Search Results (33)

Enhancing the quality of video coding whilst maintaining compliance with the syntax of video coding standards is challenging. In the literature, many solutions have been proposed that apply mainly to two-pass encoding, bitrate control algorithms, and enhancements of locally decoded images in the motion-compensation loop. This work proposes a pre- and post-coding solution using the content-symmetrical multidimensional transpose of raw video sequences. The content-symmetrical multidimensional transpose results in images composed of slices of the temporal domain whilst preserving the video content. Such slices have higher spatial homogeneity at the expense of reducing the temporal resemblance. As such, an all-intra configuration is an excellent choice for compressing such images. Prior to displaying the decoded images, a content-symmetrical multidimensional transpose is applied again to restore the original form of the input images. Moreover, we propose a lightweight two-pass encoding solution in which we apply systematic temporal subsampling on the multidimensional transposed image sequences prior to the first-pass encoding. This noticeably reduces the complexity of the encoding process of the first pass and gives an indication as to whether or not the proposed solution is suitable for the video sequence at hand. Using the HEVC video codec, the experimental results revealed that the proposed solution results in a lower percentage of coding unit splits in comparison to regular HEVC coding without the multidimensional transpose of image sequences. This finding supports the claim of there being increasing spatial coherence as a result of the proposed solution. Additionally, using four quantization parameters, and in comparison to regular HEVC encoding, the resulting BD rate is −15.12%, which indicates a noticeable bitrate reduction. The BD-PSNR, on the other hand, was 1.62 dB, indicating an enhancement in the quality of the decoded images. Despite all of these benefits, the proposed solution has limitations, which are also discussed in the paper. Full article

This study examines the effects of three traditional Chinese mind–body exercises—Tai Chi (TC), Baduanjin (BD), and Health Qigong Yijinjing (YJJ)—on learning abilities, executive functions, and prefrontal brain connectivity in children with learning difficulties. Seventy-two children (aged 9–11) with learning difficulties were randomly assigned to TC, BD, YJJ, or a control group (CON). Intervention groups practiced for 12 weeks (45 min, three times per week), while the control group maintained their regular physical education. Assessments included Academic Performance Ranking (APR), Pupil Rating Scale (PRS), and executive functions. Granger causality analyses were conducted on the functional near-infrared spectroscopy data to derive the effective connectivity at the brain region levels. Post-intervention, all intervention groups showed significant improvements over the control group in PRS and APR scores (p < 0.05), with the TC group achieving higher PRS scores than the BD group. The TC group also demonstrated superior improvements in executive functions, particularly in inhibition and working memory. Additionally, the TC group exhibited significantly enhanced effective connectivity from the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to Brodmann area 8, indicating improved brain communication. Traditional Chinese mind–body exercises, particularly Tai Chi, improve academic performance, executive functions, and prefrontal cortex connectivity in children with learning difficulties. Tai Chi demonstrates superior outcomes, supporting its potential as an effective intervention for cognitive and academic development. Full article

Background/Objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often coexist, presenting significant challenges in treatment. OCD comorbidity in BD is associated with severe clinical features such as increased suicidality and impaired functioning. While selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective for OCD, they may increase manic shifts in BD patients. The use of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics such as monthly aripiprazole (ARI-LAI) and monthly paliperidone (PP-LAI) has been proposed as a promising alternative for BD treatment, while their efficacy and safety in BD-OCD remain understudied. This study investigated the effectiveness and tolerability of ARI-LAI and PP-LAI as adjunctive therapies in this population. Methods: 27 BD-OCD patients were treated with ARI-LAI or PP-LAI, alongside mood stabilizers (MS) (lithium or sodium valproate), over a 24 week period. Clinical and psychopathological assessments were performed at baseline and regular intervals using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Safety and tolerability were evaluated using the UKU Side Effect Rating Scale. Results: Both treatments led to significant reductions in obsessive-compulsive symptoms and mood stabilization without manic episodes. ARI-LAI showed superior tolerability in terms of body weight gain compared to PP-LAI, with no significant differences in overall efficacy between the groups. Conclusions: This study is the first that investigated the efficacy and safety of adjunctive PP-LAI and ARI-LAI in this population highlighting their potential as effective and well-tolerated options for managing BD-OCD. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and refine treatment strategies for this complex population. Full article

