Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image denoising with expected patch log likelihood using eigenvectors of graph Laplacian

Recently, an Expected Patch Log Likelihood (EPLL) method is presented for image denoising, which can well restore details of natural images. However, the EPLL is viewed as a local method, and seldom takes into account the relationship among patches. In this paper, a non-local EPLL algorithm using eigenvectors of the graph Laplacian of patches is proposed to fully exploit such relationship. In detail, the eigenvectors of the graph Laplacian are incorporated as basis functions to employ the geometrical structures of patches. Meanwhile, the residual error constraint is considered to deal with the noise corruption in the iterative procedure. Sequently, an eigenvector-based EPLL problem is presented under a set of residual error constraints, and the corresponding approximate solution is efficiently provided. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a better performance than the traditional EPLL, and is comparable with some other state-of-art denoising methods.
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

Despite the consequences for women’s health, a repeat cesarean section (CS) birth after a previous CS is common in Western countries. Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) is recommended for most women, yet VBAC rates are decreasing and vary across maternity organizations and countries. We investigated women’s views on factors of importance for improving the rate of VBAC in countries where VBAC rates are high. We interviewed 22 women who had experienced VBAC in Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden. We used content analysis, which revealed five categories: receiving information from supportive clinicians, receiving professional support from a calm and confident midwife/obstetrician during childbirth, knowing the advantages of VBAC, letting go of the previous childbirth in preparation for the new birth, and viewing VBAC as the first alternative for all involved when no complications are present. These findings reflect not only women’s needs but also sociocultural factors influencing their views on VBAC.
Tongue- and Jaw-Specific Contributions to Acoustic Vowel Contrast Changes in the Diphthong /ai/ in Response to Slow, Loud, and Clear Speech.

Purpose This study sought to determine decoupled tongue and jaw displacement changes and their specific contributions to acoustic vowel contrast changes during slow, loud, and clear speech. Method Twenty typical talkers repeated "see a kite again" 5 times in 4 speech conditions (typical, slow, loud, clear). Speech kinematics were recorded using 3-dimensional electromagnetic articulography. Tongue composite displacement, decoupled tongue displacement, and jaw displacement during /ai/, as well as the distance between /a/ and /i/ in the F1-F2 vowel space, were examined during the diphthong /ai/ in "kite. " Results Displacements significantly increased during all 3 speech modifications. However, jaw displacements increased significantly more during clear speech than during loud and slow speech, whereas decoupled tongue displacements increased significantly more during slow speech than during clear and loud speech. In addition, decoupled tongue displacements increased significantly more during clear speech than during loud speech. Increases in acoustic vowel contrast tended to be larger during slow speech than during clear speech and were predominantly tongue-driven, whereas those during clear speech were fairly equally accounted for by changes in decoupled tongue and jaw displacements. Increases in acoustic vowel contrast during loud speech were smallest and were predominantly tongue-driven, particularly in men. Conclusions Findings suggest that task-specific patterns of decoupled tongue and jaw displacement change and task-specific patterns of decoupled tongue and jaw contributions to vowel acoustic change across these speech modifications. Clinical implications are discussed.
Let's go to the cinema! A movie recommender system for ephemeral groups of users

Going to the cinema or watching television are social activities that generally take place in groups. In these cases, a recommender system for ephemeral groups of users is more suitable than (well-studied) recommender systems for individuals. In this paper we present a recommendation system for groups of users that go to the cinema. The system uses the Slope One algorithm for computing individual predictions and the Multiplicative Utilitarian Strategy as a model to recommend to an entire group. We show how we solved all practical aspects of the system; including its architecture and a mobile application for the service, the lack of user data (ramp-up and cold-start problems), the scaling fit of the group model strategy, and other improvements in order to reduce the response time. Finally, we validate the performance of the system with a set of experiments with 57 ephemeral groups.
Hierarchical dynamics of informational patterns and decision-making

Traditional studies on the interaction of cognitive functions in healthy and disordered brains have used the analyses of the connectivity of several specialized brain networks—the functional connectome. However, emerging evidence suggests that both brain networks and functional spontaneous brain-wide network communication are intrinsically dynamic. In the light of studies investigating the cooperation between different cognitive functions, we consider here the dynamics of hierarchical networks in cognitive space. We show, using an example of behavioural decision-making based on sequential episodic memory, how the description of metastable pattern dynamics underlying basic cognitive processes helps to understand and predict complex processes like sequential episodic memory recall and competition among decision strategies. The mathematical images of the discussed phenomena in the phase space of the corresponding cognitive model are hierarchical heteroclinic networks. One of the most important features of such networks is the robustness of their dynamics. Different kinds of instabilities of these dynamics can be related to ‘dynamical signatures’ of creativity and different psychiatric disorders. The suggested approach can also be useful for the understanding of the dynamical processes that are the basis of consciousness.
Intact automatic imitation of human and robot actions in autism spectrum disorders

