An entropy-based persistence barcode

In persistent homology, the persistence barcode encodes pairs of simplices meaning birth and death of homology classes. Persistence barcodes depend on the ordering of the simplices (called a filter) of the given simplicial complex. In this paper, we define the notion of “minimal” barcodes in terms of entropy. Starting from a given filtration of a simplicial complex K, an algorithm for computing a “proper” filter (a total ordering of the simplices preserving the partial ordering imposed by the filtration as well as achieving a persistence barcode with small entropy) is detailed, by way of computation, and subsequent modification, of maximum matchings on subgraphs of the Hasse diagram associated to K. Examples demonstrating the utility of computing such a proper ordering on the simplices are given.     

Action Recognition Using a Bio-Inspired Feedforward Spiking Network

We propose a bio-inspired feedforward spiking network modeling two brain areas dedicated to motion (V1 and MT), and we show how the spiking output can be exploited in a computer vision application: action recognition. In order to analyze spike trains, we consider two characteristics of the neural code: mean firing rate of each neuron and synchrony between neurons. Interestingly, we show that they carry some relevant information for the action recognition application. We compare our results to Jhuang et al. (Proceedings of the 11th international conference on computer vision, pp. 1–8, 2007) on the Weizmann database. As a conclusion, we are convinced that spiking networks represent a powerful alternative framework for real vision applications that will benefit from recent advances in computational neuroscience.     

Association of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) with age of puberty among children living near a chemical plant

Animal studies suggest that perfluorocarbons (PFCs) may alter sexual maturation. Relationships of human PFC exposure with puberty are not clear. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate whether perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were associated with indicators of sexual maturation in a 2005-2006 survey of residents with PFOA water contamination from the Mid-Ohio Valley. Participants were 3076 boys and 2931 girls aged 8-18 years. They were classified as having reached puberty based on either hormone levels (total >50 ng/dL and free >5 pg/mL testosterone in boys and estradiol >20 pg/mL in girls) or onset of menarche. We estimated the odds of having reached puberty classified by these criteria and the fitted median age of reaching puberty in relation to serum PFOA and PFOS concentrations measured when puberty status was assigned. For boys, there was a relationship of reduced odds of reached puberty (raised testosterone) with increasing PFOS (delay of 190 days between the highest and lowest quartile). For girls, higher concentrations of PFOA or PFOS were associated with reduced odds of postmenarche (130 and 138 days of delay, respectively). In conclusion, our study showed a later age of puberty in this population correlated with PFC concentrations.     

Concentrations and determinants of organochlorine levels among pregnant women in Eastern Spain

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) comprise a large variety of toxic substances with ample distribution. While exposure to these toxins occurs mainly through diet, maternal POP levels may be influenced by certain sociodemographic, environmental, or lifestyle factors. This is important given that these substances may have adverse effects on fetal development. The aim of this study is to examine the sociodemographic, environmental, lifestyle, and dietary determinants of the levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), b-hexachlorocyclohexane (b-HCH), 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (4,4′-DDT), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene (4,4′-DDE), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB congeners 118, 138, 153, 180) measured in the blood of pregnant women participating in a mother-child cohort study conducted in Valencia (Spain).The study population consisted of 541 pregnant women who formed part of the INMA (Childhood and the Environment) cohort (2004-2006). POP levels were determined in blood taken during the 12th week of pregnancy with the aid of gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Sociodemographic, environmental, and dietary information was obtained from a questionnaire. Multivariate Tobit regression models were constructed in order to assess the association between POP levels and selected covariates.The results showed that all the women had detectable levels of at least one of these compounds while in 43% of the subjects, all eight compounds were detected. The compounds found in the greatest number of women were 4,4′-DDE (100%) and PCBs 153 and 180 (95%). The most important determinants of high POP levels were the mother's age, country of origin, increased body mass index, and number of weeks of breastfeeding after previous pregnancies. With regard to diet, 4,4′-DDT and 4,4′-DDE levels increased with the intake of meat, fruit, and cereal. PCB 153 levels increased with the intake of seafood. The levels of HCB, b-HCH, 4,4′-DDT, and 4,4′-DDE observed in this study were slightly higher than in other studies, whereas the PCB levels were similar.     

Matrix composition effect on the digestibility of carob flour phenols by an in-vitro digestion model

Carob flour (CF) and washed carob flour (WCF) (without the water soluble dietary fraction) were submitted to an in-vitro digestion method to evaluate the dietary soluble fibre (DF) and soluble sugars content on the digestibility and bioaccessibility of polyphenols. In addition, combinations of the raw materials (CF and WCF) with hazelnut oil (HO) were proposed in order to evaluate the protection of a vegetable oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on the phenolic compounds submitted to in-vitro digestion conditions. The results showed that the soluble dietary fraction enhanced the stability of the phenolic compounds during the duodenal digestion phase. Similarly, the lipid fraction (rich in PUFA) showed a protective effect on the recovery of the phenolic compounds during duodenal digestion. Disruption of the natural matrix under digestion conditions led to the release of DF and PUFA, which could establish interactions with certain polyphenol compounds enhancing their recovery and stability during digestion.     