Background/Objectives: Lithium taken during pregnancy was linked in the past with increased risk for foetal/newborn malformations, but clinicians believe that it is worse for newborn children not to treat the mothers’ underlying psychiatric illness. We set to review the available evidence of adverse foetal outcomes in women who received lithium treatment for some time during their pregnancy. Methods: We searched four databases and a register to seek papers reporting neonatal outcomes of women who took lithium during their pregnancy by using the appropriate terms. We adopted the PRISMA statement and used Delphi rounds among all the authors to assess eligibility and the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool to evaluate the RoB of the included studies. Results: We found 28 eligible studies, 10 of which met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The studies regarded 1402 newborn babies and 2595 women exposed to lithium. Overall, the systematic review found slightly increased adverse pregnancy outcomes for women taking lithium for both the first trimester only and any time during pregnancy, while the meta-analysis found increased odds for cardiac or other malformations, preterm birth, and a large size for gestational age with lithium at any time during pregnancy. Conclusions: Women with BD planning a pregnancy should consider discontinuing lithium when euthymic; lithium use during the first trimester and at any time during pregnancy increases the odds for some adverse pregnancy outcomes. Once the pregnancy has started, there is no reason for discontinuing lithium; close foetal monitoring and regular blood lithium levels may obviate some disadvantages of lithium administration during pregnancy. Full article

This research explores the association between ABO blood groups and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, analyzing Convalescent COVID-19 plasma (CCP) donors (n = 500) and healthy whole blood donors (BDs) (n = 9678) during the pandemic (1 May 2020 to 30 April 2021). A comparison is made with pre-pandemic BDs (n = 11,892) from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019. Significant differences in blood group distribution are observed, with blood group A individuals being three times more likely to be CCP donors. Conversely, blood groups B, O, and AB are less associated with CCP donation. Notably, blood group O is more prevalent among regular BDs, suggesting potential resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study underscores variations in blood group distribution during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic periods. The findings support previous research indicating a link between blood group antigens and viral susceptibility, including SARS-CoV-2. Understanding these associations has implications for public health strategies, with potential for predicting COVID-19 outcomes and transmission patterns. Further research is crucial to explore molecular and immunological mechanisms, providing valuable insights for targeted preventive strategies and personalized healthcare in managing the impact of COVID-19. Full article

Despite good vaccine coverage and careful blood donor selection policies, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still the most frequent viral infection among blood donors (BDs) in Italy, mostly in the occult form (OBI). We studied the virological features of OBI in BDs from South Italy by serology, molecular testing for HBV-DNA, and sequencing for HBV genotypes and mutations. One hundred and two samples from 95 BDs (22.1% first time, 87.9% regular, median age 57 years) positive for HBV-DNA and negative for HBsAg were retrospectively analyzed. HBV biomarkers were detected in 96.9% (anti-HBc in 44.2%, anti-HBc plus anti-HBs in 49.5%, anti-HBs alone in 3.2%). No risk factor was declared by 45.3% of donors. HBV-DNA levels were very low (median: 7 IU/mL). All samples harbored HBV genotype D and single or multiple mutations in the S gene were found in 28/36 sequences analyzed and in 75% of donors. Mutations were unrelated to gender, donor group or serological patterns. An HBsAg assay with enhanced sensitivity was positive in samples from seven donors (7.4%), two of which negative for HBV-DNA by real-time PCR. OBI still represents a risk for HBV transmission from blood donations; screening by highly sensitive serological and molecular assays is warranted. Full article

Background and Objectives: Depressive symptoms are prominent in both major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, comparative research on the network structure of depressive symptoms in these two diagnostic groups has been limited. This study aims to compare the network structure of depressive symptoms in MDD and BD, providing a deeper understanding of the depressive symptomatology of each disorder. Materials and Methods: The Zung Self-Rating Depressive Scale, a 20-item questionnaire, was administered to assess the depressive symptoms in individuals with MDD (n = 322) and BD (n = 516). A network analysis was conducted using exploratory graph analysis (EGA), and the network structure was analyzed using regularized partial correlation models. To validate the dimensionality of the Zung SDS, principal component analysis (PCA) was adopted. Centrality measures of the depressive symptoms within each group were assessed, followed by a network comparison test between the two groups. Results: In both diagnostic groups, the network analysis revealed four distinct categories, aligning closely with the PCA results. “Depressed affect” emerged as the most central symptom in both MDD and BD. Furthermore, non-core symptoms, “Personal devaluation” in MDD and “Confusion” in BD, displayed strong centrality. The network comparison test did not reveal significant differences in the network structure between MDD and BD. Conclusions: The absence of significant differences in the network structures between MDD and BD suggests that the underlying mechanisms of depressive symptoms may be similar across these disorders. The identified central symptoms, including “Depressed affect”, in both disorders and the distinct non-core symptoms in each highlight the complexity of the depressive symptomatology. Future research should focus on validating these symptoms as therapeutic targets and incorporate various methodologies, including non-metric dimension reduction techniques or canonical analysis. Full article

