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This study investigates the problem of designing a finite‐time functional interval observer (FTFIO) for linear systems with uncertainties. A novel structure is proposed to design an FTFIO for uncertain systems. Based on the proposed structure, the sufficient conditions for the existence of such a finite‐time observer are established as a set of coefficient matrix equations with a constraint matrix. Meanwhile, using the obtained existence conditions, the parametric expression of an FTFIO is developed by adopting the solutions to a type of first‐order Sylvester equations, which provides extra degrees of freedom. Finally, the FTFIO design method is efficiently applied to the estimation problem in two examples, including the simple numerical system and chaotic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Aims: Although converging evidence from experimental and epidemiological studies indicates Alzheimer's disease (AD) and ischemic stroke (IS) are related, the genetic basis underlying their links is less well characterized. Traditional SNP‐based genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have failed to uncover shared susceptibility variants of AD and IS. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate whether pleiotropic genes existed between AD and IS to account for their phenotypic association, although this was not reported in previous studies. Methods: Taking advantage of large‐scale GWAS summary statistics of AD (17,008 AD cases and 37,154 controls) and IS (10,307 IS cases and 19,326 controls), we performed gene‐based analysis implemented in VEGAS2 and Fisher's meta‐analysis of the set of overlapped genes of nominal significance in both diseases. Subsequently, gene expression analysis in AD‐ or IS‐associated expression datasets was conducted to explore the transcriptional alterations of pleiotropic genes identified. Results: 16 AD‐IS pleiotropic genes surpassed the cutoff for Bonferroni‐corrected significance. Notably, MS4A4A and TREM2, two established AD‐susceptibility genes showed remarkable alterations in the spleens and brains afflicted by IS, respectively. Among the prioritized genes identified by virtue of literature‐based knowledge, most are immune‐relevant genes (EPHA1, MS4A4A, UBE2L3 and TREM2), implicating crucial roles of the immune system in the pathogenesis of AD and IS. Conclusions: The observation that AD and IS had shared disease‐associated genes offered mechanistic insights into their common pathogenesis, predominantly involving the immune system. More importantly, our findings have important implications for future research directions, which are encouraged to verify the involvement of these candidates in AD and IS and interpret the exact molecular mechanisms of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When driving on mountain roads, the drivers bear the dynamic load from the road environment. The sudden change of driving load will produce great safety risks and even lead to traffic accidents. In order to explore the driving risk of two‐lane road in mountainous areas, it is necessary to analyze the change of driving load from a quantitative point of view. Using the road driving experiment, 10 male drivers were selected according to the experimental road conditions, collect the driver's visual and heart rate indicators, analyze the driver's physiological indicators, and study the driver's driving load evolution process on the mountain road. Combined with the classification of road environment, a driving load evaluation model based on catastrophe progression method is constructed. The driving load is divided into four states: low load state, affordable state, chaotic state and high load state. It is found that most sections of mountain roads are in a low load and bearable state. In semi closed and closed environment, the driving load is in a chaotic state, which affects the driving safety. The evaluation model can be used to evaluate the traffic safety of road environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]