Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inferring users' emotions for human-mobile voice dialogue applications

In this paper, we tackle the problem of inferring users' emotions in real-world Voice Dialogue Applications (VDAs, Siri1, Cortana2, etc.). We first conduct an investigation, indicating that besides the text information of users' queries, the acoustic information and query attributes are very important in inferring emotions in VDAs. To integrate the information above, we propose a Hybrid Emotion Inference Model (HEIM), which involves a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to extract text features and a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to model the acoustic features. To further improve accuracy, a Recurrent Autoencoder Guided by Query Attributes (RAGQA) which incorporates other emotion-related query attributes is proposed in HEIM to pre-train LSTM. The accuracy of HEIM on a data set collected from Sogou Voice Assistant3 (Chinese Siri) containing 93,000 utterances achieves 75.2%, which outperforms state-of-the-art methods for 33.5-38.5%. Specifically, we discover that on average, the acoustic information enhances the performance for 46.6%, while query attributes further enhance the performance for 6.5%.
In silico prediction of drug therapy in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia

The mechanism of therapeutic efficacy of flecainide for catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is unclear. Model predictions suggest that Na+ channel effects are insufficient to explain flecainide efficacy in CPVT. This study represents a first step toward predicting therapeutic mechanisms of drug efficacy in the setting of CPVT and then using these mechanisms to guide modelling and simulation to predict alternative drug therapies.
BDNF-Val 66 Met-Polymorphism Impact on Cortical Plasticity in Schizophrenia Patients : A Proof-of-Concept Study

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to be a moderator of neuroplasticity. A frequent BDNF-polymorphism (Val66Met) is associated with impairments of cortical plasticity. In patients with schizophrenia, reduced neuroplastic responses following non-invasive brain stimulation have been reported consistently. Various studies have indicated a relationship between the BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism and motor-cortical plasticity in healthy individuals, but schizophrenia patients have yet to be investigated. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was, therefore, to test the impact of the BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism on inhibitory and facilitatory cortical plasticity in schizophrenia patients. Methods: Cortical plasticity was investigated in 22 schizophrenia patients and 35 healthy controls using anodal and cathodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the left primary motor cortex. Animal and human research indicates that excitability shifts following anodal and cathodal tDCS are related to molecular long-term potentiation and long-term depression. To test motor-cortical excitability before and after tDCS, well-established singleand paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols were applied. Results: Our analysis revealed increased glutamate-mediated intracortical facilitation in met-heterozygotes compared to val-homozygotes at baseline. Following cathodal tDCS, schizophrenia met-heterozygotes had reduced gamma-aminoby gest on Jauary 3, 2017 http://ijnprdjournals.org/ D ow nladed from 2 | International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2015 butyric-acid-mediated short-interval intracortical inhibition, whereas healthy met-heterozygotes displayed the opposite effect. The BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism did not influence single-pulse motor-evoked potential amplitudes after tDCS. Conclusions: These preliminary findings support the notion of an association of the BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism with observable alterations in plasticity following cathodal tDCS in schizophrenia patients. This indicates a complex interaction between inhibitory intracortical interneuron-networks, cortical plasticity, and the BDNF-Val66Met-polymorphism. Further replication and validation need to be dedicated to this question to confirm this relationship.
Formation and resuscitation of "non-culturable" cells of Rhodococcus rhodochrous and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in prolonged stationary phase.

After growth of Rhodococcus rhodochrous in Sauton's medium, and further incubation for about 60 h in stationary phase, there was a transient (up to 5 log) decrease in the c.f. u. count, whereas the total count remained similar to its initial value. At the point of minimal viability, the most probable number (MPN) count was 10 times greater than the c.f. u. count. This difference was further magnified by 3-4 logs (giving values close to the total count) by incorporating supernatant taken from growing cultures. A small protein similar to Rpf (resuscitation-promoting factor of Micrococcus luteus) appeared to be responsible for some of the activity in the culture supernatant. The formation of "non-culturable" cells of the "Academia" strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was similarly observed following growth in Sauton's medium containing Tween 80 in sealed culture vessels, and further incubation for an extended stationary phase. This resulted in the formation, 4-5 months post-inoculation, of a homogeneous population of ostensibly "non-culturable" cells (zero c.f.u.). Remarkably, the MPN count for these cultures was 10(5) organisms ml(-1), and this value was further increased by one log using supernatant from an actively growing culture. Populations of "non-culturable" cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were also obtained by the filtration of "clumpy" cultures, which were grown in the absence of Tween 80. These small cells could only be grown in liquid medium (MPN) and their viability was enhanced by the addition of culture supernatant or Rpf. The "non-culturable" cells that accumulated during prolonged stationary phase in both the R. rhodochrous and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures were small ovoid and coccoid forms with an intact permeability barrier, but with undetectable respiratory activity. The authors consider these non-culturable bacteria to be dormant. The observed activity of culture supernatants and Rpf with "non-culturable" bacterial suspensions invites the speculation that one, or more, of the cognate Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rpf-like molecule(s) could be involved in mechanisms of latency and reactivation of tuberculosis in vivo.
Temperature-Aware Distributed Run-Time Optimization on MP-SoC Using Game Theory

