Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 400GΩ Input-Impedance, 220MVpp Linear-Input-Range, 2.8Vpp CM-Interference-Tolerant Active Electrode for Non-Contact Capacitively Coupled ECG Acquisition

This paper presents a purely capacitively coupled active electrode (AE) for ECG acquisition for implementation in smart clothing or furniture. The AE has a DC input impedance of 400GΩ and 3. 7µV<inf>rms</inf> (0.5-100Hz) input-referred noise. The whole design supports 220mV<inf>pp</inf> differential linear input range required in practical scenarios. An active driven-right-leg (DRL) loop is provided, achieving at least 70dB CMRR for up to 2.8V<inf>pp</inf> common-mode (CM) interference. Implemented in a 0. 18µm CMOS process, the prototype occupies an area of 1.23mm<sup>2</sup>, and consumes 18µA and 13µA for the AE and DRL respectively. Through-clothing non-contact capacitively coupled ECG acquisition is demonstrated.
Disparity in the lightning performance between the poles of the Cahora-Bassa HVDC lines

The polarity of an HVDC line is expected to have an effect on the lightning attachment process, as well as the back flashover performance. To investigate this, the lightning performance is compared between the positive and negative poles of the 500 km section of the Cahora-Bassa ± 533 kV HVDC scheme in Southern Africa. The lightning exposure of both poles was determined to be very similar, validating the comparison. Furthermore, fault data for 7 years was analysed to compare the relative lightning performance of the two poles. It was found that the line polarity has a marked effect on fault incidence, with 90 % of the faults occurring on the positive pole.
Dispersion Characteristics of Symmetrical/Asymmetrical Coupled Microstrip Type Structures with Stratified Anisotropic Media

This paper presents an extension of modal Galerkin’s technique based on the recurrence process for determining the dispersion characteristics of multilayered coupled microstriptype structures consisting of stratified uniaxial anisotropic media. For this purpose, formalism concept of mathematical operators is introduced to more easily determine the impedance operator which constitutes an important element in the resolution of boundary conditions. By properly choosing trial functions appearing through this integral technique, appropriate numerical results are obtained and compared to those available in the literature to confirm efficiency and accuracy of this approach.
Streaming word similarity mining on the cheap

Accurately and efficiently estimating word similarities from text is fundamental in natural language processing. In this paper, we propose a fast and lightweight method for estimating similarities from streams by explicitly counting second-order co-occurrences. The method rests on the observation that words that are highly correlated with respect to such counts are also highly similar with respect to first-order co-occurrences. Using buffers of co-occurred words per word to count second-order co-occurrences, we can then estimate similarities in a single pass over data without having to do prohibitively expensive similarity calculations. We demonstrate that this approach is scalable, converges rapidly, behaves robustly under parameter changes, and that it captures word similarities on par with those given by state-of-the-art word embeddings.
Simplifying Neural Machine Translation with Addition-Subtraction Twin-Gated Recurrent Networks

In this paper, we propose an additionsubtraction twin-gated recurrent network (ATR) to simplify neural machine translation. The recurrent units of ATR are heavily simplified to have the smallest number of weight matrices among units of all existing gated RNNs. With the simple addition and subtraction operation, we introduce a twin-gated mechanism to build input and forget gates which are highly correlated. Despite this simplification, the essential non-linearities and capability of modeling long-distance dependencies are preserved. Additionally, the proposed ATR is more transparent than LSTM/GRU due to the simplification. Forward self-attention can be easily established in ATR, which makes the proposed network interpretable. Experiments on WMT14 translation tasks demonstrate that ATR-based neural machine translation can yield competitive performance on English-German and English-French language pairs in terms of both translation quality and speed. Further experiments on NIST Chinese-English translation, natural language inference and Chinese word segmentation verify the generality and applicability of ATR on different natural language processing tasks.
Homophily and Nationality Assortativity Among the Most Cited Researchers' Social Network

