Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virtual performance, Actual gesture: A Web 2.0 system for expressive performance of music contents

Musical games and social interaction music-based platform are getting always more users, which are attracted by tools to easily organize and retrieval the music contents, and by an active participation in the fruition process. In this context Web 2.0 technologies play an important role in facilitating collaborative creation, active participation, and the sharing of music contents to the large users. Our aim is to consider the expressiveness in the musical gesture in a participative way: all of user can actively perform musical pieces and express their perspective about how to tag the expressiveness of user's musical performances in order to build a new paradigm of a (really shared) performer praxis. We justifiably believe that music gaming/learning by integrating Web 2.0 and real-time musical gesture evaluation (and not only the estimation of the exact notes played) can become more and more effective and appealing. In this paper, we present a system - namely CARO 2.0 - that integrates a software module for the active performance of music pieces into a Web 2.0 framework, in order to make easier sharing the user's performances and experiencing new modalities of collaborative creation.
The Generalized Multinomial Logit Model: Accounting for Scale and Coefficient Heterogeneity

The mixed or heterogeneous multinomial logit (MIXL) model has become popular in a number of fields, especially marketing, health economics, and industrial organization. In most applications of the model, the vector of consumer utility weights on product attributes is assumed to have a multivariate normal (MVN) distribution in the population. Thus, some consumers care more about some attributes than others, and the IIA property of multinomial logit (MNL) is avoided (i.e., segments of consumers will tend to switch among the subset of brands that possess their most valued attributes). The MIXL model is also appealing because it is relatively easy to estimate. Recently, however, some researchers have argued that the MVN is a poor choice for modelling taste heterogeneity. They argue that much of the heterogeneity in attribute weights is accounted for by a pure scale effect (i.e., across consumers, all attribute weights are scaled up or down in tandem). This implies that choice behaviour is simply more random for some consumers than others (i.e., holding attribute coefficients fixed, the scale of their error term is greater). This leads to a “scale heterogeneity” MNL model (S-MNL). Here, we develop a generalized multinomial logit model (G-MNL) that nests S-MNL and MIXL. By estimating the S-MNL, MIXL, and G-MNL models on 10 data sets, we provide evidence on their relative performance. We find that models that account for scale heterogeneity (i.e., G-MNL or S-MNL) are preferred to MIXL by the Bayes and consistent Akaike information criteria in all 10 data sets. Accounting for scale heterogeneity enables one to account for “extreme” consumers who exhibit nearly lexicographic preferences, as well as consumers who exhibit very “random” behaviour (in a sense we formalize below).
Congenital Clubfoot

Definição: Atitude viciosa permanente condicionando apoio anormal. Vamos estudar apenas o pé eqüinovaro. Etiologia: Alterações primitivas no esboço cartilaginoso do talo e do calcâneo, de origem genética, como possível gene dominante de baixa penetrância ou poligênica com efeito “threshold”; influência de fatores ambientais. Anatomia patológica: 1) adução-supinação do antepé na articulação mediotársica; 2) varo do calcâneo, na articulação subtalar. A associação de 1) e 2) dá a inversão do pé; 3) eqüinismo do pé – na articulação tibiotársica (um pouco na subtalar); 4) cavismo – na articulação mediotársica; 5) alterações esqueléticas: diminuição do ângulo entre corpo e colo do talo que tem direção medial e plantar; abertura do seio do tarso, diminuição de tamanho do navicular; 6) alterações de partes moles: (secundárias) – retração dos elementos posteriores, mediais, subtalares e plantares; distensão dos laterais e atrofia da panturrilha. Pé, perna e coxa menores. Fisiopatologia: Subtalar e mediotársica são solidárias à tibiotársica: na flexão plantar, o antepé supina e o calcâneo variza; na flexão dorsal, o antepé prona e o calcâneo valgiza. Quadro clínico: Tipos rígido e flexível, conforme a gravidade das deformidades e a redutibilidade. Períodos evolutivos: Redutibilidade nos primeiros meses; redutibilidade relativa na segunda infância; irredutibilidade em torno dos cinco anos. Radiologia: Útil na avaliação do grau de desvios e critério de redução. Em ântero-posterior (AP) o ângulo de abertura da subtalar é menor que 20o e os eixos do calcâneo e talo são quase paralelos. Em perfil o ângulo talocalcaneano é maior que 35o. No pé em “mata-borrão” a linha do solo cruza a calcâneo-cubóide e na torção lateral a superfície sup. do talo ABSTRACT
The Relationship between Temperament and Autistic Traits in a Non-Clinical Students Sample

