τ reflected the feature of the underlying mathematical models: (i) for the Newtonian dynamics Lc is proportional to τ2; (ii) for the Aristotelian dynamics Lc is proportional to τ. Deviation of the measured Lc(τ) function from the theoretical one was larger for the Newtonian dynamics for all sessions, which suggests that, at least in virtually controlled tasks, it is more difficult to adopt second-order dynamics than first-order dynamics.
The visual coupling between neighbours explains local interactions underlying human ‘flocking'

Patterns of collective motion in bird flocks, fish schools and human crowds are believed to emerge from local interactions between individuals. Most ‘flocking' models attribute these local interactions to hypothetical rules or metaphorical forces and assume an omniscient third-person view of the positions and velocities of all individuals in space. We develop a visual model of collective motion in human crowds based on the visual coupling that governs pedestrian interactions from a first-person embedded viewpoint. Specifically, humans control their walking speed and direction by cancelling the average angular velocity and optical expansion/contraction of their neighbours, weighted by visibility (1 − occlusion). We test the model by simulating data from experiments with virtual crowds and real human ‘swarms'. The visual model outperforms our previous omniscient model and explains basic properties of interaction: ‘repulsion' forces reduce to cancelling optical expansion, ‘attraction' forces to cancelling optical contraction and ‘alignment' to cancelling the combination of expansion/contraction and angular velocity. Moreover, the neighbourhood of interaction follows from Euclid's Law of perspective and the geometry of occlusion. We conclude that the local interactions underlying human flocking are a natural consequence of the laws of optics. Similar perceptual principles may apply to collective motion in other species.
Helicoverpa armigera miR-2055 regulates lipid metabolism via fatty acid synthase expression

Insect hormones and microRNAs regulate lipid metabolism, but the mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Here, we found that cotton bollworm larvae feeding on Arabidopsis thaliana (AT) leaves had a lower triacylglycerol (TAG) level and more delayed development than individuals feeding on artificial diet (AD). Association analysis of small RNA and mRNA revealed that the level of miR-2055, a microRNA related to lipid metabolism, was significantly higher in larvae feeding on AT. Dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated miR-2055 binding to 3′ UTR of fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA to suppress its expression. Elevating the level of miR-2055 in larvae by agomir injection decreased FAS mRNA and protein levels, which resulted in reduction of free fatty acid (FFA) and TAG in fat body. Interestingly, in vitro assays illustrated that juvenile hormone (JH) increased miR-2055 accumulation in a dosage-dependent manner, whereas knockdown of Methoprene tolerant (Met) or Kruppel homologue 1 (Kr-h1) decreased the miR-2055 level. This implied that JH induces the expression of miR-2055 via a Met-Kr-h1 signal. These findings demonstrate that JH and miRNA cooperate to modulate lipid synthesis, which provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of metabolism in insects.
Ecological Appraisal of Geotextiles in Coastal Erosion Protection Engineering

ABSTRACT Jebakumar, J.P.P.; Nandhagopal, G. ; RajanBabu, B. ; Ragumaran, S. ; Kiran, A.S. , and Ravichandran, V. , 2022. Ecological appraisal of geotextiles in coastal erosion protection engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, 38(2), 345–354. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The emergence of geotextiles in coastal erosion protection as an alternative material to stone boulders and concrete tetrapods is evident in the recent past. The submergence of geotextiles being colonized by epibiotic organisms on their surface is called marine growth, similar to all other materials inundated in seawater. It includes organisms of the primary producers of algal populations, secondary consumers, and filter feeders of benthic-fouling communities crusting geotextiles' surface. In-situ experimental studies of more than a year of research at a fishing harbour along Chennai coast, India, projected a typical pattern of epibiotic encrustation and its impact on tensile strength nonwoven geotextiles fabrics. Results demonstrated a patchy-mosaic design of marine growth on the geotextile comprising 41 species of sessile invertebrates, including seaweeds, showing a natural succession of biotic density and diversity. Noted distinct stages in colonization were commencing with the domination of deposit feeders, followed by filter feeders, secondary consumers, and primary producers, where later filter feeders subjugated them. The incidence of fundamental ecological succession based on food availability, nature of trophic consumers, and intra/interspecific competition lead to dynamic population shifts on geotextiles. The monolayer settlement pattern of marine growth on the surface is dominated by the benthic filter-feeding community, forming an inverted trophic pyramid structure. Significant differences in tensile strength between geotextile with and without marine growth (p = 0.042) and the progressive improvement in tensile strength indicated no adverse impact on the erosion protection structure's stability. Thus, a harmonious relationship between population density and tensile strength (r = 0.8) represents a mutual relationship between encrusting biota and geotextile substrate, resulting in camouflaging with the coastal background ecosystems as an innovative ecodesign for coastal erosion protection engineering.
A Creditworthy Resources Sharing Platform Based on Microservice✱

