Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A self-similarity approach to repairing large dropouts of streamed music

Enjoyment of audio has now become about flexibility and personal freedom. Digital audio content can be acquired from many sources and wireless networking allows digital media devices and associated peripherals to be unencumbered by wires. However, despite recent improvements in capacity and quality of service, wireless networks are inherently unreliable communications channels for the streaming of audio, being susceptible to the effects of range, interference, and occlusion. This time-varying reliability of wireless audio transfer introduces data corruption and loss, with unpleasant audible effects that can be profound and prolonged in duration. Traditional communications techniques for error mitigation perform poorly and in a bandwidth inefficient manner in the presence of such large-scale defects in a digital audio stream. A novel solution that can complement existing techniques takes account of the semantics and natural repetition of music. Through the use of self-similarity metadata, missing or damaged audio segments can be seamlessly replaced with similar undamaged segments that have already been successfully received. We propose a technology to generate relevant self-similarity metadata for arbitrary audio material and to utilize this metadata within a wireless audio receiver to provide sophisticated and real-time correction of large-scale errors. The primary objectives are to match the current section of a song being received with previous sections while identifying incomplete sections and determining replacements based on previously received portions of the song. This article outlines our approach to Forward Error Correction (FEC) technology that is used to “repair” a bursty dropout when listening to time-dependent media on a wireless network. Using self-similarity analysis on a music file, we can “automatically” repair the dropout with a similar portion of the music already received thereby minimizing a listener's discomfort.
Information technology in anaesthesia and critical care

The use of information technology (IT) in clinical practice can have clear benefits through structuring actions, reducing medication errors, providing ready access to evidence-based clinical information, improving communication and presentation of data, and enabling patientcentred decision support. As IT systems become more sophisticated and established, both doctors’ performance and patient safety can be improved. Anaesthesia and critical care are specialities inherently involved in new technologies and have evolved with developments in IT. Most anaesthetists, however, are still using paper anaesthetic records, and leafing through large paper bedside charts and folders is still commonplace in critical care. The NHS recommended the widespread adoption of electronic health-care records in its 1998 Information for Health strategy, and in 2008, the Department of Health Health Informatics Review set out a vision whereby efficient IT systems such as electronic records and point-of-care access to clinical information allow better, safer care and promote quality. The use of computers in hospitals is not new, with some systems already established such as those for administrative use (Patient Administration Systems, PAS) and digital imaging (Picture Archiving and Communication System, PACS); however, bespoke systems for use in anaesthesia and critical care are less common.
Vehicular safety critical communications: a case study for unsupervised LTE D2D

This research report explores the recent 3GPP LTE D2D rel. 14 Radio Resource Management specification to identify the challenges and evaluate the potentials of Unsupervised LTE D2D (mode 2) for Safety-critical V2X Communications. It also proposes two distributed resource allocation strategies for unlicensed band access. Complementary to DSRC/ITS-G5, Unsupervised LTE D2D is an opportunity to provide redundancy for ultra-reliable systems, such as safety-critical V2X communications.
A Combined NMR-Computational Study of the Interaction between Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin and Sialic Derivatives from Human and Avian Receptors on the Surface of Transfected Cells

The development of small-molecule inhibitors of influenza virus Hemagglutinin could be relevant to the opposition of the diffusion of new pandemic viruses. In this work, we made use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study the interaction between two derivatives of sialic acid, Neu5Ac-α-(2,6)-Gal-β-(1–4)-GlcNAc and Neu5Ac-α-(2,3)-Gal-β-(1–4)-GlcNAc, and hemagglutinin directly expressed on the surface of recombinant human cells. We analyzed the interaction of these trisaccharides with 293T cells transfected with the H5 and H1 variants of hemagglutinin, which thus retain their native trimeric conformation in such a realistic environment. By exploiting the magnetization transfer between the protein and the ligand, we obtained evidence of the binding event, and identified the epitope. We analyzed the conformational features of the glycans with an approach combining NMR spectroscopy and data-driven molecular dynamics simulations, thus obtaining useful information for an efficient drug design.
The analysis of sleep stages with motion and heart rate signals from a handheld wearable device

Many commercial wearable devices are adapted the sleep monitoring system using wrist actigraphy. The performance of this system is fairly acceptable but it does not provide enough information for diagnosis of sleep. Therefore, we analyze the sleep stages with heart rate variability in addition to actigraphy-based sleep scoring algorithm in this study. The analysis is only conducted when there is a `wake' stage detected in the actigraphy-based sleep scoring algorithm in order to save computation time and battery consumption. The experimental result gives enough evidence that heart rate and motion signals on the developed handheld device can provide quantitative information of sleep.
Risk of post-pregnancy hypertension in women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: nationwide cohort study

