Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Assessment of Singer Traits in Popular Music: Gender, Age, Height and Race

We investigate fully automatic recognition of singer traits, i. e. , gender, age, height and ‘race’ of the main performing artist(s) in recorded popular music. Monaural source separation techniques are combined to simultaneously enhance harmonic parts and extract the leading voice. For evaluation the UltraStar database of 581 pop music songs with 516 distinct singers is chosen. Extensive test runs with Long Short-Term Memory sequence classification reveal that binary classification of gender, height, race and age reaches up to 89.6, 72.1, 63.3 and 57.6 % unweighted accuracy on beat level in unseen test data.
Automatic Annotation and Manual Evaluation of the Diachronic German Corpus TüBa-D/DC

This paper presents the TuÌbingen Baumbank des Deutschen Diachron (TuÌBa-D/DC), a linguistically annotated corpus of selected diachronic materials from the German Gutenberg Project. It was automatically annotated by a suite of NLP tools integrated into WebLicht, the linguistic chaining tool used in CLARIN-D. The annotation quality has been evaluated manually for a subcorpus ranging from Middle High German to Modern High German. The integration of the TuÌBa-D/DC into the CLARIN-D infrastructure includes metadata provision and harvesting as well as sustainable data storage in the TuÌbingen CLARIN-D center. The paper further provides an overview of the possibilities of accessing the TuÌBa-D/DC data. Methods for full-text search of the metadata and object data and for annotation-based search of the object data are described in detail. The WebLicht Service Oriented Architecture is used as an integrated environment for annotation based search of the TuÌBa-D/DC. WebLicht thus not only serves as the annotation platform for the TuÌBa-D/DC, but also as a generic user interface for accessing and visualizing it.
Adolescents and young players of MMORPG games: virtual communities as a form of social group

The subject of this research was the playing of online games, so-called MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). MMORPG are usually virtual fantasy worlds in which many of the players spend a large portion of their time and a tendency for addiction appears to be quite large for this type of games. Players from our sample spend an average of 27 hours weekly in these games, 13.5% of players however note 50 or more hours weekly in the game, corresponding to about 7 hours of gameplay per day. Our research sample consists of 548 participants (352 from Europe, 181 from North America and 14 from other parts of the world). Players were addressed in forums designated for games "World of Warcraft" and "Everquest" and were asked to fill in a questionnaire found on the web page. The age of players varied between 12 and 55 years, here we are concerned mainly with adolescents (12 - 19 years of age) and young adults (20 - 27 years of age), but we also show a general age comparison of adolescents, young players and adults. 85% of players in our sample are men. In this article we described the answers of MMORPG players related to belonging to a virtual community of players and comparison of groups in the real and virtual world. 66% of players aged 12 - 19 years agree that they experience a feeling of belonging somewhere in the game, 55% of players experience a feeling of their own importance in the game. 36% of players in this age even state that they feel better in this virtual group than in real-world groups. We show that the experience of belonging in a community of MMORPG players is most notable for adolescents, adolescent players also most often prefer a virtual gaming group to real-world groups. The most important factor of preference of virtual gaming communities is the player's absence of a partner (romantic relationship). We have also uncovered a relationship between the preference of virtual groups to real-world ones and the tendency for addiction to the game. A weak relationship can also be found between the tendency for addiction to the game and feelings of belonging to a virtual group. Adolescents are thus proving to be the most threatened by MMORPG addiction, since they most often have no romantic relationship and also have a higher tendency of preferring virtual worlds to the real one.
Packet loss ratio evaluation of the impact of interference on zigbee network caused by Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b/g) in e-health environment

Wireless technologies are well known to provide tremendous benefits to the healthcare sector. In the evaluation of the wireless technologies, ZigBee is found specifically suitable for monitoring due to its low cost, long battery life and widely accepted standard. But ZigBee uses the same ISM free band with other wireless techniques, such as Wi-Fi, which is also widely deployed in health care. The coexistence of these techniques in the crowded ISM band will cause mutual interference, which in medical environment has death indication. This paper aims at providing a comprehensive evaluation of the interference between Wi-Fi and ZigBee technologies. Constructing on earlier work led by researchers in Schneider Electric [2], real-time tests were performed in research laboratory and residential environment and results were analyzed to provide a reference for the deployment of multiple wireless technologies to avoid mutual interference.
Trichomonas vaginalis virulence factors: an integrative overview

