Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research on arbitrary style transfer algorithm based on attention mechanism

With the continuous development of society and economy, people have more preferences and pursuits for various kinds of art works, but few people can reproduce the great works of artists like Van Gogh, which is undoubtedly a pity. Related applications show that the image style transfer technology can transfer the styles of various art paintings to common images, so that different art styles can be generated relatively quickly. Combining with the current mainstream migration ideas, this paper proposes the decoupling and extraction of style features using effective channel attention (ECA) module, the decoupling and extraction of content features using spatial attention (SA)module, and the feature fusion using the feature fusion (FF) module. The proposed method is compared with the mainstream method in terms of speed. The results show that the method used in this paper has better results in both speed and sensory. The proposed method can satisfy people's pursuit of artistic works, inspire contemporary artists to create, and promote the cross integration of art field and computer vision field.
Multiplicative Updates for Elastic Net Regularized Convolutional NMF Under β-Divergence

We generalize the convolutional NMF by taking the $\beta$-divergence as the loss function, add a regularizer for sparsity in the form of an elastic net, and provide multiplicative update rules for its factors in closed form. The new update rules embed the $\beta$-NMF, the standard convolutional NMF, and sparse coding alias basis pursuit. We demonstrate that the originally published update rules for the convolutional NMF are suboptimal and that their convergence rate depends on the size of the kernel.
Antibiotic Therapy Strategies for Treating Gram-Negative Severe Infections in the Critically Ill: A Narrative Review

Introduction: Not enough data exist to inform the optimal duration and type of antimicrobial therapy against GN infections in critically ill patients. Methods: Narrative review based on a literature search through PubMed and Cochrane using the following keywords: “multi-drug resistant (MDR)”, “extensively drug resistant (XDR)”, “pan-drug-resistant (PDR)”, “difficult-to-treat (DTR) Gram-negative infection,” “antibiotic duration therapy”, “antibiotic combination therapy” “antibiotic monotherapy” “Gram-negative bacteremia”, “Gram-negative pneumonia”, and “Gram-negative intra-abdominal infection”. Results: Current literature data suggest adopting longer (≥10–14 days) courses of synergistic combination therapy due to the high global prevalence of ESBL-producing (45–50%), MDR (35%), XDR (15–20%), PDR (5.9–6.2%), and carbapenemases (CP)/metallo-β-lactamases (MBL)-producing (12.5–20%) Gram-negative (GN) microorganisms (i.e., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumanii). On the other hand, shorter courses (≤5–7 days) of monotherapy should be limited to treating infections caused by GN with higher (≥3 antibiotic classes) antibiotic susceptibility. A general approach should be based on (i) third or further generation cephalosporins ± quinolones/aminoglycosides in the case of MDR-GN; (ii) carbapenems ± fosfomycin/aminoglycosides for extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs); and (iii) the association of old drugs with new expanded-spectrum β-lactamase inhibitors for XDR, PDR, and CP microorganisms. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in combination with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), bactericidal vs. bacteriostatic antibiotics, and the presence of resistance risk predictors (linked to patient, antibiotic, and microorganism) should represent variables affecting the antimicrobial strategies for treating GN infections. Conclusions: Despite the strategies of therapy described in the results, clinicians must remember that all treatment decisions are dynamic, requiring frequent reassessments depending on both the clinical and microbiological responses of the patient.
Clinical-epidemiological Behavior of Oral Cancer in the Province of Guantanamo, 2007 - 2018

Introduction: Oral cancer is a health problem that affects a significant group of people. Objective: To identify the clinical-epidemiological behavior of oral cancer in the province of Guantanamo in the period of 2007 - 2018. Method: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample consists of 252 patients diagnosed with this disease by histopathology. The following variables were studied: triennial involvement, age, sex, origin, oral topography, clinical extension and morphological type. Results: The highest percentage of patients were male (69.4%), over 60 years of age (69.8%), from the municipality of Guantánamo (42.9%). The lesions were located mainly in the tongue (37.3%) and floor of the mouth (19.0%) and extended to the oral complex. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histopathological type (94%). Conclusions: In Guantanamo, oral cancer is an unsolved health problem that mainly affects the geriatric population and the male sex, which requires attention in advanced stages of the disease.
Transient Characterization of New Low-Pass Negative Group Delay RC-Network

This brief studies a new resistive-capacitive (RC) topology of low-pass (LP) negative group delay (NGD) circuit. The innovative circuit theory includes the LP-NGD analysis and characterization from transfer function canonical form versus the targeted time-advance and the attenuation specifications. The new topology LP-NGD properties in both the frequency- and time-domains are introduced. The NGD value (or time-advance) and cut-off frequency in function of RC parameters, and synthesis formulas are established. The LP-NGD characterization is graphically illustrated by cartography analyses of counter-intuitive time-advance effect and NGD cut-off frequency versus RC-parameters. The LP-NGD circuit theory is transiently validated by good agreement between theory, simulation with LTSPICE VXII tool and experimentation of active circuit prototype with arbitrary waveform test signal. Time-advance of some micro-seconds is demonstrated with pulse and arbitrary waveform test signals.
Evaluation of haematological and serum biochemical profile of geriatric dogs undergoing a multimodal anaesthesia protocol

