Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linear time‐varying model predictive control and its application to active steering systems: Stability analysis and experimental validation

A model predictive control (MPC) approach for controlling an active front steering (AFS) system in an autonomous vehicle is presented. At each time step a trajectory is assumed to be known over a finite horizon, and an MPC controller computes the front steering angle in order to best follow the desired trajectory on slippery roads at the highest possible entry speed. We start from the results presented in (Int. J. Veh. Auton. Syst. 2005; 3(2–4):265–291; IEEE Trans. Contr. Syst. Technol. 2007; 15(3)) and formulate the MPC problem based on successive online linearization of the nonlinear vehicle model (linear time‐varying (LTV) MPC). We present a sufficient stability condition for such LTV MPC scheme. The condition is derived for a general class of nonlinear discrete time systems and results into an additional convex constraint to be included in the LTV MPC design.
A Content Analysis of Orthodontic Treatment Information Contained within the Websites of General Dental Practices

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the content, quality, and readability of orthodontic information contained on the websites of general dental practices located in Australia. An online search strategy was adopted to identify practice websites for evaluation. Websites satisfying inclusion/exclusion criteria were checked for the presence of pre-determined orthodontic treatment-related items. Three validated quality of health information and readability tools were applied for website content assessment. A total of 231 websites satisfied inclusion/exclusion criteria. The mean overall [SD] DISCERN score was 29.87 (6.03)/80, [95%CI: 29.09–30.65]. The majority of the websites (88.3%) recorded poor or very poor DISCERN quality of information scores. Most websites described orthodontic clear aligner treatment (91.3%). Information regarding Invisalign ® was provided by 69.3% and myofunctional therapy by 22.5%. Only 7 (3%) websites indicated that orthodontic retention was indefinite. The mean [SD] Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) score was 10.10 [1.31], (95%CI: 9.95–10.25). The SMOG and Flesch Reading Ease scores were closely correlated (r = −0.9041; 95%CI: −0.93 to −0.88; p < 0.0001) and signified difficult-to-read information. The content authors should consider the use of quality information and readability tools to ensure that readers access high-quality and readable information.
On perfect codes in deletion and insertion metric

The packing and covering problem for the metric space J3J consisting of g-ary words of length n and provided with the deletion and insertion metric is considered. For any n = 1,2,. partitions of Β ζ and of the permutation set Sn (Sn C B%) into perfect codes capable of correcting single deletions are given. In connection with the problem of finding perfect codes capable of correcting s deletions a problem of constructing . ordered Steiner systems is stated, and a solution of this problem for some values of parameters is presented. For n = 3 and any q as well as for n = 4 and any even q, perfect in B* codes capable of correcting single deletions are constructed. An asymptotic behaviour of the maximum cardinality of a code in B" capable of correcting single deletions in case q/n —> oo is found .
Stromal resistance to castration-induced prostate regression in a mouse model of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-neoplastic proliferative disease producing lower urinary tract symptoms related to the enlarged prostate. BPH is pathologically characterized by hyperplastic growth in both epithelial and stromal compartments. Androgen signaling is essential for prostate function and androgen blockade is the second-line medical therapy to relieve symptoms of BPH. Here we examined the prostates of probasin promoter-driven prolactin (Pb-PRL) transgenic mice, a robust model of BPH that spontaneously develops prostate enlargement, to investigate prostate regression in response to surgical castration. Serial ultrasound imaging demonstrated very uniform self-limited growth of Pb-PRL prostate volume that is consistent with the benign, limited cellular proliferation characteristic of BPH and that contrasts with the highly variable, exponential growth of murine prostate cancer models. Castration elicited only a partial reduction in prostate volume, relative to castration-induced regression of the normal prostate gland. The anti-androgen finasteride induced a diminished reduction of Pb-PRL prostate volume versus castration alone. The limited extent of Pb-PRL mouse prostate volume regression correlated with the initial volume of the stromal compartment, suggesting a differential sensitivity to androgen withdrawal of the epithelial and stroma compartments. Indeed, two-dimensional morphometric analyses revealed a distinctly reduced rate of regression for the stromal compartment in Pb-PRL mice. The myofibroblast component of the Pb-PRL prostate stroma appeared normal, but contained more fibroblasts and extracellular collagen deposition. Like normal prostate, the rate of regression of the Pb-PRL prostate was partially dependent on TGFß and TNF signaling, but unlike the normal prostate, the extent of castration-induced regression was not affected by TGFß or TNF blockade. Our studies show that androgen deprivation can effectively reduce the overall volume of hyperplastic prostate, but the stromal compartment is relatively resistant, suggesting additional therapies might be required to offer an effective treatment for the clinical manifestations of BPH.
Multiomic profiling reveals metabolic alterations mediating aberrant platelet activity and inflammation in myeloproliferative neoplasms

