Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationships between the Mini-InDel Variants within the Goat CFAP43 Gene and Body Traits

Simple Summary The cilia- and flagella-associated protein 43 (CFAP43) gene plays an important role in the formation of flagella and cilia, and limited research has been conducted on the effect of this gene on animal body traits. Herein, the relationships between three insertion/deletion polymorphisms (L-13, L-16, and L-19) of the goat CFAP43 gene and body traits were analyzed in 1827 Shaanbei white cashmere goats. The findings showed that L-13 was related to chest depth; L-16 was associated with body length, chest width, cannon circumference, and back height; L-19 was associated with body length, chest circumference, and cannon circumference. The ideal genotypes for most of these traits are the deletion/deletion or insertion/deletion genotypes, which is consistent with previously published ideal genotypes for litter size at these loci; therefore, these loci are expected to be molecular markers for improving both body traits and litter size traits. Abstract The cilia- and flagella-associated protein 43 (CFAP43) gene encodes a member of the cilia- and flagellum-associated protein family. Cilia on the cell surface influence intercellular signaling and are involved in biological processes such as osteogenesis and energy metabolism in animals. Previous studies have shown that insertion/deletion (InDel) variants in the CFAP43 gene affect litter size in Shaanbei white cashmere (SBWC) goats, and that litter size and body traits are correlated in this breed. Therefore, we hypothesized that there is a significant relationship between InDel variants within the CFAP43 gene and body traits in SBWC goats. Herein, we first investigated the association between three InDel variant loci (L-13, L-16, and L-19 loci) within CFAP43 and body traits in SBWC goats (n = 1827). Analyses revealed that the L-13, L-16, and L-19 loci were significantly associated with chest depth, four body traits, and three body traits, respectively. The results of this study are in good agreement with those previously reported and could provide useful molecular markers for the selection and breeding of goats for body traits.
Switch Short-Circuit Fault-Tolerant Control of Five-Phase Open-Winding Motor Drive With a Floating Capacitor

This article proposes a switch short-circuit (SC) fault-tolerant control (FTC) method for the open-winding topology with a floating capacitor (FC), where the main inverter is supplied by a dc source, and the floating inverter is merely supplied by a capacitor. The SC faults are divided into two types and analyzed in detail. For the fault of type I, the proposed reconfiguration strategy can isolate the faulty device to ensure stable operation. For the fault of type II, the control of zero-axis voltage in the topology is introduced to replace the control of the faulty bridge. Besides, the fault-tolerant power smoothing strategy is applied to suppress the low-frequency ripples of the FC voltage and input current from the dc source, which further improves the torque quality. Compared with the previous method, the proposed FTC method does not require additional hardware costs to convert the SC to an open-circuit. Meanwhile, the motor can still give out rated torque even after the fault. The performance of the proposed FTC method is verified experimentally in an open-winding five-phase induction machine system.
Car-following theory of steady-state traffic flow using time-to-collision

The conventional car-following theory is based on the assumption that vehicles will travel along the center line of lanes. However, according to the field survey data, in complex traffic conditions, a lateral separation between the leader and the follower frequently occurs. Accordingly, by taking lateral separation into account, we redefined the equation of time-to-collision (TTC) using visual angle information. Based on the stimulus-response framework, TTC was introduced into the basic General Motors (GM) model as a stimulus, and a non-lane-based car-following model of steady-state traffic flow was developed. The property of flow-density relationship was further investigated after integrating the proposed car-following model with different parameters. The results imply that the property of steady-state traffic flow and the capacity of each lane are highly relevant to the microscopic staggered car-following behavior, and the proposed model significantly enhances the practicality of the human driving behavior model.
Existence and Uniqueness of Fixed Points for Markov Operators and Markov Processes