Since temperament affects the development of social behaviours and interpersonal relations, the possible links between autistic traits and temperament are of particular interest. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationships between autistic traits and temperamental characteristics in the framework of the Regulative Temperament Theory by Strelau, and the Emotionality, Activity and Sociability theory by Buss and Plomin, with particular emphasis on gender differences. The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Formal Characteristics of Behaviour – Temperament Inventory and Temperament Survey for Adults were administered. The participants were 593 university students, including 364 females and 229 males. Results showed positive correlations between autistic traits and Emotional Reactivity, Perseveration, Distress, Fear and Anger, and negative correlations with Activity, Briskness, Endurance and Sociability. The results of multiple regression analyses involving the Autism Spectrum Quotient score as a dependent measure were different for females and males. Results of exploratory PCA analysis showed that AQ score, Sociability and Activity loaded one factor (with AQ loading being opposite to two others). High AQ scorers demonstrated higher Emotional Reactivity, Perseveration, Distress and Anger, and lower Briskness, Endurance, Activity and Sociability as compared to norms for the general population. In this study we showed that temperament measures were able to identify items that correlated in parts with autistic traits, while other items were obverse. The relationships between temperament and autistic traits differ slightly between genders. We assume that with regard to the broader autism phenotype, temperaments might be helpful in characterizing healthy control samples.
Experimenting switching hybrid recommender systems

Recommender systems employ machine learning and data mining techniques for filtering unseen information and can predict whether a user would like a given resource. To date a number of recommendation algorithms have been proposed, where collaborative filtering and content-based filtering are the two most famous and adopted recommendation techniques. Moreover, machine learning classifiers can be used for recommendation by training them on items’ content information. These systems suffer from scalability, data sparsity, over specialisation, and cold-start problems resulting in poor quality recommendations and reduced coverage. Hybrid recommender systems combine individual systems to avoid certain aforementioned limitations of these systems. In this paper, we proposed unique generalised switching hybrid recommendation algorithms that combine machine learning classifiers with the collaborative filtering recommender systems. We also provide various variants of the proposed algorithm by using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) based recommendations, utilising SVD over collaborative filtering, and utilising SVD combined with Expected Maximisation (EM) algorithm. Experimental results on two different datasets, show that the proposed algorithms are scalable and provide better performance – in terms of accuracy and coverage – than other algorithms while at the same time eliminate some recorded problems with the recommender systems.
CURVATURE, CONCENTRATION AND ERROR ESTIMATES FOR MARKOV CHAIN MONTE CARLO

We provide explicit nonasymptotic estimates for the rate of convergence of empirical means of Markov chains, together with a Gaussian or exponential control on the deviations of empirical means. These estimates hold under a "positive curvature" assumption expressing a kind of metric ergodicity, which generalizes the Ricci curvature from differential geometry and, on finite graphs, amounts to contraction under path coupling.
IORelator: A Graphical User Interface to Enable Rapid Semantic Annotation for Data-Driven Natural Language Understanding

This paper describes a new annotation GUI, called IORelator, which is designed to facilitate rapid semantic annotation in support of high-performance data-driven NLU for spoken dialogue systems. We summarize our requirements for rapid NLU annotation, and discuss how the GUI views and operations that IORelator provides meet these needs by enabling thousands of natural utterances to be quickly annotated with their correct semantics.
Multilayer graphene modified metal film electrodes for the determination of trace metals by anodic stripping voltammetry

III DECLARATION . IV DEDICATION . V ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . VI LIST OF ABBREVIATION . VII TABLE OF CONTENTS . X LIST OF FIGURES . XVII LIST OF TABLES . XXV CHAPTER 1 .
What matters in ADVANCE and ADVANCE‐ON

Most recent meta‐analyses of morbidity‐mortality risk hazards brought about by the presence of diabetes as compared with non‐diabetics underline the dominant risk of renal disease and cardiovascular outcomes and the relevance of blood glucose, blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol levels. The translation of this reality into therapeutic guidelines always requires interventional evidence. Evidence for combined approaches in controlling for BP and blood glucose was provided by Action in Diabetes and Vascular disease: PreterAx and DiamicroN‐MR Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE), conducted in over 11 000 subjects from 20 countries. Reduction in systolic BP by 7.1 mm Hg, in diastolic BP by 2.9 mm Hg and in glycated haemoglobin A1c by 0.61% points in the combined routine BP lowering and intensive blood glucose‐control group after an average 4.3 years of follow‐up resulted in a relative risk reduction of 28% in renal events, 24% in cardiovascular death and 18% in all‐cause mortality. While other major intervention trials performed in similar populations with analogous goals did not achieve the same level of positive therapeutic evidence and even pointed to some risk of intensified treatment of type 2 diabetes, all three major studies [Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD), Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial (VADT) and ADVANCE] showed significant reduction in renal events, the major risk in type 2 diabetes. The divergence for other outcomes underlines the importance of considering specific therapeutic approaches for glucose control and prudent targets for BP. The current target values for glycated haemoglobin of 6.5–7% and for BP of 130/80 mmHg appear safe and beneficial. The potential long‐term benefit, particularly that of initial tight blood glucose control, suggested by recent post‐trial evidence is currently being evaluated in the ADVANCE‐ON study.
Gene expression correlation and gene ontology-based similarity: an assessment of quantitative relationships