It is well known that individuals in social networks tend to exhibit homophily, the preference of people to associate with others from the same social group or type. Graph assortativity or Modularity is the most accepted measure for the homophily level of the whole network. It is well defined for simple networks where each node has a single type, and edges are unweighted. In this work, we extend modularity and assortativity in several ways. First, we define type assortativity which measures the homophily level of each type and enable the comparison between types of different size within the network. Second, we extend the measures to the case of nodes with multiple types and weighted edges. We evaluate our definitions on a weighted, research collaboration, social network between the most cited authors in the ACM digital library. We use nationality-based multiple types where a author can belong to multiple nationalities. While nationality-based homophily is trivial when the network is large (based on local research at universities) our empirical results show that even for the top 1000 authors a high level of nationality-based homophily exists, and different nationalities exhibit a different level of homophily.
Executive Function and Spatial Cognition Mediate Psychosocial Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Cognitive and psychosocial dysfunction are prevalent and disabling features of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Emerging evidence suggests that poor cognitive functioning mediates the negative effect of MDD on psychosocial function. However, there is a lack of research examining the domain-specific nature of this relationship. The current study evaluated whether the relationship between MDD and specific psychosocial subdomains (e.g., autonomy, occupational functioning) was mediated by domain-specific cognitive deficits. Methods: Data from 155 participants was obtained from the Cognitive Function and Mood Study (CoFaMS), a cross-sectional analysis of mood, cognition, social cognition, and functioning in individuals with MDD. Cognitive functioning was assessed (Current MDD n = 45, Healthy n = 110), with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), the Colorado Assessment Tests (CATs), and the Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL). Psychosocial functioning was clinically evaluated with the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST). Results: The results indicated that spatial cognition and executive functioning partially mediated the negative effect of MDD on overall psychosocial functioning, autonomy, and subjective cognition. In contrast, spatial and executive domains showed divergent mediation patterns on interpersonal relationships and leisure time. Conclusions: The findings suggest that executive and spatial cognition play an important role in the pathology of overall psychosocial functioning, and specific functional issues in MDD. Treatments targeting psychosocial recovery in MDD may be improved by emphasizing executive and spatial cognitive remediation.
First-Order Forward and Backward Quasi-Phase Matched Second Harmonic Generation in Silicon-Organic Hybrid Structures

We propose and design a high-efficiency forward and backward second harmonic generation (SHG) in nonlinear polymer filled silicon slot waveguide known as silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) waveguides. The spatial distribution of second-order nonlinearity, χ(2), of waveguide is altered by periodically poling of nonlinear polymer to achieve quasi-phase matching (QPM) between fundamental frequency and second harmonic waves. The simulations show that first-order QPM SHG with high conversion efficiency of η ≍ 7.2% can be achieved in the optimized structure with relatively small input power of 25 mW. This level of improvement is the result of high confinement of SOH waveguide as well as possible fabrication of very small period length in silicon photonics which could not be realized in traditional nonlinear materials such as LiNbO3. Our simulation results show ∼17% efficiency with only 25 mW input power for forward SHG being comparable to the other platforms even with smaller device length and lower pump power. We expect this device will open up its application in the fields of all-optical signal processing, optical (mirrorless) parametric amplification, low-noise detection of mid-IR signal in near-IR windows, and mid-IR sources.
Effect of Central Sympathoinhibition With Moxonidine on Sympathetic Nervous Activity in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome—A Randomized Controlled Trial

Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity is increased in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Moxonidine is a centrally acting sympatholytic drug with known beneficial effects on hypertension, insulin sensitivity, dyslipidemia and inflammation. In this double-blind placebo controlled randomized clinical trial we examined the effect of moxonidine on modulating sympathetic activity and downstream metabolic abnormalities in 48 pre-menopausal women with PCOS (Rotterdam diagnostic criteria), recruited from the community (January 2013–August 2015). Participants received moxonidine (0.2 mg daily initially, up titrated to 0.4 mg daily in 2 weeks) (n = 23) or placebo (n = 25) for 12 weeks. Multiunit muscle sympathetic activity (by microneurography) and plasma noradrenaline levels were measured (primary outcomes). Fasting lipids, insulin resistance, serum androgens, and inflammatory markers were measured as secondary outcomes. Forty three women completed the trial (19 moxonidine, 24 placebo). Mean change in burst frequency (−3 ± 7 vs. −3 ± 8 per minute) and burst incidence (−3 ± 10 vs. −4 ± 12 per 100 heartbeat) did not differ significantly between moxonidine and placebo groups. Women on moxonidine had a significant reduction in hs-CRP compared to placebo group (−0.92 ± 2.3 vs. −0.04 ± 1.5) which did not persist post Bonferroni correction. There was a significant association between markers of insulin resistance at baseline and reduction in sympathetic activity with moxonidine. Moxonidine was not effective in modulating sympathetic activity in PCOS. Anti-inflammatory effects of moxonidine and a relationship between insulin resistance and sympathetic response to moxonidine are suggested which need to be further explored. Clinical Trial Registration Number: (NCT01504321)
Washout Duration of Prostaglandin Analogues: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Topic Prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) are first-line medical therapy for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT). Intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering effects in full responders are known to be 25–33% for this class; however, partial responders and nonresponders do exist. In clinical trials or prospective series, discontinuation and washout of PGAs is necessary to evaluate true change in IOP from novel surgeries and medical therapies. Clinical Relevance To identify all relevant papers with pertinent data on washout of PGAs and quantify the duration and long-term effect of reported PGA washout periods in glaucoma and OHT patients. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the long-term effects on IOP after discontinuation of topical PGAs POAG and OHT patients. The main search was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, and BIOSIS Previews and conference proceedings. Results 1055 papers were identified, 548 were independently screened by two physicians. , and 56 papers were analyzed for washout durations. The mean washout was found to be 4.56 weeks (±1.25), with the mode and median being 5 weeks. Five studies were analyzed as randomized control trials in which latanoprost was discontinued for 4 weeks prior to restarting another intraocular pressure-lowering drug. Meta-analysis revealed a 4-week discontinuation of latanoprost, on average, subjects returned to their baseline IOP. Conclusion A significant IOP-lowering effect of latanoprost was not observed beyond 4 weeks, suggesting this may be an appropriate washout period for latanoprost. We could not identify appropriate washout periods for either travoprost or bimatoprost, although a majority of articles had 4-week washout durations for the two drugs. Despite the widespread use of this class of medication, there is a paucity of literature on the effects of PGA washout in patients that are treatment naïve to other topical medications.
The MeMAD Submission to the IWSLT 2018 Speech Translation Task

This paper describes the MeMAD project entry to the IWSLT Speech Translation Shared Task, addressing the translation of English audio into German text. Between the pipeline and end-to-end model tracks, we participated only in the former, with three contrastive systems. We tried also the latter, but were not able to finish our end-to-end model in time. All of our systems start by transcribing the audio into text through an automatic speech recognition (ASR) model trained on the TED-LIUM English Speech Recognition Corpus (TED-LIUM). Afterwards, we feed the transcripts into English-German text-based neural machine translation (NMT) models. Our systems employ three different translation models trained on separate training sets compiled from the English-German part of the TED Speech Translation Corpus (TED-TRANS) and the OPENSUBTITLES2018 section of the OPUS collection. In this paper, we also describe the experiments leading up to our final systems. Our experiments indicate that using OPENSUBTITLES2018 in training significantly improves translation performance. We also experimented with various preand postprocessing routines for the NMT module, but we did not have much success with these. Our best-scoring system attains a BLEU score of 16.45 on the test set for this year’s task.
Ratings of Perceived Exertion Misclassify Intensities for Sedentary Older Adults During Graded Cycling Test: Effect of Supramaximal High-Intensity Interval Training

