Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Musical Creativity and Musical Metacreation Systems

The field of computational creativity, including musical metacreation, strives to develop artificial systems that are capable of demonstrating creative behavior or producing creative artefacts. But the claim of creativity is often assessed, subjectively only on the part of the researcher and not objectively at all. This article provides theoretical motivation for more systematic evaluation of musical metacreation and computationally creative systems and presents an overview of current methods used to assess human and machine creativity that may be adapted for this purpose. In order to highlight the need for a varied set of evaluation tools, a distinction is drawn among three types of creative systems: those that are purely generative, those that contain internal or external feedback, and those that are capable of reflection and self-reflection. To address the evaluation of each of these aspects, concrete examples of methods and techniques are suggested to help researchers (1) evaluate their systems' creative process and generated artefacts, and test their impact on the perceptual, cognitive, and affective states of the audience, and (2) build mechanisms for reflection into the creative system, including models of human perception and cognition, to endow creative systems with internal evaluative mechanisms to drive self-reflective processes. The first type of evaluation can be considered external to the creative system and may be employed by the researcher to both better understand the efficacy of their system and its impact and to incorporate feedback into the system. Here we take the stance that understanding human creativity can lend insight to computational approaches, and knowledge of how humans perceive creative systems and their output can be incorporated into artificial agents as feedback to provide a sense of how a creation will impact the audience. The second type centers around internal evaluation, in which the system is able to reason about its own behavior and generated output. We argue that creative behavior cannot occur without feedback and reflection by the creative/metacreative system itself. More rigorous empirical testing will allow computational and metacreative systems to become more creative by definition and can be used to demonstrate the impact and novelty of particular approaches.
Fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2) non-secretor status and blood group B are associated with elevated serum lipase activity in asymptomatic subjects, and an increased risk for chronic pancreatitis: a genetic association study

Objective Serum lipase activities above the threefold upper reference limit indicate acute pancreatitis. We investigated whether high lipase activity—within the reference range and in the absence of pancreatitis—are associated with genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), and whether these identified SNPs are also associated with clinical pancreatitis. Methods Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on phenotypes ‘serum lipase activity’ and ‘high serum lipase activity’ were conducted including 3966 German volunteers from the population-based Study-of-Health-in-Pomerania (SHIP). Lead SNPs associated on a genome-wide significance level were replicated in two cohorts, 1444 blood donors and 1042 pancreatitis patients. Results Initial discovery GWAS detected SNPs within or near genes encoding the ABO blood group specifying transferases A/B (ABO), Fucosyltransferase-2 (FUT2), and Chymotrypsinogen-B2 (CTRB2), to be significantly associated with lipase activity levels in asymptomatic subjects. Replication analyses in blood donors confirmed the association of FUT-2 non-secretor status (OR=1.49; p=0.012) and ABO blood-type-B (OR=2.48; p=7.29×10−8) with high lipase activity levels. In pancreatitis patients, significant associations were found for FUT-2 non-secretor status (OR=1.53; p=8.56×10−4) and ABO-B (OR=1.69, p=1.0×10−4) with chronic pancreatitis, but not with acute pancreatitis. Conversely, carriers of blood group O were less frequently affected by chronic pancreatitis (OR=0.62; p=1.22×10−05) and less likely to have high lipase activity levels (OR=0.59; p=8.14×10−05). Conclusions These are the first results indicating that ABO blood type-B as well as FUT2 non-secretor status are common population-wide risk factors for developing chronic pancreatitis. They also imply that, even within the reference range, elevated lipase activities may indicate subclinical pancreatic injury in asymptomatic subjects.
Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alters Their Immunomodulatory Properties in a Tissue‐Specific Manner