The study was conducted on six geriatric dogs belonging to different breeds presented for various surgical procedures at the Veterinary hospitals of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, at Mannuthy and Kokkalai. Before undergoing anaesthesia, all dogs underwent complete clinical examination and pre-anaesthetic evaluation. All the animals were administered a multimodal anaesthetic protocol with inj. dexmedetomidine and inj. buprenorphine as preanaesthetics. A combination of injection diazepam and propofol was given for induction which was followed by inj. ketamine and inj. lignocaine for analgesia. Maintenance of anaesthesia was carried out by sevoflurane along with ketamine-lignocaine CRI for providing analgesia. Studies on haematology and serum biochemistry were carried out prior to premedication, during maintenance and following anaesthesia recovery. Organ functions were well preserved with the current multimodal anaesthetic technique in geriatric dogs.
Mismatch Repair Deficient (dMMR) Colorectal Carcinoma in a Pakistani Cohort: Association With Clinical and Pathological Parameters

Introduction Microsatellite instability (MSI) is an important pathway in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) pathogenesis. MSI occurs due to mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes that include MutL protein homolog 1 (MLH1), postmeiotic segregation increased 2 (PMS2), MutS homolog 2 (MSH2), and MutS homolog 6 (MSH6). CRC with MSI is termed MMR deficient (dMMR) CRC. Conversely, CRC with intact MMR genes is called microsatellite stable (MSS) or MMR proficient (pMMR). In this study, we compared the clinicopathological features of dMMR CRC with pMMR CRC. Methods It was a retrospective study conducted in the Department of Histopathology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from March 2020 to February 2022, over a duration of two years. Biopsy-proven cases of CRC with upfront surgical resection were included in the study. Microscopic examination was performed to evaluate tumor type, grade, and extent of invasion, presence of necrosis, perineural invasion (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), peritumoral lymphocytes (PTL), intratumoral lymphocytes (ITL), and nodal metastasis. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using antibodies, namely, MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6. Any loss of nuclear expression in tumor cells was termed dMMR or microsatellite instable, whereas the intact nuclear expression in tumor cells was labeled as MSS or pMMR. Results A total of 135 cases of CRC were included in the study. The mean age at diagnosis was 46.76 ± 17.74 years, with female predominance (60.7%). The loss of MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6 expression was noted in 39.3%, 34.1%, 17.8%, and 16.3% cases, respectively. Overall, 59.3% of CRCs were pMMR, while 40.7% were dMMR. A significant association of MMR status was noted with respect to age, PNI, LVI, tumor grade, tumor (T) and nodal (N) stage, mucinous differentiation, and ITL. dMMR CRC was significantly above 50 years than pMMR CRC. The frequency of PNI and LVI was lower in dMMR CRC than in pMMR CRC. Conversely, the higher grade (grade 3) and higher T-stage (T4) were associated with dMMR CRC. Alternatively, the frequency of higher N stage (N2b) was more commonly seen in pMMR CRC. Moreover, mucinous differentiation and ITL were significantly associated with dMMR CRC. Conclusion A significant proportion of CRC patients in our population demonstrated dMMR status. dMMR CRC had a higher histological grade with a higher frequency of mucinous differentiation and higher T-stage. Conversely, the presence of LVI, PNI, and higher N stages were associated with pMMR CRC.
Studies of dijet transverse momentum balance and pseudorapidity distributions in pPb collisions at sqrt(s[NN]) = 5.02 TeV

Dijet production has been measured in pPb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. A data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35 inverse-nanobarns was collected using the Compact Muon Solenoid detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The dijet transverse momentum balance, azimuthal angle correlations, and pseudorapidity distributions are studied as a function of the transverse energy in the forward calorimeters ($E_T^{4\lt |\eta| \lt 5.2}$). For pPb collisions, the dijet transverse momentum ratio and the width of the distribution of dijet azimuthal angle difference are comparable to the same quantities obtained from a simulated pp reference and insensitive to $E_T^{4\lt |\eta| \lt 5.2}$. In contrast, the mean value of the dijet pseudorapidity is found to change monotonically with increasing $E_T^{4\lt |\eta| \lt 5.2}$, indicating a correlation between the energy emitted at large pseudorapidity and the longitudinal motion of the dijet frame. The pseudorapidity distribution of the dijet system is compared with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions obtained from both nucleon and nuclear parton distribution functions, and the data more closely match the latter.
The Effects of Organizational Scandals on the Desirability of Public Organizations as Places to Work: Evidence From the VA Waitlist Scandal

