Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Extended Source-Filter Models for Musical Signal Reconstruction

Recently, we have witnessed an increasing use of the sourcefilter model in music analysis, which is achieved by integrating the source filter model into a non-negative matrix factorisation (NMF) framework or statistical models. The combination of the source-filter model and NMF framework reduces the number of free parameters needed and makes the model more flexible to extend. This paper compares four extended source-filter models: the source-filter-decay (SFD) model, the NMF with timefrequency activations (NMF-ARMA) model, the multi-excitation (ME) model and the source-filter model based on -divergence (SFbeta model). The first two models represent the time-varying spectra by adding a loss filter and a time-varying filter, respectively. The latter two are extended by using multiple excitations and including a scale factor, respectively. The models are tested using sounds of 15 instruments from the RWC Music Database. Performance is evaluated based on the relative reconstruction error. The results show that the NMF-ARMA model outperforms other models, but uses the largest set of parameters.
Fall Risk and Its Associated Factors among Older Adults without Home-Help Services in a Swedish Municipality

ABSTRACT During preventive home visits, the purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of fall risk and any associated factors. Participants (n = 1471) were cognitively sound community-dwelling older adults (≥ 70 years) without home-help service, living in a Swedish municipality. The Downton Fall Risk Index and nine single items were used. Tiredness/fatigue, age ≥ 80, inability to walk 1 hr, inability to climb stairs and worrying were significantly associated with fall risk. Preventive home visits incorporating fall-risk screening proved valuable, providing information for interventions aimed at preventing falls, maintaining independence, and facilitating health among community dwelling participants.
National randomized controlled trial of virtual house calls for Parkinson disease

Objective: To determine whether providing remote neurologic care into the homes of people with Parkinson disease (PD) is feasible, beneficial, and valuable. Methods: In a 1-year randomized controlled trial, we compared usual care to usual care supplemented by 4 virtual visits via video conferencing from a remote specialist into patients' homes. Primary outcome measures were feasibility, as measured by the proportion who completed at least one virtual visit and the proportion of virtual visits completed on time; and efficacy, as measured by the change in the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire–39, a quality of life scale. Secondary outcomes included quality of care, caregiver burden, and time and travel savings. Results: A total of 927 individuals indicated interest, 210 were enrolled, and 195 were randomized. Participants had recently seen a specialist (73%) and were largely college-educated (73%) and white (96%). Ninety-five (98% of the intervention group) completed at least one virtual visit, and 91% of 388 virtual visits were completed. Quality of life did not improve in those receiving virtual house calls (0.3 points worse on a 100-point scale; 95% confidence interval [CI] −2.0 to 2.7 points; p = 0.78) nor did quality of care or caregiver burden. Each virtual house call saved patients a median of 88 minutes (95% CI 70–120; p < 0.0001) and 38 miles per visit (95% CI 36–56; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Providing remote neurologic care directly into the homes of people with PD was feasible and was neither more nor less efficacious than usual in-person care. Virtual house calls generated great interest and provided substantial convenience. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02038959. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with PD, virtual house calls from a neurologist are feasible and do not significantly change quality of life compared to in-person visits. The study is rated Class III because it was not possible to mask patients to visit type.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored protein deficiency serves as a reliable reporter of Pig‐a gene Mutation: Support from an in vitro assay based on L5178Y/Tk+/− cells and the CD90.2 antigen

Lack of cell surface glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored protein(s) has been used as a reporter of Pig‐a gene mutation in several model systems. As an extension of this work, our laboratory initiated development of an in vitro mutation assay based on the flow cytometric assessment of CD90.2 expression on the cell surface of the mouse lymphoma cell line L5178Y/Tk+/−. Cells were exposed to mutagenic and nonmutagenic compounds for 24 hr followed by washout and incubation for an additional 7 days. Following this mutant manifestation time, cells were labeled with fluorescent antibodies against CD90.2 and CD45 antigens. These reagents indicated the presence of GPI‐anchored proteins and general cell surface membrane receptor integrity, respectively. Instrument set‐up was aided by parallel processing of a GPI anchor‐deficient subclone. Results show that the mutagens reproducibly caused increased frequencies of mutant phenotype cells, while the nonmutagens did not. Further modifications to the method, including application of a viability dye and an isotype control for instrument set‐up, were investigated. As a means to verify that the GPI‐anchored protein‐negative phenotype reflects bona fide Pig‐a gene mutation, sequencing was performed on 38 CD90.2‐negative L5178Y/Tk+/− clones derived from cultures treated with ethyl methanesulfonate. All clones were found to have mutation(s) within the Pig‐a gene. The continued investigation of L5178Y/Tk+/− cells, CD90.2 labeling, and flow cytometric analysis as the basis of an in vitro mutation assay is clearly supported by this work. These data also provide evidence of the reliability of using GPI anchor‐deficiency as a valid reporter of Pig‐a gene mutation. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:18–29, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Metal Speciation in the Rivers Around Potchefstroom Based on Seasonality

