Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Soybean and Linseed Oils Calcium Salts and Starter Protein Content on Growth Performance, Immune Response, and Nitrogen Utilization Efficiency in Holstein Dairy Calves

Simple Summary In the current study we evaluated two fatty acid sources (soybean oil contained n-6 FA vs. linseed oil contained n-3 FA) along with two different starter protein contents (18 vs. 22% CP). Our findings show that different FAs can impact nitrogen utilization efficiency. Moreover, the immune system of calves is influenced by the interaction of FAs and starter protein content. This is the first report on the interaction effect of FAs and nitrogen content of starters in dairy calves, which can be interesting for both farmers and researchers in order to have optimized starter formulation in terms of the fatty acid source and starter protein contents in an accelerated growth program for calves in commercial dairy farms. Abstract This study aimed to investigate the interaction of fatty acid (FA) source [calcium salt of soybean oil (n-6 FA) vs. calcium salt of linseed oil (n-3 FA) both 3% DM basis] with protein content (18% vs. 22% CP, based on DM) on growth performance, blood metabolites, immune function, skeletal growth indices, urinary purine derivatives (PD), and microbial protein synthesis (MPS) in young dairy calves. Forty 3-day-old calves (20 females and 20 males) with a starting body weight (BW) of 40.2 kg were assigned in a completely randomized block design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Experimental diets were: (1) n-6 FA with 18% CP (n-6-18CP), (2) n-6 FA with 22% CP (n-6-22CP), (3) n-3 FA with 18% CP (n-3-18CP), and (4) n-3 FA with 22% CP (n-3-22CP). Starter feed intake and average daily gain (ADG) were not influenced by experimental diets (p > 0.05). However, before weaning and the entire period, feed efficiency (FE) was greater in calves fed n-3 FA compared to n-6 FA (p < 0.05). Heart girth (weaning, p < 0.05) and hip height (weaning, p < 0.05 and final, p < 0.01) were highest among experimental treatments in calves who received n-3-22CP diets. The greatest blood glucose (p < 0.05) and insulin (p < 0.01) concentrations in the pre-weaning period and the lowest serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor (before weaning, p < 0.05) were observed in calves fed the n-3-22CP diet. However, the greatest blood urea N (before weaning, p < 0.05; after weaning, p < 0.05) and urinary N excretion (p < 0.05) were found in calves fed n-6-22CP diets compared to other experimental arrangements. In conclusion, offering calves with Ca-salt of n-3 FA along with 22% CP content may be related to improved nitrogen efficiency and immune function.
Imposition of essential boundary conditions by displacement constraint equations in meshless methods

One of major difficulties in the implementation of meshless methods is the imposition of essential boundary conditions as the approximations do not pass through the nodal parameter values. As a consequence, the imposition of essential boundary conditions in meshless methods is quite awkward. In this paper, a displacement constraint equations method (DCEM) is proposed for the imposition of the essential boundary conditions, in which the essential boundary conditions is treated as a constraint to the discrete equations obtained from the Galerkin methods. Instead of using the methods of Lagrange multipliers and the penalty method, a procedure is proposed in which unknowns are partitioned into two subvectors, one consisting of unknowns on boundary Γu, and one consisting of the remaining unknowns. A simplified displacement constraint equations method (SDCEM) is also proposed, which results in a efficient scheme with sufficient accuracy for the imposition of the essential boundary conditions in meshless methods. The present method results in a symmetric, positive and banded stiffness matrix. Numerical results show that the accuracy of the present method is higher than that of the modified variational principles. The present method is a exact method for imposing essential boundary conditions in meshless methods, and can be used in Galerkin-based meshless method, such as element-free Galerkin methods, reproducing kernel particle method, meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improving axial resolution in spectral domain low-coherence interferometry through fast Fourier transform harmonic artifacts

Abstract. Low-coherence interferometric setups in the Fourier domain can experience false structures after the Fourier transform procedure due to signal saturation; in fact, these structures are located at multiple frequencies of the original signal, also referred to as harmonics. This study aids in a better understanding of this phenomenon. The aim of the present work was to show that these features can be used to improve differential axial resolution in highly reflective samples. Using an optical coherence tomography system and calibrated step height standards, it was possible to achieve a resolution greater than the light source coherence length.
Characterization of Human, Ovine and Porcine Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Bone Marrow: Critical In Vitro Comparison with Regard to Humans

