Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Attack/Decay Model for Piano Transcription

We demonstrate that piano transcription performance for a known piano can be improved by explicitly modelling piano acoustical features. The proposed method is based on non-negative matrix factorisation, with the following three reﬁnements: (1) introduction of attack and harmonic decay components; (2) use of a spike-shaped note activation that is shared by these components; (3) modelling the harmonic decay with an exponential function. Transcription is performed in a supervised way, with the training and test datasets produced by the same piano. First we train parameters for the attack and decay components on isolated notes, then update only the note activations for transcription. Experiments show that the proposed model achieves 82% on note-wise and 79% on frame-wise F-measures on the ‘ENSTDkCl’ subset of the MAPS database, outper-forming the current published state of the art.
A New Multi-Sensor Fusion Scheme to Improve the Accuracy of Knee Flexion Kinematics for Functional Rehabilitation Movements

Exergames have been proposed as a potential tool to improve the current practice of musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Inertial or optical motion capture sensors are commonly used to track the subject’s movements. However, the use of these motion capture tools suffers from the lack of accuracy in estimating joint angles, which could lead to wrong data interpretation. In this study, we proposed a real time quaternion-based fusion scheme, based on the extended Kalman filter, between inertial and visual motion capture sensors, to improve the estimation accuracy of joint angles. The fusion outcome was compared to angles measured using a goniometer. The fusion output shows a better estimation, when compared to inertial measurement units and Kinect outputs. We noted a smaller error (3.96°) compared to the one obtained using inertial sensors (5.04°). The proposed multi-sensor fusion system is therefore accurate enough to be applied, in future works, to our serious game for musculoskeletal rehabilitation.
The Solution of a Conjecture of Stanley and Wilf for All Layered Patterns

Proving a conjecture of Wilf and Stanley in hitherto the most general case, we show that for any layered patternqthere is a constantcso thatqis avoided by less thancnpermutations of lengthn. This will imply the solution of this conjecture for at least 2kpatterns of lengthk, for anyk.
Picture Superiority Doubly Dissociates the ERP Correlates of Recollection and Familiarity

Two experiments investigated the processes underlying the picture superiority effect on recognition memory. Studied pictures were associated with higher accuracy than studied words, regardless of whether test stimuli were words (Experiment 1) or pictures (Experiment 2). Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) recorded during test suggested that the 300–500 msec FN400 old/new effect, hypothesized to be related to familiarity-based recognition, benefited from study/test congruity, such that it was larger when study and test format remained constant than when they differed. The 500–800 msec parietal old/new effect, hypothesized to be related to recollection, benefited from studying pictures, regardless of test format. The parallel between the accuracy and parietal ERP results suggests that picture superiority may arise from encoding the distinctive attributes of pictures in a manner that enhances their later recollection. Furthermore, when words were tested, opposite effects of studying words versus studying pictures were observed on the FN400 (word > picture) versus parietal (picture > word) old/new effects—providing strong evidence for a crossover interaction between these components that is consistent with a dual-process perspective.
Acute high-level exposure to WTC particles alters expression of genes associated with oxidative stress and immune function in the lung

Abstract First responders (FR) present at Ground Zero in the first 72 h after the World Trade Center (WTC) collapsed have progressively exhibited significant respiratory injuries. The few toxicology studies performed to date evaluated effects from just fine (< 2.5 µm) WTC dusts; none examined health effects/toxicities from atmospheres bearing larger particle sizes, despite the fact the majority (> 96%) of dusts were > 10 µm and most FR likely entrained dusts by mouth breathing. Using a system that generated/delivered supercoarse (10–53 µm) WTC dusts to F344 rats (in a manner that mimicked FR exposures), this study sought to examine potential toxicities in the lungs. In this exploratory study, rats were exposed for 2 h to 100 mg WTC dust/m3 (while under isoflurane [ISO] anesthesia) or an air/ISO mixture; this dose conservatively modeled likely exposures by mouth-breathing FR facing ≈750–1000 mg WTC dust/m3. Lungs were harvested 2 h post-exposure and total RNA extracted for subsequent global gene expression analysis. Among the > 1000 genes affected by WTC dust (under ISO) or ISO alone, 166 were unique to the dust exposure. In many instances, genes maximally-induced by the WTC dust exposure (relative to in naïve rats) were unchanged/inhibited by ISO only; similarly, several genes maximally inhibited in WTC dust rats were largely induced/unchanged in rats that received ISO only. These outcomes reflect likely contrasting effects of ISO and the WTC dust on lung gene expression. Overall, the data show that lungs of rats exposed to WTC dust (under ISO) – after accounting for any impact from ISO alone – displayed increased expression of genes related to lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell cycle control, while several involved in anti-oxidant function were inhibited. These changes suggested acute inflammogenic effects and oxidative stress in the lungs of WTC dust-exposed rats. This study, thus, concludes that a single very high exposure to WTC dusts could potentially have adversely affected the respiratory system – in terms of early inflammatory and oxidative stress processes. As these changes were not compared with other types of dusts, the uniqueness of these WTC-mediated effects remains to be confirmed. It also still remains to be determined if these effects might have any relevance to chronic lung pathologies that became evident among FR who encountered the highest dust levels on September 11, 2001 and the 2 days thereafter. Ongoing studies using longer-range post-exposure analyses (up to 1-year or more) will help to determine if effects seen here on genes were acute, reversible, or persistent, and associated with corresponding histopathologic/biochemical changes in situ.
Predicting and quantifying seated comfort and discomfort using objective and subjective measures

