Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skeleton Plays Piano: Online Generation of Pianist Body Movements from MIDI Performance

Generating expressive body movements of a pianist for a given symbolic sequence of key depressions is important for music interaction, but most existing methods cannot incorporate musical context information and generate movements of body joints that are further away from the fingers such as head and shoulders. This paper addresses such limitations by directly training a deep neural network system to map a MIDI note stream and additional metric structures to a skeleton sequence of a pianist playing a keyboard instrument in an online fashion. Experiments show that (a) incorporation of metric information yields in 4% smaller error, (b) the model is capable of learning the motion behavior of a specific player, and (c) no significant difference between the generated and real human movements is observed by human subjects in 75% of the pieces.
A novel automated approach for software effort estimation based on data augmentation

Software effort estimation (SEE) usually suffers from data scarcity problem due to the expensive or long process of data collection. As a result, companies usually have limited projects for effort estimation, causing unsatisfactory prediction performance. Few studies have investigated strategies to generate additional SEE data to aid such learning. We aim to propose a synthetic data generator to address the data scarcity problem of SEE. Our synthetic generator enlarges the SEE data set size by slightly displacing some randomly chosen training examples. It can be used with any SEE method as a data preprocessor. Its effectiveness is justified with 6 state-of-the-art SEE models across 14 SEE data sets. We also compare our data generator against the only existing approach in the SEE literature. Experimental results show that our synthetic projects can significantly improve the performance of some SEE methods especially when the training data is insufficient. When they cannot significantly improve the prediction performance, they are not detrimental either. Besides, our synthetic data generator is significantly superior or perform similarly to its competitor in the SEE literature. Therefore, our data generator plays a non-harmful if not significantly beneficial effect on the SEE methods investigated in this paper. Therefore, it is helpful in addressing the data scarcity problem of SEE.
Deep Neural Networks versus Naive Bayes Classifiers for Identifying Informative Tweets during Disasters

Traditional machine learning techniques have shown promising results in automating the process of identifying useful information in crisis-related data posted through micro-blogging services such as Twitter. More recently, deep learning techniques have also shown promise in the area of disaster response. In this paper, we focus on understanding the effectiveness of deep neural networks by comparison with the effectiveness of standard classifiers that use carefully engineered features. Specifically, we design various feature sets (based on tweet content, user details and polarity clues) and use these feature sets individually or in various combinations, with Naïve Bayes classifiers. Furthermore, we develop neural models based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) with handcrafted architectures. We compare the two types of approaches in the context of identifying informative tweets posted during disasters, and show that the deep neural networks, in particular the CNN networks, are more effective for the task considered.
Antioxidant activity, fatty acid profile and tocopherols of Tamarindus indica L. seeds

This study aimed to characterize Tamarindus indica L. seeds regarding its composition and to evaluate its antioxidant potential, fatty acid profile and content of tocopherols. In order to obtain the extract, the dried and crushed seeds were extracted with ethanol for 30 minutes in a 1:3 seeds: ethanol ratio under continuous stirring at room temperature. After that, the mixtures were filtered and subjected to roto-evaporation at 40 oC in order to determine, through direct weighing, the dry matter yields of the extracts. According to the results, Tamarindus indica L. seeds showed high content of total carbohydrates (71.91%) and offered relevant content and antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds. Tamarindus indica L. seeds oil presents high oxidative stability (15.83 hours) and significant total tocopherol content (57.77 mg.kg-1), besides presenting a higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids - the main component being linolenic (59.61%), which is considered an essential fatty acid.
Inventors? Response to Firm Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions (MA 2.) inventors that left the acquired firm are less productive in post-merger years than those that stayed with the merged entity; 3. ) M&As trigger inventor mobility, but do not lead to a decline in patent productivity if compared to a control group of inventors that have not been involved in a firm acquisition.
PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL MARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFUSE LARGE B-CELL LYMPHOMA