With forecasted hundreds of processing elements (PE), future embedded systems will be able to handle multiple applications with very diverse running constraints. In order to avoid hot-spots and control the temperature of the tiles, dynamic voltage-frequency scaling (DVFS) can be applied at PE level. At system level, it implies to dynamically manage the different voltage-frequency couples of each PE in order to obtain a global optimization. In this article we present an approach based on game theory, which adjusts at run-time the frequency of each PE. It aims at reducing the tile temperature while maintaining the synchronization between the tasks of the application graph. A fully distributed scheme is assumed in order to build a scalable mechanism. Results show that the proposed run-time algorithm find solutions in few calculation cycles achieving temperature reductions of about 23%.
Work meanings: Their structure and stability

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Effect of Angular Velocity on Sensors Based on Morphology Dependent Resonances

We carried out an analysis to investigate the morphology dependent optical resonances shift (MDR) of a rotating spherical resonator. The spinning resonator experiences an elastic deformation due to the centrifugal force acting on it, leading to a shift in its MDR. Experiments are also carried out to demonstrate the MDR shifts of a spinning polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microsphere. The experimental results agree well with the analytical prediction. These studies demonstrated that spinning sensor based on MDR may experience sufficient shift in the optical resonances, therefore interfering with its desirable operational sensor design. Also the results show that angular velocity sensors could be designed using this principle.
improved particle swarm optimization algorithm for the apacitated location routing problem and for the location routing roblem with stochastic demands

In this paper, a new version of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm suitable for discrete optimization problems is presented and applied for the solution of the capacitated location routing problem and for the solution of a new formulation of the location routing problem with stochastic demands. The proposed algorithm combines three different topologies which are incorporated in a constriction particle swarm optimization algorithm and, thus, a very effective new algorithm, the global and local combinatorial expanding neighborhood topology particle swarm optimization, was developed. The algorithm was tested, initially, in the three classic sets of benchmark instances for the capacitated location routing problem with discrete demands and, then, as there are no benchmark instances for the location routing problem with stochastic demands, these instances were transformed appropriately in order to article swarm optimization xpanding neighborhood topology ombinatorial neighborhood topology lobal and local neighborhood topology be suitable for the problem with stochastic demands. The algorithm was tested in the problem with the stochastic demands using these transformed sets of benchmark instances. The algorithm was compared with a number of different implementations of the PSO and with metaheuristic, evolutionary and nature inspired algorithms from the literature for the location routing problem with discrete and stochastic demands.
Drosophila proteins interacting with metallothioneins: A metal‐dependent recognition

Metallothioneins (MTs) are ubiquitous, low‐molecular weight, cysteine‐rich proteins. Despite a well‐established protective role in metal excess detoxification, there is little data about their putative physiological functions, commonly assumed to be metal homeostasis and redox equilibrium. Protein–protein interactions should have provided useful information to unveil unsuspected functions, but reports on MT interactions are scarce. This is probably due to the MT metal‐dependent 3D structure, a fact that has been seldom taken into account when performing proteomic interaction assays. In the present work, we have detected that the two major D. melanogaster isoforms (MtnA and MtnB) interact with the peroxiredoxin (Prx) encoded by the gene Jafrac1, both in a clear metal‐dependent pattern. The MT–Prx interaction is further confirmed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by assaying both yeast MTs (Crs5p and Cup1p) versus Tsa1p and Tsa2p, the Jafrac1 homologous Prxs in this organism. Thus, a new methodological approach to detect MT‐interacting proteins in different proteomes is established on the basis of assaying MTs in the form of different metal complexes. Furthermore, new perspectives to investigate the often hypothesized contribution of MTs to the redox physiological networks are open.
Provider attitudes toward Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs).