About 44 surface water samples were collected in the wet and dry seasons around mining areas near the city of Potchefstroom in South Africa, and physicochemical parameters were analyzed to assess the speciation of pollutants and impact on dispersion potential. It was found that concentrations of the trace elements measured decreased significantly during the dry season. High concentrations of trace elements during the wet season were correlated to high effluents from anthropogenic sources which were flowing into the surface water. Aqueous metal speciation in both seasons was conducted using the PHREEQC geochemical modelling code. The seasonal variation of species observed was due to changes in the physicochemical quality of water between the two seasons. Collected data indicated that high percentages of Ca and Mg were present as free hydrate species, whereas the Fe, Cd, As, and U were mostly present as carbonate or hydroxide species.
Observer-based dynamic output-feedback protocol for H∞ tracking control of multi-agent systems

In this study, the leader-following tracking control via observer-based dynamic output-feedback protocol under a time-invariant directed graph is addressed. A control scheme based on observers is developed for multi-agent systems (MASs) to guarantee that the trajectories of followers synchronize to the leader asymptotically, the protocol here does not require the relative state information of neighbouring controller. Firstly, when there is no disturbance, the MASs can reach leader-following tracking control, then the system can also achieve tracking with a guaranteed H∞ performance subject to external disturbance. A sufficient condition by Lyapunov stability theorem is adopted to make the closed-loop error system be asymptotically stable. Finally, the results are also applied to study H∞ containment control problem. Two examples verify the effectiveness of the control protocol.
Nutrient composition, ruminal degradability and whole tract digestibility of whole crop maize silage from nine current varieties

ABSTRACT Since maize silage is an important forage in cattle nutrition, it is important to know its nutritive value. Much effort is put into breeding maize, and several new varieties are introduced on the market every year. This requires periodical analyses of the nutritive value of current maize varieties for the formulation of cattle rations. The aim of this study was to examine the nutritive value of whole crop maize silage (WCMS) from nine maize varieties in 3 consecutive years. For the analysis of nutrient composition and ruminal degradability of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (aNDFom) and non-fibre carbohydrates (NFC), varieties were harvested at three harvest dates (50%, 55% and 60% dry matter content in ear). Due to capacity limitations, the digestibility of WCMS was tested only for the middle harvest date. The CP and acid detergent fibre (ADFom) content was affected (p < 0.05) while aNDFom and NFC content was not influenced by variety. With advancing maturity, CP, aNDFom and ADFom content declined while NFC content increased. Variety influenced effective ruminal degradability (ED) of nutrients, except for CP. The ED of all examined nutrients decreased as maturity advanced from first to third harvest date. Digestibility of OM, ADFom and NFC was significantly and digestibility of aNDFom was tendentially (p = 0.064) influenced by variety. Additionally, an effect of year and a harvest date × year interaction was found for almost all examined parameters. In conclusion, variety, harvest date and year influence the nutritive value of WCMS. A comparison with earlier studies shows that current varieties have a higher fibre digestibility and a slower-ripening stover compared to older varieties.
Identification of essential amino acids for glucose transporter 5 (GLUT5)-mediated fructose transport

Intestinal fructose uptake is mainly mediated by glucose transporter 5 (GLUT5/SLC2A5). Its closest relative, GLUT7, is also expressed in the intestine but does not transport fructose. For rat Glut5, a change of glutamine to glutamic acid at codon 166 (p.Q166E) has been reported to alter the substrate-binding specificity by shifting Glut5-mediated transport from fructose to glucose. Using chimeric proteins of GLUT5 and GLUT7, here we identified amino acid residues of GLUT5 that define its substrate specificity. The proteins were expressed in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts, and their activities were determined by fructose radiotracer flux. We divided the human GLUT5 sequence into 26 fragments and then replaced each fragment with the corresponding region in GLUT7. All fragments that yielded reduced fructose uptake were analyzed further by assessing the role of individual amino acid residues. Various positions in the first extracellular loop, in the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth transmembrane domains (TMDs), and in the regions between the ninth and tenth TMDs and tenth and 11th TMDs were identified as being important for proper fructose uptake. Although the p.Q167E change did not render the human protein into a glucose transporter, molecular dynamics simulations revealed a drastic change in the dynamics and a movement of the intracellular loop connecting the sixth and seventh TMDs, which covers the exit of the ligand. Finally, we generated a GLUT7–GLUT5 chimera consisting of the N-terminal part of GLUT7 and the C-terminal part of GLUT5. Although this chimera was inactive, we demonstrate fructose transport after introduction of four amino acids derived from GLUT5.
A narrative review of peri‐operative management of patients with thalassaemia