The present study aims (1) to evaluate ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and corresponding intensities during a maximal graded cycling test and (2) to determine the effects of 6 weeks of supramaximal cycling exercise (SCE) intervention on RPE and associated physiological factors in young and older sedentary groups. Two healthy groups of 17 young adults [average (SD) age: 26.2 (2.4) year] and 13 older adults [average (SD) age: 54.5 (2.3) year] completed a 6-week SCE intervention on an ergocycle. Physiological values and RPE were collected across stages corresponding to ventilator thresholds 1 (VT1) and 2 (VT2) of the graded cycling test and 10 min following the end of test and during the six bouts of SCE. The relative intensity for both VT1 and VT2 were also objectively calculated based on the percent of maximal heart rate %HRmax and peak oxygen consumption %V˙O2peak. Before SCE intervention, RPE values were significantly higher for the older group compared to younger at VT1 [p < 0.01] and VT2 [p < 0.01], although both groups were working at similar relative intensities (%V˙O2). After 6 weeks of SCE, the older group’s perceived effort values were normalized to the actual estimated ones and were similar to those observed in younger individuals. The intervention elicited physiological changes at rest and submaximal intensities, while no improvements were noted for both groups in aerobic fitness (i.e., V˙O2peak). For both groups, RPE decreases with SCE at 10 min following graded test correlated significantly to V˙O2 (r = 0.61, p < 0.01). Our study revealed that the initial over-estimation of the exertion levels found for the older sedentary group at the tested submaximal intensities was no longer present after 6 weeks of SCE training, therefore matching RPE values of the young group and those estimated by %HRmax and %V˙O2peak methods. Therefore, combining the RPE method with other commonly used methods of estimating exercise intensity is highly recommended for sedentary older adults to suitably monitor the exercise intensity.
Criminalization Through Transinstitutionalization: A Critical Review of the Penrose Hypothesis in the Context of Compensation Imprisonment

In 1939, the Penrose hypothesis suggested that the number of psychiatric hospital beds was inversely related to the size of prison populations. Central to a causal interpretation of the Penrose hypothesis is the idea that a small proportion of any population requires institutional mental care. Several studies re-examining longitudinal and cross-sectional data found that a fall in available psychiatric hospital beds occurred over the same period as a rise in prisoner numbers. The observed inverse relationship was mostly interpreted as being the consequence of a lack of compassion for the disadvantaged in society, while other studies concluded that the correlation was spurious and determined by confounders. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, lawbreakers who are unwilling or unable to pay a fine for committing a petty crime such can face compensation imprisonment. Every tenth German detainee serves compensation imprisonment with an average incarceration time of 2–3 months. We analyzed the social-economic backgrounds and the levels of mental disorders in four populations of compensation prisoners, consisting of 100 participants each, in the German capital Berlin in 1999, 2004, 2010, and 2017. Largely, the compensation prisoners were homeless, single, and unemployed, exhibited a high degree of substance abuse and showed an extraordinary high prevalence of mental disorders. Unfortunately, as the average stay in prison is short, there are no decisive concepts for social rehabilitation after imprisonment. In addition to a lack of resocialization, potential job loss, and social stigmatization, the newly acquired subcultural contacts facilitate reoffending. This study aims to give an overview of the medical, sociologic, and psychopathologic examinations on compensation prisoners. By analyzing trends in the prevalence of mental disorders, we will discuss the medical appropriateness and sociologic sense of compensation imprisonment with respect to the Penrose hypothesis. Thereby, we aim at shedding light on the question whether compensation imprisonment is an indispensable tool for law enforcement or if it is a punishment of the poor or mentally ill, which further deteriorates their unfavorable socio-economic situation. Finally, we will propose measures to reduce the number of reoffenders and to enable the compensation detainees to reintegrate successfully into society.
Neighbourhood Consensus Networks

