Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compact Audio Representation for Event Detection in Consumer Media

Local audio-visual descriptors are often compactly stored using representations such as the soft quantization histogram [1]. Typically, classiﬁcation performance with histogram representations is improved through the use of large codeword sets. Unfortunately, this approach runs into overﬁtting and scalability challenges when applied to richly diverse real-world collections. A novel “i-vector” approach was recently proposed for the speaker-veriﬁcation task [2]. In this work, we study the relative effectiveness of the i-vector as a compact representation of local audio descriptors (e.g., MFCC’s) within a multimedia event detection system. Speciﬁcally, we model the local audio descriptors using a Guassian Mixture Model (GMM). Following [2], we constrain the GMM parameters to a low-dimensional subspace while preserving most of the variability (i.e., information) in the descriptors. The GMM parameters in the subspace constitute a compact representation that ex-hibits robustness in the face of sparse data. We evaluate the method by performing the multimedia event detection (MED) task using only audio information within consumer (e.g., YouTube) videos. Experiments with the 2011 TRECVID MED data show that the i-vector provides superior performance and lower dimensionality than the bag-of-words soft quantization histograms used in the state-of-the-art BBN VISER system in the 2011 TRECVID MED Evaluation.
Feasibility Studies for Dynamic VAR and STATCOM Applications to Prevent a Fast Voltage Collapse

The purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of FACTS shunt controllers for dynamic voltage support: Dynamic VAr (D-VArreg system) and advanced static compensator (STATCOM), as a corrective measure to reduce the risk of voltage collapse in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area. To determine the best location for these controllers, modal analysis and time-domain simulations are both applied
Diagnosis and treatment of dementia: 1. Risk assessment and primary prevention of Alzheimer disease

Background: In addition to nonmodifiable genetic risk factors, potentially modifiable factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia and environmental exposures have been identified as risk factors for Alzheimer disease. In this article, we provide physicians with practical guidance on risk assessment and primary prevention of Alzheimer disease based on recommendations from the Third Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia, held in March 2006. Methods: We developed evidence-based guidelines using systematic literature searches, with specific criteria for study selection and quality assessment, and a clear and transparent decision-making process. We selected studies published from January 1996 to December 2005 that met the following criteria: dementia (all-cause, Alzheimer disease or vascular dementia) as the outcome; longitudinal cohort study; study population broadly reflective of Canadian demographics; and genetic risk factors and general risk factors (e.g., hypertension, education, occupation and chemical exposure) identified. We graded the strength of evidence using the criteria of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Results: Of 3424 articles on potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, 1719 met our inclusion criteria; 60 were deemed to be of good or fair quality. Of 1721 articles on genetic risk factors, 62 that met our inclusion criteria were deemed to be of good or fair quality. On the basis of evidence from these articles, we made recommendations for the risk assessment and primary prevention of Alzheimer disease. For the primary prevention of Alzheimer's disease, there is good evidence for controlling vascular risk factors, especially hypertension (grade A), and weak or insufficient evidence for manipulation of lifestyle factors and prescribing of medications (grade C). There is good evidence to avoid estrogens and high-dose (> 400 IU/d) of vitamin E for this purpose (grade E). Genetic counselling and testing may be offered to at-risk individuals with an apparent autosomal dominant inheritance (grade B). Screening for the apolipoprotein E genotype in asymptomatic individuals in the general population is not recommended (grade E). Interpretation: Despite the personal and societal burden of dementia, our understanding of genetic predisposition to dementias and the contribution of other risk factors remains limited. More importantly, there are few data to explain the overall risks and benefits of prevention strategies or their impact of risk modification.
Enhancement of left ventricular relaxation in the isolated heart by an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor.