In thalassaemic patients, multiple organ systems may be affected by the disease, blood transfusion, iron overload and chelating therapy. Patients may develop cardiomyopathy, pulmonary hypertension or heart failure requiring pre‐operative echocardiography or cardiac catheterisation. Restrictive lung dysfunction is commonly encountered, especially in patients with splenomegaly. Haemoglobin level should be optimised pre‐operatively and maintained at adequate levels with transfusion and blood‐saving strategies. Susceptibility to infections should be managed with broad‐spectrum antibiotics. Thromboembolic events due to hypercoagulability should be prevented by simple measures, such as graduated compression stockings, intermittent pneumatic compression and early mobilisation, and possibly anticoagulant drugs. When general anaesthesia is administered, the risk of difficult intubation due to oro‐facial malformation should be considered. Cardiovascular depression due to negative inotropic and vasodilating effects of general anaesthesia should be minimised. Neuraxial techniques may also be challenging due to spinal skeletal abnormalities and extramedullary haemopoiesis. A multidisciplinary pre‐operative approach, clinical optimisation and a carefully planned strategy are mandatory.
High prevalence of the parasite Sphaerothecum destruens in the invasive topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva in the Netherlands, a potential threat to native freshwater fish.

The prevalence of Sphaerothecum destruens, a pathogenic parasite, was studied in two wild populations of topmouth gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva), an invasive freshwater fish non-native to the Netherlands. Using genetic markers and sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene, we showed the prevalence of this parasite to be 67 to 74%. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a high similarity with known sequences of S. destruens. The topmouth gudgeon, which functions as a healthy carrier of the pathogen, is rapidly colonizing the Netherlands, its expansion showing no signs of saturation yet. Both the presence of S. destruens and the rapid dispersal of the topmouth gudgeon are considered to constitute a high risk for native freshwater fish.
Method to detect impression evaluation patterns on music listened to using EEG analysis technique

In this paper, we propose a method to detect impression evaluation patterns on music listened to using electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis method considering human personality. The proposed method consists of four phases; EEG recordings and EEG feature extraction, personality quantification, feature vector creation to detect the impression evaluation patterns, and impression evaluation patterns detection. The EEG feature is extracted by calculating the time average of the power spectrum of each frequency band at 1 Hz intervals of the EEG. Egogram, Yatabe-Guilford personality inventory and Kretschmer type personality inventory are using for quantifying his/her character. The feature vector to detect the impression evaluation patterns is created by the EEG feature and the results of his/her character quantification. We regard the matching patterns between music and his/her mood as the impression patterns on music listened to. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conduct experiments using real EEG data.
StegoTorus: a camouflage proxy for the Tor anonymity system

Internet censorship by governments is an increasingly common practice worldwide. Internet users and censors are locked in an arms race: as users find ways to evade censorship schemes, the censors develop countermeasures for the evasion tactics. One of the most popular and effective circumvention tools, Tor, must regularly adjust its network traffic signature to remain usable. We present StegoTorus, a tool that comprehensively disguises Tor from protocol analysis. To foil analysis of packet contents, Tor's traffic is steganographed to resemble an innocuous cover protocol, such as HTTP. To foil analysis at the transport level, the Tor circuit is distributed over many shorter-lived connections with per-packet characteristics that mimic cover-protocol traffic. Our evaluation demonstrates that StegoTorus improves the resilience of Tor to fingerprinting attacks and delivers usable performance.
Image analysis of chronic wounds for determining the surface area