This paper concerns a Markov operator T on a space L1, and a Markov process P which defines a Markov operator on a space M of finite signed measures. For T, the paper presents necessary and sufficient conditions for: a the existence of invariant probability densities (IPDs) b the existence of strictly positive IPDs, and c the existence and uniqueness of IPDs. Similar results on invariant probability measures for P are presented. The basic approach is to pose a fixed‐point problem as the problem of solving a certain linear equation in a suitable Banach space, and then obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for this equation to have a solution. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification: 60J05, 47B65, 47N30.
Significance of Preexisting Vector Immunity and Activation of Innate Responses for Adenoviral Vector-Based Therapy

An adenoviral (AdV)-based vector system is a promising platform for vaccine development and gene therapy applications. Administration of an AdV vector elicits robust innate immunity, leading to the development of humoral and cellular immune responses against the vector and the transgene antigen, if applicable. The use of high doses (1011–1013 virus particles) of an AdV vector, especially for gene therapy applications, could lead to vector toxicity due to excessive levels of innate immune responses, vector interactions with blood factors, or high levels of vector transduction in the liver and spleen. Additionally, the high prevalence of AdV infections in humans or the first inoculation with the AdV vector result in the development of vector-specific immune responses, popularly known as preexisting vector immunity. It significantly reduces the vector efficiency following the use of an AdV vector that is prone to preexisting vector immunity. Several approaches have been developed to overcome this problem. The utilization of rare human AdV types or nonhuman AdVs is the primary strategy to evade preexisting vector immunity. The use of heterologous viral vectors, capsid modification, and vector encapsulation are alternative methods to evade vector immunity. The vectors can be optimized for clinical applications with comprehensive knowledge of AdV vector immunity, toxicity, and circumvention strategies.
A Study on Parameters That Impact the Thermal Fatigue Life of BGA Solder Joints

Estimation of the thermal fatigue life of solder joints and identification of parameters that enhance the fatigue life are important steps in the development stage of BGA packages. In this study, different parameters of Sn-Ag-Cu 305 BGA (Ball Grid Array) solder balls are investigated to understand their impact on the number of cycles to failure under thermal fatigue life tests. Initially, accelerated thermal cycling fatigue tests on two electronic packages were conducted by three different vendors and it was observed that the results were significantly different. The first part of this study dwells into understanding the influence of parameters such as the solder mask design; SMD and NSMD, the variation in the solder ball geometry, copper pad thickness and diameter and material properties of the PCB on the accelerated thermal cycling performance of the BGA packages. The later part deals with understanding the root cause for the variation in the estimated life of two BGA packages by the three different vendors.
Patient-reported outcome measures in spine surgery: A systematic review

Background: Steadily increasing expenditure in the United States health-care system has led to a shift toward a value-based model that focuses on quality of care and cost-effectiveness. Operations involving the spine rank among some of the most common and expensive procedures performed in operating rooms nationwide. Patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) are a useful tool for reporting levels of outcome and analyzing patient recovery but are both under-utilized and nonstandardized in spine surgery. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature using the PubMed database, focusing on the most commonly utilized PROMs for spine disease as well as spinal deformity. The benefits and drawbacks of these PROMs were then summarized and compared. Results: Spine-specific PROMs were based on the class of disease. The most frequently utilized PROMs were the Neck Disability Index and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale; the Oswestry Disability Index and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire; and the Scoliosis Research Society 22-item questionnaire (SRS-22) for cervicothoracic spine disease, lumbar spine disease, and spinal deformity, respectively. Conclusion: We found limited, though effective, use of PROMs targeting specific classes of disease within spine surgery. Therefore, we advocate for increased use of PROMs in spine surgery, in both the research and clinical settings. PROM usage can help physicians assess subjective outcomes in standard ways that can be compared across patients and institutions, more uniquely tailor treatment to individual patients, and engage patients in their own medical care.
Mobile Location in Wireless Sensor Networks Based on Multi Spot Measurements Model