Platelets from patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) exhibit a hyperreactive phenotype. Here, we found elevated P-selectin exposure and platelet-leukocyte aggregates indicating activation of platelets from essential thrombocythemia (ET) patients. Single cell RNA-seq analysis of primary samples revealed significant enrichment of transcripts related to platelet activation, mTOR and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in ET patient platelets. These observations were validated via proteomic profiling. Platelet metabolomics revealed distinct metabolic phenotypes consisting of elevated ATP generation, accompanied by increases in the levels of multiple intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, but lower alpha-ketoglutarate (α-KG) in MPN patients. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling significantly reduced metabolic responses and hyperreactivity in MPN patient platelets, while α-KG supplementation markedly reduced oxygen consumption and ATP generation. Ex vivo incubation of platelets from both MPN patients and Jak2 V617F mice with α-KG significantly reduced platelet activation responses. Oral α-KG supplementation of Jak2 V617F mice decreased splenomegaly and reduced hematocrit, monocyte and platelet counts. Finally, α-KG incubation significantly decreased proinflammatory cytokine secretion from MPN CD14+ monocytes. Our results reveal a previously unrecognized metabolic disorder in conjunction with aberrant PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, contributing to platelet hyperreactivity in MPN patients.
Identifying key residues in intrinsically disordered regions of proteins using machine learning

Conserved residues in protein homolog sequence alignments are structurally or functionally important. For intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), however, alignment often fails because they lack a steric structure to constrain evolution. Although sequences vary, the physicochemical features of IDRs may be preserved in maintaining function. Therefore, a method to retrieve common IDR features may help identify functionally important residues. We applied un-supervised contrastive learning to train a model with self-attention neuronal networks on human IDR orthologs. During training, parameters were optimized to match sequences in ortholog pairs but not in other IDRs. The trained model successfully identifies previously reported critical residues from experimental studies, especially those with an overall pattern (e.g. multiple aromatic residues or charged blocks) rather than short motifs. This predictive model can therefore be used to identify potentially important residues in other proteins. Availability and implementation The training scripts are available on GitHub (https://github.com/allmwh/IFF). The training datasets have been deposited in an Open Science Framework repository (https://osf.io/jk29b). The trained model can be run from the Jupyter Notebook in the GitHub repository using Binder (mybinder.org). The only required input is the primary sequence.
Validation of Visual Statistical Inference, Applied to Linear Models

Statistical graphics play a crucial role in exploratory data analysis, model checking, and diagnosis. The lineup protocol enables statistical significance testing of visual findings, bridging the gulf between exploratory and inferential statistics. In this article, inferential methods for statistical graphics are developed further by refining the terminology of visual inference and framing the lineup protocol in a context that allows direct comparison with conventional tests in scenarios when a conventional test exists. This framework is used to compare the performance of the lineup protocol against conventional statistical testing in the scenario of fitting linear models. A human subjects experiment is conducted using simulated data to provide controlled conditions. Results suggest that the lineup protocol performs comparably with the conventional tests, and expectedly outperforms them when data are contaminated, a scenario where assumptions required for performing a conventional test are violated. Surprisingly, visual tests have higher power than the conventional tests when the effect size is large. And, interestingly, there may be some super-visual individuals who yield better performance and power than the conventional test even in the most difficult tasks. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
The Global Environment Facility approach for allocating biodiversity funding to countries

Biodiversity is not evenly distributed across the globe and some areas have greater potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation than others. Whilst there are multiple ways to determine priority areas for conservation, for a global institution like the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the funding mechanism for the Convention on Biological Diversity and the largest multilateral source of funding for developing countries focused on enhancing biodiversity outcomes and promoting sustainable use, it is important to fund the top-ranked countries whilst also ensuring that all eligible countries are able to undertake some biodiversity conservation actions in accordance with the Convention. To this end, the GEF uses the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR) to allocate funding in separate funding rounds to eligible countries. This country focus means that all prioritization analyses need to be undertaken within that political framework, while also considering the intrinsic patterns in biodiversity that don’t respect national borders. We present the 2018 update of the biodiversity component of GEF-STAR, investigate how the weighting system affects the ranking of countries. We show that top ranked and bottom ranked countries are robust to changes in the weighting of analytical elements, but the weighting can significantly alter the importance of middle ranking countries, affecting their funding allocation. This analysis has been used by the GEF, along with other data, to allocate over $1 billion in biodiversity funding (GEF-7 = $1.2 billion) to improve country and global prospects for conservation. However, this large funding allocation for conservation needs to be set against the vastly larger funding flows that decrease natural values around the world, and the need for systems level change remains evident across the entire planet.
Developmental exposure to a real-life environmental chemical mixture alters testicular transcription factor expression in neonatal and pre-pubertal rams, with morphological changes persisting into adulthood