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a potentially curable disease, but standard treatment is not effective enough for all patients. That is why so important to identify high risk patients who need more aggressive therapy at the time of diagnosis. Nowadays prognosis for patients with DLBCL is based on International prognostic index (IPI). However, this index consists of only clinical parameters and does not include the biological characteristics of the tumour. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers could also play a prognostic role. There are some publications regarding predictive and prognostic role of expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-6, MUM1, CD10 and CD30, but their results are controversial. The aim of our study was to analyze prognostic role of these markers, to compare survival of patients with positive and negative expression of these markers and to build a prognostic model which include biological parameters for identifying high risk patients. There were statistically significant differences in EFS between the group of patients with negative and positive expression of CD10 (51.5 % versus 72.5 %, р=0.01) and in OS between the group of patients with negative and positive expression of Bcl-6 (61.1 % versus 79.6 %, р=0.03). Six-factors nonlinear neural network prediction model (MLP_6) was built. The sensitivity of the model is 63.2 % (95 % CІ 49.3 % – 75.6 %), specificity – 85.2 % (95 % CІ 79.1 % – 90.1 %). Prognostic factors include negative IHC expression of Bcl-6, CD10, non-GCB molecular subtype (according to algorithm Hans), gender (male), advanced Ann-Arbor stages, >2extranodal involvement. Our nonlinear neural network prediction model could improve prognostic role of IPI by adding of biological tumour characteristics (IHC expression of CD10, Bcl-6, molecular subtype by IHC algorithm).
Organic carbon sequestration and storage in vegetated coastal habitats along the western coast of the Arabian Gulf

Certain coastal ecosystems such as mangrove, saltmarsh and seagrass habitats have been identified as significant natural carbon sinks, through the sequestration and storage of carbon in their biomass and sediments, collectively known as ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems. These ecosystems can often thrive in extreme environments where terrestrial systems otherwise survive at the limit of their existence, such as in arid and desert regions of the globe. To further our understanding of the capability of blue carbon ecosystems to sequester and store carbon in such extreme climates, we measured carbon sediment stocks in 25 sites along the Western Arabian Gulf coast. While seagrass meadows and saltmarsh habitats were widely distributed along the coast, mangrove stands were much reduced as a result of anthropogenic pressures, with 90% of stands having been lost over the last century. Carbon stocks in 1 m deep surface sediments were similar across all three blue carbon habitats, with comparable stocks for saltmarsh (81 ± 22 Mg Corg ha−1), seagrass (76 ± 20 Mg Corg ha−1) and mangroves (76 ± 23 Mg Corg ha−1). We recorded a 38% decrease in carbon stocks between mature established mangrove stands (91 Mg Corg ha−1) and recently planted mangroves (56 Mg Corg ha−1). Mangroves also had the lowest carbon stock per total area owing to their very limited spatial coverage along the coast. The largest stock per total area belonged to seagrass beds as a result of their large spatial coverage within the Gulf. We employed 210Pb dating to determine the sediment accretion rates in each ecosystem and found mangrove habitats to be the most efficient carbon sequesters over the past century, with the highest carbon burial rate of the three ecosystems (19 g Corg m−2 yr−1), followed by seagrass (9 g Corg m−2 yr−1) and saltmarshes (8 g Corg m−2 yr−1). In this work, we describe a comprehensive comparison of sediment stocks in different blue carbon ecosystems within a single marine environment and across a large geographical area, and discuss our results in a global context for other blue carbon ecosystems in the dry tropics.
Technology Shocks and Aggregate Fluctuations: How Well Does the Real Business Cycle Model Fit Postwar U.S. Data?

Our answer: not so well. We reach that conclusion after reviewing recent research on the role of technology as a source of economic fluctuations. The bulk of the evidence suggests a limited role for aggregate technology shocks, pointing instead to demand factors as the main force behind the strong positive comovement between output and labor input measures.
Clinical utility of carotid and transcranial ultrasound in cerebrovascular diseases

Carotid and transcranial (CTU) ultrasound is a useful tool in a number of clinical settings, particularly in cerebrovascular diseases. CTU is the only method that provides real-time determination of velocity and the spectral waveform of blood flow in the extracranial and basal intracranial arteries, and is effective in the detection of stenosis and occlusion. When transcranial ultrasound is considered, CTU is the only method that allows visualization of microembolic signals in the intracranial arteries. CTU makes a rapid differential diagnosis possible, improving therapeu- tic decision-making in acute stroke and determining the risk of recurrence and prognosis based on its findings. It is also the standard of care in children with sickle cell disease, when selecting patients for chronic blood transfusion, and for reducing the risk of ischemic stroke in these patients. CTU has some advantages, ie, relative simplicity in terms of interpretation and performance, and affordability, noninvasiveness, and portability. The main concern with ultrasound is that it is an operator-dependent tool and requires a high level of expertise and knowledge of three-dimensional cerebrovascular anatomy for correct interpretation of sonograms. The most significant limitation of intracranial evaluation by transcranial ultrasound is the absence of a suitable bone window in approximately 10% of patients. This paper gives an overview of the current utility and importance of CTU in the prevention and evaluation of ischemic cerebrovascular disease.
Exploring User Mental Models of End-to-End Encrypted Communication Tools

