Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectral Reflectance Recovery From a Single RGB Image

The spectral reflectance is an intrinsic and discriminative characteristic of object materials and can be obtained by hyperspectral imaging. However, existing hyperspectral cameras are limited in low-spatial/temporal resolution while yet being complicated and expensive. In this paper, we present a nonnegative sparse representation based method to recover high-quality spectral reflectance from a single RGB image. Unlike previous methods, our approach learns multiple nonnegative sparse coding dictionaries from the training spectral dataset in terms of clustering results. Then, the spectral reflectance of the input RGB image is recovered based on nonnegative sparse representation, which also considers the spatial structured similarity and high correlation across spectra under the learned dictionaries. Furthermore, the illumination spectrum can be estimated with the recovered spectral reflectance under the known RGB camera spectral sensitivity. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art spectral reflectance recovery methods in terms of both objective metrics and subjective visual quality. Besides, we show an application of our method to accurately relight scenes under the novel illumination.
Code Design for Discrete Memoryless Interference Channels

We study the design of explicit and implementable codes for the two-user discrete memoryless interference channels (DMICs). We consider Han–Kobayashi (HK) type encoding where both public and private messages are used and propose coding techniques utilizing a serial concatenation of a nonlinear trellis code (NLTC) with an outer low-density parity-check (LDPC) code. Since exact analytical treatment of the BCJR decoder for the inner trellis-based code appears infeasible, we analytically investigate the iterative decoding process in the asymptotic regime where the probability of decoding error tends to zero. Based on this approximate analysis, we derive a stability condition for this type of a concatenated coding scheme for the first time in the literature. Furthermore, we use an extrinsic information transfer analysis to design the outer LDPC code while fixing the inner NLTC, and utilize the derived stability condition to accelerate the design process and to avoid code ensembles that potentially produce high error floors. Via numerical examples, we demonstrate that our designed codes achieve rate pairs close the optimal boundary of the HK subregion, which cannot be obtained without the use of nonlinear codes. Also, we verify that the estimated thresholds of the designed codes via finite block length simulations and show that our designs significantly outperform the point-to-point optimal codes, hence demonstrating the need for designs specifically tailored for DMICs.
Off‐hour admission and impact on neurological outcome in endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke

In the new era of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke, one of the main predictors of good neurological outcome is a short time interval from stroke onset to recanalization of the occluded vessel. In this study, we examined the effect of on‐hour vs off‐hour admittance on the time intervals from stroke onset to recanalization in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) undergoing endovascular treatment (EVT).
Displaying and performing: Polish transnational families in Ireland Skyping grandparents in Poland

For transnational families, doing and displaying family is enabled by communications technologies like Skype. We draw on the concept of family display in an analysis of data from a qualitative study of Polish migrant parents resident in Ireland on their Skype use. Skype functions as an important tool for family display, in the perinatal period, and for displays of intergenerational solidarity. The communicative underpinnings of a video-Skype call are such that a significant element of performance is required in which parents, children and grandparents engage as performers, directors and audiences to create meaningful communication. Such communication is effortful, involves emotion work and belies assumptions about the ease of transnational family practice through Skype.
Sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma and EGFR mutations: a molecular footprint of a benign lesion

Molecular targeted therapy against EGFR kinase domain mutations has been successfully established for lung cancer. These mutations have now also been reported in head and neck tumours, particularly in inverted sinonasal papillomas (ISPs). The aim of this study was to clarify the spectrum of EGFR mutations in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and papillomas.
Metabolic rates, swimming capabilities, thermal niche and stress response of the lumpfish, Cyclopterus lumpus

ABSTRACT The lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) is a semi-pelagic globiform teleost native to the North Atlantic with a ventral suction disc that allows for attachment onto surfaces. Some local populations are in decline and the species has recently become important in salmonid sea cages as cleaner fish. Little is known about the basal physiology of the lumpfish, and a characterization of thermal performance, aerobic capacity, swimming behaviour and stress response is therefore warranted. In the present study, swim tunnel respirometry was performed on lumpfish acclimated to 3, 9 or 15°C. Higher temperatures were also attempted, but at 18°C their behaviour became erratic and 15% of the fish died over 3 weeks of acclimation. Water current tolerance was assessed in two size classes (∼75 g and ∼300 g) both with and without the ability to voluntarily use the ventral suction disc. Lastly, blood samples were taken from resting, exhausted and recovered fish to assess haematological effects of exercise stress. Lumpfish had relatively low aerobic scopes that increased slightly with temperature. Critical swimming speed was poor, increasing within the tested temperatures from 1.3 to 1.7 body lengths s−1 in 300 g fish. They struggled to remain sucked onto surfaces at currents above 70–110 cm s−1, depending on size. Acute stress effects were modest or non-existent in terms of changes in cortisol, lactate, glucose, erythrocytes and ion balance. These results describe a typical sluggish and benthic species, which is contradictory to the pelagic nature of lumpfish in large parts of its lifecycle. Summary: Assessment of aerobic capacity and swimming behaviour of the lumpfish with swim tunnel respirometry at different acclimation temperatures and fish sizes, and measurements of haematological parameters in relation to exercise stress.
Long-term disability after stroke in Iran: Evidence from the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study