For research and clinical use of stem cells, a suitable animal model is necessary. Hence, the aim of this study was to compare human-bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) with those from sheep (oBMSCs) and pigs (pBMSCs). The cells from these three species were examined for their self-renewal potential; proliferation potential; adhesion and migration capacity; adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potential; and cell morphology. There was no significant difference between hBMSCs and pBMSCs in terms of self-renewal potential or growth potential. The oBMSCs exhibited a significantly higher doubling time than hBMSCs from passage 7. The migration assay showed significant differences between hBMSCs and pBMSCs and oBMSCs—up to 30 min, hBMSCs were faster than both types and after 60 min faster than pBMSCs. In the adhesion assay, hBMSCs were significantly better than oBMSCs and pBMSCs. When differentiating in the direction of osteogenesis, oBMSCs and pBMSCs have shown a clearer osteogenic potential. In all three species, adipogenesis could only be evaluated qualitatively. The chondrogenic differentiation was successful in hBMSCs and pBMSCs in contrast to oBMSCs. It is also important to note that the cell size of pBMSCs was significantly smaller compared to hBMSCs. Finally, it can be concluded that further comparative studies are needed to draw a clear comparison between hBMSCs and pBMSCs/oBMSCs.
Posterior analysis of the factor model

The term posterior analysis is used in this paper to refer to methods of drawing inferences about the latent variables in factor analysis after the model has been fitted. In particular with the problem of locating each individual in the latent space on the basis of the values of the observed variables. This problem has been traditionally treated by determining factor scores. It is argued here that, if all variables in the model are random, then Bayes' theorem provides the logical link between the data and the unobserved latent variables. Viewed in this perspective the indeterminacy of factor scores is simply an expression of the fact that the latent variables are still random variables after the manifest variables have been observed. The name, factor scores, can then reasonably be given to the location parameters of the posterior distributions. The paper is primarily expository and it contains no new mathematics. Its concern is with the logical framework within which the analysis should be carried out and interpreted.
A Comprehensive Review of the Bidirectional Converter Topologies for the Vehicle-to-Grid System

Over the past decade, there has been a great interest in the changeover from cars powered by gasoline to electric vehicles, both within the automotive industry and among customers. The electric vehicle–grid (V2G) technology is a noteworthy innovation that enables the battery of an electric vehicle during idling conditions or parked can function as an energy source that can store or release energy whenever required. This results in energy exchange between the grid and EV batteries. This article reviews various bidirectional converter topologies used in the V2G system. Additionally, it can reduce the cost of charging for electric utilities, thus increasing profits for EV owners. Normally electric grid and the battery of an electric vehicle can be connected through power electronic converters, especially a bidirectional converter, which allows power to flow in both directions. The majority of research work is carried out over the converters for V2G applications and concerns utilizing two conversion stages, such as the AC-DC conversion stage used for correcting the power factor and the DC-DC conversion stage for matching the terminal voltage. Furthermore, a bidirectional conversion can be made for an active power transfer between grid–vehicle (G2V) and V2G effectively. This review explores and examines several topologies of bidirectional converters which make it possible for active power flow between the grid and the vehicle and vice versa. Moreover, different types of charging and discharging systems, such as integrated/non-integrated and on/off board, etc., which have been used for electric vehicle applications, are also discussed. A comparison study is carried out based on several other factors that have been suggested. The utilization of semiconductors in power converters and non-conventional resources in charging and discharging applications are the two improving technologies for electric vehicles.
Evidence of an 11‐year periodicity in tree‐ring series from formosa related to the sunspot cycle

It has been pointed out previously that tree-ring series from Formosa show an 11-year periodicity related to the sunspot cycle. However, significance tests of this finding have not been made and therefore the statistical reliability has not been known. Spectra of tree-ring series from other sites reported before show no evidence that the 11-year sunspot cycle appears in tree-ring series. Spectral analyses have been made of published tree-ring data from Formosa and previous studies have been re-examined. Tree-ring series from two different sites in Formosa show an 11-year spectral peak at the level of confidence higher than 90%. Cross spectral analysis between the tree-ring series and the Zurich annual sunspot number shows that the 11-year fluctuations in the tree-ring series are related to the sunspot cycle with a time lag of 1/4 phase at the 99% confidence level. Using a band-pass filter technique, it is found that the 11-year fluctuations in tree-ring series correspond to almost each cycle of the sunspot number except for periods of low solar activity. Significant 11 -year fluctuations in the tree-ring series appear during most of the periods of an ‘active’ sun as estimated by carbon 14 abundance in tree-rings.
Tracking Control of Quadrotor With Intermittent Target Measurements: A Stochastic Switched Systems Approach