We address the problem of finding reliable dense correspondences between a pair of images. This is a challenging task due to strong appearance differences between the corresponding scene elements and ambiguities generated by repetitive patterns. The contributions of this work are threefold. First, inspired by the classic idea of disambiguating feature matches using semi-local constraints, we develop an end-to-end trainable convolutional neural network architecture that identifies sets of spatially consistent matches by analyzing neighbourhood consensus patterns in the 4D space of all possible correspondences between a pair of images without the need for a global geometric model. Second, we demonstrate that the model can be trained effectively from weak supervision in the form of matching and non-matching image pairs without the need for costly manual annotation of point to point correspondences. Third, we show the proposed neighbourhood consensus network can be applied to a range of matching tasks including both category- and instance-level matching, obtaining the state-of-the-art results on the PF Pascal dataset and the InLoc indoor visual localization benchmark.
Relationships among Antibodies against Extractable Nuclear Antigens, Antinuclear Antibodies, and Autoimmune Diseases in a Brazilian Public Hospital

One characteristic of autoimmune diseases (ADs) is the production of autoantibodies for extractable nuclear autoantigens, which may aid in the discrimination of the different types of autoimmune diseases and is related to different antinuclear antibody (ANA) patterns. The present study verified the profile of patient samples tested for extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) antibodies in a public hospital and correlated the ENA results with ANA patterns and patient diagnoses. The study reviewed data in the medical records of patients who underwent anti-ENA tests at a public hospital in the West of the State of Paraná from February 2011 to January 2017. Patients were classified according to age, ethnicity, gender, anti-ENA test results, ANA results, and the presence or absence of AD. Thirty-six (20.9%) samples of the 172 anti-ENA tests were positive, seven (4.1%) samples were undetermined, and 129 (75%) exhibited negative results. The ANA reagent was found in 84.3% of the anti-ENA-positive samples. The anti-SSA/Ro autoantibody exhibited the highest frequency in the group, 41.7% (15/36). The most common pattern was nuclear fine speckled, which was found in 24.3% of the samples. The association results indicated a significant relationship between ANA titer and diagnosis in the anti-ENA- and ANA-positive patients. The anti-ENA-negative patients were diagnosed with an AD in 35% (45/129) of the cases, and 75% (27/36) of the anti-ENA-positive patients were diagnosed with an AD. Systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma were the most common pathologies in the antigen-positive patients. The anti-ENA test is a good marker to aid in the complex clinical diagnosis of patients with autoimmune diseases.
DSFD: Dual Shot Face Detector

Recently, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has achieved great success in face detection. However, it remains a challenging problem for the current face detection methods owing to high degree of variability in scale, pose, occlusion, expression, appearance and illumination. In this Paper, we propose a novel detection network named Dual Shot face Detector(DSFD). which inherits the architecture of SSD and introduces a Feature Enhance Module (FEM) for transferring the original feature maps to extend the single shot detector to dual shot detector. Specially, progressive anchor loss (PAL) computed by using two set of anchors is adopted to effectively facilitate the features. Additionally, we propose an improved anchor matching (IAM) method by integrating novel data augmentation techniques and anchor design strategy in our DSFD to provide better initialization for the regressor. Extensive experiments on popular benchmarks: WIDER FACE (easy: 0.966, medium: 0.957, hard: 0.904) and FDDB ( discontinuous: 0.991, continuous: 0.862 ) demonstrate the superiority of DSFD over the state-of-the-art face detection methods (e.g., PyramidBox and SRN). Code will be made available upon publication.
Analog Backpropagation Learning Circuits for Memristive Crossbar Neural Networks

The implementation of backpropagation algorithm using gradient descent operation with analog circuits is an open problem. In this paper, we present the analog learning circuits for realizing backpropagation algorithm for use with neural networks in memristive crossbar arrays. The circuits are simulated in SPICE using TSMC 180nm CMOS process models, and HP memristor models. The gradient descent operations are validated comprehensively using the relevant transfer characteristics and transient response of individual circuit modules.