Background Accurate information about disability rate after stroke remains largely unclear in many countries. Population-based studies are necessary to estimate the rate and determinants of disability after stroke. Methods Patients were recruited from the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study and followed for five years after their index event. Disability was measured using the modified Rankin scale and functional dependency was measured using the Barthel index. Results Among 684 patients registered in this study, 624 were first-ever strokes. In total, 69.0% (n = 409) of patients either died or remained disabled at five-year follow-up. Among the first-ever stroke survivors, 18.5% (n = 69) at one year and 15.9% (n = 31) at five years required major assistance in their daily activities. Patients with a history of stroke (before the study period) compared with first-ever strokes were more likely to be disabled at one year (modified Rankin scale>2 in 40.0% vs. 19.1%; P < 0.001). Advanced age, severity of stroke at the time of admission, diabetes mellitus, and educational level (<12 years) were independently associated with greater disability and functional dependency. Conclusion We found that significant disability and functional dependency after stroke in Northeast Iran were largely attributable to the effects of stroke severity and prior dependency.
Silver Nanoparticles and Polyphenol Inclusion Compounds Composites for Phytophthora cinnamomi Mycelial Growth Inhibition

Phytophthora cinnamomi, responsible for “root rot” or “dieback” plant disease, causes a significant amount of economic and environmental impact. In this work, the fungicide action of nanocomposites based on silver nanoparticles and polyphenol inclusion compounds, which feature enhanced bioavailability and water solubility, was assayed for the control of this soil-borne water mold. Inclusion compounds were prepared by an aqueous two-phase system separation method through extraction, either in an hydroalcoholic solution with chitosan oligomers (COS) or in a choline chloride:urea:glycerol deep eutectic solvent (DES). The new inclusion compounds were synthesized from stevioside and various polyphenols (gallic acid, silymarin, ferulic acid and curcumin), in a [6:1] ratio in the COS medium and in a [3:1] ratio in the DES medium, respectively. Their in vitro response against Phytophthora cinnamomi isolate MYC43 (at concentrations of 125, 250 and 500 µg·mL−1) was tested, which found a significant mycelial growth inhibition, particularly high for the composites prepared using DES. Therefore, these nanocomposites hold promise as an alternative to fosetyl-Al and metalaxyl conventional systemic fungicides.
The impact of drugs of abuse on executive function: characterizing long-term changes in neural correlates following chronic drug exposure and withdrawal in rats

Addiction has long been characterized by diminished executive function, control, and impulsivity management. In particular, these deficits often manifest themselves as impairments in reversal learning, delay discounting, and response inhibition. Understanding the neurobiological substrates of these behavioral deficits is of paramount importance to our understanding of addiction. Within the cycle of addiction, periods during and after withdrawal represent a particularly difficult point of intervention in that the negative physical symptoms associated with drug removal and drug craving increase the likelihood that the patient will relapse and return to drug use in order to abate these symptoms. Moreover, it is often during this time that drug induced deficits in executive function hinder the ability of the patient to refrain from drug use. Thus, it is necessary to understand the physiological and behavioral changes associated with withdrawal and drug craving—largely manifesting as deficits in executive control—to develop more effective treatment strategies. In this review, we address the long-term impact that drugs of abuse have on the behavioral and neural correlates that give rise to executive control as measured by reversal learning, delay discounting, and stop-signal tasks, focusing particularly on our work using rats as a model system.
Simultaneous Input and State Set-Valued Observers with Applications to Attack-Resilient Estimation

