Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the benefits of discretization of acoustic features for speech emotion recognition

Abstract We present a contribution to the Open Performance sub-challenge of the INTERSPEECH 2009 Emotion Challenge. Weevaluate the feature extraction and classiﬁer of EmoVoice, ourframework for real-time emotion recognition from voice on thechallenge database and achieve competitive results. Further-more, we explore the beneﬁts of discretizing numeric acousticfeatures and ﬁnd it beneﬁcial in a multi-class task.Index Terms: speech emotion recognition, discretization offeatures 1. Introduction Emotion recognition from speech has made considerable ad-vances in the last years. The number of research studies ofemotional speech databases has grown, and also ﬁrst applica-tions and prototypes have been developed [1, 2]. There arelarge EU projects (e.g. Callas 1 and Semaine 2 ) that push real-time emotion recognition. The real-time recognition of emo-tion in speech is also our goal, for which we have developedEmoVoice, our framework for real-time emotion recognitionfrom voice [3], that has already been integrated in a numberof prototypes and showcases. However, real-time processingsometimes requires to accept lower recognition accuracies com-pared to offline research systems. In this contribution to theOpen Performance subchallenge of the INTERSPEECH 2009Emotion Challenge we evaluate our methodology to assess if itis competitive. Since our main focus lies on the acoustic fea-tures, we also explore here whether a discretization of numericacoustic features can make the classiﬁcation problem easier.Though being promising, discretization has not been investi-gated extensively so far. For instance, Casale and colleagues [4]achieve an improvement by feature discretization on two smalldatabases with acted emotions. Here, we study the effects ofdiscretization on a large database with spontaneous emotionssuch as the Challenge database.The rest of this paper is organized as follows: ﬁrst, webrieﬂy characterize the challenge database. Next we present ourmethodology to speech emotion recognition, which includesfeature extraction, feature selection and classiﬁcation. After-wards, we present and discuss our results on the database withtwo pre-processing strategies.
CHARACTERIZING THE SOLUTION PATH OF MULTICATEGORY SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES

An algorithm for tting the entire regularization path of the support vector machine (SVM) was recently proposed by Hastie et al. (2004). It allows eectiv e computation of solutions and greatly facilitates the choice of the regular- ization parameter that balances a trade-o between complexity of a solution and its t to data. Extending the idea to more general setting of the multiclass case, we characterize the coecien t path of the multicategory SVM via the complemen- tarity conditions for optimality. The extended algorithm provides a computational shortcut to attain the entire spectrum of solutions from the most regularized to the completely overtted ones.
Borderline Personality Disorder: Disorder of Trauma or Personality, a Review of the Empirical Literature

This goal of this review was to explore empirical research examining the question of whether borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a disorder of “personality” or a disorder arising out of experiences of childhood trauma. The review highlighted the complexities in the relationship between childhood disorder (CT) and BPD and identified important implications for research and practice. Although relationships between specific trauma types and outcomes in adulthood are inconsistent, overall associations between CT and the development of BPD are strong and consistently identified. Research exploring the specific mechanisms through which CT may be related to the development of BPD in adulthood is beginning to untangle the complex web of interrelated factors such as heritable personality traits, affect regulation and dissociation, and trauma symptoms as mediators in the relationship between CT and BPD. Our strongest recommendation is for future researchers to further explore transdiagnostic factors such as the self capacity of affect regulation to further disentangle the complex pathways between CT, inherited personality traits, and the development of all forms of traumatogenic psychopathologies in adulthood.
Reactivation of Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor α Is Associated with Contractile Dysfunction in Hypertrophied Rat Heart*

In pressure overload-induced hypertrophy, the heart increases its reliance on glucose as a fuel while decreasing fatty acid oxidation. A key regulator of this substrate switching in the hypertrophied heart is peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα). We tested the hypothesis that down-regulation of PPARα is an essential component of cardiac hypertrophy at the levels of increased mass, gene expression, and metabolism by pharmacologically reactivating PPARα. Pressure overload (induced by constriction of the ascending aorta for 7 days in rats) resulted in cardiac hypertrophy, increased expression of fetal genes (atrial natriuretic factor and skeletal α-actin), decreased expression of PPARα and PPARα-regulated genes (medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4), and caused substrate switching (measured ex vivo in the isolated working heart preparation). Treatment of rats with the specific PPARα agonist WY-14,643 (8 days) did not affect the trophic response or atrial natriuretic factor induction to pressure overload. However, PPARα activation blocked skeletal α-actin induction, reversed the down-regulation of measured PPARα-regulated genes in the hypertrophied heart, and prevented substrate switching. This PPARα reactivation concomitantly resulted in severe depression of cardiac power and efficiency in the hypertrophied heart (measured ex vivo). Thus, PPARα down-regulation is essential for the maintenance of contractile function of the hypertrophied heart.
Productivity Growth and Materials Use in U.S. Manufacturing [Productivity and the Services of Capital and Labor].