End-to-end (E2E) encrypted communication tools can help users keep their communications secure from government or corporate surveillance. In this work, we conduct a quantitative survey (n=125) to assess general mental models and understandings of a hypothetical E2E encrypted communication tool. We find that the vast majority of respondents had adopted E2E encrypted tools in the real world, but lacked confidence and accuracy in their mental models of E2E encryption. Two key misconceptions include (1) three-quarters of respondents believing that their E2E encrypted communications could be accessed by unauthorized entities, and (2) one-half of respondents feeling that SMS and landline phone calls were more secure than, or as secure as, E2E encrypted communications. These findings raise concerns that respondents may not feel threatened by proposals of “backdoors” since they already feel that different entities can access their communications. More broadly, our findings suggest that the primary user-related challenge for E2E encrypted tools may no longer be adoption, but helping users who already have these tools avoid sending sensitive information over less secure channels.
EPA Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes

Background. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates its assessment of health risks from indoor radon, which the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has determined to be the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. This risk assessment is based primarily on results from a recent study of radon health effects (BEIR VI) by the NAS, with some technical adjustments and extensions. In BEIR VI, the NAS projected 15,400 or 21,800 excess lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year, using two preferred risk models developed from data from 11 cohorts of miners. Methods. EPA modified and extended the approach used in BEIR VI. First, a single model is constructed that yields numerical results midway between what would be obtained using the two BEIR VI preferred models. Second, noting that the BEIR VI definition of excess risk effectively omits premature deaths caused by radon in people who would otherwise have eventually died of lung cancer, EPA modifies the BEIR VI calculations in to include all radon-induced lung cancer deaths. Third, EPA uses more detailed smoking prevalence data and more recent mortality data for its calculations than was used in BEIR VI. Fourth, whereas BEIR VI estimated the fractional increase in lung cancers due to radon, EPA also provides numerical estimates of the risk per unit exposure [lung cancer deaths per working level month (WLM)]. Results. Based on its analysis, EPA estimates that out of a total of 146,400 lung cancer deaths nationally in 1995, 21,100 (14.4%) were radon related. Among NS, an estimated 26% were radon related. Estimates of risk per unit exposure are 5.38×10 per WLM for the U.S. population; 9.68×10/WLM for ever smokers (ES); and 1.67×10 per WLM for never smokers (NS). The estimated risks from lifetime exposure at the 4 pCi/L action level are: 2.3% for the entire population, 4.1% for ES, and 0.73% for NS. A Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis that accounts for only those factors that can be quantified without relying too heavily on expert opinion indicates that estimates for the U.S. population and ES may be accurate to within factors of about 2 or 3. Conclusions. The effects of radon and cigarette smoking are synergistic, so that smokers are at higher risk from radon. Consequently, if projected reductions in U.S. smoking rates hold up, some decrease in radon-induced lung cancers is expected, concomitant with decreases in lung cancer, generally; nevertheless, it is anticipated that indoor radon will remain an important public health problem, contributing to thousands of lung cancer deaths annually.
An Exceptional Dream: Aspiration as a Determinant of Self-Reported Happiness in the US

Though income inequality in the US has increased dramatically since the 1970s, empirical evidence has by and large failed to show a corresponding decline in Americans’ overall happiness levels. A possible explanation for this somewhat counterintuitive phenomenon is Americans’ belief that they live in a meritocratic, upwardly mobile society, broadly known as “American Exceptionalism,” which mitigates the negative effects of inequality. However, this hypothesis is rarely analyzed statistically. The present study uses ordered logistic regression of individual-level data from the 2010 United States General Social Survey to examine the linkage between respondents’ perception of upward mobility and belief in hard work as a path to success and self-reported happiness level. Results indicate that these factors are more important than objective measures of socioeconomic status in determining overall happiness. These findings provide evidence that the aspirational aspects of American Exceptionalism are salient components of individual well-being. AN EXCEPTIONAL DREAM
Bigrams and BiLSTMs Two Neural Networks for Sequential Metaphor Detection

We present and compare two alternative deep neural architectures to perform word-level metaphor detection on text: a bi-LSTM model and a new structure based on recursive feed-forward concatenation of the input. We discuss different versions of such models and the effect that input manipulation - specifically, reducing the length of sentences and introducing concreteness scores for words - have on their performance.
Variable Screening for Cluster Analysis.

Inclusion of irrelevant variables in a cluster analysis adversely affects subgroup recovery. This paper examines using moment-based statistics to screen variables; only variables which pass the screening are then used in clustering. Normal mixtures are analytically shown often to possess negative kurtosis. Two related measures, m and coefficient of bimodality b, are also examined. A Monte Carlo study compared the screening measures to no selection, De Soete's (1988) ultrametric weights, and Fowlkes, Gnanadesikan, and Kettenring's (1988) forward selection procedure. Screening based on kurtosis degraded recovery and is not recommended. In contrast, screening on m or on b improved recovery over both no selection and forward selection, and screening performed as well as ultrametric weights. Combining screening with ultrametric weights performed extremely well. All methods were found to be somewhat sensitive to other types of error. Screening variables appears a viable alternative to both ultrametric weights and forward selection. The potential advantages and disadvantages of screening are considered.
The effect of exposure to hypergravity on serum biochemical andhematological parameters in jet fighter pilots.