The gene ontology and annotations derived from the S.cerivisiae genome database were analyzed to calculate functional similarity of gene products. Three methods for measuring similarity (including a distance-based approach) were implemented. Significant, quantitative relationships between similarity and expression correlation of pairs of genes were detected. Using a known gene expression dataset in yeast, this study compared more than three million pairs of gene products on the basis of these functional properties. Highly correlated genes exhibit strong similarity based on information originating from the gene ontology taxonomies. Such a similarity is significantly stronger than that observed between weakly correlated genes. This study supports the feasibility of applying gene ontology-driven similarity methods to functional prediction tasks, such as the validation of gene expression analyses and the identification of false positives in protein interaction studies.
Reconsideration of the simulated work task situation: a context instrument for evaluation of information retrieval interaction

The present paper reports on the initial study and the preliminary findings of how the concept of simulated work task situation is reported used in the research literature. The overall objective of the study is in a systematic manner to learn how and for what types of evaluations the concept is applied. In particular we are interested to learn whether the recommendations for how to apply simulated work task situations are followed. The preliminary findings indicate a need for clarifications of the recommendations of how to use simulated work task situations. Particularly with respect to 'realism' of the simulated work task situations, which is emphasised through the need for tailoring of the simulated work task situations towards the group of study participant to ensure the depicted situations are realistic and interesting from the participants' point of view. Likewise it seems that the recommendation to involve the study participants' own information needs (to function as baseline of search interaction) is generally neglected in the reported studies.
New measures of robustness in rare event simulation

Rare event simulation requires acceleration techniques in order to i) observe the rare event and ii) obtain a valid and small confidence interval for the expected value. A "good" estimator has to be robust when rarity increases. This paper aims at studying robustness measures, the standard ones in the literature being bounded relative error and bounded normal approximation. By considering the problem of estimating the reliability of a static model for which simulation time per run is the critical issue, we show that actually those measures do not validate the satisfying behavior of some techniques. We thus define bounded relative efficiency and generalized bounded normal approximation properties of the two previous measures in order to encompass the simulation time. We also illustrate how a user can have a look at the coverage of the resulting confidence interval by using the so-called coverage function.
Service Matching and Discovery in P2P Semantic Community

Recently, more and more web services are being made available and their use can potentially highly increase cooperation in P2P systems, where different partners intend to share and exchange digital resources. A major concern, in this framework, is related to the development of semantic driven techniques for description and organization of available services in semantic communities for discovery purposes. We propose an ontology-based Semantic Driven Service Discovery approach in P2P systems, where peers are organized in a semantic community to support effective automation of service discovery. In the approach ontologies are exploited both to improve precision and recall of search results by means of an innovative service matchmaking strategy and to organize services in the community by means of intra-peer and inter-peer semantic links. Some experimental results are briefly discussed.
Real-time cannula navigation in biological tissue with high temporal and spatial resolution based on impedance spectroscopy

In many medical applications a well-directed positioning of a cannula in body tissue is mandatory. Especially the accurate placing of the cannula tip in the tissue is important for efficient drug delivery or for accessing blood vessels and nerves. This paper presents a new approach for a universal cannula navigation system based on tissue classification on the cannula tip by impedance spectroscopy. The cannula serves as coaxial, open ended waveguide which is connected to remote measurement equipment. Objective of the new system is to reach a high spatial and temporal resolution for dynamic cannula guidance. Therefore the proposed coaxial cannula design has been analyzed by Finite Element Simulation to investigate the sensitivity of the cannula tip. For fast tissue impedance spectrum measurement the Time-Domain-Reflectometry method is used in order to achieve a high temporal resolution. Measurement data derived in the laboratory is analyzed and interpreted using the general Cole-Cole model for tissue. Based on the results we propose to use a chirp signal for impedance measurement in order to improve the sensitivity of the system towards specific tissue properties.
Amount and organization of the heterochromatin in Olea europaea and related species