Progress in wound healing is primarily quantified by the rate of change of the wound's surface area. The most recent guidelines of the Wound Healing Society suggest that a reduction in wound size of <40% within 4 weeks necessitates a reevaluation of the treatment. However, accurate measurement of wound size is challenging due to the complexity of a chronic wound, the variable lighting conditions of examination rooms, and the time constraints of a busy clinical practice. In this paper, we present our methodology to quantify a wound boundary and measure the enclosed wound area reproducibly. The method derives from a combination of color‐based image analysis algorithms, and our results are validated with wounds in animal models and human wounds of diverse patients. Images were taken by an inexpensive digital camera under variable lighting conditions. Approximately 100 patient images and 50 animal images were analyzed and a high overlap was achieved between the manual tracings and the calculated wound area by our method in both groups. The simplicity of our method combined with its robustness suggests that it can be a valuable tool in clinical wound evaluations. The basic challenge of our method is in deep wounds with very small surface areas where color‐based detection can lead to erroneous results and which could be overcome by texture‐based detection methods. The authors are willing to provide the developed MATLAB code for the work discussed in this paper.
Why Do Patients and Caregivers Seek Answers From the Internet and Online Lung Specialists? A Qualitative Study

Background Since its launch in 2003, the Dutch Lung Cancer Information Center’s (DLIC) website has become increasingly popular. The most popular page of the website is the section “Ask the Physician”, where visitors can ask an online lung specialist questions anonymously and receive an answer quickly. Most questions were not only asked by lung cancer patients but also by their informal caregivers. Most questions concerned specific information about lung cancer. Objective Our goal was to explore the reasons why lung cancer patients and caregivers search the Internet for information and ask online lung specialists questions on the DLIC’s interactive page, “Ask the Physician”, rather than consulting with their own specialist. Methods This research consisted of a qualitative study with semistructured telephone interviews about medical information-seeking behavior (eg, information needs, reasons for querying online specialists). The sample comprised 5 lung cancer patients and 20 caregivers who posed a question on the interactive page of the DLIC website. Results Respondents used the Internet and the DLIC website to look for lung cancer–related information (general/specific to their personal situation) and to cope with cancer. They tried to achieve a better understanding of the information given by their own specialist and wanted to be prepared for the treatment trajectory and disease course. This mode of information supply helped them cope and gave them emotional support. The interactive webpage was also used as a second opinion. The absence of face-to-face contact made respondents feel freer to ask for any kind of information. By being able to pose a question instantly and receiving a relatively quick reply from the online specialist to urgent questions, respondents felt an easing of their anxiety as they did not have to wait until the next consultation with their own specialist. Conclusions The DLIC website with its interactive page is a valuable complementary mode of information supply and supportive care for lung cancer patients and caregivers.
Homocysteine and Real-Space Navigation Performance among Non-Demented Older Adults.

BACKGROUND High plasma homocysteine (Hcy) level is related to higher risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and lower cognitive performance in older adults. OBJECTIVE To assess the association between plasma Hcy level and real-space navigation performance and the role of vascular risk and protective factors, APOE status, and white matter lesions (WML) on this association. METHODS Ninety-two non-demented older adults (29 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, 46 with subjective cognitive decline, and 17 cognitively normal older adults) underwent spatial navigation testing of egocentric, allocentric, and mixed navigation in a real-space analogue of the Morris water maze, neuropsychological examination, blood collection, and MRI brain scan with evaluation of WML. RESULTS In the regression analyses controlling for age, gender, education, and depressive symptoms, higher plasma Hcy level was related to worse mixed and egocentric (β= 0.31; p = 0.003 and β= 0.23; p = 0.017) but not allocentric (p > 0.05) navigation performance. Additional controlling for vascular risk and protective factors, WML, and APOE status did not modify the results. High total cholesterol and low vitamin B12 and folate levels increased the adverse effect of Hcy on egocentric and mixed navigation. WML did not explain the association between plasma Hcy level and navigation performance. CONCLUSION Elevated plasma Hcy level may affect real-space navigation performance above and beyond vascular brain changes. This association may be magnified in the presence of high total cholesterol and low folate or vitamin B12 levels. Attention to the level of plasma Hcy may be a viable intervention strategy to prevent decline in spatial navigation in non-demented older adults.
An overview of the elementary statistics of correlation, R-squared, cosine, sine, and regression through the origin, with application to votes and seats for Parliament

The correlation between two vectors is the cosine of the angle between the centered data. While the cosine is a measure of association, the literature has spent little attention to the use of the sine as a measure of distance. A key application of the sine is a new “sine-diagonal inequality / disproportionality” (SDID) measure for votes and their assigned seats for parties for Parliament. This application has nonnegative data and uses regression through the origin (RTO) with non-centered data. Textbooks are advised to discuss this case because the geometry will improve the understanding of both regression and the distinction between descriptive statistics and statistical decision theory. Regression may better be introduced and explained by looking at the angles relevant for a vector and its estimate rather than looking at the Euclidean distance and the sum of squared errors. The paper provides an overview of the issues involved. Also a new relation between the sine and the Euclidean distance is derived.