The localization of sensors in wireless sensor networks has recently gained considerable attention. The existing location methods are based on a one-spot measurement model. It is difficult to further improve the positioning accuracy of existing location methods based on single-spot measurements. This paper proposes two location methods based on multi-spot measurements to reduce location errors. Because the multi-spot measurements model has more measurement equations than the single-spot measurements model, the proposed methods provide better performance than the traditional location methods using one-spot measurement in terms of the root mean square error (RMSE) and Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB). Both closed-form and iterative algorithms are proposed in this paper. The former performs suboptimally with less computational burden, whereas the latter has the highest positioning accuracy in attaining the CRLB. Moreover, a novel CRLB for the proposed multi-spot measurements model is also derived in this paper. A theoretical proof shows that the traditional CRLB in the case of single-spot measurements performs worse than the proposed CRLB in the case of multi-spot measurements. The simulation results show that the proposed methods have a lower RMSE than the traditional location methods.
The Beneficial Changes on Inflammatory and Endothelial Biomarkers Induced by Metabolic Surgery Decreases the Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Men

Obesity increases cardiovascular risk in men through several mechanisms. Among them, low-grade chronic inflammation and obesity-associated hypogonadism have been described. We aimed to study the effects of metabolic surgery on the carotid-intima media thickness through changes in inflammatory, endothelial biomarkers, and testosterone. We included 60 men; 20 submitted to laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), 20 to sleeve gastrectomy (SG), and 20 to lifestyle modification (controls). Several inflammatory and endothelial biomarkers and total testosterone (TT) were measured at baseline and six months after surgery. Free testosterone (FT) was calculated, and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) was measured by ultrasonography. Compared to controls, cIMT decreased after surgery concomitantly with CRP, PAI-1, sICAM-1, and IL-18 (p < 0.01) and with an increase in sTWEAK (p = 0.027), with no differences between RYGB and SG. The increase in TT and FT after surgery correlated with the changes in cIMT (p = 0.010 and p = 0.038, respectively), but this association disappeared after multivariate analysis. Linear regression showed that sTWEAK (ß = −0.245, p = 0.039), PAI-1 (ß = 0.346, p = 0.005), and CRP (ß = 0.236, p = 0.049) were associated with the changes in cIMT (R2 = 0.267, F = 6.664, p = 0.001). In conclusion, both RYGB and SG induced improvements in inflammation and endothelial biomarkers that drove a decrease in cIMT compared to men with obesity who submitted to diet and exercise.
The Simultaneous Newton Improvement of a Complete Set of Approximate Factors of a Polynomial

Using Newton-type corrections, a simultaneous improvement of a complete set of approximate factors of arbitrary degree of a polynomial is developed, which can form the basis for an iterative method of factoring the polynomial. The simultaneous corrections for a given step are a generalization of a method introduced by Weierstrass [5] in the case of all linear factors. The present paper includes, therefore, an independent derivation of the Weierstrass formulas. From a different point of view the resulting iterative method is a generalization of a method of Samelson [3], recently analyzed by Stewart [4]. Basic properties of the iteration include the fact that the correction terms are related to a certain partial fraction decomposition. Emphasis is placed on the case of approximate quadratic factors, where formulas for the corrections are derived suitable for use in computation with the practically important case of a polynomial with real coefficients whose zeros are not necessarily all real. The formulas so.
Efficient Exploration Through Bootstrapped and Bayesian Deep Q-Networks for Joint Power Control and Beamforming in mmWave Networks

Efficient exploration is critical in deploying Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) for joint power control and beamforming in mmWave networks. This letter proposes Bootstrapped and Bayesian Deep Q-Network (B2DQN), a DRL algorithm based on both Bootstrap Sampling (BS) and Thompson Sampling (TS). BS induces diversity to prevent exploration from being trapped in local optima, and TS allows for targeted exploration of actions with higher estimated returns with higher probability. B2DQN synthesizes the advantages of BS and TS by building a Bayesian linear regression model on each bootstrapped function to improve the diversity of BS and enhance targeted exploration with the diversity. The experiment results demonstrate that B2DQN outperforms the DQN variants based only on BS or TS, often learning policies that attain 78%-360% higher final performance measured by the convergence episodes in an open-source simulated 5G mmWave network.
On the structure of value functions for threshold policies in queueing models