INTRODUCTION Despite the growing importance of clinical guidelines, their adoption has encountered significant resistance among clinicians. We developed Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs) as an innovative, clinician-led approach to building, implementing, and constantly improving flexible guidelines. We hypothesized that SCAMPs would fit well within the culture of medicine and that clinicians would therefore prefer SCAMPs over other guidelines. METHODS We implemented an anonymous, computer-based survey to analyze provider attitudes toward SCAMPs at our institution. RESULTS Sixty-nine providers completed the questionnaire (73% response rate). Most providers reported a positive opinion about SCAMPs along axes of overall familiarity (83%), trust (91-94%), utility (75-87%), and overall attitude (64%). Fewer providers felt familiar with the SCAMP improvement process (60% neutral to unfamiliar) or knew that they played a role in this process (62% said no or unsure). Sixty-five percent reported experiencing an erosion in their autonomy with SCAMPs; when comparing this to other guidelines, 38% said other guidelines erode more, 26% felt SCAMPs erode more, and 36% were neutral. The plurality of providers chose SCAMPs as their preferred means to incorporate evidence-based medicine into their practice (46% vs 29% for clinical practice guidelines, 25% for other guidelines). CONCLUSION Providers look upon SCAMPs favorably and believe that SCAMPs successfully address numerous barriers to guideline adoption. Furthermore, SCAMPs are the preferred means to incorporate evidence-based medicine into practice among providers surveyed. SCAMPs may represent an important step in building guidelines that fit into the culture of medicine, obtain clinician "buy-in," and better influence clinical decision making.
Stochastic system identification in SO(3)

Despite the considerable literature on attitude estimation, the kinematic models used are all deterministic. The only stochastic aspect enters through observational noise. Accordingly we introduce a stochastic kinematic model, namely an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process that evolves in SO(3) and discuss joint estimation of angular velocity as well as noise parameters in such a context for apparently the first time. In particular we develop an estimation algorithm and also discuss for the first time convergence with probability 1 of the estimators. Neither of these issues are trivial because the manifold constraint induces underlying singularities.
Closed loop control of novel transformer-less inverter topology for single phase grid connected photovoltaic system

In grid connected mode of distributed generation applications, the elimination of line frequency transformer is possible without impacting system characteristics related to grid integration, ground leakage current, dc injection, safety issues etc. This paper presents the design, modeling, simulation and implementation of closed loop operation of a novel inverter topology suitable for transformer-less single phase grid connected photovoltaic systems. The control scheme ensures extraction of maximum power from the solar Photovoltaic (PV) source, synchronization with the grid and controlled active and reactive power transfer to the grid. Simulation results with both dc source and solar PV as input, incorporating MPPT, are discussed in the paper. Implementation of a 250W laboratory prototype has been carried out using dSPACE DS1103 PPC controller board and the results of the grid connected mode of operation are presented in the paper.
MRI Fuzzy Segmentation of Brain Tissue Using IFCM Algorithm with Genetic Algorithm Optimization

Fuzzy c-mean (FCM) is a common clustering algorithm which is used for segmentation of magnetic resonance (MR) images. However in the case of noisy MR images, efficiency of this algorithm considerably reduces. Recently, researchers have been introduced two new parameters in order to improve performance of traditional FCM in the case of noisy images. New parameters are computed using artificial neural networks and through an optimization problem, where need complex and time consuming computations. In this paper, we present a new method for efficient computation of these two parameters. We used genetic algorithm (GA) optimization method and showed capability of GA for finding optimal values of these parameters. Simplification of computation is advantage of new proposed method. Simulation results using noisy MR images, demonstrated effectiveness of proposed optimization method for noisy MR image segmentation. 1. Introduction
Single-Session Reduction of the Intensity of Traumatic Memories in Abused Adolescents After EFT A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

The population for this study was drawn from an institution to which juveniles are sent by court order if they are found by a judge to be physically or psychologically abused at home. Sixteen males, aged 12-17, were randomized into two groups. They were assessed using subjective distress (SUD), and the Impact of Events Scale (IES), which measures two components of PTSD: intrusive memories and avoidance symptoms. The experimental group was treated with a single session of EFT (emotional freedom techniques), a brief and novel exposure therapy that has been found efficacious in reducing PTSD and co-occurring psychological symptoms in adults, but has not been subject to empirical assessment in juveniles. The wait list control group received no treatment. Thirty days later, participants were reassessed. No improvement occurred in the wait list (IES total mean pre = 32 SD ±4.82, post = 31 SD ±3.84). Posttest scores for all experimental-group participants improved to the point where all were nonclinical on the t.
Integer priority queues with decrease key in constant time and the single source shortest paths problem