Comfort is a sensation and state of being that many people seek when they are working in the office, driving in a car, flying on an airplane, or laying in a hospital bed. The literature identifies many definitions and interpretations for comfort and discomfort, and many different ways that researchers have tried to measure comfort and discomfort. de Looze proposed a model to explain the relationship between comfort and discomfort using three key components: (a) the human, (b) the product, and (c) the environment. This dissertation added a measurement component to the model. In a repeated measures design, subjects (n=35) sat in three different office chairs for 60 minutes each on two different dates. Researchers collected subjective survey data and objective electronic data related to perceived sitting comfort and discomfort while participants completed office computer tasks. Data were analyzed to predict and quantify office worker seated comfort and discomfort using linear modeling and neural network modeling. Correlation values from the linear regression model developed in this experiment were R < 0.70, while the single hidden-layer neural network model predicted the comfort/discomfort responses with a higher correlation (R=0.997). The 35 subjects in the study perceived measurable comfort differences between the three chairs tested. Subjective questions that treated comfort and discomfort in a non-linear relationship discriminated chair differences better than questions using a linear relationship. There was no significant difference between male and female comfort/discomfort responses. Comfort ratings decreased over time, while discomfort increased over time; at least 45minute comfort testing is needed to understand subjects’ comfort/discomfort in a particular office chair.
Differentiation of Brain Abscesses from Glioblastomas and Metastatic Brain Tumors: Comparisons of Diagnostic Performance of Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast-Enhanced Perfusion MR Imaging before and after Mathematic Contrast Leakage Correction

Purpose To compare the diagnostic performance of dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI before and after mathematic contrast leakage correction in differentiating pyogenic brain abscesses from glioblastomas and/or metastatic brain tumors. Materials and Methods Cerebral blood volume (CBV), leakage-corrected CBV and leakage coefficient K2 were measured in enhancing rims, perifocal edema and contralateral normal appearing white matter (NAWM) of 17 abscesses, 19 glioblastomas and 20 metastases, respectively. The CBV and corrected CBV were normalized by dividing the values in the enhancing rims or edema to those of contralateral NAWM. For each study group, a paired t test was used to compare the K2 of the enhancing rims or edema with those of NAWM, as well as between CBV and corrected CBV of the enhancing rims or edema. ANOVA was used to compare CBV, corrected CBV and K2 among three lesion types. The diagnostic performance of CBV and corrected CBV was assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results The CBV and correction CBV of enhancing rim were 1.45±1.17 and 1.97±1.01 for abscesses, 3.85±2.19 and 4.39±2.33 for glioblastomas, and 2.39±0.90 and 2.97±0.78 for metastases, respectively. The CBV and corrected CBV in the enhancing rim of abscesses were significantly lower than those of glioblastomas and metastases (P = 0.001 and P = 0.007, respectively). In differentiating abscesses from glioblastomas and metastases, the AUC values of corrected CBV (0.822) were slightly higher than those of CBV (0.792). Conclusions Mathematic leakage correction slightly increases the diagnostic performance of CBV in differentiating pyogenic abscesses from necrotic glioblastomas and cystic metastases. Clinically, DSC perfusion MRI may not need mathematic leakage correction in differentiating abscesses from glioblastomas and/or metastases.
Association between depression and mortality in patients receiving long-term dialysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND We aimed to systematically review and analyze the association between depression and mortality risk in adults with kidney failure treated by long-term dialysis. STUDY DESIGN A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. SETTING & POPULATION Patients receiving long-term dialysis. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES Searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO, we identified studies examining the relationship between depression, measured as depressive symptoms or clinical diagnosis, and mortality. PREDICTOR Depression status as determined by physician diagnosis or self-reported scales. OUTCOMES Pooled adjusted HR and OR of depression for all-cause mortality. RESULTS 15 of 31 included studies showed a significant association between depression and mortality, including 5 of 6 studies with more than 6,000 participants. A significant link was established between the presence of depressive symptoms and mortality (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.35-1.69; I(2)=40%) based on 12 studies reporting depressive symptoms using depression scales (N=21,055; mean age, 57.6 years). After adjusting for potential publication bias, the presence of depressive symptoms remained a significant predictor of mortality (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.27-1.65). In addition, combining across 6 studies reporting per-unit change in depression score (n=7,857) resulted in a significant effect (HR per unit change in score, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.06; I(2)=74%). LIMITATIONS Depression or depressive symptoms were documented only from medical charts or a single self-report assessment. Included studies were heterogeneous because of variations in measurement methods, design, and analysis. CONCLUSIONS There is considerable between-study heterogeneity in reports of depressive symptoms in dialysis patients, likely caused by high variability in the way depressive symptoms are measured. However, the overall significant independent effect of depressive symptoms on survival of dialysis patients warrants studying the underlying mechanisms of this relationship and the potential benefits of interventions to improve depression on the outcomes.
Facebook Uses, Boundary Spanning Activities, and Social Capital

