One-for-all: towards universal domain translation with a single StyleGAN

In this paper, we propose a novel translation model, UniTranslator, for transforming representations between visually distinct domains under conditions of limited training data and significant visual differences. The main idea behind our approach is leveraging the domain-neutral capabilities of CLIP as a bridging mechanism, while utilizing a separate module to extract abstract, domain-agnostic semantics from the embeddings of both the source and target realms. Fusing these abstract semantics with target-specific semantics results in a transformed embedding within the CLIP space. To bridge the gap between the disparate worlds of CLIP and StyleGAN, we introduce a new non-linear mapper, the CLIP2P mapper. Utilizing CLIP embeddings, this module is tailored to approximate the latent distribution in the StyleGAN's latent space, effectively acting as a connector between these two spaces. The proposed UniTranslator is versatile and capable of performing various tasks, including style mixing, stylization, and translations, even in visually challenging scenarios across different visual domains. Notably, UniTranslator generates high-quality translations that showcase domain relevance, diversity, and improved image quality. UniTranslator surpasses the performance of existing general-purpose models and performs well against specialized models in representative tasks. The source code and trained models will be released to the public.</p

Evidence to practice – lessons learnt in developing an implementation strategy for an online digital health intervention (Eczema Care Online)

Background: Eczema Care Online (www.EczemaCareOnline.org.uk/) is an online self-management toolkit which includes tailored content for young people (13–25 years) and for parents of children that have eczema (0–12 years). Testing in two randomised controlled trials has shown that it is easy to use, cost effective and offers a sustained improvement in eczema symptoms. Implementing Eczema Care Online outside of a funded research study and ensuring that it reaches those that will most benefit from is now a key challenge. This paper describes the lessons learnt from developing and delivering an implementation strategy. Methods: Data from systematic reviews, stakeholder consultation meetings, interviews with trial participants, intervention usage data during the trial, and existing eczema information websites informed our implementation plan. Using Normalisation Process Theory, an implementation plan combined these findings with practical, context-specific actions to encourage wider adoption of the intervention. Results: Data was successfully mapped to the four constructs of Normalisation Process Theory, and factors and processes that encourage implementation identified. These include: promoting how Eczema Care Online is different to other sources of information; aligning to and embedding in existing eczema resources (from charities and healthcare providers); simplifying aspects to aid ease of use; and, highlighting evidence that shows that Eczema Care Online works. Key lessons in developing an implementation strategy include 1) start implementation work early 2) maintain flexibility to explore multiple routes to implementation 3) use secondary data sources 4) balance theory with practicalities 5) consider longer-term maintenance beyond the life of the research project. Conclusion: Implementation planning is a key stage of the research process that is often not adequately resourced. Implementation planning ensures effective interventions developed and evaluated in research studies are utilised in everyday practice.</p

Robust calibration of shaft and base resistance factors for piles based on multiobjective optimization

Resistance factors are used to account for the uncertainties associated with pile resistance in load and resistance factor design (LRFD). Current design codes and most previous studies recommend a single resistance factor applied to the total pile resistance (shaft and base resistances). However, the uncertainties associated with shaft and base resistances are significantly different. Moreover, resistance factors are generally calibrated based on the statistics of resistance bias factors derived using all data collected from different sites, whereas the variability of the statistics between various sites (i.e., cross-site variability) has been ignored in the traditional calibration approaches, which may result in the designs based on the calibrated resistance factors violating safety requirements. In this paper, a robust calibration approach is proposed to calibrate shaft and base resistance factors, explicitly considering the cross-site variability in the statistics of resistance bias factors in the calibration process. To achieve that, the feasible robustness concept is adopted to describe the probability that the design remains able to achieve the target reliability index when the statistics of resistance bias factor exhibit cross-site variability. The calibration process is implemented through a multiobjective optimization, which leads to a Pareto front that describes the trade-off relationship between shaft and base resistance factors and feasible robustness. The optimal shaft and base resistance factors are determined using the minimum distance approach. The proposed approach is demonstrated and applied to calibrate shaft and base resistance factors for three design methods, the Vesic, Meyerhof, and Nordlund methods. Results show that resistance factors are significantly affected by design methods and the ratio of shaft and base resistances.</p

tCURLoRA: tensor CUR decomposition based low-rank parameter adaptation and its application in medical image segmentation