Objectives To determine how soon after delivery the risk of post-pregnancy hypertension increases in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and how the risk evolves over time. Design Nationwide register based cohort study. Setting Denmark. Populations 482 972 primiparous women with a first live birth or stillbirth between 1995 and 2012 (cumulative incidence analyses), and 1 025 118 women with at least one live birth or stillbirth between 1978 and 2012 (Cox regression analyses). Main outcome measures 10 year cumulative incidences of post-pregnancy hypertension requiring treatment with prescription drugs, and hazard ratios estimated using Cox regression. Results Of women with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy in a first pregnancy in their 20s, 14% developed hypertension in the first decade post partum, compared with 4% of women with normotensive first pregnancies in their 20s. The corresponding percentages for women with a first pregnancy in their 40s were 32% and 11%, respectively. In the year after delivery, women with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy had 12-fold to 25-fold higher rates of hypertension than did women with a normotensive pregnancy. Rates in women with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy were threefold to 10-fold higher 1-10 years post partum and remained twice as high even 20 or more years later. Conclusions The risk of hypertension associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is high immediately after an affected pregnancy and persists for more than 20 years. Up to one third of women with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy may develop hypertension within a decade of an affected pregnancy, indicating that cardiovascular disease prevention in these women should include blood pressure monitoring initiated soon after pregnancy.
Android - Collusion Conspiracy

We describe, analyze and demonstrate how a set of Android apps can, when working together, circumvent the current Android security model. The problem is that a set of colluding apps may be able to perform actions beyond the limitations set by the OS. These capabilities can easily go unnoticed because only individual app’s permissions are shown. We demonstrate the scale of the problem based on analyzing permissions of prevalent apps. Colluding apps create a problem for both users’ privacy and security; we demonstrate examples of colluding app sets: one leaking sensitive user data and a “distributed botnet”. Finally, we discuss solutions to the problem.
Abstract P407: Associations between Red Meat Intake and Biomarkers of Inflammation and Glucose Metabolism in Women

Background: Greater red meat intake is associated with increased type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk (CVD). Recently, inclusion of lean red meat in a heart-healthy diet to reduce CVD risk was suggested based on short-term controlled feeding trial evidence, indicating that varying amounts of lean red meat intakes had similar effects on a lipid profile. However, the fat content of red meat may not be solely responsible for the adverse effects of red meat contributing to progression of metabolic abnormalities. Other components and mediating pathways including obesity-related inflammation and insulin resistance may be involved. We hypothesized that greater red meat intake would be associated with biomarkers of inflammation and glucose metabolism and that these potential associations would be partly explained by body mass index (BMI). Design: We analyzed data from diabetes-free female participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (n=3690). Multiple linear regression was conducted to assess the associations of total, unprocessed and processed red meat intakes (quartile categories) with plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, adiponectin, fasting insulin, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The contribution of BMI on the associations between red meat intake and biomarkers was evaluated using publicly available SAS macro. The effect of substituting a serving of red meat with a serving of another major protein food source was estimated. Results: Greater total, unprocessed and processed red meat consumptions were associated with higher plasma CRP, ferritin, fasting insulin, and HbA1c and lower adiponectin after adjustment for demographic information (all p for trend ≤0.03). Adiponectin was not associated with any types of red meat intake when further adjusted for medical and lifestyle factors. After adjustment for BMI, most of these associations with inflammatory and glucose metabolic biomarkers were substantially attenuated and no longer significant. BMI accounted for a statistically significant proportion of associations with CRP, HbA1c, and fasting insulin (all p for contribution ≤0.02), but not with ferritin. Substituting a serving of total red meat intake with alternative protein food in a combination of poultry, fish, legumes and nuts was associated with significantly lower CRP (β±SE: -0.106±0.043), ferritin (-0.212±0.075), HbA1c (-0.052±0.015), and fasting insulin (-0.0119±0.036)(all p≤0.02 for comparing extreme quartiles). Conclusions: Greater red meat intake is associated with unfavorable plasma concentrations of inflammatory and glucose metabolic biomarkers in diabetes-free women. BMI accounts for a significant proportion of the associations with these biomarkers, except for ferritin. Substituting red meat with another protein food is associated with a healthier biomarker profile of inflammatory and glucose metabolism.
Auditory Scene Analysis and the Perception of Sound Mass in Ligeti’s Continuum