Chronic inflammation is associated with formation of ectopic fat deposits that might represent damage‐induced aberrant mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation. Such deposits are associated with increased levels of inflammatory infiltrate and poor prognosis. Here we tested the hypothesis that differentiation from MSC to adipocytes in inflamed tissue might contribute to chronicity through loss of immunomodulatory function. We assessed the effects of adipogenic differentiation of MSC isolated from bone marrow or adipose tissue on their capacity to regulate neutrophil recruitment by endothelial cells and compared the differentiated cells to primary adipocytes from adipose tissue. Bone marrow derived MSC were immunosuppressive, inhibiting neutrophil recruitment to TNFα‐treated endothelial cells (EC), but MSC‐derived adipocytes were no longer able to suppress neutrophil adhesion. Changes in IL‐6 and TGFβ1 signalling appeared critical for the loss of the immunosuppressive phenotype. In contrast, native stromal cells, adipocytes derived from them, and mature adipocytes from adipose tissue were all immunoprotective. Thus disruption of normal tissue stroma homeostasis, as occurs in chronic inflammatory diseases, might drive “abnormal” adipogenesis which adversely influences the behavior of MSC and contributes to pathogenic recruitment of leukocytes. Interestingly, stromal cells programmed in native fat tissue retain an immunoprotective phenotype. Stem Cells 2017;35:1636–1646
Leisure-time physical activity and the risk of primary cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND Because the risks of sudden cardiac death and myocardial infarction are transiently increased during acute bouts of high-intensity activity, it is an important question from the public health perspective whether regular participation in moderate-intensity activity confers overall protection from sudden cardiac death. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS We used data from a population-based case-control study to assess the associations of regular high-intensity and moderate-intensity leisure-time physical activity with primary cardiac arrest. Cases were patients with primary cardiac arrest, aged 25 to 74 years, attended by paramedics between 1988 and 1994 in King County, Washington (n = 333). Controls were randomly identified from the same community (n = 503), matched for age and sex. All case patients and controls were free of prior clinical heart disease, major comorbidity, and self-reported poor health. Spouses of case patients and controls were interviewed to assess participation in 15 high-intensity and 6 moderate-intensity physical activities during the prior year. RESULTS Compared with subjects who performed none of the activities, the odds ratio for primary cardiac arrest from matched analyses was 0.34 (95% confidence interval, 0.13-0.89) among subjects who performed only gardening activities for more than 60 minutes per week; 0.27 (95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.67) among subjects who walked for exercise for more than 60 minutes per week; and 0.34 (95% confidence interval, 0.16-0.75) among subjects who engaged in any high-intensity activities, after adjustment for age, smoking, education, diabetes, hypertension, and health status. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that regular participation in moderate-intensity activities, such as walking and gardening, are associated with a reduced risk of PCA and support current exercise recommendations.
3-D Object Recognition of a Robotic Navigation Aid for the Visually Impaired

This paper presents a 3-D object recognition method and its implementation on a robotic navigation aid to allow real-time detection of indoor structural objects for the navigation of a blind person. The method segments a point cloud into numerous planar patches and extracts their inter-plane relationships (IPRs). Based on the existing IPRs of the object models, the method defines six high level features (HLFs) and determines the HLFs for each patch. A Gaussian-mixture-model-based plane classifier is then devised to classify each planar patch into one belonging to a particular object model. Finally, a recursive plane clustering procedure is used to cluster the classified planes into the model objects. As the proposed method uses geometric context to detect an object, it is robust to the object’s visual appearance change. As a result, it is ideal for detecting structural objects (e.g., stairways, doorways, and so on). In addition, it has high scalability and parallelism. The method is also capable of detecting some indoor non-structural objects. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method has a high success rate in object recognition.
Thermal sensation: a mathematical model based on neurophysiology.

UNLABELLED Thermal sensation has a large influence on thermal comfort, which is an important parameter for building performance. Understanding of thermal sensation may benefit from incorporating the physiology of thermal reception. The main issue is that humans do not sense temperature directly; the information is coded into neural discharge rates. This manuscript describes the development of a mathematical model of thermal sensation based on the neurophysiology of thermal reception. Experimental data from two independent studies were used to develop and validate the model. In both studies, skin and core temperature were measured. Thermal sensation votes were asked on the seven-point ASHRAE thermal sensation scale. For the development dataset, young adult males (N=12, 0.04Clo) were exposed to transient conditions; Tair 30-20-35-30°C. For validation, young adult males (N=8, 1.0Clo) were exposed to transient conditions; Tair: 17-25-17°C. The neurophysiological model significantly predicted thermal sensation for the development dataset (r2=0.89, P<0.001). Only information from warm-sensitive skin and core thermoreceptors was required. Validation revealed that the model predicted thermal sensation within acceptable range (root mean squared residual=0.38). The neurophysiological model captured the dynamics of thermal sensation. Therefore, the neurophysiological model of thermal sensation can be of great value in the design of high-performance buildings. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The presented method, based on neurophysiology, can be highly beneficial for predicting thermal sensation under complex environments with respect to transient environments.
Ameloblastoma RNA profiling uncovers a distinct non-coding RNA signature

