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A novel sparse adaptive filter for suppressing impulsive disturbance in audio signals
No full textData availability:
The codes, datasets and detailed parameters setting record are shared on https://github.com/minikatty/Lq_JSLMP.git.Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165168425005067?via=ihub#appSB .This work studies the sparse adaptive filter designs for audio signal recovery in the presence of impulsive disturbance. By exploiting the sparse representation of desired signal and compressibility of impulsive disturbance, a joint sparse least mean p-norm (JSLMP) optimization, in which ℓp-norm (1 ≤ p ≤ 2) measures the data fidelity and ℓq-norm (0 ≤ q ≤ 1) enforces sparse solutions, is developed, termed as ℓq-JSLMP. The filter weights update is derived using gradient descent, and the Adam and variable step size (VSS) are integrated to accelerate convergence and avoid potential local minima. For the special case of q = 1, namely ℓ1-JSLMP, its convergence condition and mean square deviation (MSD) analysis are derived. Finally, an application framework for processing corrupted audio signals is developed. Extensive experiments are conducted on both synthetic and real-measured impulsive noise data, comparing the proposed method with traditional algorithms as well as the deep learning-based GTCRN model. Results demonstrate that the proposed method yields superior perceptual quality and significantly lower memory consumption compared to GTCRN under impulsive disturbance.This work was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 61801066 and by Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University IRT16R72
New calculus rules of relative subdifferentials and applications to constrained optimization problems
No full textMathematics Subject Classification: 49J53; 90C30; 90C31.This paper investigates properties and calculus rules, including new calculation formulas of chain rules and maximum-pointwise rules for the relative subdifferentials of nondifferentiable functions. Based on these properties and calculation rules, we establish novel optimality conditions without normal cones for a class of optimization problems with set constraints. These results include, among other different properties, Fritz-John and Karush-Kuhn-Tucker necessary conditions for optimization problems involving equality, inequality and set constraints. We demonstrate through illustrative examples that the obtained optimality conditions are not only sharper than the existing ones even when restricted them in a finite-dimensional setting, but also applicable under weaker qualification assumptions.This research is funded by Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) under grant number T2024-26-01
House price dynamics and mortgage defaults: the role of recourse
Get PDFData Availability Statement:
The data that support the findings of this study are available from a commercial data provider (CoreLogic, www.corelogic.com). Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study. Additional data used in this study were collected from resources available in the public domain. These data are available from the corresponding author upon request.Supplemental Material:
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at: https://ndownloader.figstatic.com/files/58152341 .This paper investigates the relationship between house prices and mortgage defaults in recourse and non-recourse US metropolitan areas. The theoretical analysis shows that shocks to house price returns have a stronger effect on defaults in non-recourse markets than in recourse markets due to strategic default behaviour. Empirical evidence from a panel vector autoregressive (Panel VAR) model supports this prediction and, in addition, reveals a stronger house price response to defaults in non-recourse markets than predicted by the theoretical model. The findings highlight key differences in mortgage default dynamics across recourse and non-recourse markets, offering insights for households, lenders, policymakers and regulators.This project was supported by the DUBS 4* Fund and by the Department of Finance at Durham University Business School
Reply to Quillien: Intuitive preferences and interpretive humility in intentionality judgments
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Implementing reusable packaging systems: Lessons from industry
Get PDFPresented at the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025), Aalborg, Denmark, 2-4 July, Section:
Track 3: Business Models for Longevity – Extended Abstracts.Despite corporate pledges, reliance on singleuse plastics continues to grow (Greenpeace, 2018). In 2023, plastic production reached 413.8mT (Plastics Europe, 2024), with a predicted 152.5mT attributed to plastic packaging (OECD, 2022). An estimated 50% of plastic packaging enters landfill each year, with a projected 1-2mT leaking into the environment (Ritchie et al., 2023). Ill-disposed plastics create a lasting impact on the environment and eco-systems. Despite this, plastic packaging production is expected to triple by 2060 (OECD, 2022). Whilst at-home and in-store initiatives are trailed to stimulate consumer recycling rates, stagnation leaves much to be desired. In the UK, 55% of plastic packaging is recycled per year (WRAP, 2023), and intention to engage in kerbside recycling has decreased by 7% (RECOUP, 2023). Exploring alternative avenues for waste management is necessary to kerb plastic pollution and natural resource depletion further. ...This research has been funded by the EPSRC
World TB Day 2025 Theme “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver” can be made a reality through concerted global efforts to advance diagnosis, treatment and research of tuberculosis infection and disease
Get PDFEditorial comment.World TB Day is observed annually on March 24th to raise awareness of tuberculosis (TB), a preventable and treatable disease [1. World Health Organization (2024) Global Tuberculosis Report 2024. Geneva: WHO. Available at:
https://www.who.int/teams/global-tuberculosis-programme/tb-reports/global-tuberculosis-report-2024
(accessed December 15, 2024)]. Despite being treatable for over 65 years, there are approximately 10.8 million new TB cases annually, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries. Drug-resistant TB significantly contributes to deaths, impacting an estimated 400,000 individuals each year. TB-HIV coinfection remains a major concern, with an estimated 660,000 individuals affected by the dual infection. TB is an important cause of maternal, child and adolescent morbidity and mortality.DG is partially supported by the Italian Ministry of Health “Ricerca Corrente - Linea 4 - Progetto 2 - INMI L. Spallanzani I.R.C.C.S.” fund and by TBVAC-HORIZON, funded by the European Union's HORIZON program under Grant No.101080309
Hydrothermal carbonisation products energy properties: The role of digested sludge type and operating conditions