Sound mass has been an influential trend in music since the 1950’s and yet many questions about its perception remain unanswered. Approaching sound mass from the perspective of auditory scene analysis, we define it as a type of auditory grouping that retains an impression of multiplicity even as it is perceived as a perceptual unit. Sound mass requires all markers of the individual identities of sounds to be deemphasized to prevent them from splitting off into separate streams. Seeking to determine how consistent listeners are in their perception of sound mass, and whether it is possible to determine sound parameters and threshold values that predict sound mass perception, we conducted two perceptual studies on Ligeti’s Continuum . This piece consists of an extremely rapid, steady stream of eighth-note dyads with no tempo changes. We addressed the claim by Ligeti and others that the fusion into a continuous texture or sound mass occurs at ca. 20 attacks/s, hypothesizing that other factors such as pitch organization, emergent rhythm, timbre, and register would affect this value. A variety of factors were found to affect sound mass perception, suggesting that the threshold value is not absolute but varies according to principles of auditory scene analysis.
Attention and awareness each influence amygdala activity for dynamic bodily expressions—a short review

The amygdala (AMG) has long been viewed as the gateway to sensory processing of emotions and is also known to play an important role at the interface between cognition and emotion. However, the debate continues on whether AMG activation is independent of attentional demands. Recently, researchers started exploring AMG functions using dynamic stimuli rather than the traditional pictures of facial expressions. Our present goal is to review some recent studies using dynamic stimuli to investigate AMG activation and discuss the impact of different viewing conditions, including oddball detection, explicit or implicit recognition, variable cognitive task load, and non-conscious perception. In the second part, we sketch a dynamic dual route perspective of affective perception and discuss the implications for AMG activity. We sketch a dynamic dual route perspective of affective perception. We argue that this allows for multiple AMG involvement in separate networks and at different times in the processing streams. Attention has a different impact on these separate but interacting networks. Route I is engaged in early emotion processing, is partly supported by AMG activity, and is possibly independent of attention, whereas activity related to late emotion processing is influenced by attention. Route II is a cortical-based network that underlies body recognition and action representation. The end result of route I and II is reflexive and voluntary behavior, respectively. We conclude that using dynamic emotion stimuli and a dynamic dual route model of affective perception can provide new insights into the varieties of AMG activation.
Correlates of seed size variation: A comparison among five temperate floras

1 Five temperate floras were studied to assess to what extent seed size correlations with other plant attributes are consistent across floras. The floras were from three continents: Australia (semiarid woodlands of western New South Wales, arid woodlands of Central Australia, and the Sydney region), North America (Indiana Dunes) and Europe (Sheffield region, UK). The plant attributes used were growth form, plant height, perenniality and dispersal mode. We used general linear models to consider not only the primary correlations between seed size and each other attribute, but also the overlap patterns among correlations to determine if each correlation could be interpreted as a secondary effect via a third variable. 2 Plant height and growth form were consistently correlated with the largest proportion of log seed mass variation (up to 37% in Central Australia). Although there was strong overlap in the amount of log seed mass variation explained by the two attributes (6-22%), each could explain small but significant variation after the other in all floras. The strong association between growth form/plant height and seed size was found not only among unassisted and wind-adapted species, but also among species dispersed by other means. 3 In all floras, dispersal mode was also able to account for significant variation in log seed mass independently of growth form and plant height. The association between plant perenniality and seed size could be explained as a secondary correlation of growth form and plant height with both seed size and perenniality. 4 There were significant differences in log seed mass among the five floras. However, seed size ranged over at least five orders of magnitude in each flora. Differences between floras could account for relatively little (4%) of the variation in seed size between species, compared to the attributes growth form (20%), plant height (20%) and dispersal mode (29%), despite the quite different soils and climates of the five floras. This suggests that seed size is more strongly associated with other plant attributes than with the environmental conditions for establishment. It appears that within any one community, plants have found a diversity of possible solutions to the problems of seedling establishment, resulting in a wide range of log seed mass.
Had1 Is Required for Cell Wall Integrity and Fungal Virulence in Cryptococcus neoformans

Calcineurin modulates environmental stress survival and virulence of the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Previously, we identified 44 putative calcineurin substrates, and proposed that the calcineurin pathway is branched to regulate targets including Crz1, Pbp1, and Puf4 in C. neoformans. In this study, we characterized Had1, which is one of the putative calcineurin substrates belonging to the ubiquitously conserved haloacid dehalogenase β-phosphoglucomutase protein superfamily. Growth of the had1∆ mutant was found to be compromised at 38° or higher. In addition, the had1∆ mutant exhibited increased sensitivity to cell wall perturbing agents, including Congo Red and Calcofluor White, and to an endoplasmic reticulum stress inducer dithiothreitol. Virulence studies revealed that the had1 mutation results in attenuated virulence compared to the wild-type strain in a murine inhalation infection model. Genetic epistasis analysis revealed that Had1 and the zinc finger transcription factor Crz1 play roles in parallel pathways that orchestrate stress survival and fungal virulence. Overall, our results demonstrate that Had1 is a key regulator of thermotolerance, cell wall integrity, and virulence of C. neoformans.
Effect of Thermal Embryonic Manipulation on the Quality of Male and Female Broiler Meat Submitted to Thermal Stress Pre-Slaughter