Under certain circumstances, masks are an effective and immediate solution to reduce the spread of viral infection. However, the impact of masks on the ability to perform vigorous exercise remains an area of concern. Primarily, this impact has been explored in healthy subjects, yielding contradictory findings, and little is known of it among COVID-19-infected individuals. This study examined the effects of surgical masks, N-95 masks, and unmasked conditions on the performance and perceived exertion (RPE) of infected vs. non-infected young women during high-intensity, repeated sprint exercise (5mSRT). Following a familiarization session, eighty-three (42 COVID-19-previously infected (PIG) and 43 non-infected (NIG)), female participants (age 20.02 ± 1.05 years, BMI 21.07 ± 2.1 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to one of three mask conditions: unmasked, surgical mask, or N95 mask. All participants attended three test sessions (i.e., one session for each mask condition) at least one week apart. At the beginning of each test session, data related to participants’ physical activity (PA) and sleep behaviours during the previous week were collected. In each test session, participants performed the 5mSRT, during which performance indicators (best distance (BD), total distance (TD), fatigue index (FI) and percentage decrement (PD)) were collected, along with RPE. ANOVA indicated no significant main effects of Groups and Masks, and no significant interaction for Groups × Masks for BD, FI, PD, RPE and most sleep and PA behaviours (p > 0.05). For TD, the Groups × Mask interaction was significant (p = 0.031 and ƞp² = 0.042). Posthoc analysis revealed, in the unmasked condition, there was no difference in TD between PIG and NIG (p > 0.05). However, when wearing a surgical mask, PIG covered lower TD compared to NIG (p < 0.05). Additionally, different types of masks did not affect TD in NIG, while PIG performed the worst using the surgical mask (p < 0.05). These results suggest post-COVID-19 individuals can maintain physical fitness through regular exercise (i.e., sport science curricula) in unmasked conditions, but not when wearing a surgical mask. Furthermore, the impact of different types of face masks on physical performance seems to be minimal, particularly in uninfected populations; future research is warranted to further explore this impact in post-COVID conditions. Full article

Three Lactococcus lactis strains from the nasal microbiota of healthy pigs were identified as candidates for reducing MRSA in pigs. The safety of nasal administration of a cocktail of these strains was examined in new-born piglets. Six days pre-farrowing, twelve sows were assigned to the placebo or cocktail group (n = 6/group). After farrowing, piglets were administered with either 0.5 mL of the placebo or the cocktail to each nostril. Health status and body weight were monitored at regular time points. Two piglets from three sows/treatment group were euthanised at 24 h, 96 h and 14 d after birth, and conchae, lung and tonsil samples were collected for histopathological and gene expression analysis. Health scores were improved in the cocktail group between d1–5. Body weight and daily gains did not differ between groups. Both groups displayed histological indications of euthanasia and inflammation in the lungs, signifying the findings were not treatment related. The expression of pBD2, TLR9 and IL-1β in the nasal conchae differed between groups, indicating the cocktail has the potential to modulate immune responses. In summary, the L. lactis cocktail was well tolerated by piglets and there was no negative impact on health scores, growth or lung histopathology indicating that it is safe for administration to new-born piglets. Full article

Among the methods of multiple kernel clustering (MKC), some adopt a neighborhood kernel as the optimal kernel, and some use local base kernels to generate an optimal kernel. However, these two methods are not synthetically combined together to leverage their advantages, which affects the quality of the optimal kernel. Furthermore, most existing MKC methods require a two-step strategy to cluster, i.e., first learn an indicator matrix, then executive clustering. This does not guarantee the optimality of the final results. To overcome the above drawbacks, a one-step clustering with adaptively local kernels and a neighborhood kernel (OSC-ALK-ONK) is proposed in this paper, where the two methods are combined together to produce an optimal kernel. In particular, the neighborhood kernel improves the expression capability of the optimal kernel and enlarges its search range, and local base kernels avoid the redundancy of base kernels and promote their variety. Accordingly, the quality of the optimal kernel is enhanced. Further, a soft block diagonal (BD) regularizer is utilized to encourage the indicator matrix to be BD. It is helpful to obtain explicit clustering results directly and achieve one-step clustering, then overcome the disadvantage of the two-step strategy. In addition, extensive experiments on eight data sets and comparisons with six clustering methods show that OSC-ALK-ONK is effective. Full article

In this paper, we consider a sparse program with symmetric cone constrained parameterized generalized equations (SPSCC). Such a problem is a symmetric cone analogue with vector optimization, and we aim to provide a smoothing framework for dealing with SPSCC that includes classical complementarity problems with the nonnegative cone, the semidefinite cone and the second-order cone. An effective approximation is given and we focus on solving the perturbation problem. The necessary optimality conditions, which are reformulated as a system of nonsmooth equations, and the second-order sufficient conditions are proposed. Under mild conditions, a smoothing Newton approach is used to solve these nonsmooth equations. Under second-order sufficient conditions, strong BD-regularity at a solution point can be satisfied. An inverse linear program is provided and discussed as an illustrative example, which verified the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Full article