This paper argues that the slowdown in labor productivity growth that has occurred since 1968 and particularly since 1973 has probably been caused by a decline in the services of capital and labor relative to the measured quantities of these inputs. There is enough suggestive evidence of a decrease in effective labor input relative to measured labor hours to attribute about one-seventh of the productivity growth decline to this source. These effects have been concentrated outside the main manufacturing and industrial sectors. The most important cause of the growth slowdown in recent years seems to be a decline in the services of capital, caused by obsolescence and by the diversion of some part of capital spending to saving energy or product conversion. According to the model in this paper, conventional estimates based on the measured capital stock overstated the rate of total factor productivity growth through the mid-1960s, and the steady-state productivity growth rate of the US economy is lower than has been thought. Thus some part of the recent productivity slow-down is simply a return to the long-run steady-state path. An implication of this paper is that investment may do more to improve productivity growth than a coventional analysismore » predicts. There is an important qualification to this conclusion. We will gain little by adding substantially to the growth rate of gross output if we add little to output net of economic depreciation. The payoff to investment will be exceptionally large provided that new capital can avoid the problem of obsolescence that slowed productivity during the past decade. 64 references, 6 tables. « less
HIVISM1: A PERVASIVE SYSTEM OF OPPRESSION

This paper, structured in three parts, argues that the negative treatment meted out to people living with HIV/AIDS by those who are HIV negative or unaware of their serostatus, constitutes oppression. The writer draws on a qualitative study that explores the perceptions and experiences of nine individuals living with HIV/AIDS. In part one the terms stigma, prejudice, discrimination and oppression are unpacked. In the second part the writer describes the research strategy used to understand the participant’s subjective experiences of prejudice and discrimination. Part three integrates the voices from the interviews together with the literature and empirical analysis. The following themes emerged: (1) Negative labels and stereotypes, (2) Unprovoked attacks on person and property, (3) Institutional discrimination and exclusion, (4) Internalised HIVism (people who accept the negative views of themselves experience feelings of guilt, shame and self-blame), and (5) Horizontal HIVism (people living with HIV/AIDS direct hostility and mistreat others who are HIV positive).
Thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in children: age-related reference ranges and correlations with standard coagulation tests.

BACKGROUND The small sample volume needed and the prompt availability of results make viscoelastic methods like rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) attractive for monitoring coagulation in small children. However, data on reference ranges for ROTEM parameters in children are scarce. METHODS Four hundred and seven children (ASA I and II) undergoing elective surgery were recruited for this prospective, two-centre, observational study. Subjects were grouped as follows: 0-3, 4-12, 13-24 months, 2-5, 6-10, and 11-16 yr. Study objectives were to establish age-dependent reference ranges for ROTEM assays, analyse age dependence of parameters, and compare ROTEM data with standard coagulation tests. RESULTS Data from 359 subjects remained for final analysis. Except for extrinsically activated clot strength and lysis, parameters for ROTEM assays were significantly different among all age groups. The most striking finding was that subjects aged 0-3 months exhibited accelerated initiation (ExTEM coagulation time: median 48 s, Q1-Q3 38-65 s; P=0.001) and propagation of coagulation (α angle: median 78(o), Q1-Q3 69-84(o); P<0.001) and maximum clot firmness (median 62 mm, Q1-Q3 54-74 mm), although standard plasma coagulation test results were prolonged (prothrombin time: median 13.2 s, Q1-Q3 12.6-13.6 s; activated partial thromboplastin time: median 42 s, Q1-Q3 40-46 s). Lysis indices of <85% were observed in nearly one-third of all children without increased bleeding tendency. Platelet count and fibrinogen levels correlated significantly with clot strength, and fibrinogen levels correlated with fibrin polymerization. CONCLUSIONS Reference ranges for ROTEM assays were determined for all paediatric age groups. These values will be helpful when monitoring paediatric patients and in studies of perioperative coagulation in children.
Failure to demonstrate a major role for Kupffer cells and radiosensitive leukocytes in immunoglobulin-mediated elimination of Trypanosoma musculi

