Emotion Recognition from Facial Expression Based on Fiducial Points Detection and using Neural Network

The importance of emotion recognition lies in the role that emotions play in our everyday lives. Emotions have a strong relationship with our behavior. Thence, automatic emotion recognition, is to equip the machine of this human ability to analyze, and to understand the human emotional state, in order to anticipate his intentions from facial expression. In this paper, a new approach is proposed to enhance accuracy of emotion recognition from facial expression, which is based on input features deducted only from fiducial points. The proposed approach consists firstly on extracting 1176 dynamic features from image sequences that represent the proportions of euclidean distances between facial fiducial points in the first frame, and faicial fiducial points in the last frame. Secondly, a feature selection method is used to select only the most relevant features from them. Finally, the selected features are presented to a Neural Network (NN) classifier to classify facial expression input into emotion. The proposed approach has achieved an emotion recognition accuracy of 99% on the CK+ database, 84.7% on the Oulu-CASIA VIS database, and 93.8% on the JAFFE database

EXAMPLE OF PALEOSEBKHA LITTORAL DEPOSITS OF SENONIAN IN THE "BASINS ZONE" OF AIT OURIR (MARRAKECH HIGH ATLAS, MOROCCO)

The comparative analysis of three cuts oriented West-East at the level of the basin of Jbel Sour, led to defining during the Santonian: A western sector of detrital coarse sediments, deposited in the context of a fluvial dynamics. Oriental sector of mainly carbonato- evaporite sedimentation, in a less deep and confined environment, subject to significant subsidence under a hot, arid climate favoring the formation of sebkha facies. These santonien deposits are organized in a regressive megasequence, surmounted by a Maastrichtian transgressive formation, corresponding, in this area, to a tidal-flats environment. This Maastrichtian serie marking the return of the epicontinental sea, under a hot, arid climate, by an Atlantic transgression encompassing the entire study area

Toxicity Profile of the Aqueous Ethanol Root Extract of Corrigiola telephiifolia Pourr. (Caryophyllaceae) in Rodents

Corrigiola telephiifolia Pourr. (Caryophyllaceae) is a Moroccan medicinal plant. Despite its popular usage, no study has been published concerning its toxicological profile. The acute toxicity of C. telephiifolia root extract was evaluated by giving it orally to mice at single doses of 5000, 10000, and 14000 mg/kg bodyweight. The extract was also administered at doses of 5, 70, and 2000 mg/kg bodyweight per day to rats for a forty-day toxicity study. No mortality or signs of toxicity were observed in the acute study. In the forty-day study in rats, the extract at 5 mg/kg/day showed no toxicological effects in either sex. At 70 mg/kg/day, the treated group differed from the control only by a significant decrease in serum concentrations of sodium and chloride ions (P < .05). At the dose of 2000 mg/kg/day, the extract significantly increased the serum concentrations of creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and phosphorus (P < .05) all suggestive of functional nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. The relative bodyweight of both sexes decreased at the dose of 2000 mg/kg/day, with a fast recovery for males. Histological examination did not reveal any treatment-related effects. In conclusion, Corrigiola extract appears safe at the doses used ethno-medicinally. Much higher doses pose toxicological risks

Utilisation Des Indices De Qualité Et De Pollution Organique Dans L’évaluation De La Qualité PhysicoChimique Des Eaux Superficielles Des Oueds Moulouya et Ansegmir (Haute Moulouya, NE Du Maroc)