Get PDFSupplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451904925002513?via%3Dihub#s0125 .Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising alternative to conventional sludge drying, enhancing energy recovery in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study examines how temperature, residence time, and sludge collection point influence HTC product properties. Experiments were conducted at 200–250 °C for 30–120 min using digested sludge collected before filtration, after thickening, and after dewatering. Results show that sludge collection point strongly affects hydrochar’s higher heating value (HHV), while temperature and residence time influence the biomethane potential (BMP) of HTC liquids. The highest HHV (16.31 MJ/kg) was obtained from dewatered sludge (19.8 % TS) at 250 °C, 75 min, while the highest BMP (506 mlCH4/g NPOC) was observed from HTC liquids of thickened sludge (11.1 % TS) at 200 °C, 30 min. Findings highlight that sludge pre-treatment (thickening, dewatering) plays a crucial role in HTC efficiency, influencing both solid and liquid fractions. From a WWTP perspective, dewatered sludge processed under mild HTC conditions provides the best trade-off between hydrochar quality, HTC liquid valorization, and operational costs. These insights support the optimization of sludge-to-energy strategies, essential for implementing HTC in WWTPs.The study was co-carried out in the framework of the statutory funds for research, co-financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education BS/PB-400-301/24
Spatiotemporal dynamic quantile regression models with applications to particulate matter concentration data
No full textData availability:
The Agrimonia dataset used in the empirical application can be accessed from the Zenodo website at https://zenodo.org/. The
concentration data for the northeastern United States, as referenced in Appendix C, can be obtained from the report by Paciorek et al. (2009).The spatiotemporal evolution of high-concentration PM₂.₅ is a significant concern, especially when working with datasets that display complex spatiotemporal dependencies. Identifying the spatiotemporal covariance
function in such cases is often challenging. The paper proposes a novel spatiotemporal dynamic quantile regression model (STDQM) that captures the temporal evolution of spatial processes by integrating a latent
Gaussian process. To accommodate more complex data structures and expand the inferential capabilities of the asymmetric Laplace distribution within the standard quantile regression framework, the paper also
proposes a more flexible STDQM based on the generalized asymmetric Laplace distribution. A substantial number of simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed methods significantly enhance inference
quality and prediction accuracy compared to existing alternative methods. The new method is employed to analyse the influencing factors and spatiotemporal evolution of PM₂.₅ concentrations at various quantile
levels in Lombardy, Italy, from 2016 to 2021.M.T. work was partially supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 1242005), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China (25XNN015). The research of K.Y. is supported by “the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities” in UIBE (24QN09)
From silos to synthesis: ensuring interdisciplinary education through synoptic assessment
Get PDFModular education limits students to narrow perspectives without interdisciplinary connections and leads to in silo learning. We show here how embedding synoptic assessments in the BSc Life Sciences at Brunel University has broken such silos to support holistic understanding and critical thinking
Understanding household food waste behaviours in Jordan: ethnographic research
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In Jordan, household food waste remains substantial despite limited research, data and policy interventions targeting its reduction. This study addresses the critical gap by exploring household behaviours towards food waste in the Jordanian context.
Design/methodology/approach:
The study employed a qualitative research paradigm by approaching ethnographic research to gain a clearer picture of the household behaviours related to food waste practices and routines of everyday life in Jordan. This study was conducted with 20 households across West and East Amman by carrying out four main methods: a survey, ethnographic observation, photovoice and semistructured interviews.
Findings:
The study identified key factors influencing household food waste behaviours in Jordan, including generosity, religious beliefs, socioeconomic disparities and deficient planning practices. Generosity, rooted in cultural norms of hospitality, often led to over-preparation and waste, while religious values promoted restraint and ethical food handling. Socioeconomic differences between West and East Amman shaped purchasing habits and storage practices, with wealthier households exhibiting more materialistic behaviours. Single-person households faced unique challenges, including oversized packaging and reliance on external dining. These insights highlight the interplay between cultural, economic and practical factors in shaping food waste behaviours, suggesting targeted, context-sensitive interventions.
Research limitations/implications:
The study’s findings are limited by the focus on urban areas of Amman, which may not fully represent broader Jordanian contexts, including rural regions. Reliance on self-reported data such as photovoice diaries and interviews introduces potential biases, including social desirability. The research predominantly examines cultural and socioeconomic drivers with less emphasis on environmental or policy-related factors. Future studies should include larger, more diverse samples, integrate objective data collection methods (e.g. waste audits) and explore the influence of governmental policies and infrastructure to provide a more holistic understanding of household food waste behaviours.
Practical implications:
The study provides actionable insights for reducing household food waste in Jordan. It highlights the need for public awareness campaigns promoting sustainable hospitality practices that respect cultural norms while reducing waste. Design interventions, such as workshops on meal planning and portion estimation, can address over-preparation linked to generosity. Policies encouraging affordable, portion-sized packaging and supporting efficient food storage are essential, especially in lower-income areas. Religious and cultural values, such as moderation and ethical food redistribution, should be integrated into sustainability initiatives. These measures can mitigate food waste while aligning with local traditions and socioeconomic contexts to enhance effectiveness.
Originality/value:
This study offers novel insights by introducing generosity as a cultural factor influencing household food waste in Jordan, a perspective largely unexplored in prior research. By examining the interplay between cultural norms, religious values and socioeconomic disparities, it enriches the understanding of food waste behaviours in a Middle Eastern context. The ethnographic approach, incorporating methods like photovoice and semi-structured interviews, provides a nuanced and participatory perspective. The findings emphasise the dual role of generosity in fostering hospitality and driving waste, offering valuable implications for culturally sensitive interventions to balance traditional practices with sustainable food consumption
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