Previous studies have indicated that elimination of parasitemia in Trypanosoma musculi infection is brought about by immunoglobulin G2a antibodies, C3, and an effector cell. Experiments were designed to identify the putative effector cell by using several approaches. Infected C5-deficient or C5-sufficient mice treated with silica particles or given 900 rads of radiation 3 days earlier effectively eliminated trypanosomes following administration of immune plasma (IP). Silica-treated, noninfected mice given T. musculi preincubated with IP also cleared the parasites. Radiolabeling studies revealed that uptake of the cleared trypanosomes by the liver in normal mice was relatively low (24%) and fell only slightly (19%) in silica-treated mice. In contrast, uptake of radiolabeled sheep erythrocytes by the liver was normally much higher (47%) and fell drastically (7%) in silica-treated mice. Mice were then immunocompromised by 900 rads of radiation, silica particles, and anti-platelet serum combined before IP-sensitized trypanosomes were given. Leukocyte and platelet counts were both reduced by 95% and sheep erythrocyte uptake by the liver fell from 77 to 5%; however, greater than 99% of the injected trypanosomes were cleared in these mice and uptake of radiolabeled trypanosomes by the liver was similar to that of normal mice. Lastly, in anesthetized mice in which Kupffer cells were excluded surgically from the circulation, greater than 99% of the IP-sensitized trypanosomes disappeared rapidly from the blood. Only 7% of the radiolabel was found in the liver versus 60% in sham-operated mice. The results are interpreted as showing that hepatic Kupffer cells play a minor role in the immune elimination of T. musculi. Likewise, radiosensitive leukocytes and platelets are unlikely to be sole candidates for the putative effector cell that mediates a cure of murine trypanosomiasis.
Influence of algorithmic parameters on marker selection in genomic datasets

The biological processes are widely studied by genome analysis leading to a large number of genes, thus making necessary the use of automated evaluation methods. In this study, we examine the influence of algorithmic parameters in the prediction power of a gene signature and in the selection process of the signature itself. We focus on one gene selection approach applied on a dataset of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, using quite different parameters and evaluate the influence on the selected signature. In particular, we adopt a recursive feature elimination process where at each step the prognostic power of the set of remaining genes is evaluated by five different classifiers, as well as by four classifier-fusions schemes. More specifically, we consider the logistic-sigmoid, kernel nearest centroid, kernel minimum squared error, kernel subspace, and support vector machines as classifiers with different parameters and/or kernel functions. We also study four fusion methods in order to reduce uncertainties related to the classifier evaluating the prognostic significance of genes. In all cases, the selection process is embedded into a cross validation scheme in order to enhance the confidence on the generalization of results. We consider the differences of signatures based on gene overlap and also the biological annotation of selected genes, using the MIPS FunCat architecture. We found out that a robust identification of a number of highly differential genes can offer “good” predictive power to the models. Furthermore, the classification accuracy achieved by mixtures of experts can be significantly better than the one of the individual classifiers. We also pointed out that different selection schemes result in a diverse size of gene signature, with differences in the selected genes. Nevertheless, when we annotate the genes of each signature we find that the same biological processes are invoked, with possibly small differences in the relative frequency of participation.
NO . 888 SOCIAL NETWORKS IN GHANA

In this chapter we examine social networks among farmers in a developing country. We use detailed data on economic activities and social interactions between people living in four study villages in Ghana. It is clear that economic development in this region is being shaped by the networks of information, capital and influence that permeate these communities. This chapter explores the determinants of these important economic networks. We first describe the patterns of information, capital, labor and land transaction connections that are apparent in these villages. We then discuss the interconnections between the various economic networks. We relate the functional economic networks to more fundamental social relationships between people in a reduced form analysis. Finally, we propose an equilibrium model of multi-dimensional network formation that can provide a foundation for further data collection and empirical research.
Classification of Reaction Patterns in Listening to Music