Modern jet fighter aircraft are capable of achieving G acceleration profiles that subject pilots to extremely high inertial forces in the head-to-foot direction (+Gz). Severe physical stress is imposed by the environment of rapid-onset, highly-sustained +Gz. Despite the importance of monitoring pathophysiological alterations related to +Gz exposure, there have been only a few studies concerning the physical status of human centrifuge trainees. To investigate alterations in serum biochemical and complete blood count parameters occurring in subjects exposed to high +Gz. Eighteen jet fighter pilots were exposed to +9Gz on a human centrifuge. Blood samples were obtained before and immediately after the centrifugation. Serum biochemical and hematological analyses were performed. The total protein level increased from a mean of 7.53±0.07 g/dL to 7.91±0.09 g/dL, a significant 5.0% (p<0.001) increase. The white blood cell, red blood cell and platelet counts also increased from a mean of 6.72±0.23 k/μL, 5.06±0.06 k/μL and 230.00±12.98 k/μL to 9.02±0.50 k/μL, 5.25±0.08 k/μL and 247.11±13.73 k/μL, respectively; significant elevations of 34.2% (p<0.001), 3.8% (p<0.001) and 7.3% (p=0.004), respectively. In addition, hemoglobin (2.0%, p=0.036) and hematocrit (4.3%, p<0.001) increased significantly after the centrifugation. We demonstrated that the serum levels of total protein and complete blood count parameters are significantly elevated during high +Gz exposure. Our data raise the possibility that intense muscular exertion during anti-G straining maneuver could be one of the causes of post-centrifuge hemoconcentration.
Drivers and Barriers to Adopting Gamification: Teachers' Perspectives.

Gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game contexts and it is gaining momentum in a wide range of areas including education. Despite increasing academic research exploring the use of gamification in education little is known about teachers’ main drivers and barriers to using gamification in their courses. Using a phenomenology approach, 16 online structured interviews were conducted in order to explore the main drivers that encourage teachers serving in Higher Education institutions to using gamification in their courses. The main barriers that prevent teachers from using gamification were also analysed. Four main drivers (attention-motivation, entertainment, interactivity, and easiness to learn) and four main barriers (lack of resources, students’ apathy, subject fit, and classroom dynamics) were identified. Results suggest that teachers perceive the use of gamification both as beneficial but also as a potential risk for classroom atmosphere. Managerial recommendations for managers of Higher Education institutions, limitations of the study, and future research lines are also addressed.
Classical and Relative Realizability

We show that every abstract Krivine structure in the sense of Streicher can be obtained, up to equivalence of the resulting tripos, from a filtered opca (A,A′) and a subobject of 1 in the relative realizability topos RT(A′, A); the topos is always a Boolean subtopos of RT(A′, A). We exhibit a range of non-localic Boolean subtoposes of the Kleene-Vesley topos.
Dynamic 3D shape from multi-viewpoint images using deformable mesh model

This paper presents a framework for dynamic 3D shape reconstruction from multi-viewpoint images using a deformable mesh model. With our method, we can obtain 3D shape and 3D motion of the object simultaneously. We represent the shape by a surface mesh model and the motion by translations of its vertices, i.e., deformation. Thus global and local topological structure of the mesh are preserved from frame to frame. This helps us to analyse the motion of the object, to compress the 3D data, and so on. Our model deforms its shape so as to satisfy several constraints. This constraint-based deformation provides a computational framework to integrate several reconstruction cues such as surface texture, silhouette, and motion flow observed in multi-viewpoint images.
The role of subnational authorities in the implementation of EU directives

Studies on the role of regions in the EU policy process concentrate mainly on policy formulation and implementation of regional funds. In this article, we redress this bias by investigating the formal role of subnational authorities in the implementation of EU regulatory policies, specifically in the transposition of directives. Subnational authorities play a secondary, but increasingly important, role in the application of these measures. Their impact is greater on environmental and social policies, as it is also on public contract legislation. More decentralized states display higher levels of subnational involvement but, in these states, regional participation in national policy-making and a high number of regional authorities decrease the likelihood of finding subnational measures of transposition. There is also more subnational involvement in states with territories that have both an elected government as well as special arrangements regulating their relations with the EU. Finally, subnational involvement tends to prolong the process of transposition.