Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Robustness of Speech Emotion Recognition for Human-Robot Interaction with Deep Neural Networks

Speech emotion recognition (SER) is an important aspect of effective human-robot collaboration and received a lot of attention from the research community. For example, many neural network-based architectures were proposed recently and pushed the performance to a new level. However, the applicability of such neural SER models trained only on in-domain data to noisy conditions is currently under-researched. In this work, we evaluate the robustness of state-of-the-art neural acoustic emotion recognition models in human-robot interaction scenarios. We hypothesize that a robot's ego noise, room conditions, and various acoustic events that can occur in a home environment can significantly affect the performance of a model. We conduct several experiments on the iCub robot platform and propose several novel ways to reduce the gap between the model's performance during training and testing in real-world conditions. Furthermore, we observe large improvements in the model performance on the robot and demonstrate the necessity of introducing several data augmentation techniques like overlaying background noise and loudness variations to improve the robustness of the neural approaches.
Effects of Acetate on Lipid Metabolism in Muscles and Adipose Tissues of Type 2 Diabetic Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) Rats

We have reported that orally administrated acetate contributed to suppression of lipogenesis in the liver and to reduction of lipid accumulation in the adipose tissue of Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of acetate on skeletal muscle and adipose tissues. Treatment with acetate showed a higher rate of oxygen consumption and a smaller size of lipid droplets in white adipose and brown adipose tissues. An analysis by Northern blotting revealed that the transcripts of myoglobin and Glut4 genes in the abdominal muscle of the OLETF rats were increased by acetate treatment, while the transcripts of lipolytic genes increased in the white adipose and brown adipose tissues. It is possible that acetate has effects on lipid metabolism in the skeletal muscles and the adipose tissues, and has functions that work against obesity and obesity-linked type 2 diabetes.
Use of the Temporary Immersion Bioreactor System for Mass Production of Eucalyptus pellita Plus Tree

The application of bioreactor culture techniques for plant micropropagation is regarded as one of the ways to reduce production cost by scaling-up and automation. In an attempt to optimize mass proliferation systems in Eucalyptus pellita, four types of bioreator systems including temporary immersion system with or without net were tested. Highest growth was achieved with 30-min flushes of medium at every 4-h intervals in TIN (temporary immersion with net) system. Results indicate over three-fold increase in shoot growth with the TIN system when compared with TIX (control: temporary immersion without net) system which is without net in bioreactor. Furthermore, plants produced from the TIN system increased total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll a/b and dry matter, giving higher yields of acclimatized plants. Our findings suggest that plantlet growth increases with appropriate exposure to media at correct intervals, as well as use of net for maintaining aerobic condition in the vessels. The TIN system thus has great potential for in vitro mass production of Eucalyptus clones commercially.
Epidemiologic evidence of the protective effect of fruit and vegetables on cancer risk.

BACKGROUND Diets rich in fruit and vegetables have been recommended for preventing cancer. The evidence supporting this recommendation is based on observational studies, although results of several prospective studies have cast some doubts on whether fruit and vegetables are associated with cancer risk reduction. OBJECTIVE We sought to summarize evidence from case-control and prospective studies on fruit and vegetable intake and cancer risk with a meta-analytic approach. DESIGN Published case-control and cohort studies that reported on total vegetable and fruit intake and risk of cancer of several sites were included. Relative risks were estimated by using linear logistic regression models. RESULTS Case-control studies overall support a significant reduction in the risks of cancers of the esophagus, lung, stomach, and colorectum associated with both fruit and vegetables; breast cancer is associated with vegetables but not with fruit; and bladder cancer is associated with fruit but not with vegetables. The overall relative risk estimates from cohort studies suggest a protective effect of both fruit and vegetables for most cancer sites considered, but the risk reduction is significant only for cancers of the lung and bladder and only for fruit. CONCLUSIONS Prospective studies provide weaker evidence than do case-control studies of the association of fruit and vegetable consumption with reduced cancer risk. The discrepancies may be related to recall and selection biases in case-control studies. In contrast, the association may have been underestimated in prospective studies because of the combined effects of imprecise dietary measurements and limited variability of dietary intakes within each cohort.
Validity of self-reported height and weight in 4808 EPIC–Oxford participants