Ameloblastoma of the jaws remains the top difficult to treat odontogenic tumour and has a high recurrence rate. New evidence suggests that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a critical role in tumourgenesis and prognosis of cancer. However, ameloblastoma ncRNA expression data is lacking. Here we present the first report of ameloblastoma ncRNA signatures. A total of 95 ameloblastoma cases and a global array transcriptome technology covering > 285.000 full-length transcripts were used in this two-step analysis. The analysis first identified in a test cohort 31 upregulated ameloblastoma-associated ncRNAs accompanied by signalling pathways of cancer, spliceosome, mRNA surveillance and Wnt. Further validation in an independent cohort points out the long non-coding (lncRNAs) and small nucleolar RNA (snoRNAs): LINC340, SNORD116-25, SNORA11, SNORA21, SNORA47 and SNORA65 as a distinct ncRNA signature of ameloblastoma. Importantly, the presence of these ncRNAs was independent of BRAF-V600E and SMO-L412F mutations, histology type or tumour location, but was positively correlated with the tumour size. Taken together, this study shows a systematic investigation of ncRNA expression of ameloblastoma, and illuminates new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for this invasive odontogenic tumour.
Dietary intake of Indians living in the metropolitan area of Durban

Abstract Objective: To report on energy and nutrient intakes, as a risk factor for coronary heart disease in Indian South Africans. Design: Cross-sectional dietary study as part of a coronary heart disease survey. Setting: Metropolitan area of Durban, South Africa. Subjects: Free-living Indian men (n = 406) and women (n = 370) 15–69 years of age. Methodology: Dietary data were collected by three interviewers using a 24-h dietary recall and expressed as median intakes of macronutrients. Results: Results reported a low energy intake and the percentage of energy derived from total fat varied between 32.3 and 34.9% in men and between 33.1 and 36.1% in women. The energy intake to basal metabolic rate (EI: BMR) ratios were low for all age groups suggesting potential under-reporting. Intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids was high, more than 10% of energy, with a median polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio (P: S ratio) that varied between 1.38 and 1.96 for the various age and sex groups. Dietary cholesterol varied between 66 and 117 mg per 4.2 MJ in men and between 76 and 109 mg per 4.2 MJ in women. Dietary fibre intakes were low and varied between 8.0 and 11.0 g per 4.2 MJ in men and between 7.6 and 9.6 g per 4.2 MJ in women. Conclusions: The dietary P:S ratios were high and the effect of such a high P:S ratio on the oxidation of low density lipoprotein in this population, with a high prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD), should be investigated as a possible risk factor for CHD.
Cardiovascular Disease and Patterns of Change in Functional Status Over 15 Years: Findings From the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of premature disability, yet few prospective studies have examined functional status (FS) among persons with CVD. Our aim was to examine patterns of change in FS prior to and after hospitalization for nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure among members of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study cohort. Methods and Results FS was assessed using a modified Rosow‐Breslau questionnaire administered during routine annual telephone interviews conducted from 1993 through 2007 among 15 277 ARIC study participants. An FS score was constructed as a summary measure of responses to questions about participants' ability to perform selected tasks of daily living (eg, walking half a mile, climbing stairs). Incidence of CVD was assessed through ARIC surveillance of hospitalized events. Rate of change in FS over time prior to and following a CVD event was examined using generalized estimating equations. A decline in FS was observed on average 2 years prior to a myocardial infarction hospitalization and on average 3 years prior to a stroke or heart failure hospitalization. FS post–myocardial infarction declined relative to pre‐event levels but improved to close to pre–myocardial infarction levels within 3 years. Decline in FS following incident heart failure and stroke remained over time. Observed patterns of change in FS did not differ appreciably by race or sex. Conclusions This study documents that a decline in FS precedes incidence of CVD‐related hospitalization by at least 2 years, providing a strong argument for routine preventative assessment of FS among older adults.
Subsampling for General Statistics under Long Range Dependence

In the statistical inference for long range dependent time series the shape of the limit distribution typically dependents on unknown parameters. Therefore, we propose to use subsampling. We show the validity of subsampling for general statistics and long range dependent subordinated Gaussian processes, which satisfy mild regularity conditions. We apply our method to a self-normalized change-point test statistic and investigate the finite sample properties in a simulation study.
A Low Cost Sensors Approach for Accurate Vehicle Localization and Autonomous Driving Application

Autonomous driving in public roads requires precise localization within the range of few centimeters. Even the best current precise localization system based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can not always reach this level of precision, especially in an urban environment, where the signal is disturbed by surrounding buildings and artifacts. Laser range finder and stereo vision have been successfully used for obstacle detection, mapping and localization to solve the autonomous driving problem. Unfortunately, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDARs) are very expensive sensors and stereo vision requires powerful dedicated hardware to process the cameras information. In this context, this article presents a low-cost architecture of sensors and data fusion algorithm capable of autonomous driving in narrow two-way roads. Our approach exploits a combination of a short-range visual lane marking detector and a dead reckoning system to build a long and precise perception of the lane markings in the vehicle’s backwards. This information is used to localize the vehicle in a map, that also contains the reference trajectory for autonomous driving. Experimental results show the successful application of the proposed system on a real autonomous driving situation.
A Longitudinal Person-Centered Perspective on Youth Social Support: Relations With Psychological Wellbeing