The elusive nature of Trichomonas vaginalis, the most common, non-viral, sexually transmitted pathogen has hampered our knowledge of its significance for human health for over 150 years. The combination of epidemiology, molecular cell biology, immunology and more recently genomics and other allied omics data, are all contributing at shedding new light onto what is increasingly recognised as a significant human pathogen leading to important health sequelae due to multifaceted interactions with its human host, the human microbiota, bacterial pathogens and viruses. The integrations of these various data are contributing in important ways to refining our understanding of the parasite pathobiology and virulent factors. Indeed, it is increasingly recognised that to rationalise the development of effective prophylactic and therapeutic treatments for human pathogens it is important to integrate the broadest possible spectrum of human-microbial-parasite-virus interactions in relation to qualitative and quantitative variations in the human innate and adaptive defence responses. This short review aims at providing an integrative overview of T vaginalis virulent factors by taking into account the importance of the human-microbiota-parasite-virus interplay in human health. It also highlights selected cellular characteristics of the parasite often overlooked in the biological and medical literature.
Does Background Music Impact Computer Task Performance

Summary: The effects of music on performance on a computer-mediated problem-solving task were examined. Participants completed the task in anonymous dyads as they were exposed to either Classical music, Punk music, or No Music. Results indicate that those in the Classical music condition performed better on the problem solving-task than those in the Punk music or No Music conditions. However, those listening to the Classical music offered more off-task comments during the task than those listening to No Music. Implications for website designers are discussed.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN WORK-FAMILY ROLES -CONFLICT AND SOCIAL SUPPORT

The objective of this paper is to examine the gender differences, if any, in various roles, the work environment, work-to-family conflict, types of strain, and social supports among employed parents with school going children belonging to the upper socio-economic status in urban India. Data was collected from employees working full time (N = 208) and belonging to dual-career families in Gulbarga. Survey method was used to collect data. Regarding commitment to various roles, only occupational role commitment was statistically significant but not marital role commitment, homemaker role commitment or parental role commitment. Regarding work environment, there was a significant difference between men and women in job variety but not in job complexity and work schedule flexibility. Of the various work-to-family conflict variables, there was a significant difference between men and women in work-to-parent conflict and energy-based strain but not in work-spouse conflict, work-leisure conflict or work-homemaker conflict. In general, employed parents in urban settings find it very challenging to balance their occupational and parental responsibilities. In this study, research participants were from the upper socio-economic strata with considerable resources at their disposal as compared to those from lower socio-economic strata. Men reported significantly more support than women in supervisor support, coworker support and extended family support in managing work and family responsibilities.
Strengthening Customer Loyalty through Intimacy and Passion: Roles of Customer–Firm Affection and Customer–Staff Relationships in Services

This study extends the existing satisfaction–trust–loyalty paradigm to investigate how customers’ affectionate ties with firms (customer–firm affection)—in particular, the components of intimacy and passion—affect customer loyalty in services. In a bilevel model, the authors consider customer–staff and customer–firm interactions in parallel. Through a netnography study and survey research in two service contexts, they confirm (1) the salience of intimacy and passion as two underrecognized components of customer–firm affection that influence customer loyalty, (2) the complementary and mediating role of customer–firm affection in strengthening customer loyalty, (3) significant affect transfers from the customer–staff to the customer–firm level, and (4) the dilemma that emerges when customer–staff relationships are too close. The findings provide several implications for researchers and managers regarding how intimacy and passion can enrich customer service interactions and how to manage customer–staff relationships properly.
Activating mutations of the stimulatory g protein in juvenile ovarian granulosa cell tumors: a new prognostic factor?

CONTEXT Conflicting data have been reported regarding the presence of a constitutive activation of Galphas in ovarian granulosa cell tumors (OGCTs). Although the precise role of this mutation in the transformation of ovarian cells into malignant cells remains debatable, it has been demonstrated in other tissues that the rate of cell proliferation and invasiveness can be influenced by the gsp oncogene. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether activating mutations of Galphas or Galphai are present in juvenile OGCTs and, if so, whether these mutations are significant prognostic factors. DESIGN AND SETTING This was a multicentric nationwide study. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty children with juvenile OGCT were included from the malignant germinal tumor protocol of the French Society for Childhood Cancer. Genetic studies of the tumoral DNA used nested PCR, laser microdissection, and direct sequencing. RESULTS Galphas-activating mutations in hot spot position 201 were found in nine patients (30%). Laser microdissection confirmed that mutations R201C and R201H were exclusively localized in the tumoral granulosa cells and were absent in the ovarian stroma. Patients with a hyperactivated Galphas exhibited a significantly more advanced tumor (P < 0.05) because seven of them (77.7%) were staged as Ic or had had a recurrence. Galphai did not exhibit any mutation. CONCLUSIONS Activating mutations of Galphas are present in 30% of juvenile OGCTs. The gsp oncogene, which is known to be implicated in cell proliferation and tumoral invasiveness, can be considered as a new prognostic factor of these tumors.
Automated parcellation on the surface of human cerebral cortex generated from MR images