Public administration scholars have extensively explored organizational scandals through two lenses: (1) inside stories of organizational scandals examining the main causes of scandals and (2) the effects of scandals on trust in government, trust in governmental officials, and public financing. Yet, we know little about how organizational scandals affect government employees’ work attitudes. Understanding how public employees react to organizational scandals deserves scholarly attention because public employees not only execute their agencies’ key functions and programs but are involved in actively addressing the organization's failures. To address this gap, we apply a quasi-experimental approach using the 2014 Department of Veterans Affairs waitlist scandal, with a specific focus on the effects of the scandal on employee job satisfaction and perceived organizational attractiveness. Empirical results using the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey from 2011 to 2017 show that the organizational scandal had a negative effect on both outcomes.
Influence of surface crystal-orientation on transfer doping of V2O5/H-terminated diamond

Surface transfer doping of hydrogen-terminated diamond induced by high work function V2O5 oxide was investigated on samples with (100) and (111) surface crystal-orientations. An enhancement of sheet hole density and a decrease in sheet resistance were obtained in the case of (111) diamond as compared to (100). In particular, a sheet resistance as low as 1.8 kΩ/◻ and a sheet hole concentration of 1.1 × 1014 cm−2 were obtained by Hall effect measurements for V2O5/H-(111) oriented diamonds, the latter being about twice as high as the one obtained for V2O5/H-(100) oriented diamonds. This was confirmed by capacitance-voltage measurements on metal/V2O5/H-diamond diodes fabricated on the investigated samples, also resulting in the determination of the depth profiles of hole accumulation layers at the diamond surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of the C1s core level shift were used to determine the differences in surface band bending, leading to a different hole accumulation layer formation efficiency at the V2O5/H-diamond interface. An upward band bending of 0.7 eV and 0.3 eV in response to the surface transfer doping induced by a 10 A thick V2O5 layer was measured for (111) and (100) diamond surfaces, respectively. This is a further confirmation that V2O5 is more effective in surface transfer doping for H-(111) oriented diamond. The obtained results are very promising in view of the development of high-power metal oxide field effect transistors based on the H-diamond surface.Surface transfer doping of hydrogen-terminated diamond induced by high work function V2O5 oxide was investigated on samples with (100) and (111) surface crystal-orientations. An enhancement of sheet hole density and a decrease in sheet resistance were obtained in the case of (111) diamond as compared to (100). In particular, a sheet resistance as low as 1.8 kΩ/◻ and a sheet hole concentration of 1.1 × 1014 cm−2 were obtained by Hall effect measurements for V2O5/H-(111) oriented diamonds, the latter being about twice as high as the one obtained for V2O5/H-(100) oriented diamonds. This was confirmed by capacitance-voltage measurements on metal/V2O5/H-diamond diodes fabricated on the investigated samples, also resulting in the determination of the depth profiles of hole accumulation layers at the diamond surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of the C1s core level shift were used to determine the differences in surface band bending, leading to a different hole accumulation layer formation eff.
Interpreting Results from the NARCCAP and NA-CORDEX Ensembles in the Context of Uncertainty in Regional Climate Change Projections

Two ensembles of dynamically downscaled climate simulations for North America—the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) and the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) featuring simulations for North America (NA-CORDEX)—are analyzed to assess the impact of using a small set of global general circulation models (GCMs) and regional climate models (RCMs) on representing uncertainty in regional projections. Selecting GCMs for downscaling based on their equilibrium climate sensitivities is a reasonable strategy, but there are regions where the uncertainty is not fully captured. For instance, the six NA-CORDEX GCMs fail to span the full ranges produced by models in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) in summer temperature projections in the western and winter precipitation projections in the eastern United States. Similarly, the four NARCCAP GCMs are overall poor at spanning the full CMIP3 ranges in seasonal temperatures. For the Southeast, the NA-CORDEX GCMs capture the uncertainty in summer but not in winter projections, highlighting one consequence of downscaling a subset of GCMs. Ranges produced by the RCMs are often wider than their driving GCMs but are sensitive to the experimental design. For example, the downscaled projections of summer precipitation are of opposite polarity in two RCM ensembles in some regions. Additionally, the ability of the RCMs to simulate observed temperature trends is affected by the internal variability characteristics of both the RCMs and driving GCMs, and is not systematically related to their historical performance. This has implications for adequately sampling the impact of internal variability on regional trends and for using model performance to identify credible projections. These findings suggest that a multimodel perspective on uncertainties in regional projections is integral to the interpretation of RCM results.
An Explanation of the LSTM Model Used for DDoS Attacks Classification