The existence of a specialized imitation module in humans is hotly debated. Studies suggesting a specific imitation impairment in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) support a modular view. However, the voluntary imitation tasks used in these studies (which require socio-cognitive abilities in addition to imitation for successful performance) cannot support claims of a specific impairment. Accordingly, an automatic imitation paradigm (a ‘cleaner’ measure of imitative ability) was used to assess the imitative ability of 16 adults with ASD and 16 non-autistic matched control participants. Participants performed a prespecified hand action in response to observed hand actions performed either by a human or a robotic hand. On compatible trials the stimulus and response actions matched, while on incompatible trials the two actions did not match. Replicating previous findings, the Control group showed an automatic imitation effect: responses on compatible trials were faster than those on incompatible trials. This effect was greater when responses were made to human than to robotic actions (‘animacy bias’). The ASD group also showed an automatic imitation effect and a larger animacy bias than the Control group. We discuss these findings with reference to the literature on imitation in ASD and theories of imitation.
On the Possibility of Network Scheduling With Polynomial Complexity and Delay

Considering the collection of all networks with independent set interference model, Shah, Tse, and Tsitsiklis showed that there exist scheduling algorithms with polynomial complexity and delay, only if the maximum independent set problem can be solved in polynomial time (equivalently, P=NP). In this paper, we extend this result to arbitrary collections of networks and present a clear-cut criterion for the existence of polynomial complexity and delay scheduling algorithms relative to a given collection of networks with arbitrary interference models, not confined to independent set interference or SINR models, and not necessarily encompassing all network topologies. This amounts to the equivalence of polynomial scheduling and effective approximation of maximum weighted actions.
Direct Antenna Modulation using Frequency Selective Surfaces

In the coming years, the number of connected wireless devices will increase dramatically, expanding the Internet of Things (IoT). It is likely that much of this capacity will come from network densification. However, base stations are inefficient and expensive, particularly the downlink transmitters. The main cause of this is the power amplifier (PA), which must amplify complex signals, so are expensive and often only 30% efficient. As such, the cost of densifying cellular networks is high. This thesis aims to overcome this problem through codesign of a low complexity, energy efficient transmitter through electromagnetic design; and a waveform which leverages the advantages and mitigates the disadvantages of the new technology, while being suitable for supporting IoT devices. Direct Antenna Modulation (DAM) is a low complexity transmitter architecture, where modulation occurs at the antenna at transmit power. This means a non-linear PA can efficiently amplify the carrier wave without added distortion. Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS) are presented here as potential phase modulators for DAM transmitters. The theory of operation is discussed, and a prototype DAM for QPSK modulation is simulated, designed and tested. Next, the design process for a continuous phase modulating antenna is explored. Simulations and measurement are used to fully characterise a prototype, and it is implemented in a line-of-sight end-to-end communications system, demonstrating BPSK, QPSK and 8-PSK. Due to the favourable effects of spread spectrum signalling on FSS DAM performance, Cyclic Prefix Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (CPDSSS) is developed. Conventional spreading techniques are extended using a cyclic prefix, making multipath interference entirely defined by the periodic autocorrelation of the sequence used. This is demonstrated analytically, through simulation and with experiments. Finally, CPDSSS is implemented using FSS DAM, demonstrating the potential of this new low cost, low complexity transmitter with CPDSSS as a scalable solution to IoT connectivity.
Hitchhiking in space: Ancestry in adapting, spatially extended populations *

Selective sweeps reduce neutral genetic diversity. In sexual populations, this “hitchhiking” effect is thought to be limited to the local genomic region of the sweeping allele. While this is true in panmictic populations, we find that in spatially extended populations the combined effects of many unlinked sweeps can affect patterns of ancestry (and therefore neutral genetic diversity) across the whole genome. Even low rates of sweeps can be enough to skew the spatial locations of ancestors such that neutral mutations that occur in an individual living outside a small region in the center of the range have virtually no chance of fixing in the population. The fact that nearly all ancestry rapidly traces back to a small spatial region also means that relatedness between individuals falls off very slowly as a function of the spatial distance between them.
Subinhibitory Concentrations of Ciprofloxacin Enhance Antimicrobial Resistance and Pathogenicity of Enterococcus faecium