We consider Fibonacci heap style integer priority queues supporting insert and decrease key operations in constant time. We present a deterministic linear space solution that with n integer keys support delete in O(log log n) time. If the integers are in the range [0,N), we can also support delete in O(log log N) time.Even for the special case of monotone priority queues, where the minimum has to be non-decreasing, the best previous bounds on delete were O((log n)1/(3-ε)) and O((log N)1/(4-ε)). These previous bounds used both randomization and amortization. Our new bounds a deterministic, worst-case, with no restriction to monotonicity, and exponentially faster.As a classical application, for a directed graph with n nodes and m edges with non-negative integer weights, we get single source shortest paths in O(m+n log log n) time, or O(m+n log log C) if C is the maximal edge weight. The later solves an open problem of Ahuja, Mehlhorn, Orlin, and Tarjan from 1990.
Gene conversion as a secondary mechanism of short interspersed element (SINE) evolution

The Alu repetitive family of short interspersed elements (SINEs) in primates can be subdivided into distinct subfamilies by specific diagnostic nucleotide changes. The older subfamilies are generally very abundant, while the younger subfamilies have fewer copies. Some of the youngest Alu elements are absent in the orthologous loci of nonhuman primates, indicative of recent retroposition events, the primary mode of SINE evolution. PCR analysis of one young Alu subfamily (Sb2) member found in the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene apparently revealed the presence of this element in the green monkey, orangutan, gorilla, and chimpanzee genomes, as well as the human genome. However, sequence analysis of these genomes revealed a highly mutated, older, primate-specific Alu element was present at this position in the nonhuman primates. Comparison of the flanking DNA sequences upstream of this Alu insertion corresponded to evolution expected for standard primate phylogeny, but comparison of the Alu repeat sequences revealed that the human element departed from this phylogeny. The change in the human sequence apparently occurred by a gene conversion event only within the Alu element itself, converting it from one of the oldest to one of the youngest Alu subfamilies. Although gene conversions of Alu elements are clearly very rare, this finding shows that such events can occur and contribute to specific cases of SINE subfamily evolution.
Implementing cell contractility in filament‐based cytoskeletal models

Cells are known to respond over time to mechanical stimuli, even actively generating force at longer times. In this paper, a microstructural filament‐based cytoskeletal network model is extended to incorporate this active response, and a computational study to assess the influence on relaxation behaviour was performed. The incorporation of an active response was achieved by including a strain energy function of contractile activity from the cross‐linked actin filaments. A four‐state chemical model and strain energy function was adopted, and generalisation to three dimensions and the macroscopic deformation field was performed by integration over the unit sphere. Computational results in MATLAB and ABAQUS/Explicit indicated an active cellular response over various time‐scales, dependent on contractile parameters. Important features such as force generation and increasing cell stiffness due to prestress are qualitatively predicted. The work in this paper can easily be extended to encompass other filament‐based cytoskeletal models as well. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Nucleotide-Independent Copper(II)-Based Distance Measurements in DNA by Pulsed ESR Spectroscopy.

A site-specific Cu2+ binding motif within a DNA duplex for distance measurements by ESR spectroscopy is reported. This motif utilizes a commercially available 2,2'-dipicolylamine (DPA) phosphormadite easily incorporated into any DNA oligonucleotide during initial DNA synthesis. The method only requires the simple post-synthetic addition of Cu2+ without the need for further chemical modification. Notably, the label is positioned within the DNA duplex, as opposed to outside the helical perimeter, for an accurate measurement of duplex distance. A distance of 2.7 nm was measured on a doubly Cu2+ -labeled DNA sequence, which is in exact agreement with the expected distance from both DNA modeling and molecular dynamic simulations. This result suggests that with this labeling strategy the ESR measured distance directly reports on backbone DNA distance, without the need for further modeling. Furthermore, the labeling strategy is structure- and nucleotide-independent.
XEBRA: XEn Based Remote Attestation

Modern computing environments are increasingly getting distributed with one machine executing programs on the other remotely. Often, multiple machines work together to complete a task. Its important for collaborating machines to trust each other in order to perform properly. Such scenarios have brought up a key security issue of trustably and securely executing critical code on remote machines. We present a purely software based remote attestation technique XEBRA(XEn Based Remote Attestation) that guarantees the execution of correct code on a remote host, termed as remote attestation. XEBRA can be used to establish dynamic root of trust in a remote computing device using virtualization. We also show our approach to be feasible on embedded platforms by implementing it on an Intel Galileo board.