The human cerebral cortex is a highly foliated structure that supports the complex cognitive abilities of humans. The cortex is divided by its cytoarchitectural characteristics that can be approximated by the folding pattern of the cortex. Psychiatric and neurological diseases, such as Huntington’s disease or schizophrenias, are often related with structural changes in the cerebral cortex. Detecting structural changes in different regions of cerebral cortex can provide insight into disease biology, progression and response to treatment. The delineation of anatomical regions on the cerebral cortex is time intensive if performed manually, therefore automated methods are needed to perform this delineation. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is commonly used to explore the structural change in patients with psychiatric and neurological diseases. This dissertation proposes a fast and reliable method to automatically parcellate the cortical surface generated from MR images. A fully automated pipeline has been built to process MR images and generate cortical surfaces associated with parcellation labels. First, genus zero cortical surfaces for each hemisphere of a subject are generated from MR images. The surface is generated at the parametric boundary between gray matter and white matter. Geometry features are calculated for each cortical surface to as scalar values to drive a multi-resolution spherical registration that can align two cortical surfaces together in the spherical domain. Then, the labels on a subject’s cortical surface are evaluated by registering a subject’s cortical sur-
"There's no place for lulz on LOLCats": The role of genre, gender, and group identity in the interpretation and enjoyment of an Internet meme

Internet memes are an increasingly widespread form of vernacular communication. This paper uses LOLCats, one of the most popular and enduring Internet memes, as a case study for exploring some of the social and cultural forces that contribute to memes’ popularity, both individually and as a whole. A qualitative audience study of 36 LOLCat enthusiasts indicates that individual memes can be used by multiple (and vastly different) groups for identity work as well as in–group boundary establishment and policing. This study also shows that as memes travel from subculture to the mainstream, they can be sites of contestation and conflict amongst different stakeholders looking to legitimize their claim to the canonical form.
Lifelong Exposure to Multilingualism: New Evidence to Support Cognitive Reserve Hypothesis

Objective Investigate the protective effect of multilingualism on cognition in seniors. Methods As part of the MemoVie study conducted on 232 non-demented volunteers aged 65 and more, neurogeriatric and neuropsychological evaluations were performed. Participants were classified as presenting either cognitive impairment without dementia (CIND) or being free of any cognitive impairment (CIND-free). Language practices, socio-demographic data and lifestyle habits were recorded. In this retrospective nested case-control design, we used as proxies of multilingualism: number of languages practiced, age of acquisition and duration of practice, emphasizing the temporal pattern of acquisition, and the resulting practice of several languages sequentially or concomitantly during various periods of life. This special angle on the matter offered to our work a dimension particularly original and innovative. Results 44 subjects (19%) had CIND, the others were cognitively normal. All practiced from 2 to 7 languages. When compared with bilinguals, participants who practiced more than 2 languages presented a lower risk of CIND, after adjustment for education and age (odds ratio (OR) = 0.30, 95% confidence limits (95%CL) = [0.10–0.92]). Progressing from 2 to 3 languages, instead of staying bilingual, was associated with a 7-fold protection against CIND (OR = 0.14, 95%CL = [0.04–0.45], p = 0.0010). A one year delay to reach multilingualism (3 languages practiced being the threshold) multiplied the risk of CIND by 1.022 (OR = 1.022, 95%CL = [1.01–1.04], p = 0.0044). Also noteworthy, just as for multilingualism, an impact of cognitively stimulating activities on the occurrence of CIND was found as well (OR = 0.979, 95%CL = [0.961–0.998], p = 0.033). Conclusion The study did not show independence of multilingualism and CIND. Rather it seems to show a strong association toward a protection against CIND. Practicing multilingualism from early life on, and/or learning it at a fast pace is even more efficient. This protection might be related to the enhancement of cognitive reserve and brain plasticity, thereby preserving brain functions from alterations during aging.
Three Simple Claims to Predict the Future of Music Distribution

music industry is changing due to the still upcoming influence of the Internet. In the past, music was distributed in physical shops, while nowadays music is frequently bought on the Internet. But what is the ratio between physical music and digital music? And what will music distribution look like in the future? What will the business model be in the future? To find answers to the stated questions data is collected and literature about the music industry is used. A study is done among 300 young people, who were presented statements. These statements are justified with the Toulmin method. The sales of DVDs and CDs are decreasing, while the sales of digital music are increasing. A result of this research is: music is becoming digital, so companies can offer music via the Internet. There a different models to offer music. Another result of this research is: music will not become free, according to the data and the literature, while the price for a song or an album is decreasing. The last observation of this research is: streaming services will become popular. YouTube is very popular according to the data. Keywordsmusic, music distribution, Toulmin, prediction
OpenProp: An Open-source Design Tool for Propellers and Turbines