ABSTRACT Enterococcus faecium has emerged as a major opportunistic pathogen for 2 decades with the spread of hospital-adapted multidrug-resistant clones. As members of the intestinal microbiota, they are subjected to numerous bacterial stresses, including antibiotics at subinhibitory concentrations (SICs). Since fluoroquinolones are extensively prescribed, SICs are very likely to occur in vivo, with potential effects on bacterial metabolism with subsequent modulation of opportunistic traits. The aim of this study was to evaluate globally the impact of SICs of ciprofloxacin on antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity of E. faecium. Transcriptomic analysis was performed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) (HiSeq 2500; Illumina) using the vanB-positive reference strain E. faecium Aus0004 in the absence or presence of ciprofloxacin SIC (0.38 mg/liter, i.e., 1/8 of the MIC). Several genetic and phenotypic tests were used for validation. In the presence of ciprofloxacin SIC, 196 genes were significantly induced, whereas 286 genes were significantly repressed, meaning that 16.8% of the E. faecium genome was altered. Among upregulated genes, EFAU004_02294 (fold change, 14.3) encoded a protein (Qnr of E. faecium [EfmQnr]) homologue of Qnr proteins involved in quinolone resistance in Gram-negative bacilli. Its implication in intrinsic and adaptive fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance in E. faecium was experimentally ascertained. Moreover, EFAU004_02292, coding for the collagen adhesin Acm, was also induced by the SIC of ciprofloxacin (fold change, 8.2), and higher adhesion capabilities were demonstrated phenotypically. Both EfmQnr and Acm determinants may play an important role in the transition from a commensal to a pathogenic state of E. faecium that resides in the gut of patients receiving fluoroquinolone therapy.
Carboxyhemoglobin – the forgotten parameter of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia

Abstract Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is influenced by a wide variety of factors, one of which is hemolysis. Serious hyperbilirubinemia may lead to a kernicterus with detrimental neurologic sequelae. Patients suffering from hemolytic disease have a higher risk of developing kernicterus. Carbon monoxide (CO), a byproduct of hemolysis or heme degradation, was described by Sjöstrand in the 1960s. It is transported as carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and exhaled through the lungs. We were interested in a potential correlation between COHb and total serum bilirubin (TSB) and the time course of both parameters. Materials and methods: We used a point of care (POC) blood gas analyzer and did a retrospective analysis of bilirubin and COHb data collected over a 60-day period. Results: An arbitrary cut-off point set at 2% COHb identified four patients with hemolytic disease of different origins who required phototherapy. In one patient with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), COHb preceded the rise in bilirubin by about 2 days. Despite this displacement, there was a moderately good correlation of COHb with TSB levels <15 mg/dL (257 μmol/L) (r2: 0.80) and direct bilirubin (r2: 0.78) in the first patient. For all the four patients and all time points the correlation was slightly lower (r2: 0.59). Conclusions: COHb might be useful as a marker for high hemoglobin turnover to allow an earlier identification of newborns at risk to a rapid rise in bilirubin.
Geometry mediated drag reduction using riblets and wrinkled surface textures

The surfaces of many plants and animals are covered with a variety of micro-textures such as ribs or 3D tubules which can control surface-mediated properties such as skin friction. Inspired by the drag reducing ability of these natural structures, especially the ribbed features on shark denticles, passive drag reduction strategies such as microfabricated riblet surfaces have been developed and studied. Microgroove textures on the surface of objects such as hulls, wings or inner surface of pipes which are aligned in the stream-wise direction have been shown to reduce the wall friction by 4 − 8%. The mechanisms suggested for this form of drag reduction are viscous retardation of the flow in the grooves (both laminar and turbulent) and the displacement of vortical structures away from the wall in turbulent flows. Due to their effectiveness in altering the boundary layer structure and reducing the viscous drag force, use of riblets have been banned in various competitions such as the America’s Cup. The current thesis work is partly focused on theoretical and numerical modelling (using the open source CFD package OpenFOAM) of the evolution of viscous boundary layers in the presence of various-shaped riblets (V-grooves as well as sinusoidal wrinkled surfaces) in high Reynolds laminar flow. We explore the effect of the dimensionless height to spacing of the grooves (aspect ratio) as well as the length of the wetted surface in the streamwise direction and how these change the total drag compared with a corresponding flat wall. We show that riblets retard the viscous flow inside the grooves and reduce the shear stress inside the grooves. But for this reduction to result in overall drag reduction, the riblet wall needs to be longer than a critical length. The total drag reduction achieved is a non-monotonic function of the aspect ratio of the riblets, with aspect ratios of order unity offering the largest reduction in the total drag. To eliminate the role of entrance effects, we additionally investigate the effect of stream-wise aligned riblet structures on fully-developed Taylor-Couette flow. We perform both experimental studies as well as time-dependent numerical simulations in both the laminar Couette and the Taylor vortex regime. We again explore the effect of the size of the riblets with respect to the geometry of the Taylor-Couette cell, as well as the aspect ratio of the riblet grooves and the shape of the grooves
Moment redistribution in cold-formed steel sleeved and overlapped two-span purlin systems