There is a promising business in smart manufacturing to share owners’ technical resources such as equipment, software, or capabilities. The resources are developed and provided as open services, which are requested by clients to compose new applications or improve existing applications. To implement this sharing business, a life-cycle framework is proposed to classify, identify, develop, publish, provision, operate, and compose the services. A creditworthy resources sharing platform has been developed to testify the framework. With the platform, micro-service techniques are applied to improve the services’ performance both in a run-time environment and collaborative development. And block-chain techniques are applied to improve the services’ transaction data proprietary and security.
Self-Learning Optimal Control with Performance Analysis using Event-Triggered Adaptive Dynamic Programming

In this paper, a self-learning event-triggered algorithm is proposed to solve optimal control problems for discrete-time systems. Not quite the same as the time-triggered algorithm, the developed controller is only updated when events occur. To obtain a desired performance, we develop novel triggering conditions with adjustable parameters. Therefore, a near-optimal performance can be obtained as required. Meanwhile, the system is proved to be asymptotically stable based on the developed algorithm. Besides, two neural networks are utilized to implement the algorithm. Furthermore, we test the developed algorithm with different parameter settings, and the impact of parameter settings on the performance is illustrated. Finally, we test both the time-triggered and event-triggered algorithms for comparison, which demonstrates that we obtain comparable performance with reduced computing cost.
Research on direct power control of SVPWM rectifier based on fuzzy PI control

The principle of VFDPC(virtual flux direct power control) for PWM rectifier was analyzed and the instantaneous power estimating equations based on virtual flux observer were obtained.There was DC voltage shifts problem caused by improper selection of integral initial value in virtual flux observer.The pure integral link was replaced by a second order link composed of two high-pass filter to filtering out the DC current.A fuzzy PI controller was designed in the voltage loop in order to improve the DC voltage stability of PWM rectifier.The simulation results show that,the PWM rectifier VFDPC system based on fuzzy PI control have the advantages of more stable DC side voltage and better dynamic performance in start-up phase compared with the traditional DPC system.
Effects of lagging projectification in the public sector on realizing infrastructure projects

Abstract The public sector in Germany lags behind the economy in terms of projectification, i.e., the prevalence of projects and experience in applying project management. This has significant implications for realizing complex infrastructure projects in which the public sector is involved as one of the main actors. Nowadays, projectification represents a particular way of thinking about how to embrace a series of dynamic and challenging changes, design them, and implement them effectively for the benefit of society. A quantitative study of projectification in society in Germany was the starting point for our research, the results of which we compared with data from earlier studies of projectification in the economy. Using an interpretative case study drawing on insights from the Berlin Airport, we analyzed the impact of lagging projectification in the public sector in Germany on realizing infrastructure projects to propose suitable approaches. The results of this case study reveal significant effects of lagging projectification in the public sector of Germany on realizing infrastructure projects. In the case of the Berlin BER Airport, an inadequate governance system led to a 9-year delay in the completion date and a 250% overrun of costs directly attributable to the project. This could have been avoided by involving the private construction industry more collaboratively, by building on previous experiences gained, and by a more cooperative way of project planning and implementation. To guide future research, hypotheses are derived that can be used to analyze the underlying problem in greater depth and to derive recommendations for action.