The goal of this paper is to examine whether the use of Facebook in the workplace impacts on employeesi¯ boundary spanning activities (BSA) and social capital. Two types of social capital are examined: bonding and bridging. The sample consisted of 399 full-time white-collar workers in Taiwan. A snowball sampling technique was used to recruit participants to complete an online survey. The results indicated that employees who are allowed to use Facebook in the workplace did not have a higher level of overall BSA than the non-user group. In terms of the associations between Facebook use and social capital, the Facebook user group did not have a higher level of bonding social capital than the non-user group, but they did have a higher level of bridging social capital than the non-user group. In terms of the associations between BSA and social capital, the correlation results indicated positive significant relations between BSA and bonding social capital, and between BSA and bridging social capital.
The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Model-based Analyses: Promises, Pitfalls, and Example Applications to the Study of Cognitive Control

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Emotional Loneliness in Sexual Murderers: A Qualitative Analysis

This study compared levels of emotional loneliness between sexual murderers and rapists who had not gone on to kill their victim/s. All participants were life-sentenced prisoners in the United Kingdom. Assessment consisted of a semistructured interview and was subjected to grounded theory analysis. This approach is defined as the breaking down, naming, comparing, and categorizing of data. As such, it is distinguished from other qualitative methods by the process of constant comparison. This continual sifting and comparing elements assists in promoting conceptual and theoretical development. The results of this process found that sexual murderers, compared to rapists, reported significantly higher levels of grievance towards females in childhood, significantly higher levels of peer group loneliness in adolescence, and significantly higher levels of self as victim in adulthood.
Hierarchical optimization on manifolds for online 2D and 3D mapping

In this paper, we present a new hierarchical optimization solution to the graph-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem. During online mapping, the approach corrects only the coarse structure of the scene and not the overall map. In this way, only updates for the parts of the map that need to be considered for making data associations are carried out. The hierarchical approach provides accurate non-linear map estimates while being highly efficient. Our error minimization approach exploits the manifold structure of the underlying space. In this way, it avoids singularities in the state space parameterization. The overall approach is accurate, efficient, designed for online operation, overcomes singularities, provides a hierarchical representation, and outperforms a series of state-of-the-art methods.
Prevalence and multiplicity of HPV in HIV women in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To detect the frequency and subtypes of HPV in the uterine cervix of HIV-infected women. METHODS Sample consisted of 288 HIV-infected women, recruited from the public health system of five cities of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Women were seen from August 2003 to August 2008. Cervical samples were collected for cytological analysis and for HPV DNA detection, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HPV DNA was classified according to its oncogenic potential in low risk (types 6, 11) and high risk (types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35). Colposcopy was performed, followed by cervical biopsy when necessary. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-squared test, with a significance level established at the 5% level. RESULTS HPV prevalence was 78.8%. Most frequent genotypes were HPV-6 (63.9%) and HPV-16 (48.5%). High-risk HPV were observed in 70.5% of the women; low-risk in 71.4%; both high and low-risk HPV were detected in 55.1% of the patients. Multiple HPV genotypes were detected in 64.8% of the patients; two genotypes in 23.8%, and three in 18.9%. CONCLUSION HPV prevalence was high among HIV-infected women. Multiple HPV genotypes were common in samples from the uterine cervix of HIV-infected women.
Motivic Integration and its Interactions with Model Theory and Non-Archimedean Geometry: A short course on geometric motivic integration