BACKGROUND ACE inhibitors exert both acute and chronic beneficial effects on cardiac function (eg, remodeling, diastolic dysfunction) in experimental studies and in patients. They inhibit the formation of angiotensin II as well as the degradation of endogenous bradykinin. We recently reported that bradykinin induces selective left ventricular (LV) relaxant effects in isolated hearts via the release of nitric oxide. The present study examined the direct effects of interaction between the ACE inhibitor captopril and endogenous bradykinin on cardiac contractile function. METHODS AND RESULTS Isolated ejecting guinea pig hearts were studied under conditions of constant loading and heart rate. LV pressure was monitored by a 2F micromanometer-tipped catheter. Captopril (1 mumol/L, n = 9) caused a progressive acceleration of LV relaxation without significantly affecting early systolic parameters (eg, LV dP/dtmax) or coronary flow. These effects were inhibited by the nitric oxide scavenger hemoglobin (1 mumol/L, n = 5) or by the B2-kinin receptor antagonist HOE140 (10 nmol/L, n = 5). In the presence of captopril, bradykinin (0.1 nmol/L, n = 6) markedly accelerated LV relaxation (significantly more than captopril alone), whereas bradykinin alone (0.1 nmol/L, n = 6) had no effect. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that the ACE inhibitor captopril causes an acute and selective enhancement of LV relaxation independent of changes in coronary flow, probably via an endogenous bradykinin/nitric oxide pathway.
Researching conductive education

SIR–The recent review by Novak et al. delivers a ‘do not do it’ verdict on neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT), traditionally attributed to the Bobaths. One has to wonder why (1) in spite of the bad publicity the Bobath-NDT approach has been receiving over the past decade, thousands of therapists world over are attending Bobath-NDT basic, refresher, and advanced courses; (2) parents of children in all age groups, with all levels of motor and cognitive challenges, follow the Bobath-NDT approach. Could it be that in the absence of a criterion standard and with knowledge readily available on the internet on any number of treatment options, parents feel and see that their needs and their child’s needs are well served with the Bobath-NDT approach? Perhaps research questions should look into the reasons why over a period of 70 years, the Bobath-NDT approach is continuing to expand and spread across cultures and continents. Bobath and NDT-trained physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, and occupational therapists, closely follow all valuable research, and use it where it fits best, giving full credit to the authors. Is that not what hardworking knowledge brokers and knowledge translators wish for? Is it not time for researchers and therapists to bridge the gap, get together, and ask what really makes a difference to families when they chose this ‘popular’ NDT approach?
The opponent-process theory of acquired motivation: the costs of pleasure and the benefits of pain.

When an unconditioned stimulus, a reinforcer, or an innate releaser is repeatedly presented to human or animal subjects, three major affective phenomena are often observed. First, one often sees affective or hedonic contrast. Second, frequent repeti- tion of the unconditioned stimulus, reinforcer, or innate releaser often gives rise to affective or hedonic habitu- ation (tolerance). Finally, after frequent repetition of these stimuli, a withdrawal or abstinence syndrome often emerges directly following stimulus termination. These affective dynamics of organismicall y important stimuli generate new motives, new opportunities for reinforcing and energizing operant behaviors, based on the hedonic attributes of withdrawal or abstinence syndromes. This article describes the opponent-process theory of such new or experientiall y produced motives and discusses recent research testing the theory. The theory attempts to account for such diverse acquired motives as drug addiction, love, affection and social attachment, and cravings for sensory and aesthetic ex- periences (cases in which the initial reinforcers are posi- tive) and for such acquired motives as parachuting, jog- ging and "marathoning," sauna bathing, and a variety of self-administered, aversive stimuli like electric shocks (cases in which the initial reinforcers are negative). The empirical laws governing the establishment of these new motives are described. Crucial variables include the quality, intensity, and duration of each stimulus presentation and the time intervals between presenta-
Dental Extraction in Haemophilia and Christmas Disease