Multipath error is an important factor restricting the relative positioning accuracy of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). Because of the complexity of the reflection environment, the mathematical modeling of multipath errors is quite difficult. The sidereal filtering algorithm corrects multipath errors by using the feature of period repetition, which can greatly reduce its influence and improve the accuracy of positioning and attitude measurement. In view of the constellation heterogeneity of BDS, it is more complicated to apply sideral filtering. Based on the reconstructed single-difference residual of the carrier phase, the multipath repetition time of the Beidou satellite is estimated using the idea of segmentation. The Tikhonov regularization method and the classical wavelet method are used to extract the multipath of the single-difference residual of the carrier phase, and the “clean” sequence of the single-difference residual is obtained. The experimental results show that it is feasible to extract the multipath error correctly by Tikhonov regularization, and the multipath error is smoother than the original residual measurement. Furthermore, the estimation method of the regularization parameter is further optimized. After using the optimized Tikhonov regularization method with sidereal filtering, the mean RMS improvements of GEO, IGSO, and MEO satellites are 45.9%, 38.2%, and 37.5%, respectively. The positioning accuracy on E, N, and U components is improved by 24.8%, 26.3%, and 42.7%, respectively. The attitude resolution accuracy is improved by 22.9% in the yaw angle and 12.6% in the pitch angle. The proposed method can be an alternative BDS multipath error modeling and mitigation approach. Full article

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) network, research on low-power and energy-saving devices has attracted extensive attention from both academia and the industry. Although the backscatter devices (BDs) that utilize the environmental power to activate circuits and transmit signals are a promising technology to be deployed as IoT nodes, it is challenging to design a flexible data backhaul scheme for massive BDs. Therefore, in this paper, we consider an unmanned-aerial-vehicle (UAV)-assisted backscatter communication network, where BDs are served by multiple full-duplex (FD) UAVs with the non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) schemes and modulate their signals on the downlink signals, which are generated by the UAVs to serve the coexisting regular user equipments (UEs). To maximize the sum rate of the considered system, we construct an optimization problem to optimize the reflection coefficient of BDs, the downlink and the backhaul transmission power, and the trajectory of UAVs jointly. Since the formulated problem is a non-convex optimization problem and is difficult to solve directly, we decouple the original problem into three sub-problems and solve them with the successive convex approximation (SCA) method, thereby addressing the original problem by a block coordinate descent (BCD)-based iterative algorithm. The simulation results show that, compared with the benchmark schemes, the proposed algorithm can obtain the highest system sum rate and utilize limited time-frequency resources more efficiently. Full article

Binary neural networks (BNNs) are an extremely promising method for reducing deep neural networks’ complexity and power consumption significantly. Binarization techniques, however, suffer from ineligible performance degradation compared to their full-precision counterparts. Prior work mainly focused on strategies for sign function approximation during the forward and backward phases to reduce the quantization error during the binarization process. In this work, we propose a bimodal-distributed binarization method (BD-BNN). The newly proposed technique aims to impose a bimodal distribution of the network weights by kurtosis regularization. The proposed method consists of a teacher–trainer training scheme termed weight distribution mimicking (WDM), which efficiently imitates the full-precision network weight distribution to their binary counterpart. Preserving this distribution during binarization-aware training creates robust and informative binary feature maps and thus it can significantly reduce the generalization error of the BNN. Extensive evaluations on CIFAR-10 and ImageNet demonstrate that our newly proposed BD-BNN outperforms current state-of-the-art schemes. Full article

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ (25(OH)VD₃) and Vitamin D₃ (VD₃) supplemented in the diet of weaned piglets on their growth performance, bone quality, intestinal integrity, immune function and antioxidant capacity. A total of 192 weaned piglets were allocated into four groups and they were fed a control diet containing 2000 IU VD₃ (negative control, NC), NC + 100 ppm colistin sulfate (positive control, PC), NC + 2000 IU VD₃ (VD₃) and NC + 2000 IU 25(OH)VD₃ (25(OH)VD₃)_. The results showed that 25(OH)VD₃ improved the growth performance, bone quality and antioxidase activity of piglets compared with the other groups. Meanwhile, 25(OH)VD₃ up-regulated ileal mRNA expressions of tight junction proteins and host defense peptides. The VD₃ group had an increased intestinal sIgA content and mRNA expression of pBD-1 compared with the NC group. Both groups of VD₃ and 25(OH)VD₃ altered the microbial β-diversity compared with the NC group, and 25(OH)VD₃ increased ileal concentrations of acetate and butyrate. In conclusion, our findings indicated that a regular dosage of 2000 IU VD₃ in the weaned piglets’ diet did not achieve optimal antioxidant capacity and immune function. 25(OH)VD₃ had better growth performance than VD₃ at the same inclusion level, which is associated with the improved intestinal integrity and antioxidant capacity. Full article