These notes grew out of several introductory talks I gave during the years 2003--2005 on motivic integration. They give a short but thorough introduction to the flavor of motivic integration which nowadays goes by the name of geometric motivic integration. As an illustration of the theory some applications to birational geometry are also included.
The supervisor POS–LMX–subordinate POS chain: Moderation by reciprocation wariness and supervisor's organizational embodiment

Summary We present three studies providing an increased understanding of the interdependence between perceived organizational support (POS) and leader–member exchange (LMX). Using employees from a social service agency and new hires from a variety of organizations, we report evidence for a relational chain leading from supervisors' perceptions of support by the organization (supervisor POS) to the formation of high-quality LMX relationships with their subordinates (first link), who interpret high-quality LMX as support from the organization (subordinate POS, second link) and, ultimately, repay the organization with increased dedication and effort (examined here in terms of reduced withdrawal behavior). The relationship between supervisor POS and LMX with subordinates was strongly moderated by supervisor fear of exploitation in exchange relationships (reciprocation wariness), holding only for supervisors with low reciprocation wariness. Consistent with the view that employees perceive the organization as partly responsible for treatment received from supervisors, LMX was found to be more strongly related to POS when employees highly identified their supervisors with the organization (supervisor's organizational embodiment), and this interaction extended to reduced withdrawal behavior. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Nitrogen and Carbon Sources on Transcription of Soluble Methyltransferases in Methanosarcina mazei Strain Gö1

ABSTRACT The methanogenic archaeon Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1 uses versatile carbon sources and is able to fix molecular nitrogen with methanol as carbon and energy sources. Here, we demonstrate that when growing on trimethylamine (TMA), nitrogen fixation does not occur, indicating that ammonium released during TMA degradation is sufficient to serve as a nitrogen source and represses nif gene induction. We further report on the transcriptional regulation of soluble methyltransferases, which catalyze the initial step of methylamine consumption by methanogenesis, in response to different carbon and nitrogen sources. Unexpectedly, we obtained conclusive evidence that transcription of the mtmB2C2 operon, encoding a monomethylamine (MMA) methyltransferase and its corresponding corrinoid protein, is highly increased under nitrogen limitation when methanol serves as a carbon source. In contrast, transcription of the homologous mtmB1C1 operon is not affected by the nitrogen source but appears to be increased when TMA is the sole carbon and energy source. In general, transcription of operons encoding dimethylamine (DMA) and TMA methyltransferases and methylcobalamine:coenzyme M methyltransferases is not regulated in response to the nitrogen source. However, in all cases transcription of one of the homologous operons or genes is increased by TMA or its degradation products DMA and MMA.
Resveratrol blunts the positive effects of exercise training on cardiovascular health in aged men

• In rodents, resveratrol has been shown to enhance training‐induced changes in cardiovascular function, exercise performance and the retardation of atherosclerosis. We examined the effect of 8 weeks of exercise training with and without concomitant resveratrol supplementation in aged men. • Exercise training potently improved blood pressure, blood cholesterol, maximal oxygen uptake and the plasma lipid profile. • Resveratrol supplementation reduced the positive effect of exercise training on blood pressure, blood cholesterol and maximal oxygen uptake and did not affect the retardation of atherosclerosis. • Whereas exercise training improved formation of the vasodilator prostacyclin, concomitant resveratrol supplementation caused a shift in vasoactive systems favouring vasoconstriction. • The present study is the first to demonstrate negative effects of resveratrol on training‐induced improvements in cardiovascular health parameters in humans and adds to the growing body of evidence questioning the positive effects of resveratrol supplementation in humans.
Pedagogies Proving Krashen's Theory of Affective Filter.

At the beginning of the second millennium, many university students in Taiwan that are enrolled in Freshman English are still being taught with teacher-centered methods. This study, which was inspired by the author’s studies and research in the theoretical arguments of the Natural Approach and Psychological Method put forth by American educator Stephen Krashen, was undertaken for the purpose of evaluating the practical applicability of communicative methodologies in a Taiwan classroom setting. This study especially focuses on the connection between students’ interest, self-esteem, attitude, motivation, and the use of various student-centered communicative activities designed to enhance confidence and language acquisition. Through the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods focusing on learner perceptions of their overall learning experience, the author proves the effectiveness of pedagogies based on Krashen’s theory of affective filter.