This article is devoted to the investigation of target tracking control of quadrotor with intermittent measurements, i.e., the measurements of target position are not continuously available. A stochastic switched systems approach is utilized to formulate such a tracking process of quadrotor by splitting it into two modes according to whether the measurements are available. The mode switching of the underlying system is subject to a Markov process to account for the inherent nonmemory randomness of the dwell time of each mode, in contrast with the existing studies that impractically require the duration of the measurements to be greater than a given constant. The stability criteria for the underlying system are derived, upon which a switched controller is designed for the quadrotor position control, rather than the determination of the bounds of the dwell time for given predesigned controllers in each mode. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed theoretical results and the superiority of the designed switched controller for tracking control of quadrotor with intermittent target measurements.
Finite element modelling of free surface viscoelastic flows with particular application to rubber mixing

Internal mixers are used extensively in industry for mixing the components of rubber compounds. In these operations, in order to achieve effective mixing, the mixer chamber is always partially filled. This inevitably results in the appearance of multiple free surfaces in flow fields inside rubber mixer chambers. Mathematical modelling of such a flow regime is not a simple task and requires a great deal of effort. Traditional free surface flow-modelling techniques, which are mainly based on the use of volume-of-fluid or pseudo-density approaches in an Eulerian framework, are not flexible enough to cope with this problem. In this paper we describe a new method for the numerical modelling of free surface flows. In this method the pseudo-density approach is extended to a special Lagrangian framework along the trajectories of the fluid particles. We show that the developed scheme can very effectively simulate viscoelastic free surface flows encountered in rubber-mixing processes.
Low risk of new dysplastic lesions in an inflammatory bowel disease population study with dye chromoendoscopy

Abstract Background and study aims Rates of new dysplastic lesions or cancer progression after first dye chromoendoscopy in the era of high-definition endoscopy have yet to be determined. Patients and methods A multicenter, population-based, retrospective cohort study was performed in seven hospitals in Spain. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease and fully resected (R0) dysplastic colon lesions under surveillance with high-definition dye-based chromoendoscopy were sequentially enrolled between February 2011 and June 2017, with a minimum endoscopic follow-up of 36 months. The aim was to assess the incidence of developing more advanced metachronous neoplasia by analyzing possible associated risk factors. Results The study sample included 99 patients and 148 index lesions (145 low-grade dysplasia lesions and three high-grade dysplasia [HGD] lesions with a mean follow-up of 48.76 months [IQR: 36.34–67.15]). The overall incidence of new dysplastic lesions was 0.23 per 100 patient-years, 1.15 per 100 patients at 5 years and 2.29 per 100 patients at 10 years. A history of dysplasia was associated with a higher risk of developing any grade of dysplasia during follow-up ( P = 0.025), whereas left colon lesions were associated with a lower risk ( P = 0.043). The incidence of more advanced lesions at 1 year and 10 years was 1 % and 14 % respectively, with lesion size > 1 cm being a risk factor ( P = 0.041). One of the eight patients (13 %) with HGD lesions developed colorectal cancer during follow-up. Conclusions The risk of dysplasia progressing to advanced neoplasia and, specifically, the risk of new neoplastic lesions after endoscopic resection of colitis-associated dysplasia, are both very low.
Patients Satisfied with Care Report Better Quality of Life and Self-Rated Health—Cross-Sectional Findings Based on Hospital Quality Data

Background: Satisfaction with care is an important indicator of health care quality. However, if this process measure is associated with patients’ outcomes in real-world data is largely unknown. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate if satisfaction with physician- and nurse-related care is associated with quality of life and self-rated health among inpatients at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. Method: We used standard hospital quality survey data of 4925 patients treated at various departments. We used multiple linear regressions to examine an association between satisfaction with staff-related care and quality of life as well as self-rated health, adjusted for age, gender, mother tongue, and treating ward. Patients rated their satisfaction with physician- and nurse-related care from 0 “not at all” to 9 “very much”. The outcomes regarding quality of life and self-rated health were evaluated on five-point Likert scales ranking from 1 “bad” to 5 “excellent”. Results: We found that satisfaction with physician-related care was positively associated with quality of life (ß = 0.16; p < 0.001) as well as with self-rated health (ß = 0.16; p < 0.001). Similar findings were observed for satisfaction with nurse-related care and the two outcomes (ß = 0.13; p < 0.001 and ß = 0.14; p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: We show that patients who are more satisfied with staff-related care report better quality of life and self-rated health than patients less satisfied with care. Thus, patient satisfaction with care, is not only a process measure indicating the quality of care but is also positively associated with patient-reported outcomes.
Resting-state frontal, frontlateral, and parietal alpha asymmetry:A pilot study examining relations with depressive disorder type and severity