children, and to an older age group among children from homes where there is better hygiene and less crowding. The incidence of past infection with each of the three virus types is remarkably uniform, type 3 being a little less common than the others, though not quite so infrequent as Fallon (1956) found in North Wales and in Liverpool. It is interesting to compare the results of this serological survey carried out in London with two others carried out at the same time, one in the United Kingdom and the other in Morocco. Horstmann (1955) found that amongst Moroccan children in Casablanca the incidence of antibody to all three virus types had reached 80% by the age of 5 years. The rarity of clinical disease, except in those under 2 years of age, was an indication of the widespread dissemination of virus under these conditions. Fallon (1956) carried out an investigation in the rural district of Bettws-y-Coed in North Wales with a population of 780 inhabitants in which no cases of paralysis had been reported since 1912. He found a surprisingly high incidence of antibody to all three virus types in various combinations in children over the age of 4 years. In fact, the incidence of type 1 antibody in Bettws-y-Coed was slightly higher than in Liverpool or in Cairo. Although the poliomyelitis immune state of any one individual can be learned only from serological tests, the pattern of poliomyelitis infection rates within a community can be drawn from cross-section studies such as the present one. It would suggest that amongst the children from the areas studied it is those under 5 years who would benefit most at the present time from immunization against poliomyelitis, although these findings do not necessarily reflect the immune status throughout the country.
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Outbreak in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital: Potential Human-to-Animal Transmission

ABSTRACT During a 13-month period, 11 equine patients visiting a veterinary teaching hospital for various diagnostic and surgical procedures developed postprocedural infections from which methicillin (oxacillin)-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains were isolated. The S. aureus isolates were identified by conventional methods that included Gram staining, tests for colonial morphology, tests for clumping factor, and tests for coagulase and urease activities and were also tested with the API STAPH IDENT system. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by the disk diffusion method. The biochemical profile and antibiogram of each isolate suggested that the isolates may have come from a common source. Because MRSA strains are very uncommon animal isolates but are rather common human isolates, a nasal swab specimen for culture was collected voluntarily from five persons associated with equine surgery and recovery in an attempt to identify a possible source of the organisms. MRSA strains were isolated from three of the five people, with one person found to be colonized with two biotypes of MRSA. The MRSA isolates from the people appeared to be identical to the isolates from horses. Further study of the isolates included SmaI andEagI macrorestriction analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis conducted in two different laboratories. The results indicated that both the equine and human isolates were members of a very closely related group which appear to have originated from a common source. On the basis of the pattern associated with the infection, it is speculated that the members of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital staff were the primary source of the infection, although the specific mode of transmission is unclear.
Acute postprandial changes in leucine metabolism as assessed with an intrinsically labeled milk protein.

Mechanisms of protein gain during protein feeding have been investigated using a combination of oral and intravenous labeled leucine in healthy young men. The oral labeled leucine was administered as a free oral tracer ([13C]- or [2H3]leucine) added to unlabeled whey protein or as whey protein intrinsically labeled with L-[1-13C]leucine. When the oral tracer was free leucine, it appeared in the plasma more rapidly than the unlabeled leucine derived from the whey protein, and this resulted in an artifactual 88% decrease of protein breakdown. When the oral tracer was protein bound, protein breakdown did not change significantly after the meal. In contrast, nonoxidative leucine disposal (i.e., protein synthesis) was stimulated by 63% by the meal. In conclusion, 1) an intrinsically labeled protein is more appropriate than an oral free tracer to study postprandial leucine kinetics under non-steady-state conditions and 2) protein gain after a single whey protein meal results solely from an increased protein synthesis with no modification of protein breakdown.
Paying Down the Sleep Debt: Realization of Benefits During Subsequent Sleep Restriction and Recovery