We study the multiserver queue with Poisson arrivals and identical independent servers with exponentially distributed service times. Customers arriving at the system are admitted or rejected according to a fixed threshold policy. Moreover, the system is subject to holding, waiting, and rejection costs. We give a closed-form expression for the average costs and the value function for this multiserver queue. The result will then be used in a single step of policy iteration in the model where a controller has to route to several finite-buffer queues with multiple servers. We numerically show that the improved policy has a close to optimal value.
A Stepwise Minimum Spanning Tree Matching Method for Registering Vehicle-Borne and Backpack LiDAR Point Clouds

Vehicle-borne laser scanning (VLS) and backpack laser scanning (BLS) are two emerging mobile mapping technologies for capturing detailed spatial information near ground in urban built environments. BLS has flexible mobility and usually provides point clouds in a local coordinate system. Therefore, a mismatch between VLS and BLS point cloud data is quite common. Fusing VLS and BLS data in different coordinate systems could provide a comprehensive survey of urban built environments. Because of the complexity of urban road environments and the difference in data acquisition methods, traditional registration approaches based on point-level correspondences are likely to fail and sometimes involve substantial manual efforts. In this article, we propose a novel registration approach that finds the optimal transformation between the respective point clouds based on a unique tree distribution pattern defined by tree trunk centers. The proposed method consists of three key steps, i.e., trunk center extraction, stepwise minimum spanning tree (MST) matching, and transformation estimation. Stepwise MST matching is an essential step in finding the one-to-one correspondences using a topological similarity between the two light detection and ranging (LiDAR) datasets. We evaluated our method with five real-world datasets collected in Shanghai, China. The results showed that the proposed method performed well in all five experiment sites with an average rotation error of less than 0.06° and an average translation error of less than 0.05 m. Moreover, the reported mean position deviation in the five sites is 0.112, 0.144, 0.176, 0.148, and 0.184 m. Our proposed method has a great potential for registering multiplatform LiDAR data that could provide comprehensive and essential 3-D information for numerous urban applications.
Broadband Dual-Polarized Dielectric Patch Antenna With High Isolation for Full-Duplex Communication

A broadband dual-polarized dielectric patch (DP) antenna is investigated for the in-band full-duplex applications. Taking full advantage of the multimode feature of DP, four resonant modes are excited and adjusted to form the two wide operating bands with orthogonal polarization. Among them, the dominant TM<sub>10</sub> mode and the high-order TE<sub>12</sub> mode provide the <italic>x</italic>-polarization while the TM<sub>11</sub> mode and the antiphase TM<sub>02</sub> mode provide the <italic>y</italic>-polarization. In addition, the differential-fed scheme is applied to excite the <italic>y</italic>-polarization modes for high isolation. Thanks to the features of low loss and low profile of DP, the proposed antenna obtains advantages in terms of radiation efficiency and profile height. An antenna prototype is fabricated and measured. The experimental results illustrate that the measured isolation during the whole band is better than 48 dB with a low profile of 0.05 <italic>λ</italic><sub>min</sub>. The −10 dB bandwidths of two polarizations are 29.5% (4.71–6.1 GHz) and 18.9% (4.81–5.72 GHz), respectively.
Quantity Discounts and Quality Premia for Illicit Drugs