The drivers of consumers’ intention to redeem a push mobile coupon

A modern-day marketing tool that has caught the industry's attention is the use of mobile coupons (m-coupons). Despite the attractiveness of this new marketing tool, a high level of consumer resistance is reported. To therefore ensure the successful implementation of an m-coupon strategy, customer buy-in is a prerequisite. The research on which this article is based, aimed to explore the factors that contribute to consumers’ intention to ultimately redeem m-coupons. A hypothesised model proposes economic benefit, convenience benefit, positive consumer attitude, perceived control and social benefit as constructs that either directly or indirectly influence consumers’ intention to redeem an m-coupon. A survey of 204 respondents revealed that a consumer's positive attitude is the main driving force behind m-coupon redemption intentions. Results reflected that businesses should emphasise convenience and economic benefits in order to assist in the development of a positive attitude amongst potential m-coupon users. Consumers value their privacy and are resistant towards push-based m-coupons. If businesses incorporate these aspects into their m-couponing strategy, it will allow them to reach their audience in an entirely new manner and in doing so, potentially trigger purchase behaviour or increase store foot count.     

Functional implications of bound phenolic compounds and phenolics–food interaction: A review

Sizeable scientific evidence indicates the health benefits related to phenolic compounds and dietary fiber. Various phenolic compounds-rich foods or ingredients are also rich in dietary fiber, and these two health components may interrelate via noncovalent (reversible) and covalent (mostly irreversible) interactions. Notwithstanding, these interactions are responsible for the carrier effect ascribed to fiber toward the digestive system and can modulate the bioaccessibility of phenolics, thus shaping health-promoting effects in vivo. On this basis, the present review focuses on the nature, occurrence, and implications of the interactions between phenolics and food components. Covalent and noncovalent interactions are presented, their occurrence discussed, and the effect of food processing introduced. Once reaching the large intestine, fiber-bound phenolics undergo an intense transformation by the microbial community therein, encompassing reactions such as deglycosylation, dehydroxylation, α- and β-oxidation, dehydrogenation, demethylation, decarboxylation, C-ring fission, and cleavage to lower molecular weight phenolics. Comparatively less information is still available on the consequences on gut microbiota. So far, the very most of the information on the ability of bound phenolics to modulate gut microbiota relates to in vitro models and single strains in culture medium. Despite offering promising information, such models provide limited information about the effect on gut microbes, and future research is deemed in this field.     

Efficiently Storing Well-Composed Polyhedral Complexes Computed Over 3D Binary Images

A 3D binary image I can be naturally represented by a combinatorial-algebraic structure called cubical complex and denoted by Q(I), whose basic building blocks are vertices, edges, square faces and cubes. In Gonzalez-Diaz et al. (Discret Appl Math 183:59–77, 2015), we presented a method to “locally repair” Q(I) to obtain a polyhedral complex P(I) (whose basic building blocks are vertices, edges, specific polygons and polyhedra), homotopy equivalent to Q(I), satisfying that its boundary surface is a 2D manifold. P(I) is called a well-composed polyhedral complex over the picture I. Besides, we developed a new codification system for P(I), encoding geometric information of the cells of P(I) under the form of a 3D grayscale image, and the boundary face relations of the cells of P(I) under the form of a set of structuring elements. In this paper, we build upon (Gonzalez-Diaz et al. 2015) and prove that, to retrieve topological and geometric information of P(I), it is enough to store just one 3D point per polyhedron and hence neither grayscale image nor set of structuring elements are needed. From this “minimal” codification of P(I), we finally present a method to compute the 2-cells in the boundary surface of P(I).     

Prenatal exposure to organochlorine pesticides and TSH status in newborns from Southern Spain

Objective

To investigate the association between prenatal exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in male newborns.

Methods

Exposure to 17 OCPs was analyzed in 220 placentas from a male birth cohort in Southern Spain, and TSH was measured in the umbilical cord blood. OCP concentrations were quantified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between pesticide exposure and neonatal TSH levels, adjusting for confounders.

Results

Newborn boys with higher exposure to endrin in placenta had higher odds of TSH cord blood levels ≥ 5 mU/L (80th percentile) (OR = 2.05; 95% CI = 1.01, 4.18; p = 0.05), whereas higher prenatal exposure to endosulfan-sulfate was associated with lower odds of TSH ≥ 5 mU/L (OR = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.77; p = 0.008). A marginally significant negative association was found between TSH and hexachlorobenzene levels (β = − 0.15; 95% CI = − 0.31, 0.02; p = 0.09), and exposure to p,p′-DDE showed a marginally-significant higher odds of TSH ≥ 5 mU/L (OR = 1.32; 95% CI = 0.95, 1.83; p = 0.09). No association was found between TSH and the remaining pesticides.

Conclusions

Early exposure to certain environmental chemicals with endocrine-disruption activity may interfere with neonatal thyroid hormone status; however, the pattern of interference is not yet clearly elucidated.