In this paper, we present a fixed-order set-valued observer for linear discrete-time bounded-error systems that simultaneously finds bounded sets of compatible states and unknown inputs that are optimal in the minimum $\mathcal{H}_{\infty}$-norm sense, i.e., with minimum average power amplification. We also analyze the necessary and sufficient conditions for the stability of the observer and its connection to a system property known as strong detectability. Next, we show that the proposed set-valued observer can be used for attack-resilient estimation of state and attack signals when cyber-physical systems are subject to false data injection attacks on both actuator and sensor signals. Moreover, we discuss the implication of strong detectability on resilient state estimation and attack identification. Finally, the effectiveness of our set-valued observer is demonstrated in simulation, including on an IEEE 14-bus electric power system.
Fast Level Set Image Segmentation Using New Evolution Indicator Operators

We propose an effective level set evolution method for robust object segmentation in real images. We construct an effective region indicator and a multiscale edge indicator to adaptively guide the evolution of the level set function. The region indicator is built on the similarity map between image pixels and user speciﬁed interest regions, which is computed using Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM). To accurately detect object boundary, we propose to use a multi-scale edge indicator deﬁned in the gradient domain of the multi-scale feature-preserving ﬁltered image. Then, we develop a new mixing edge stop function based on these two indicators, which forces the level set to evolve adaptively based on the image content. Furthermore, we apply an acceleration approach to speed up our evolution process, which yields real time segmentation performance. As the results show, our approach is effective for image segmentation and works well to accurately detect the complex object boundaries in real-time.
Distribution of childhood skin diseases according to age and gender, a single institution experience.

Aim Studies on pediatric skin diseases in Turkey are not yet sufficient. It was aimed to characterize the prevalence of skin diseases, age and gender distribution in children living in the Erzincan region. Material and Methods 10,115 children aged 0-16 years who reached to our outpatient clinic between 01.11. 2014 and 30.11. 2016 were included in the study. The frequency, age and gender distribution of the skin diseases were examined. The cases were divided into 4 groups; infantile period (0-2 years), preschool period (3-5 years), school period (6-11 years) and adolescence period (12-16 years). Skin diseases were categorized in 10 groups. A total of 148 skin diseases were identified. Results 5376 of the patients were female (%53.14) and 4739 were male (%46.86). The most common disease groups are; infectious diseases (24.62%), eczema (21.95%), acne&follicular diseases (18.45%) and allergic skin diseases (11.02%). The most common diseases were acne vulgaris (17.82%), warts (10.03%) and irritant contact dermatitis (9.42%). The most common skin diseases in regard of different age groups are; contact dermatitis in the 0-2 years and 3-5 years age groups, warts in the 6-11 years age group, and acne vulgaris in 12-16 years age group. Conclusion Most common diseases in our study are diseases that can be reduced by preventive health care and health education programs. There is a need for broad-based epidemiological studies in this area to establish preventive health care policies and to develop education programs.
$\mathscr{H}_{2}$ gain-scheduled filtering for discrete-time LPV systems using estimated time-varying parameters

This paper investigates the problem of gain-scheduled filtering for discrete-time LPV systems where the scheduling parameters cannot be measured, but only estimated. Differently from the existing methods that are suitable to deal with inexact measures, the design of the gain-scheduled filter is guided by some information provided by the estimation algorithm. As a consequence, the proposed procedure puts in evidence a trade-off that must be evaluated by the designer involving: guarantee of stability, performance and the required on-line computational effort. The overall result is a better evaluation of the true improvement that can be achieved by the gain-scheduled filters with respect to the robust filters (where the real-time availability of the scheduling parameters is not necessary). Some technical contributions to reduce the conservativeness of the synthesis conditions, given in terms of LMI relaxations, are also provided as well a case study to illustrate the approach.
Explaining unplanned online media behaviors: Dual system theory models of impulsive use and swearing on social networking sites

Unplanned (i.e. spontaneous) online behaviors such as impulsive use of social networking sites (SNS) and swearing on SNS are prevalent and can adversely affect users and society. Drawing on dual system theory, this article conceptualizes and empirically investigates the etiology of such behaviors. Results of two studies (n1 = 295 SNS users, focuses on impulsive use; n2 = 336 SNS users, focuses on swearing) show that both of these online behaviors are driven, in part, by cognitive-emotional preoccupation with the SNS and inhibited, in part, by cognitive-behavioral control over using the SNS. The inhibition effect is both direct and indirect, through the suppression of the cognitive-emotional preoccupation effects. The findings provide a theoretical lens of analysis through which impulsive and unitneded media use behaviors can be explained.
Diffuse-Specular Separation using Binary Spherical Gradient Illumination