Environmental chemical (EC) exposure may be impacting male reproductive health. The translationally relevant biosolids treated pasture (BTP) sheep model was used to investigate gestational low-level EC mixture exposure on the testis of F1 male offspring. Adult rams from ewes exposed to BTP 1 month before and throughout pregnancy had more seminiferous tubules with degeneration and depletion of elongating spermatids, indicating “recovery” from previously reported testicular dysgenesis syndrome-like phenotype in neonatal and pre-pubertal BTP lambs. Expression of transcription factors CREB1 (neonatal) and BCL11A and FOXP2 (pre-pubertal) were significantly higher in the BTP exposed testes, with no changes seen in the adults. Increased CREB1, which is crucial for testes development and regulation of steroidogenic enzymes, could be an adaptive response to gestational EC exposure to facilitate the phenotypic recovery. Overall, this demonstrates that testicular effects from gestational exposure to low-level mixtures of ECs can last into adulthood, potentially impacting fertility and fecundity.
Genomic data suggest parallel dental vestigialization within the xenarthran radiation

The recent influx of genomic data has provided greater insights into the molecular basis for regressive evolution, or vestigialization, through gene loss and pseudogenization. As such, the analysis of gene degradation patterns has the potential to provide insights into the evolutionary history of regressed anatomical traits. We specifically applied these principles to the xenarthran radiation (anteaters, sloths, armadillos), which is characterized by taxa with a gradation in regressed dental phenotypes. Whether the pattern among extant xenarthrans is due to an ancient and gradual decay of dental morphology or occurred repeatedly in parallel is unknown. We tested these competing hypotheses by examining 11 core dental genes in most living species of Xenarthra, characterizing shared inactivating mutations and patterns of relaxed selection during their radiation. Here we report evidence of independent and distinct events of dental gene loss in the major xenarthran subclades. First, we found strong evidence of complete enamel loss in the common ancestor of sloths and anteaters, suggested by the inactivation of five enamel-associated genes (AMELX, AMTN, MMP20, ENAM, ACP4). Next, whereas dental regression appears to have halted in sloths, presumably a critical event that ultimately permitted adaptation to an herbivorous lifestyle, anteaters continued losing genes on the path towards complete tooth loss. Echoes of this event are recorded in the genomes of all living anteaters, being marked by a 2-bp deletion in a gene critical for dentinogenesis (DSPP) and a putative shared 1-bp insertion in a gene linked to tooth retention (ODAPH). By contrast, in the two major armadillo clades, genes pertaining to the dento-gingival junction and amelogenesis appear to have been independently inactivated prior to losing all or some enamel. These genomic data provide evidence for multiple pathways and rates of anatomical regression, and underscore the utility of using pseudogenes to reconstruct evolutionary history when fossils are sparse.
Low‐Temperature Elastic Moduli of Aluminum

The adiabatic elastic moduli of single crystals of aluminum have been measured from 4.2° to 300°K by using the ultrasonic pulse‐echo technique. The values obtained by extrapolation to 0°K are C11=11.430, C12=6.192, and C44=3.162 in units of 1011 dyn/cm2. The Debye temperature obtained from the 0°K modulus values is 430.3°K, in excellent agreement with the value from heat‐capacity measurements.
Evaluation of effective detective quantum efficiency with digital radiography to optimize exposure condition for chest imaging

Effective detective quantum efficiency (eDQE) has recently been developed and introduced. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and optimize exposure conditions for chest imaging with digital radiography (DR) using eDQE. The exposure factors that we considered were tube potential and anti-scatter moving grid. The entrance air kerma was adjusted for each tube potential to yield an effective dose of 34 μSv. The scatter fraction (SF), transmission fraction (TF), effective modulation transfer function (eMTF), and effective normalized noise power spectrum (eNNPS) were measured using a phantom that simulates the attenuation and scatter properties of the human chest. Our results suggest that eMTFs are independent of tube potential regardless of whether or not a grid is used. The eNNPSs were greater with the use of an anti-scatter grid than without, while the eDQE was largest at lower tube potential when there was no grid. Our results indicate that the use of low tube potential without an anti-scatter grid is the most appropriate exposure condition for DR in chest imaging. Further research is needed to optimize measurement conditions for other types of imaging studies.
Real-time 3D millimeter wave imaging based FMCW using GGD focal plane array as detectors