Abstract Objective: To assess the validity of self-reported height and weight by comparison with measured height and weight in a sample of middle-aged men and women, and to determine the extent of misclassification of body mass index (BMI) arising from differences between self-reported and measured values. Design: Analysis of self-reported and measured height and weight data from participants in the Oxford cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC–Oxford). Subjects: Four thousand eight hundred and eight British men and women aged 35–76 years. Results: Spearman rank correlations between self-reported and measured height, weight and BMI were high ( r <0.9, P >0.0001 ). Height was overestimated by a mean of 1.23 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.34) cm in men and 0.60 (0.51–0.70) cm in women; the extent of overestimation was greater in older men and women, shorter men and heavier women. Weight was underestimated by a mean of 1.85 (1.72–1.99) kg in men and 1.40 (1.31–1.49) kg in women; the extent of underestimation was greater in heavier men and women, but did not vary with age or height. Using standard categories of BMI, 22.4% of men and 18.0% of women were classified incorrectly based on self-reported height and weight. After correcting the self-reported values using predictive equations derived from a 10% sample of subjects, misclassification decreased to 15.2% in men and 13.8% in women. Conclusions: Self-reported height and weight data are valid for identifying relationships in epidemiological studies. In analyses where anthropometric factors are the primary variables of interest, measurements in a representative sample of the study population can be used to improve the accuracy of estimates of height, weight and BMI.
Promoting effects of IL-23 on myocardial ischemia and reperfusion are associated with increased expression of IL-17A and upregulation of the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway

Interleukin (IL)-23, as a novel pro-inflammatory cytokine, is important in several inflammatory diseases, including myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury, however, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the specific role of IL-23 in myocardial I/R injury, and whether the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2-STAT3) signaling pathway, one of the important downstream signaling pathways of IL-23, and the IL-17A downstream pro-inflammatory cytokine, were involved. Anesthetized rats underwent different treatments with adenovirus (Ad) vectors (Ad-GFP, Ad-IL-23, Anti-IL-23 or Ad-IL-23+AG490) and were then subjected to ischemia for 30 min prior to 4 h reperfusion. The effects of the upregulation and downregulation of IL-23 on myocardial injury, inflammatory responses in myocardial tissue, and myocardial apoptosis were measured accordingly. In addition, the levels of phosphorylated (P-)JAK2 and P-STAT3 were measured to assess the activity of the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway. The results demonstrated that there was an increased expression of IL-23 in the myocardial tissue exposed to myocardial I/R injury (P<0.05). The upregulation of IL-23 significantly increased the infarct size and the expression levels of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase (P<0.05). The upregulation of IL-23 significantly increased inflammatory responses, as reflected by the high expression levels of IL-17A, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α in the myocardial tissues (P<0.05). Furthermore, the upregulation of IL-23 significantly facilitated the decrease in the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated X protein ratio, and the increases in the myocardial apoptotic index and expression of caspase-3 induced by myocardial I/R (P<0.05). IL-23 also activated the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway, upregulating the expression levels of P-JAK2 and P-STAT3 in the myocardial tissues (P<0.05). Treatment with AG490, an inhibitor of JAK2-STAT3, partially attenuated the pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic effects of IL-23 (P<0.05). The results of the present study suggested that IL-23 aggravated myocardial I/R injury by promoting inflammatory responses and myocardial apoptosis, which may be associated with high expression levels of IL-17A and upregulation of the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway.
Glycemic index, glycemic load, and common psychological disorders.

BACKGROUND Potential associations between dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with psychological disorders remain uncertain. OBJECTIVE We investigated the relations of dietary GI and GL with psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. DESIGN A total of 3363 nonacademic members of the staff of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences were included in this cross-sectional study. GI and GL were assessed by using a validated, self-administered, dish-based, semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Validated Iranian versions of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and General Health Questionnaire-12 were used to assess anxiety, depression, and psychological distress. RESULTS After control for potential confounders, individuals in the top tertile of GI had greater odds of depression (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.02; P-trend = 0.03) and a trend for greater odds of anxiety (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 0.97, 2.38; P trend = 0.06) compared with those in the first tertile. Higher GL values were linked to lower odds for mental disorders (OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.90; P-trend = 0.009), depression (OR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.93; P-trend = 0.02), and psychological distress (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.92; P-trend = 0.01). Significant interactions were observed between GI and sex for depression (P = 0.01) and psychological distress (P = 0.046) in the crude model. In stratified analyses by sex, after control for potential confounders, a greater GI was linked to a higher odds of depression (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.94; P-trend = 0.001) and psychological distress (OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.28, 2.14; P-trend = 0.001) in women but not in men. CONCLUSION Our findings support a direct link between the odds of depression and dietary GI but inverse associations between GL and mental disorders, depression, and psychological distress. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02362113.
Collaborative Ontologies and Its Visualisation in CSCW Systems