Abstract This article explores quantity discounts and quality (purity) premia in the prices of illicit drugs. It examines several models of how drug prices might depend on transaction size. A simple relation implied by a tree model of the domestic distribution network fits data provided by the Western States Information Network for 1984–1991 quite well for various illicit drugs. Quality premia are less well explained. It is observed that price is not a function of pure quantity alone; customers pay more for 2 grams at a given purity than they do for 1 gram at double that purity. Nevertheless, some purity premia are observed for white heroin, brown heroin, and powder cocaine, although not for methamphetamines, crack, or heroin tar. The estimated coefficients reflect known phenomena such as the collapses in the prices of cocaine and black tar heroin; intuitively reasonable but undocumented phenomena, such as discounts for brown heroin near the Mexican border; and some unexpected results, such as an apparent.
Positive numerical solution for a nonarbitrage liquidity model using nonstandard finite difference schemes

In this article, we construct a numerical method based on a nonstandard finite difference scheme to solve numerically a nonarbitrage liquidity model with observable parameters for derivatives. This nonlinear model considers that the parameters involved are observable from order book data. The proposed numerical method use a exact difference scheme in the linear convection‐reaction term, and the spatial derivative is approximated using a nonstandard finite difference scheme. It is shown that the proposed numerical scheme preserves the positivity as well as stability and consistence. To illustrate the accuracy of the method, the numerical results are compared with those produced by other methods. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 30: 210‐221, 2014
Phase 1 and 2 Randomized Clinical Studies Determine Lack of Efficacy for Anti-IL-17C Antibody MOR106 in Moderate–Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Interleukin 17C (IL-17C) modulates epithelial inflammation and has a possible role in atopic dermatitis (AD) pathology. Four randomized clinical studies (Phase 1 and 2) investigated the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic profile of the anti-IL-17C monoclonal antibody MOR106 for up to 12 weeks (NCT03568071: n = 207 adults with moderate–severe AD; NCT03689829 Part 1: n = 32 healthy males; NCT03689829 Part 2: n = 44 adults with moderate–severe AD; and NCT03864627: n = 76 adults with moderate–severe AD). In these studies, MOR106 was either administered intravenously (i.v.) every 2 or 4 weeks at doses between 1–10 mg/kg, or subcutaneously (s.c.), either as a single dose or doses every 2 weeks at 320 mg. Overall, MOR106 was well-tolerated, and the safety profile was consistent with monoclonal antibodies approved for AD. Bioavailability following s.c. dosing was 55%, and steady-state drug levels were reached at 2–4 weeks. Ongoing studies were terminated following a futility analysis of the Phase 2 placebo-controlled dose-finding study (NCT03568071) due to a low probability for achieving the primary efficacy endpoint. Cumulatively, MOR106 demonstrated ineffectiveness for the treatment of AD, but its safety and pharmacokinetic characteristics warrant further drug development in other indications. Funding: sponsored by Galapagos NV; funded by Novartis AG.
Internet of Things-Based ECG and Vitals Healthcare Monitoring System

Health monitoring and its associated technologies have gained enormous importance over the past few years. The electrocardiogram (ECG) has long been a popular tool for assessing and diagnosing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Since the literature on ECG monitoring devices is growing at an exponential rate, it is becoming difficult for researchers and healthcare professionals to select, compare, and assess the systems that meet their demands while also meeting the monitoring standards. This emphasizes the necessity for a reliable reference to guide the design, categorization, and analysis of ECG monitoring systems, which will benefit both academics and practitioners. We present a complete ECG monitoring system in this work, describing the design stages and implementation of an end-to-end solution for capturing and displaying the patient’s heart signals, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and body temperature. The data will be presented on an OLED display, a developed Android application as well as in MATLAB via serial communication. The Internet of Things (IoT) approaches have a clear advantage in tackling the problem of heart disease patient care as they can transform the service mode into a widespread one and alert the healthcare services based on the patient’s physical condition. Keeping this in mind, there is also the addition of a web server for monitoring the patient’s status via WiFi. The prototype, which is compliant with the electrical safety regulations and medical equipment design, was further benchmarked against a commercially available off-the-shelf device, and showed an excellent accuracy of 99.56%.