Transfer learning, by leveraging knowledge from pre-trained models, has significantly enhanced the performance of target tasks. However, as deep neural networks scale up, full fine-tuning introduces substantial computational and storage challenges in resource-constrained environments, limiting its widespread adoption. To address this, parameter-efficient fine-tuning (PEFT) methods have been developed to reduce computational complexity and storage requirements by minimizing the number of updated parameters. While matrix decomposition-based PEFT methods, such as LoRA, show promise, they struggle to fully capture the high-dimensional structural characteristics of model weights. In contrast, high-dimensional tensors offer a more natural representation of neural network weights, allowing for a more comprehensive capture of higher-order features and multi-dimensional interactions. In this paper, we propose tCURLoRA, a novel fine-tuning method based on tensor CUR decomposition. By concatenating pre-trained weight matrices into a three-dimensional tensor and applying tensor CUR decomposition, we update only the lower-order tensor components during fine-tuning, effectively reducing computational and storage overhead. Experimental results demonstrate that tCURLoRA outperforms existing PEFT methods in medical image segmentation tasks

Secure operation of a stand-alone wind energy system based on an incommensurate fractional-order chaotic system

Cybersecurity for wind energy conversion systems, such as Stand-Alone Wind Energy Conversion Systems (SAWECSs) that use Self-Excited Induction Generators (SEIGs), has been a growing area of focus recently. Despite their advantages such as robust structure, low cost, minimal maintenance, and the ability to operate at varying wind speeds, SEIG-based SAWECSs rely on effective reactive power management to maintain output voltage stability. As modern technologies become more integrated into SAWECS, controlling the output voltage becomes increasingly challenging, which makes the system more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. To ensure the cybersecurity of SEIG-based SAWECS, this study proposes a novel approach, a chaotic system-based secure communication algorithm derived from the interaction between dark matter and dark energy (DM-DE). This algorithm utilizes fractional calculus to increase the complexity of chaotic flows, thereby strengthening the robustness of secure communication. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified through detailed analyses and simulation studies, demonstrating its capability to maintain system stability and security. The chaos-based secure operation algorithm is then tested and validated using a SAWECS comprising a 3-phase, 400V, 50 Hz SEIG with resistive-inductive loads. It is observed that the experimental results are consistent with the simulation results. This work demonstrates that chaotic system-based approaches can be used to enhance the cybersecurity of renewable energy systems

Vital rates of intermittent nonbreeders and returning breeders strongly influence population dynamics of Somateria mollissima (Common Eider)

Risks and costs associated with reproduction may induce iteroparous species to employ intermittent breeding, whereby individuals forgo attempting reproduction in some breeding periods following recruitment to the breeding population. We explore this behavior through population-level analyses of Somateria mollissima (Common Eider), quantifying the survival cost of breeding and hence one benefit of skipping. Nonbreeding in a given year may be a short-term response to expected low fitness returns, avoiding either breeding-induced mortality or low offspring value. Alternatively, or additionally, intermittent breeding may be a long-term strategy maximizing lifetime fitness, with breeding trajectories that include nonbreeding years resulting in more recruited offspring over the whole life course than those with the same number of consecutive breeding attempts. Reanalysis of 3 studies reporting annual mortality schedules for S. mollissima allowed estimation of the proportion of mortality incurred during the peak breeding season (~50%) and hence the difference in survival rates between breeders and nonbreeders. These were incorporated into a life cycle and associated matrix population model with a “refreshed breeder” stage to which individuals transition for the time step following nonbreeding. We show that the transition to this stage strongly influences population growth rate—being more than twice as important as reproduction by continued breeders—mostly driven by the possibility of differential survival after skipping breeding. Our results emphasize the benefits of long-term individual-based studies that can identify refreshed breeders to further our understanding of intermittent breeding. Specifically, the accuracy of population projections could be improved by factoring in transitions following skipped breeding, and management enhanced by interventions facilitating return to the breeding pool, such as nest shelter provision

Supply chain sustainability integration: The case of textile and ready-made garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh

Being second biggest exporter of Textile and RMG products, Bangladesh has been facing challenges to manage sustainability issues in the industry for ages. As sustainability literature in the sector mostly focuses on individual dimension and there is gap of integrated approach, this study tries to identify sustainability challenges in the environmental, social, economic, and macro-infrastructural dimensions. Respective initiatives taken to mitigate those issues along with the sustainability solutions are also addressed accordingly. Following qualitative framework, an integrated model of sustainable textile supply chain management has been proposed. Based on extensive literature review, a semi structured interview protocol was developed to explore the pertinent themes by interviewing relevant stakeholders. The transcribed data are analysed using NVivo to derive the results. In exploring sustainability outlook, triple bottom line (TBL) lens has been used as the guiding theoretical backdrop along with stakeholders’ theory, stakeholders ‘salience model, and stakeholders’ resource-based view (SRBV). Result shows that the industry has major gaps in sustainability practices in all dimensions. In social side, workers salary is in sub-human level, skill level of the industry and workers is low, health and safety issues are overlooked, working environment is not standardized, workers are overburdened and overstressed. In environmental front, there is no chemical management guideline, monitoring of Effluent Treatment Plant is insufficient, subcontracting units do not maintain environmental obligations, untreated wastewater is released to the water stream and there is no ground water extraction policy yet. In economic perspective, the industry is facing challenges in getting fair prices from the brands, there is gap in value addition, product and market diversification is in infancy stage. In macro environmental consideration, raw materials supply is import-dependant, crisis of energy supply is a regular phenomenon, logistics and transportation system is underdeveloped, there is corruption and capability gap from the regulatory side. The findings also provide some positive practices. The industry has gone through massive retrofitting processes after Rana Plaza collapse. Current working environment is much safer and workers welfare initiatives are in-place. Export-oriented factories are now environmentally concerned, many of energy and resources saving initiatives have been taken, number of LEED certified green factories from Bangladesh are leading the global chart. Surveillance and monitoring mechanism from government agencies, brands, and associations have increased manifolds. The study incorporates solutions to each dimension of the existing sustainability challenges. Skill enhancement in line with automation, ensuring workers wellbeing, salary adjustment, health insurance and compensation can be offered as social solutions. Circular economy adoption, biological ETP, digital and tech-based monitoring, solid waste infrastructure, greening initiatives can make the industry environment friendly. For economic sustainability, better price negotiation, high-end diversified production, lead time minimisation, and positive global branding initiatives should be taken. This research offers a broader sustainability outlook of Bangladeshi RMG supply chain paving a pathway to reach the vision of exporting 100 billion USD by 2030. For which, infrastructure, communication and transport, port facilities, supplies and concerned stakeholders’ effort must be coordinated along with factory-oriented initiatives. <br/

Recognising the belonging of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities in research through a collaborative exploration of identity

This work was designed to establish the belonging of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities within research through the undertaking of a collaborative study of identity with four people who have profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. It began with the research question: how can I do research with people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities? The ‘with’ of this question is foregrounded against a history of research done on and for people with disabilities. Dovetailed with the emerging answering of the first question is the second question of this study: how is identity experienced within our research encounters?The philosophical foundations of this work are Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception. Building on an enactivist ontology and informed epistemologically by participatory sense-making the study involved participant observation as a methodological approach, informed by sensory ethnography. Fieldwork took place two days per week from February 2023 to October 2023 in a special school in the UK. In addition to ethics clearance, permission given by the school and informed consent given by the parents of the young people who were approached to take part, process assent was continually sought from the young people who were participants in regards to the first question of the study and researchers in relation to the second question.Data were generated in the form of ethnographic vignettes and reflexive memos. Photographs were also taken. The dataset was thematically analysed through an intuitive, iterative, inductive process and ultimately the themes of: intention, Being With, obstructions and identity were generated.In relation to question one the researcher, together with the young people involved found a research method they were able to use to meaningfully work together in the exploration of question two. This method is referred to as Being With. People with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities were able to adopt researcher identities, where identity was understood as a sense of who one is in a social location and how one acts. Working together, through the process of Being With, embodied identity was experienced as shared.This work troubles the narrative that people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities are too difficult to include in research. The findings around identity ask us to consider ways in which identity may be held in embodied fashion and help to illuminate the experiences of people close to people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities who often struggle to wrestle their notion of themselves separate from their notion of their loved one. Ultimately the belonging of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities within research is argued for based on fact, fairness, and fruitfulness: including them brings us insights we would not gain without them, their exclusion is an epistemic injustice, and as we seek to understand the human experience we cannot do that fully unless all humans are included in the models we create. <br/

Mapping lesbians’ everyday community-making in a small city: (in)visibility, belonging and safety

This paper presents findings from a project exploring how lesbians make community in the ‘ordinary city’ of Southampton on the South coast of England. In the context of trans-exclusionary debates and the supposed demise of lesbian spaces, we sought to discover how self-identified lesbian people in Southampton conceptualised the location and boundaries of their community, The study used collaborative participatory mapping techniques, which resulted in a diffuse and multi-layered understanding of lesbian community in the city. The paper focuses on three key themes: (1) crafting ‘safe’ spaces; (2) terminology: naming ‘lesbians’ and (3) finding and creating places of community. The paper concludes that finding a space to articulate an explicitly lesbian identity can be fraught, but is deeply valued, continually becoming, and carefully negotiated both between peers and within urban space. Collaborative mapping is shown as a valuable tool in delivering more inclusive participatory research that can help foster transformative and emancipatory research into LGBTQ communities and spaces