Abstract : The study objective was to determine whether sleep extension (a) improves alertness and performance during subsequent sleep restriction and (b) mediates the rate at which alertness and performance are restored by post-restriction recovery sleep. Twenty-four healthy adult participants (ages 18-39) were randomly assigned to an Extended [10 hours time in bed (TIB)] or Habitual [mean (SD) = 7.09 (0.7)] sleep group for one week, followed by one Baseline (10 hours or habitual TIB), seven Sleep Restriction (3 hours TIB), and five Recovery Sleep nights (8 hours TIB) with performance [Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT)] and alertness [Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT); Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS)] tests administered hourly throughout. We conclude that the extent to which sleep restriction impairs alertness and performance, and the rate at which these impairments are subsequently reversed by recovery sleep, varies as a function of the amount of nightly sleep obtained prior to the sleep restriction period.
Effects of indomethacin on the divisional morphogenesis and cytoskeleton‐dependent processes of Tetrahymena

Indomethacin (0.1 mM) causes significantly altered phospholipid synthesis in Tetrahymena and is able to influence the inositol phospholipid signalling system. 9 In the present study the effects of indomethacin on the course of cell division, cyclin expression, the cortical microtubular system and on cytoskeleton‐dependent processes (motility, phagocytosis) were investigated. As expected from its interference with the synthesis of phospholipids, indomethacin affected Tetrahymena in a number of ways: the structure of the cortical microtubular system became irregular; in many cells the stomatogenesis (development of new oral apparatus) and the development of the fission furrow was not accompanied by elongation of the macronucleus, which is a typical phenomenon of the normal course of mitosis: apparently indomethacin uncouples these phenomena. After indomethacin treatment, the expression of both cyclin A and cyclin B1 were reduced significantly. The cell growth rate, motility and phagocytotic activity were all considerably reduced. There are probably additional mechanisms responsible for the effect of indomethacin on the systems that control divisional morphogenesis, for microtubule‐dependent processes and for the connection between nuclear and cortical alterations during the cell cycle. Effects on protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation, on cyclin expression and on microtubular functions are probably involved. These possibilities are discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Maturation of finger‐synchronization skills

The ability to move two fingers at the same time was measured in young and older adults. This study measured the accuracy with which 45 normally developing children (23 boys, 22 girls; mean ages 8.4 and 8.3 years respectively) and 49 young adults (25 males, 24 females; mean ages 19.8 and 20.5 years respectively) could synchronize movements of two fingers when making or breaking contact with circular metal discs. A portable electronic instrument displayed the timings. To measure‘in‐phase’skills, attempts were made to contact both discs simultaneously with the two index fingers or to break both contacts; asynchrony was only a few milliseconds and differences between children and adults were insignificant. To measure‘antiphase’skills, attempts were made with the index and middle fingers to make contact simultaneously with one disc while breaking contact with the other; asynchrony was larger. Usually one contact was made and later the other was broken; for a while both fingers touched (overlap). Rarely one contact was broken before the other was made; for a while neither finger touched (gap). Boys’periods of overlap were longer than those of men and women; on both sides these differences were highly significant statistically (p<0. 0001). Boys’errors on the right side were also significantly greater than those of girls. On both sides, mean errors of girls were higher than those of men and women: three of the four sets of data reached statistical significance. While boys’performance improved with age, that of girls was static. Children achieved an essentially adult level of control for in‐phase skills but with antiphase skills the children, and especially the boys, had clearly poorer performances.
Entrepreneurial learning: A conceptual framework for technology-based enterprise

Abstract Entrepreneurial learning has emerged as an important yet insufficiently understood area of enquiry. This paper develops new understanding in this area from a social constructionist perspective by using narratives elicited from technology-based entrepreneurs to explore their learning experiences and behaviours. The unit of analysis is the emergent entrepreneur in the technology-based enterprise. The paper develops a framework for analysing entrepreneurial learning through in-depth analysis of entrepreneurial experiences by using discourse analysis based on a social learning perspective. This conceptual framework includes three major themes of personal and social emergence, contextual learning and the negotiated enterprise, and 11 related sub-themes. These demonstrate connections between the emergence of entrepreneurial identity, learning as a social and contextual process, opportunity recognition, and venture formation as a negotiated activity.
A Hybrid Documents Classification Based on SVM and Rough Sets