An open-sourced computational tool for the design and analysis of optimized propellers and turbines is presented. The design tool, called OpenProp, is based on well-proven vortex lattice lifting line methods utilized by the US Navy as well as commercial designers. This paper presents the methodology and numerical implementation of OpenProp, with multiple examples of designs, including actual parts fabricated from the code using 3D printing technology.
Discriminative dictionary pair learning from partially labeled data

While conventional synthesis dictionary learning approaches have demonstrated tremendous success in various pattern recognition problems, the dictionary pair learning, i.e., jointly learning an analysis dictionary and a synthesis dictionary is still an open problem. Furthermore, the performance of traditional supervised dictionary learning methods is often limited by the amount of labeled training data. In this paper, we propose a novel dictionary pair learning model by utilizing both labeled and unlabeled data for analysis-synthesis dictionary training. In the dictionary learning phase, we integrate the unlabeled samples, whose labels are predicted through an entropy-based method, into their associated classes to increase the amount of the `labeled' data. This strategy promotes the discrimination power of both analysis dictionary and synthesis dictionary. Experimental evaluations on publicly available datasets demonstrate the usefulness of semi-supervised strategy and the effectiveness of the proposed method, especially in the case of limited number of the labeled samples.
Human resource strategy to improve organizational performance: a route for firms in Britain?

Performance, in the context of organization, is not only a broad concept which has been used synonymously with productivity, efficiency, effectiveness and, more recently competitiveness, it has also been a subject of study for social scientists from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. More recently, efforts have been made by human resource management (HRM) theorists to try to establish a causal link between HRM and performance. This has led to a growing number of studies which examine the potential contribution that good human resource policy can make to improving organizational performance. This paper is not concerned with the conceptual debate of HRM and performance. Rather, it explores whether adopting good HR practices to improve performance is a practicable approach to organizations in the UK. Drawing on existing empirical evidence from other studies, the paper reviews the strategies British firms deploy to improve labour productivity. In particular, the issue of whether they use the 'high-road' HRM or 'low-road' HRM strategy to enhance performance is investigated. This paper concludes by suggesting that high-road HRM may lead to better organizational performance, but it may not be a strategy that firms opt for, given the historical, social and institutional context of employment relationships in Britain.
A circuit-software co-design approach for improving EDP in reconfigurable frameworks

Use of two-dimensional memory array for lookup table (LUT) based reconfigurable computing frameworks has been proposed earlier for improvement in performance and energy-delay product (EDP). In this paper, we propose an integrated solution for achieving significantly higher EDP in these frameworks by leveraging on the read-dominant memory access pattern. First, we propose to employ an asymmetric memory cell design, which provides higher read performance (~2X) and lower read power (~1.6X) in order to improve the overall EDP during operation. Exploiting the fact that the proposed memory cell provides better read power/performance for cells storing logic `0', next we propose a content-aware application mapping approach, which tries to maximize the logic `0' content in the LUTs. We show that the joint circuit and application mapping level optimization approach provides significant improvement in system EDP for a set of benchmark circuits.
Determinants of incident vulvovaginal candidiasis in human immunodeficiency virus-positive women.

OBJECTIVE: Mucosal infections including vulvovaginal candidiasis are a common problem for women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Our objective was to determine which factors predict the development of symptomatic disease among HIV-infected women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective study from 1991 to 1995, 205 HIV-positive women were evaluated every 6 months for occurrences of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Included in the study were all initially asymptomatic women, whether they were fungal-culture-positive or -negative at baseline. Excluded from the study were all women with symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis at the initial visit, those who developed trichomonas vaginitis at any visit, and those who used any antifungal agents. RESULTS: The risk of the development of vulvovaginal candidiasis did not differ between women who were asymptomatically colonized at baseline and those who were fungal-culture-negative. However, the risk of developing vulvovaginal candidiasis was increased 6.8 times for women with CD4 counts less than 200 cells/mm3 at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Fungal culture is not predictive of the development of symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis. Women infected with HIV who have CD4 counts below 200 cells/mm3 should be monitored more carefully for vulvovaginal candidiasis.