Introduction The search for biomarkers has been central to efforts of improving clinical diagnosis and prognosis in psychopathology in the last decades. The main approach has been to validate biomarkers that could accurately discriminate between clinical diagnoses of very prevalent forms of psychopathology. One of the most popular electrophysiological markers proposed for discrimination in depressive disorders is the electroencephalography (EEG)-derived frontal alpha asymmetry. However, the validity, reliability and predictive value of this biomarker have been questioned in recent years, mainly due to conceptual and methodological heterogeneity. Methods In the current non-experimental, correlational study we investigated relationship of resting-state EEG alpha asymmetry from multiple sites (frontal, frontolateral, and parietal) with different forms of depressive disorders (varying in type or severity), in a clinical sample. Results Results showed that alpha asymmetry in the parietal (P3-P4) was significantly higher than in the frontal (F3-F4) and frontolateral sites (F7-F8). However, we did not find significant relations between alpha asymmetry indices and our depressive disorder measures, except for a moderate positive association between frontolateral alpha asymmetry (eyes-closed only) and depressive disorder severity (determined through clinical structured interview). We also found no significant differences in alpha asymmetry between participants, depending on their depression type. Discussion Based on results, we propose the parietal and frontolateral asymmetry indices to form hypotheses that should not be abandoned in the depression markers research, but worth for further experimental research. Methodological and clinical implications of the current findings are discussed.
Determining anterior hip coverage in patients with hip dysplasia using the anterior center-edge angle on Lequesne’s false-profile radiograph and on computed tomography

ABSTRACT Anterior hip coverage is important for hip stability. As a parameter of anterior hip coverage, the anterior center-edge angle on false-profile radiograph (ACEA FP) is associated with clinical outcomes. With the widespread application of computed tomography (CT), the anterior center-edge angle on CT (ACEA CT) has also been used to measure anterior hip coverage. Little is known about the reproducibility of the ACEA FP and ACEA CT in patients with hip dysplasia or the correlation between the ACEA CT and ACEA FP. In total, 49 hips of 49 patients who underwent periacetabular osteotomy in our center were included. The lateral center-edge angle, Tönnis angle, ACEA FP and ACEA CT were determined. We assessed the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of the ACEA FP and ACEA CT, the effect of the Tönnis angle on the reliability of the ACEA FP and ACEA CT and the correlation between the ACEA CT and ACEA FP. The intraobserver and interobserver interclass correlation coefficients of the ACEA FP were good, and those of the ACEA CT were very good. The Tönnis angle was weakly correlated with inconsistent ACEA FP measurements (P = 0.008) but not with inconsistent ACEA CT measurements (P = 0.600). No correlation between ACEA FP and ACEA CT measurements was observed (P = 0.213–0.665). The reproducibility of the ACEA CT is more consistent than that of the ACEA FP. The oblique acetabular roof had an effect on determining the ACEA FP but not on determining the ACEA CT. No correlation was observed between the measured ACEA FP and ACEA CT values, so the clinical evidence obtained from the ACEA FP cannot be directly applied to the ACEA CT.
Pyroelectricity and Spontaneous Polarization in LiNbO3

Measurements have been made concerning the magnitude of the pyroelectric coefficient dPs/dT in LiNbO3 over the temperature range from 25° to 450°C. The pyroelectric coefficient was found to be −4×10−9 C/cm2/°C at 25°C. The spontaneous polarization was determined to be a decreasing function of temperature in the crystals measured which were pulled from the melt. Over the temperature range measured Ps was found to decrease by 3.7 μC/cm2. From these pyroelectric measurements and preliminary data on the temperature dependence of the nonlinear optical coefficient d33 in LiNbO3, for d33 ∝ Ps, the magnitude of Ps at room temperature is estimated to be at least of the order of 50 μC/cm2.
Blockchain in the Construction Industry between 2016 and 2022: A Review, Bibliometric, and Network Analysis

In recent years, applications of Blockchain technology (BCT) have been progressing at a galloping rate in miscellaneous fields, such as finance, education, travel, healthcare, and insurance. However, BCT has gained much popularity in the construction industry, especially in developed nations worldwide, as it can solve real-world problems, including poor payments, inadequate cooperation and collaboration, inappropriate data sharing among stakeholders, and poor efficiency. The current research employs a bibliometric and systematic literature review (SLR) on utilizing BCT in the construction industry. Using co-occurrence and co-citation studies, network visualization and other methodologies concerning the Web of Science (WOS) database and the research contacts’ patterns were investigated in 482 academic papers. Notable publications, conferences, significant writers, nations, organizations, and funding organizations have been acknowledged. Our research reveals that the primary study topics are BCT in the construction industry, supply chain management, smart contracts, sustainability, building information modeling (BIM), the Internet of Things (IoT) and energy efficiency. Several possible fields for further research are mentioned, including the use of BCT in: (i) circular economy, (ii) risk management, (iii) smart villages, and (iv) infrastructure construction projects.