The goal of semantic structures and especially the semantic web is to simplify knowledge retrieval in computer based systems. The Visual Cooperative Ontology Environment short visCOntE aims to support the process of a collaborative ontology creation and the mapping of an individual’s mental map into a computer based knowledge representation. Due to the collaborative and graphical approach many requirements have to be considered to establish such a project. Beneath a deep description of visCOntE and possible usage scenarios, the question what is needed for a successful collaborative ontology creation and which functions a system should make available will be determined in detail.
Development of flexible ZnO thin film surface acoustic wave strain sensors on ultrathin glass substrates

Flexible surface acoustic wave (SAW) strain sensors made on ZnO/ultrathin glass (100 μm) substrates have been developed. The sensitivity of the SAW strain sensors under different strain angles and annealing temperatures, as well as the mechanical stability, are investigated. It was shown that the thickness of ZnO has a strong effect on the sensitivity of the strain sensors, and thicker ZnO makes sensors with better performance. Thermal annealing at a temperature up to 200 °C also improves the sensitivity of the strain sensor significantly. The temperature coefficient of frequency remains unchanged under different strains, showing good thermal stability. A cyclic bending test with the strain varied between zero and 2000 με exhibits good mechanical stability and reliability of SAW strain sensors. All the results demonstrate the great potential of flexible SAW strain sensors for flexible electronic applications.
Kernel Partial Least Squares for Nonlinear Regression and Discrimination

This paper summarizes recent results on applying the method of partial least squares (PLS) in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). A previously proposed kernel PLS regression model was proven to be competitive with other regularized regression methods in RKHS. The family of nonlinear kernel-based PLS models is extended by considering the kernel PLS method for discrimination. Theoretical and experimental results on a two-class discrimination problem indicate usefulness of the method.
PERSON FOLLOWING BEHAVIOR GENERATED WITH JDE SCHEMA HIERARCHY

One useful capability for service robots is person following. Service robots, like other autonomous robots, are demanded to exhibit a full range of different behaviors. A control architecture is required to integrate them. This paper describes the design and implementation of the person following behavior within JDE architecture, as two groups of concurrent schemas. The robot follows a person wearing a coloured shirt, actively searches for her when lost in the image, and safely avoids obstacles. Successful experiments with a real robot are also described, that validate JDE for this vision-based real-time behavior.
Virtual Reality-Guided Motor Imagery Increases Corticomotor Excitability in Healthy Volunteers and Stroke Patients