Adverse environmental conditions during rearing may negatively affect productivity and meat quality of the modern fast-growing broiler strains. Temperature manipulation during sensitive embryonic development periods may affect broilers' physiological responses to environmental conditions during rearing on commercial farms. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of temperature manipulation during incubation and breeder age on the meat quality of male and female broilers submitted to heat stress during the pre-slaughter period. In this experiment, 1280 broiler chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design in a 2x2x2 factorial arrangement. Treatments consisted of two breeder ages (30 and 60 weeks), two temperature programs applied in the last four days of incubation (standard or high temperature), and sex (male and female). Birds were submitted to 32 °C for 48 hours before slaughter, on day 46.Meat quality parameters (pH, temperature, color, and weight loss) were evaluated. There was significant effect (p<0.05) of sex on meat redness (a*) and fat percentage, with females presenting higher values than males in both measurements. Males incubated at the higher temperature presented higher (p<0.05) meat weight loss by pressure than females. The thermal manipulation applied during the final stage of incubation did not affect the meat yield or meat quality of broilers submitted to heat stress.
Particle simulation of hydraulic fracture and sustainable geothermal reservoir fluid flow : towards realisation of a new green energy industry

Realising the potential of geothermal energy as a cheap, green, sustainable resource to provide for the planet’s future energy will demand that a key geophysical problem be solved first: how to develop and maintain a network of multiple fluid flow pathways for the time required to deplete the heat within a given region. Without this pre-requisite, the enormous investment in research wells and networks of exploitation wells, establishment of above-ground infrastructure, and applied research for efficient stream-driven power plants would simply be wasted. In this paper, we propose that the key breakthroughs can be achieved by constructing a suitable micro-scale particle-based numerical model. Such a model will enable development of fracture systems to be simulated in discontinuous media, and studies to be conducted of the granular dynamics, elastic stress release, and grinding that occurs as fluid-injected joint surfaces slip; the consequent frictional heat generation and heat flow within the hot rocks; the heat exchange between the hot rocks and water within flow pathways; hydraulic fracturing; and fluid flow through complex, narrow, compact and gougeor powder-filled fracture and joint systems. We propose further developing and applying the Lattice Solid Model for this purpose. Here, we focus on demonstrating the ability of this computational model to simulate the listed fundamental processes, which are all components of the geophysical problem that is crucial for realising this new green energy resource.
The role of language in the experience and perception of emotion: a neuroimaging meta-analysis

Abstract Recent behavioral and neuroimaging studies demonstrate that labeling one’s emotional experiences and perceptions alters those states. Here, we used a comprehensive meta-analysis of the neuroimaging literature to systematically explore whether the presence of emotion words in experimental tasks has an impact on the neural representation of emotional experiences and perceptions across studies. Using a database of 386 studies, we assessed brain activity when emotion words (e.g. ‘anger’, ‘disgust’) and more general affect words (e.g. ‘pleasant’, ‘unpleasant’) were present in experimental tasks vs not present. As predicted, when emotion words were present, we observed more frequent activations in regions related to semantic processing. When emotion words were not present, we observed more frequent activations in the amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus, bilaterally. The presence of affect words did not have the same effect on the neural representation of emotional experiences and perceptions, suggesting that our observed effects are specific to emotion words. These findings are consistent with the psychological constructionist prediction that in the absence of accessible emotion concepts, the meaning of affective experiences and perceptions are ambiguous. Findings are also consistent with the regulatory role of ‘affect labeling’. Implications of the role of language in emotion construction and regulation are discussed.
Regression Discontinuity Designs

The regression discontinuity (RD) design is one of the most widely used nonexperimental methods for causal inference and program evaluation. Over the last two decades, statistical and econometric methods for RD analysis have expanded and matured, and there is now a large number of methodological results for RD identification, estimation, inference, and validation. We offer a curated review of this methodological literature organized around the two most popular frameworks for the analysis and interpretation of RD designs: the continuity framework and the local randomization framework. For each framework, we discuss three main topics: ( a) designs and parameters, focusing on different types of RD settings and treatment effects of interest; ( b) estimation and inference, presenting the most popular methods based on local polynomial regression and methods for the analysis of experiments, as well as refinements, extensions, and alternatives; and ( c) validation and falsification, summarizing an array of mostly empirical approaches to support the validity of RD designs in practice.