The amount and spatial organization of the heterochromatin in nuclei of the shoot meristem and the frequency in the nuclear DNA of sequences belonging to a family of tandem repeats were investigated in cultivars of Olea europaea and related species. Significant differences between Olea species and between cultivars of O. europaea were observed: (i) in the spatial organization of the heterochromatin in interphase nuclei as determined by the number and surface area of the chromocentres; (ii) in genome size; and (iii) in the amount of condensed chromatin as measured by cytophotometry carried out at different thresholds of optical density. DNA elements belonging to a family of tandem repeats about 80 bp in length (OeTaq80 repeats) were isolated from the genomic DNA of an olive cultivar. It was shown: (i) by nucleotide sequence comparisons, that these repeats display variability in structure even within the same array, where different elements may share no more than 74% homology; (ii) by in situ hybridization, that OeTaq80-related DNA sequences are mainly localized in the heterochromatin at the chromosome ends; (iii) by dot-blot hybridization experiments, that these sequences are highly represented in the genome of all the olive cultivars and the majority of Olea species studied, and that their frequency may differ significantly even between olive cultivars; and (iv) by calculating the copy number of OeTaq80-related sequences per haploid (1C) genome, that the redundancy of these DNA elements may differ significantly between the genomes tested. It is suggested that the inter- and intraspecific changes in the nuclear and genomic traits observed can contribute to the understanding of the phylogenetic relationships between Olea species and in defining parameters to be exploited in varietal identification within cultivated olives.
NSensor - Wireless Sensor Network for Environmental Monitoring

This paper reports the development and integration of a wireless sensor network for environmental monitoring. The main goals of this system include modularity, low power consumption and ease of expansion. The system includes three main elements: sensor nodes, gateways and a server. Each sensor node can only connect to a gateway, resulting in a star network layout. Data collected from the different sensor nodes is stored in a database within the server. A web-based user interface for this system was developed and made available online.
Network Motifs in Object-Oriented Software Systems

Nowadays, software has become a complex piece of work that may be beyond our control. Understanding how software evolves over time plays an important role in controlling software development processes. Recently, a few researchers found the quantitative evidence of structural duplication in software systems or web applications, which is similar to the evolutionary trend found in biological systems. To investigate the principles or rules of software evolution, we introduce the relevant theories and methods of complex networks into structural evolution and change of software systems. According to the results of our experiment on network motifs, we find that the stability of a motif shows positive correlation with its abundance and a motif with high Z score tends to have stable structure. These findings imply that the evolution of software systems is based on functional cloning as well as structural duplication and tends to be structurally stable. So, the work presented in this paper will be useful for the analysis of structural changes of software systems in reverse engineering.
The Value of Information in Credit Markets

We study firm and industry dynamics in economies where there is asymmetric information about the firms’ survival probability. Young firms grow as they acquire financial reputation in credit markets through two channels: selection and screening. Our economy exhibits several features of firm and industry dynamics documented for the U.S. Importantly, while information problems undermine production of young firms, general equilibrium forces induce old firms to produce more, thereby largely offsetting the adverse effect of asymmetric information on aggregate output.
Mental Representations of Illness in Patients with Gestational Trophoblastic Disease: How Do Patients Perceive Their Condition?

Background Gestational Trophoblastic Disease comprises a group of benign and malignant disorders that derive from the placenta. Using Leventhal’s Common-Sense Model as a theoretical framework, this paper examines illness perception in women who have been diagnosed with this disease. Methods Thirty-one women diagnosed with Gestational Trophoblastic Disease in a hospital in Italy were asked to complete the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised to measure the following: illness Identity, illness opinions and causes of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease. Results High mean scores were observed in the Emotional representations and Treatment control subscales. A significant difference emerged between hydatidiform mole patients and those with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia on the Identity subscale. A significant correlation emerged between “time since diagnosis” and the Treatment control subscale. Discussion This study is the first to investigate illness perception in Gestational Trophoblastic Disease. From a clinical perspective the results highlight the need for multidisciplinary support programs to promote a more realistic illness perception.
Haptogram: Ultrasonic Point-Cloud Tactile Stimulation

Studies of the stimulating effect of ultrasound as a tactile display have recently become more intensive in the haptic domain. In this paper, we present the design, development, and evaluation of Haptogram; a system designed to provide point-cloud tactile display via acoustic radiation pressure. A tiled 2-D array of ultrasound transducers is used to produce a focal point that is animated to produce arbitrary 2-D and 3-D tactile shapes. The switching speed is very high, so that humans feel the distributed points simultaneously. The Haptogram system comprises a software component and a hardware component. The software component enables users to author and/or select a tactile object, create a point-cloud representation, and generate a sequence of focal points to drive the hardware. The hardware component comprises a tiled 2-D array of ultrasound transducers, each driven by an FPGA. A quantitative analysis is conducted to measure the Haptogram ability to display various tactile shapes, including a single point, 2-D shapes (a straight line and a circle) and a 3-D object (a hemisphere). Results show that all displayed tactile objects are perceivable by the human skin (an average of 2.65 kPa for 200 focal points). A usability study is also conducted to evaluate the ability of humans to recognize 2-D shapes. Results show that the recognition rate was well above the chance level (average of 59.44% and standard deviation of 12.75%) while the recognition time averaged 13.87 s (standard deviation of 3.92 s).