With the rise of DDoS attacks, several machine learning-based attack detection models have been used to mitigate malicious behavioral attacks. Understanding how machine learning models work is not trivial. This is particularly true for complex and nonlinear models, such as deep learning models that have high accuracy. The struggle to explain these models creates a tension between accuracy and explanation. Recently, different methods have been used to explain deep learning models and address ambiguity issues. In this paper, we utilize the LSTM model to classify DDoS attacks. We then investigate the explanation of LSTM using LIME, SHAP, Anchor, and LORE methods. Predictions of 17 DDoS attacks are explained by these methods, where common explanations are obtained for each class. We also use the output of the explanation methods to extract intrinsic features needed to differentiate DDoS attacks. Our results demonstrate 51 intrinsic features to classify attacks. We finally compare the explanation methods and evaluate them using descriptive accuracy (DA) and descriptive sparsity (DS) metrics. The comparison and evaluation show that the explanation methods can explain the classification of DDoS attacks by capturing either the dominant contribution of input features in the prediction of the classifier or a set of features with high relevance.
Ensembles based on random projection for gene expression data analysis

In this work we focused on methods to solve classification problems characterized by high dimensionality and low cardinality data. These features are relevant in bio-molecular data analysis and particularly in class prediction whith microarray data. Many methods have been proposed to approach this problem, characterized by the so called ′curse of dimensionality′ (term introduced by Richard Bellman (9)). Among them, gene selection methods, principal and independent component analysis, kernel methods. In this work we propose and we experimentally analyze two ensemble methods based on two randomized techniques for data compression: Random Subspaces and Random Projections. While Random Subspaces, originally proposed by T. K. Ho, is a technique related to feature subsampling, Random Projections is a feature extraction technique motivated by the Johnson-Lindenstrauss theory about distance preserving random projections. The randomness underlying the proposed approach leads to diverse sets of extracted features corresponding to low dimensional subspaces with low metric distortion and approximate preservation of the expected loss of the trained base classifiers. In the first part of the work we justify our approach with two theoretical results. The first regards unsupervised learning: we prove that a clustering algorithm minimizing the objective (quadratic) function provides a -closed solution if applied to compressed data according to Johnson-Lindenstrauss theory. The second one is related to supervised learning: we prove that Polynomials kernels are approximatively preserved by Random Projections, up to a degradation
Efficient Nonlinear Precoding for Massive MIMO Downlink Systems With 1-Bit DACs

The power consumption of digital-to-analog converters (DACs) constitutes a significant proportion of the total power consumption in a massive multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) base station (BS). Using 1-bit DACs can significantly reduce the power consumption. This paper addresses the precoding problem for the massive narrow-band MU-MIMO downlink system equipped with 1-bit DACs at each BS. In such a system, the precoding problem plays a central role as the precoded symbols are affected by extra distortion introduced by 1-bit DACs. In this paper, we develop a highly efficient nonlinear precoding algorithm based on the alternative direction method framework. Unlike the classic algorithms, such as the semidefinite relaxation (SDR) and squared-infinity norm Douglas–Rachford splitting (SQUID) algorithms, which solve convex relaxed versions of the original precoding problem, the new algorithm solves the original nonconvex problem directly. The new algorithm is guaranteed to globally converge under some mild conditions. A sufficient condition for its convergence has been derived. The experimental results in various conditions demonstrated that the new algorithm can achieve the state-of-the-art performance comparable with the SDR algorithm while being much more efficient (e.g., more than 300 times faster than the SDR algorithm).
Randomized Prospective Study of Endoscopic Rubber Band Ligation Compared With Bipolar Coagulation For Chronically Bleeding Internal Hemorrhoids

OBJECTIVES : Our purpose was to compare the efficacy, complications, success rate, recurrence rate at 1 year, and crossovers of rubber band ligation (RBL) with those of bipolar electrocoagulation (BPEC) treatment for chronically bleeding internal hemorrhoids. METHODS : A total of 45 patients of mean age 51.5 years, who had rectal bleeding from grade II or III hemorrhoids and in whom intensive medical therapy failed, were randomized in a prospective study comparing RBL with BPEC. Treatment failure was predefined as continued bleeding, occurrence of a major complication, or failure to reduce the size of all internal hemorrhoidal segments to grade I in ≤ 3 treatments. Patients were followed up for 1 year. RESULTS: With similar patients, rectal bleeding and other symptoms were controlled with significantly fewer treatments of RBL than of BPEC (2.3±0.2 vs. 3.8±0.4, P 0.05), but significantly fewer failures and crossovers (8% vs. 38%). Symptomatic recurrence at 1 year was 10% RBL and 15% BPEC. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with chronically bleeding grade II or III internal hemorrhoids that are unresponsive to medical therapy, safety and complication rates of banding and BPEC were similar. The success rate was significantly higher with RBL than with BPEC. Symptom recurrence rates at 1 year were similar.