THIS STUDY aims to investigate the process of apprehending and comprehending music. It is undertaken in the hope of shedding more light upon the "appreciation of music. " The word appreciation in the field of music does not hold the highest repute. There may be a number of reasons contributing to such an evaluation, the prime one of which is the lack of dignity attributable to many courses in the fieldcourses which have not been too productive of a real development of "appreciation. " Back of such "hit-or-miss" pedagogical attempts, there may be found a confusion of the objectives, of the means to the objectives, and also of the schemes for determining the extent of learning. This study has occupied the writer's attention over a period of six years in the hope that a definite contribution may be made to the understanding of the nature of appreciation, an understanding which has been contributed to greatly by a number of other investigators, but which still has certain areas where adequate information has not been obtained. The appreciation of music is still a major objective of general education. It may be expected to continue so, since our society is just becoming conscious of the values of consumer education. The importance of music in American life is shown by the fact that, among the professional classes in our total population, musicians rank second in the number of people engaged. This remarkable position argues the importance of music in the American culture. This same fact also points to the consequent realization of a need of educating the consumer in music. This study attempts primarily to clarify techniques in this phase of consumer education. A review of the work of other investigators still leaves one question unanswered. What do people do when they "appreciate" music? Until we know how variously people may react to a single musical composition, we do not know how that composition may be adequately and completely taught from an appreciational viewpoint. When we apply this wide variation in reaction pattern to several musical compositions, the possibility of variability in reaction pattern increases. In fact, the problems of finding the characteristics of what people do when they "appreciate" music become greatly multiplied. This variety would be exaggerated still more by the study of the reaction patterns to both absolute and program music. Consequently this study was devised to attempt to type the reactions of people to several compositions in both classes. Some preliminary work was necessary to get some practice in our technique of investigation. The possibilities of dividing a group of people into several types of listeners as suggested by their reaction pattern to a single composition needed investigation. An evening school class of adults in music
The combined control of locomotion and prehension

This study investigated the strategies used by individuals when the locomotor and prehensile motor systems are used simultaneously. Subjects were required to perform five tasks: to walk normally, walk and pick up a small object, walk and pick up a large object, and finally pick up small and large objects from a standing position. The general organization and control of lower limb movements was largely unaffected by the introduction of reaching movements. However, arm movements were generated faster when subjects were walking (both when walking and reaching together, and walking alone), suggesting that the discrete reach is superimposed upon the normal swing of the arms during walking. Recordings of muscle activity of the upper limb confirmed this observation. The stability of gait while grasping indicates that the motor control system may be organized such that the stability of gait is maintained over variations in the control of grasping.
Under voltage load shedding for voltage stability overview of concepts and principles

Undervoltage load shedding (UVLS) has been employed in the electric utility industry as a 'safety net' measure to prevent or reduce the possibility of voltage collapse due to low-probability/high impact disturbances. This work provides an introduction to and provides an overview of the design and implementation considerations of a UVLS scheme. An overview of the power system equipment that impacts UVLS design and operation is provided. This is followed by a discussion of some UVLS fundamentals.
Pathways to participation: openings, opportunities and obligations

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has raised the profile of children's participation in the United Kingdom. Hart's ‘ladder of participation’ has been the most influential model in this field. This paper offers an alternative model, based on five levels of participation: 1. Children are listened to. 2. Children are supported in expressing their views. 3. Children's views are taken into account. 4. Children are involved in decision-making processes. 5. Children share power and responsibility for decision-making. In addition, three stages of commitment are identified at each level: ‘openings’, ‘opportunities’ and ‘obligations’. The model thus provides a logical sequence of 15 questions as a tool for planning for participation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predictive Density Accuracy Tests

This paper outlines a testing procedure for assessing the relative out-of-sample predictive accuracy of multiple conditional distribution models, and surveys existing related methods in the area of predictive density evaluation, including methods based on the probability integral transform and the Kullback-Leibler Information Criterion. The procedure is closely related to Andrews’ (1997) conditional Kolmogorov test and to White’s (2000) reality check approach, and involves comparing square (approximation) errors associated with models i; i = 1;:::;n; by constructing weighted averages over U of E µ ‡ Fi(ujZ t ;µ y ) i F0(ujZ t ;µ0) · 2 ¶ ; where F0(¢j¢) and Fi(¢j¢) are true and approximate distributions, u 2 U, and U is a possibly unbounded set on the real line. Appropriate bootstrap procedures for obtaining critical values for tests constructed using this measure of loss in conjunction with predictions obtained via rolling and recursive estimation schemes are developed. We then apply these bootstrap procedures to the case of obtaining critical values for our predictive accuracy test. A Monte Carlo experiment comparing our bootstrap methods with methods that do not include location bias adjustment terms is provided, and results indicate coverage improvement when our proposed bootstrap procedures are used. Finally, an empirical example comparing alternative predictive densities for U.S. inflation is given.