Standard machine learning techniques like support vector machines (SVM) and related large margin methods have been successfully applied for text classification. Unfortunately, the high dimensionality of input feature vectors impacts on the classification speed. The kernel parameters setting for SVM in a training process impacts on the classification accuracy. Feature selection is another factor that impacts classification accuracy. The objective of this work is to reduce the dimension of feature vectors, optimizing the parameters to improve the SVM classification accuracy and speed. In order to improve classification speed we spent rough sets theory to reduce the feature vector space. We present a genetic algorithm approach for feature selection and parameters optimization to improve classification accuracy. Experimental results indicate our method is more effective than traditional SVM methods and other traditional methods.
The Activity of Mammalian brm/SNF2α Is Dependent on a High-Mobility-Group Protein I/Y-Like DNA Binding Domain

ABSTRACT The mammalian SWI-SNF complex is a chromatin-remodelling machinery involved in the modulation of gene expression. Its activity relies on two closely related ATPases known as brm/SNF2α and BRG-1/SNF2β. These two proteins can cooperate with nuclear receptors for transcriptional activation. In addition, they are involved in the control of cell proliferation, most probably by facilitating p105Rb repression of E2F transcriptional activity. In the present study, we have examined the ability of various brm/SNF2α deletion mutants to reverse the transformed phenotype ofras-transformed fibroblasts. Deletions within the p105Rb LXCXE binding motif or the conserved bromodomain had only a moderate effect. On the other hand, a 49-amino-acid segment, rich in lysines and arginines and located immediately downstream of the p105Rb interaction domain, appeared to be essential in this assay. This region was also required for cooperation of brm/SNF2α with the glucocorticoid receptor in transfection experiments, but only in the context of a reporter construct integrated in the cellular genome. The region has homology to the AT hooks present in high-mobility-group protein I/Y DNA binding domains and is required for the tethering of brm/SNF2α to chromatin.
Age‐dependent alterations of long‐term synaptic plasticity in thyroid‐deficient rats

Thyroid hormone deficiency during a critical period of development profoundly affects cognitive functions such as attention, learning, and memory, but the synaptic alterations underlying these deficits remain unexplored. The present study examines the effect of congenital hypothyroidism on long‐term synaptic plasticity. This plasticity is believed to be essential for learning and memory and for activity‐dependent regulation of synapse formation in the developing brain. We found that the neonatal expression of long‐term potentiation (LTP), long‐term depression (LTD), depotentiation, and de‐depression in hippocampal slices from hypothyroid animals was similar to that of controls. To examine the postnatal development of these plasticities, we used slices from neonatal (2–3 weeks) and adult (7–8 weeks) rats. This work demonstrates that the ability to express all these forms of synaptic plasticity is reduced in an age‐dependent manner in control rats. LTP and depotentiation are also downregulated in adult hypothyroid rats, but we have found that de‐depression is not affected during maturation. In addition, these animals express LTD at ages at which controls fail to induce it. In contrast, input/output experiments have shown greater levels of basal synaptic efficacy in hypothyroid adults, and this effect is probably related to the higher probability of release observed by paired‐pulse experiments. Nevertheless, these effects appear to be unrelated to the differences observed in long‐term synaptic plasticity, as no correlation was found between basal synaptic efficacy and the degree of LTD and de‐depression. Furthermore, the NMDA‐receptor antagonist amino‐phosphonopentanoic acid (APV) completely blocked LTD, which suggests a postsynaptic locus of this alteration. Because LTD has been associated with novelty acquisition, we suggest that the greater LTD observed in adult hypothyroid rats might be related to the hyperactivity of these animals. However, other possibilities such as a retarded maturation of synaptic plasticity must be taken into account. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.