Cold-formed steel purlin systems with overlapped or sleeved connections are alternatives to continuous two-span systems and exhibit different degrees of continuity. Both connection types are highly favourable in practice since they are both strategically placed over an interior support to provide additional moment resistance and rotational capacity where the corresponding demands are at their largest, thus improving the overall structural efficiency. Until recently, full-scale testing has been the most common way of investigating the structural behaviour of such systems. In this study, numerical modelling, capable of capturing the complex contact interactions and instability phenomena, is employed. The developed finite element models are first validated against data from physical tests on cold-formed steel beams featuring sleeved and overlapped connections that have been previously reported in the literature. Following their validation, the models are employed for parametric studies, based on which the structural behaviour of the examined systems is explored, while the applicability of conventional plastic design as well as of a previously proposed design approach is investigated. Finally, the efficiency of these systems in terms of load-carrying capacity is compared with their equivalent continuous two-span systems.
A Continuous-Flow Memory-Based Architecture for Real-Valued FFT

This brief proposes a continuous-flow memory-based architecture for fast Fourier transform (FFT) computation for real-valued signals. The proposed architecture is based on a modified radix-2 algorithm, which removes redundant operations to reduce resource usage. A new data-flow graph and address mapping scheme are proposed that satisfy the requirement of continuous-flow operation and minimize the memory usage. The proposed processing element takes advantage of pipelined FFT architectures to avoid bank conflicts in each stage. Compared with prior works, the proposed design has the advantage of supporting continuous-flow operation and normal-order output while minimizing the resource usage.
Adaptive Bus Encoding for Transition Reduction on Off-Chip Buses With Dynamically Varying Switching Characteristics

This paper presents an adaptive encoding framework for the reduction of transition activity in high-capacitance off-chip data buses, since power dissipation associated with those buses can be significant for high-speed communication. The technique relies on the observation of data characteristics over fixed window sizes and formation of cluster with bit lines having highly correlated switching patterns. The proposed method utilizes redundancy in space and time to prevent loss of information while retrieving data. We present analytical and experimental analyses, which demonstrate the activity reduction of our encoding scheme for various data. The extra power cost due to the encoder and decoder circuitry along with redundancy is offset due to reduced number of off-chip transitions.
Dietary fiber in irritable bowel syndrome (Review)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic gastrointestinal disorder. It is widely believed that IBS is caused by a deficient intake of dietary fiber, and most physicians recommend that patients with IBS increase their intake of dietary fiber in order to relieve their symptoms. However, different types of dietary fiber exhibit marked differences in physical and chemical properties, and the associated health benefits are specific for each fiber type. Short-chain soluble and highly fermentable dietary fiber, such as oligosaccharides results in rapid gas production that can cause abdominal pain/discomfort, abdominal bloating/distension and flatulence in patients with IBS. By contrast, long-chain, intermediate viscous, soluble and moderately fermentable dietary fiber, such as psyllium results in a low gas production and the absence of the symptoms related to excessive gas production. The effects of type of fiber have been documented in the management of IBS, and it is known to improve the overall symptoms in patients with IBS. Dietary fiber acts on the gastrointestinal tract through several mechanisms, including increased fecal mass with mechanical stimulation/irritation of the colonic mucosa with increasing secretion and peristalsis, and the actions of fermentation byproducts, particularly short-chain fatty acids, on the intestinal microbiota, immune system and the neuroendocrine system of the gastrointestinal tract. Fiber supplementation, particularly psyllium, is both safe and effective in improving IBS symptoms globally. Dietary fiber also has other health benefits, such as lowering blood cholesterol levels, improving glycemic control and body weight management.