Objective To investigate the effects of using motor imagery (MI) in combination with a virtual reality (VR) program on healthy volunteers and stroke patients. In addition, this study investigated whether task variability within the VR-guided MI programs would influence corticomotor excitability. Methods The present study included 15 stroke patients and 15 healthy right-handed volunteers who were presented with four different conditions in a random order: rest, MI alone, VR-guided MI, and VR-guided MI with task variability. The corticomotor excitability of each participant was assessed before, during, and after each condition by measuring changes in the various parameters of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) of the extensor carpi radials (ECR). Changes in intracortical inhibition (ICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) were calculated after each condition as percentages of inhibition (%INH) and facilitation (%FAC) at rest. Results In both groups, the increases in MEP amplitudes were greater during the two VR-guided MI conditions than during MI alone. Additionally, the reductions in ECR %INH in both groups were greater under the condition involving VR-guided MI with task variability than under that involving VR-guided MI with regular interval. Conclusion The corticomotor excitability elicited by MI using a VR avatar representation was greater than that elicited by MI with real body observations. Furthermore, the use of task variability in a VR program may enhance neural regeneration after stroke by reducing ICI. The present findings support the use of various VR programs as well as the concept of combining MI with VR programs for neurorehabilitation.
Telephone-based support prolongs breastfeeding duration in obese women: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Obese women often have difficulties breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE We evaluated whether telephone-based support could increase the duration of breastfeeding in obese women and, thereby, reduce offspring growth. DESIGN We recruited 226 dyads of obese mothers and their singleton, healthy, term infants. The women were randomly assigned to 6 mo of breastfeeding support or standard care controls. At 6 mo, there were 207 dyads in the study; 105 dyads received support, and 102 dyads were control subjects. One International Board Certified Lactation Consultant carried out the intervention, which was based on structured interviews and consisted of encouraging telephone calls. RESULTS The support group breastfed exclusively for a median of 120 d (25th-75th percentiles: 14-142 d) compared with 41 d (3-133 d) for control subjects (P = 0.003). Any breastfeeding was maintained for a median of 184 d (92-185 d) for the support group compared with 108 d (16-185 d) for control subjects (P = 0.002). Support increased the adjusted ORs for exclusive breastfeeding at 3 mo and the ratios for partial breastfeeding at 6 mo to 2.45 (95% CI: 1.36, 4.41; P = 0.003) and 2.25 (95% CI: 1.24, 4.08; P = 0.008, respectively). Although the duration of exclusive breastfeeding was inversely associated with infant weight (β = -4.39 g/d; 95% CI: -0.66, -8.11 g/d; P = 0.021) and infant length at 6 mo (β = -0. 012 cm/d; 95% CI: -0.004, -0.02 cm/d; P = 0.004), the breastfeeding support did not achieve a significant effect on infant growth at 6 mo (n = 192). CONCLUSIONS Telephone-based advisory support was very effective in prolonging breastfeeding in obese mothers who often terminate the breastfeeding of their infants prematurely. A longer duration of breastfeeding may decrease risk of noncommunicable diseases in these infants. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01235663.
Status Report of Training Development in the METIS Project Focusing on Test and Validation

The EU microelectronics sector needs to address serious talent gaps to increase its competitiveness. Considering this, the training/course development of MicroElectronics Training, Industry and Skills (METIS) project establishes an individual European collaboration developing a long-lasting framework to identify the major global biases affecting the region and provide strategic foresight, forecast increasing skill requirements, identify job rules/jobs of the future, create a sector skills strategy to assist the EU microelectronics industry in maintaining its leadership position globally, establish an EU Microelectronics Observatory & Skills Council to support European synergies toward the demands of data-driven technologies, such as AI, enabled by advanced microelectronics and associated skills requirements. This work presents the first task in the fourth work package (WP4.1) in the METIS project, which is about the development of the test and validation plan of the METIS curricula modules in real-life scenarios by the METIS partners under the guidance of Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). The delivery schedule and methods for the METIS curriculum and METIS modules, as well as the process for gathering user feedback, are all covered under the Test and Validation plan. The most important component of the WP4 is gathering user feedback and comments on the modules’ content, delivery methods, and organizational structure to improve METIS curriculum. The METIS curriculum and training will then be completed, and recommendations for mainstreaming and adopting the METIS curriculum will be developed.
Elevated pentose phosphate pathway is involved in the recovery of hypoxia-induced erythrocytosis

As a typical model of hypoxia-induced excessive erythrocytosis, high altitude polycythemia (HAPC) results in microcirculation disturbance, aggravates tissue hypoxia and results in a severe clinical outcome, without any effective intervention methods except for returning to an oxygen-rich environment. The present study aimed to explore potential therapeutic targets which may participate in the recovery of HAPC by studying the mechanisms of reducing the hemoglobin (HB) concentration during re-oxygenation. A total of 14 and 13 subjects were recruited over a 5,300 m distance and 5,170 m area. The patients were classified into HAPC or control groups based on their HB value. Plasma samples were collected on the day when they finished their stay in plateau for a year, and on the 180th day following their reaching in plain. Metabolic profiling was conducted by UPLC-QTOF/MS. MetaboAnalyst platform was performed to explore the most perturbed metabolic pathways. A panel of differential metabolites were obtained in the recovery phase of HAPC and control groups. The present study identified the uniquely upregulated pentose phosphate pathway in HAPC subjects, along with a significantly decreased HB level. The findings were verified via a direct comparison between HAPC and control subjects at a high altitude. An increased pentose phosphate pathway was identified in control groups compared with HAPC subjects. An elevated pentose phosphate pathway may therefore participate in the recovery of HAPC, whereas a downregulated pentose phosphate pathway may contribute to hypoxia-induced erythrocytosis. The results of the present study provide potential therapeutic strategies and novel insights into the pathogenesis of hypoxia-induced polycythemia.