Past research suggests that perceived social support from parents, teachers, and peers are all positively associated with wellbeing during adolescence. However, little longitudinal research has examined the implications of distinctive combinations of social support for developing adolescents. To address this limitation, we measured multiple dimensions of social support, psychological ill-health, and wellbeing in a sample of 2034 Australian adolescents (Mage = 13.7; 49.6% male) measured in Grades 8 and 11. Latent transition analyses identified a 6-profile solution for both waves of data, and revealed substantial inequality in perceived social support. Two “socially rich” profiles corresponded to 7% of the sample and had high social support (>1SD above sample mean) from at least two sources. (Fully Integrated; Parent and Peer Supported). In contrast, 25% of the sample was “socially poor,” having support that was between −. 65 to −. 86 SD below the sample mean for all 3 sources (Isolated profile). None of the other profiles (Peer Supported; Moderately Supported; Weakly Supported) had levels of support below −. 37 SD from any source. Furthermore, almost all wellbeing problems were concentrated in the Isolated Profile, with negative effects more pronounced in Grade 11 than Grade 8. Despite feeling low parent and teacher support, adolescents in the Peer Supported profile felt strong peer support and average to above-average levels of wellbeing in Grades 8 and 11. However, they also had an 81% chance of making a negative transition to either the Isolated or Weakly Supported profiles in Grade 11.
How word frequency modulates masked repetition priming: an ERP investigation.

The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to provide precise temporal information about the modulation of masked repetition priming effects × word frequency during the course of target word recognition. Contrary to the pattern seen with behavioral response times in prior research, we predicted that high-frequency words should generate larger and earlier peaking repetition priming effects than low-frequency words in the N400 time window. This prediction was supported by the results of two experiments. Furthermore, repetition priming effects in the N250 time window were found for low-frequency words in both experiments, whereas for high-frequency words these effects were seen only at the shorter (50 ms stimulus onset asynchrony [SOA]) used in Experiment 2, and not in Experiment 1 (70 ms SOA). We explain this pattern as resulting from reset mechanisms operating on the form representations activated by prime stimuli when primes and targets are processed as separate perceptual events.
The nature of nurture: Effects of parental genotypes

Genetic variants provide a nurturing environment Genetic variants in parents may affect the fitness of their offspring, even if the child does not carry the allele. This indirect effect is referred to as “genetic nurture. ” Kong et al. used data from genome-wide association studies of educational attainment to construct polygenic scores for parents that only considered the nontransmitted alleles (see the Perspective by Koellinger and Harden). The findings suggest that genetic nurture is ultimately due to genetic variation in the population and is mediated by the environment that parents create for their children. Science, this issue p. 424; see also p. 386 Behavioral genetics can transmit an environmental effect from parents and other related caregivers to their children. Sequence variants in the parental genomes that are not transmitted to a child (the proband) are often ignored in genetic studies. Here we show that nontransmitted alleles can affect a child through their impacts on the parents and other relatives, a phenomenon we call “genetic nurture. ” Using results from a meta-analysis of educational attainment, we find that the polygenic score computed for the nontransmitted alleles of 21,637 probands with at least one parent genotyped has an estimated effect on the educational attainment of the proband that is 29.9% (P = 1.6 × 10−14) of that of the transmitted polygenic score. Genetic nurturing effects of this polygenic score extend to other traits. Paternal and maternal polygenic scores have similar effects on educational attainment, but mothers contribute more than fathers to nutrition- and heath-related traits.
Complications of endovascular treatment for intracranial aneurysms: Management and prevention

Endovascular coiling for intracranial aneurysms has become an accepted treatment with good clinical results and provides adequate protection against rebleeding and rupture of aneurysms. However, despite the experience, preparation, or skill of the physician, complications during endovascular treatment still occur. The main complications of endovascular coiling are: procedural aneurysmal perforations by the microcatheter, micro-guidewire, or coil, and thromboembolic events. Such situations are unexpected, complex, and can have devastating consequences. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of the two most common complications, aneurysmal perforation and thromboembolism during endovascular coiling, and how we can prevent or overcome these complications to achieve a satisfactory outcome. In addition, as the flow diverter has been become an important tool for management of large, wide necked, and other anatomically challenging aneurysms, we also describe complications stemming from the use of the tool, which remains a novel treatment option for complex aneurysms.