Surface water is subject to strong anthropogenic pressures caused by the development and extension of agricultural activities and also by industrial and domestic activities. Pollution is a serious problem for the environment due to discharges dumped into rivers and excessive use of agricultural fertilizers and discharges from urban and industrial sources. The objective of this study is to assess the quality and state of organic pollution in surface water in Upper Moulouya based on the water quality index (WQI) and the organic pollution index (IPO) during three sampling campaigns carried out between March and August of 2014. Ten stations were studied along the Moulouya and Ansegmir wadis up to the Hassan II dam. The results are visualized through the use of GIS through the production of thematic maps. They revealed that the majority of stations indicate excellent water quality and show no organic pollution with the exception of Boumia (M5) and Zaida (M6) stations which respectively have poor quality water and low pollution. at Boumia and non-drinking water with strong organic pollution at Zaida. This anthropogenic environmental degradation recorded downstream of the two urban communes would come from the use of nitrogen and phosphate agricultural fertilizers and above all from the discharge of untreated domestic and industrial wastewater from these two communes. The seasonal variation remains discreet and reflects a slight tendency towards degradation of the waters of the Upper Moulouya during the low waters of the summer period Les eaux superficielles sont soumises à de fortes pressions anthropiques suscitées par le développement et l’extension des activités agricoles et également par les activités industrielles et domestiques. La pollution est un grand problème pour l’environnement en raison des rejets déversés dans les rivières et de l’utilisation excessive des fertilisants agricoles et des rejets d’origine urbaine et industrielle. L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer la qualité et l'état de la pollution organique des eaux superficielles la Haut Moulouya en se basant sur l’indice de qualité de l’eau (IQE) et l’indice de pollution organique (IPO) durant trois campagnes de prélèvement effectuées&nbsp; entre les mois de mars et août de l’année 2014. Dix stations ont été étudiées le entre les mois de mars et août de l’année 2014. Dix stations ont été étudiées le long des oueds Moulouya et Ansegmir jusqu’à l’amont du barrage Hassan II. Les résultats sont visualisés par l’utilisation des SIG via la réalisation de cartes thématiques. Ils ont révélé que la majorité des stations indiquent une excellente qualité d’eau et ne présentent aucune pollution organique à l’exception des stations de Boumia (M5) et de Zaida (M6) qui présentent respectivement des eaux de mauvaise qualité et une faible pollution au niveau de Boumia et des eaux non potables avec forte pollution organique au niveau de Zaida. Cette dégradation environnementale anthropique enregistrée en aval des deux communes urbaines proviendrait de l’utilisation d'engrais agricoles azotés et phosphatés et surtout des rejets d’eaux usées domestiques et industrielles non traitées de ces deux communes. La variation saisonnière reste discrète et traduit une légère tendance à la dégradation des eaux de la Haute Moulouya pendant les basses eaux de la période estivale

ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 integrates jasmonate and cytokinin signaling machineries to repress adventitious rooting in Arabidopsis

Adventitious root initiation (ARI) is ade novoorganogenesis program and a key adaptive trait in plants. Several hormones regulate ARI but the underlying genetic architecture that integrates the hormonal crosstalk governing this process remains largely elusive. In this study, we use genetics, genome editing, transcriptomics, hormone profiling and cell biological approaches to demonstrate a crucial role played by the APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 transcription factor. We demonstrate that ERF115 functions as a repressor of ARI by activating the cytokinin (CK) signaling machinery. We also demonstrate thatERF115is transcriptionally activated by jasmonate (JA), an oxylipin-derived phytohormone, which represses ARI in NINJA-dependent and independent manners. Our data indicate that NINJA-dependent JA signaling in pericycle cells blocks early events of ARI. Altogether, our results reveal a previously unreported molecular network involving cooperative crosstalk between JA and CK machineries that represses ARI

The complete genome sequence and comparative genome analysis of the high pathogenicity Yersinia enterocolitica strain 8081

The human enteropathogen, Yersinia enterocolitica, is a significant link in the range of Yersinia pathologies extending from mild gastroenteritis to bubonic plague. Comparison at the genomic level is a key step in our understanding of the genetic basis for this pathogenicity spectrum. Here we report the genome of Y. enterocolitica strain 8081 (serotype 0:8; biotype 1B) and extensive microarray data relating to the genetic diversity of the Y. enterocolitica species. Our analysis reveals that the genome of Y. enterocolitica strain 8081 is a patchwork of horizontally acquired genetic loci, including a plasticity zone of 199 kb containing an extraordinarily high density of virulence genes. Microarray analysis has provided insights into species-specific Y. enterocolitica gene functions and the intraspecies differences between the high, low, and nonpathogenic Y. enterocolitica biotypes. Through comparative genome sequence analysis we provide new information on the evolution of the Yersinia. We identify numerous loci that represent ancestral clusters of genes potentially important in enteric survival and pathogenesis, which have been lost or are in the process of being lost, in the other sequenced Yersinia lineages. Our analysis also highlights large metabolic operons in Y. enterocolitica that are absent in the related enteropathogen, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, indicating major differences in niche and nutrients used within the mammalian gut. These include clusters directing, the production of hydrogenases, tetrathionate respiration, cobalamin synthesis, and propanediol utilisation. Along with ancestral gene clusters, the genome of Y. enterocolitica has revealed species-specific and enteropathogen-specific loci. This has provided important insights into the pathology of this bacterium and, more broadly, into the evolution of the genus. Moreover, wider investigations looking at the patterns of gene loss and gain in the Yersinia have highlighted common themes in the genome evolution of other human enteropathogens

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century