We introduce a novel method for view-independent diffuse-specular separation of albedo and photometric normals without requiring polarization using binary spherical gradient illumination. The key idea is that with binary gradient illumination, a dielectric surface oriented towards the dark hemisphere exhibits pure diffuse reflectance while a surface oriented towards the bright hemisphere exhibits both diffuse and specular reflectance. We exploit this observation to formulate diffuse-specular separation based on color-space analysis of a surface's response to binary spherical gradients and their complements. The method does not impose restrictions on viewpoints and requires fewer photographs for multiview acquisition than polarized spherical gradient illumination. We further demonstrate an efficient two-shot capture using spectral multiplexing of the illumination that enables diffuse-specular separation of albedo and heuristic separation of photometric normals.
Guaranteeing Consistency in a Motion Planning and Control Architecture Using a Kinematic Bicycle Model

This paper proposes to combine a 10Hz motion planner based on a kinematic bicycle Model Predictive Control (MPC) and a 100Hz closed-loop Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller to cope with normal driving situations. Its novelty consists in ensuring the feasibility of the computed trajectory by the motion planner through a limitation of the steering angle depending on the speed. This ensures the validity of the kinematic bicycle model at any time. The architecture is tested on a high-fidelity simulation model on a challenging track with small curve radius, with and without surrounding obstacles.
A Randomized Trial of Intensive versus Standard Blood-Pressure Control.

BACKGROUND The most appropriate targets for systolic blood pressure to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among persons without diabetes remain uncertain. METHODS We randomly assigned 9361 persons with a systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or higher and an increased cardiovascular risk, but without diabetes, to a systolic blood-pressure target of less than 120 mm Hg (intensive treatment) or a target of less than 140 mm Hg (standard treatment). The primary composite outcome was myocardial infarction, other acute coronary syndromes, stroke, heart failure, or death from cardiovascular causes. RESULTS At 1 year, the mean systolic blood pressure was 121.4 mm Hg in the intensive-treatment group and 136.2 mm Hg in the standard-treatment group. The intervention was stopped early after a median follow-up of 3.26 years owing to a significantly lower rate of the primary composite outcome in the intensive-treatment group than in the standard-treatment group (1.65% per year vs. 2.19% per year; hazard ratio with intensive treatment, 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.89; P<0.001). All-cause mortality was also significantly lower in the intensive-treatment group (hazard ratio, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.90; P=0.003). Rates of serious adverse events of hypotension, syncope, electrolyte abnormalities, and acute kidney injury or failure, but not of injurious falls, were higher in the intensive-treatment group than in the standard-treatment group. CONCLUSIONS Among patients at high risk for cardiovascular events but without diabetes, targeting a systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg, as compared with less than 140 mm Hg, resulted in lower rates of fatal and nonfatal major cardiovascular events and death from any cause, although significantly higher rates of some adverse events were observed in the intensive-treatment group. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01206062.).
Multicenter International Survey on the Clinical Practice of Ultra-Fast-Track Anesthesia with On-Table Extubation in Pediatric Congenital Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE To describe global practices for on-table extubation (OTE) in pediatric cardiac anesthesia in European and non-European countries. DESIGN Multiple-choice, web-based survey with 34 questions addressing organizational data, existence of OTE programs, inclusion and exclusion criteria for OTE, and intraoperative and immediate postoperative management. SETTING Online survey endorsed by the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologists. PARTICIPANTS Anesthesiologists departments in European and non-European pediatric cardiac surgical centers. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The survey was sent to 144 pediatric cardiac surgical centers in 29 countries as a web-based questionnaire. Addressees were pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists who were members of European Association of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologists or were known to the authors. The response rate was 63%. Fifty percent of the respondents were practicing in university hospitals. The survey demonstrated that 76% of the respondents practiced OTE, with 50% of the pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists regularly performing OTE in different proportions, ranging from 1 to 51% of on-pump pediatric cardiac surgeries. Seventy-seven percent of respondents made their decision to perform OTE on an individual case-by-case basis. Seventy-eight percent of the congenital cardiac lesions deemed eligible for OTE fell into Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery-1 categories 1 and 2. In patients for whom OTE was planned, anesthesia primarily was maintained using a combined inhalational and intravenous technique. The main reasons not to perform OTE were that it was deemed to provide no major advantage (45%), to be dangerous (9%), or to decrease operating room efficiency by increasing operating room turnover time (36%). CONCLUSION The survey demonstrated that the majority of the approached pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists practice OTE regularly in pediatric cardiac surgery. Frequency of OTE and inclusion criteria vary widely. The observations made in this survey should prompt appropriately powered, randomized controlled clinical trials to examine the effect of OTE on various effectiveness and safety outcomes.