Millimeter wave (MMW) imaging systems are required for applications in medicine, communications, homeland security, and space technology. This is because there is no known ionization hazard for biological tissue, and atmospheric attenuation in this range of the spectrum is relatively low. The lack of inexpensive room temperature imaging systems makes it difficult to give a suitable MMW system for many of the above applications. 3D MMW imaging system based on chirp radar was studied previously using a scanning imaging system of a single detector. The system presented here proposes to employ a chirp radar method with a Glow Discharge Detector (GDD) Focal Plane Array (FPA) of plasma based detectors. Each point on the object corresponds to a point in the image and includes the distance information. This will enable 3D MMW imaging. The radar system requires that the millimeter wave detector (GDD) will be able to operate as a heterodyne detector. Since the source of radiation is a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW), the detected signal as a result of heterodyne detection gives the object's depth information according to value of difference frequency, in addition to the reflectance of the image. In this work we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of implementing an imaging system based on radar principles and FPA of GDD devices. This imaging system is shown to be capable of imaging objects from distances of at least 10 meters.
A 3D World Model Builder with a Mobile Robot

This article describes a system to incrementally build a world model with a mobile robot in an unknown environment. The model is, for the moment, segment based. A trinocular stereo system is used to build a local map about the environment. A global map is obtained by integrating a sequence of stereo frames taken when the robot navigates in the environment. The emphasis of this article is on the representation of the uncer tainty of 3D segments from stereo and on the integration of segments from multiple views. The proposed representation is simple and very convenient to characterize the uncertainty of segment. A Kalman filter is used to merge matched line seg ments. An important characteristic of our integration strategy is that a segment observed by the stereo system corresponds only to one part of the segment in space, so the union of the different observations gives a better estimate on the segment in space. We have succeeded in integrating 35 stereo frames taken in our robot room.
TiO 2 Nanowires on TiO 2 Nanotubes Arrays (TNWs/TNAs) Decorated with Au Nanoparticles and Au Nanorods for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting and Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

: In this study, TiO 2 nanowires on TiO 2 nanotubes arrays (TNWs/TNAs) and Au-decorated TNWs/TNAs nanostructures are designed and fabricated as a new type of photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The TNWs/TNAs were fabricated on Ti folds by anodization using an aqueous NH 4 F/ethylene glycol solution, while Au nanoparticles (NPs) and Au nanorods (NRs) were synthesized by Turkevich methods. We studied the crystal structure, morphology, and PEC activity of four types of nanomaterial photoanodes, including TNWs/TNAs, Au NPs-TNWs/TNAs, Au NRs-TNWs/TNAs, and Au NPs-NRs-TNWs/TNAs. The TiO 2 and Au-TiO 2 samples exhibited pure anatase phase of TiO 2 with (0 0 4), (1 0 1), and (1 0 5) preferred orientations, while Au-TiO 2 presented a tiny XRD peak of Au (111) due to a small Au decorated content of 0.7 ± 0.2 at. %. In addition, the samples obtained a well-defined and uniformed structure of TNAs/TNWs; Au NPs (size of 19.0 ± 1.9 nm) and Au NRs (width of 14.8 ± 1.3 nm and length of 99.8 ±
Genome-wide identification of genes encoding cystathionine beta synthase domain-containing proteins in wheat and its relationship with anther male sterility under heat stress

Cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) domains containing proteins (CDCPs) plays an important role in plant development through regulation of the thioredoxin system, as well as its ability to respond to biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Despite this, no systematic study has examined the wheat CBS gene family and its relation to high temperature-induced male sterility. In this study, 66 CBS family members were identified in the wheat genome, and their gene or protein sequences were used for subsequent analysis. The TaCBS gene family was found to be unevenly distributed on 21 chromosomes, and they were classified into four subgroups according to their gene structure and phylogeny. The results of collinearity analysis showed that there were 25 shared orthologous genes between wheat, rice and Brachypodium distachyon, and one shared orthologous gene between wheat, millet and barley. The cis-regulatory elements of the TaCBS were related to JA, IAA, MYB, etc. GO and KEGG pathway analysis identified these TaCBS genes to be associated with pollination, reproduction, and signaling and cellular processes, respectively. A heatmap of wheat plants based on transcriptome data showed that TaCBS genes were expressed to a higher extent in spikelets relative to other tissues. In addition, 29 putative tae-miRNAs were identified, targeting 41 TaCBS genes. Moreover, qRT-PCR validation of six TaCBS genes indicated their critical role in anther development, as five of them were expressed at lower levels in heat-stressed male sterile anthers than in Normal anthers. Together with anther phenotypes, paraffin sections, starch potassium iodide staining, and qRT-PCR data, we hypothesized that the TaCBS gene has a very important connection with the heat-stressed sterility process in wheat, and these data provide a basis for further insight into their relationship.
Banach Spaces with Complete Continuity Properties

Let X be a Banach space, (Ω, Σ, λ) be a finite measure space and G be a compact metrizable group. We discuss the complete continuity properties related to subsets of the dual group G for Bochner spaces. It is shown that if Λ is a Riesz-subset of G then L p (λ, X), where 1 ≤ p < ∞, has the type II-Λ-CCP whenever X does.