Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
When calls go wrong: how to detect problematic calls based on log-files and emotions?

Traditionally, the prediction of problematic calls in Inter-active Voice Response systems in call centers has been based either on dialog state transitions and recognition log data, or on caller emotion. We present a combined model incorporating both types of feature sets that achieved 79.22% classiﬁcation accuracy of problematic and non-problematic calls after only the ﬁrst four turns in a human-computer dialogue. We found that using acoustic features to indicate caller emotion did not yield any signiﬁcant increase of accuracy.
Protective role of overexpressed MUC5AC against fibrosis in MHV‐68‐induced combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema mouse model

Mucins have long been regarded to play a role as a barrier to prevent mucosal infections; however, some studies report that overexpression of mucins induces obstruction and inflammation of airways. We investigated whether the secretion of overexpressed mucin, mucin5ac (MUC5AC), could improve protection against pathogens. To examine the possible roles of mucin hypersecretion in augmenting host defense against disease‐promoting muco‐obstructive lung disease, a mouse model that overexpressed MUC5AC was generated. We had previously proved that murine gammaherpesvirus‐68 (MHV‐68) infection could induce emphysema in mice, which later developed into combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE). We further explored whether increased MUC5AC secretion could provide benefits against MHV‐68 induced fibrosis. We initially developed a pcDNA3.1‐MUC5AC mouse model. Next, the experimental mice were randomly divided into five groups: normal control, pcDNA3.1 control, pcDNA3.1‐MUC5AC, CPFE, and pcDNA3.1‐ MUC5AC + CPFE. Morphometric analysis of each group was performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining. MUC5AC levels in lung tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining, real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. The airway inflammation was determined by differential cell counts of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and measurement of cytokines and chemokines in BALF by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. MUC5AC hypersecretion alone was not sufficient to drive goblet cell metaplasia to induce obvious mucus plugging and airway inflammation. However, MUC5AC overexpression served as a protective barrier against MHV‐68 virus infection in vivo. Infectivity of MHV‐68 was decreased in the pcDNA3.1‐MUC5AC + CPFE group compared with that in CPFE group. Meanwhile, a reduction of MHV‐68 virus attenuated the expressions of chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) ligand 5 (CXCL5), interleukin‐13 (IL‐13), and transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1), and weakened airway inflammation and fibrosis in the pcDNA3.1‐MUC5AC + CPFE group. Overexpression of MUC5AC appears to exhibit a protective role against MHV‐68 infection in mice with emphysema that subsequently developed into CPFE and to further decrease airway inflammation and fibrosis induced by MHV‐68 by decreasing the expressions of CCL2, CXCL5, IL‐13, and TGF‐β1.
An urgent precaution system to detect students at risk of substance abuse through classification algorithms

In recent years, the use of addictive drugs and substances has turned out to be a challenging social problem worldwide. The illicit use of these types of drugs and substances appears to be increasing among elementary and high school students. After becoming addicted to drugs, life becomes unbearable and gets even worse for their users. Scientific studies show that it becomes extremely difficult for an individual to break this habit after being a user. Hence, preventing teenagers from addiction becomes an important issue. This study focuses on an urgent precaution system that helps families and educators prevent teenagers from developing this type of addiction. The aim of this study is to detect a teenager's probability of being a drug abuser using classification algorithms in machine learning and data mining. The objective is not to test the classifiers theoretically on the benchmark datasets, but rather to use this study as a basis for advanced and detailed studies in this field in the future. This paper not only uses a special dataset but also focuses on psychometrics and statistics. The findings of this study show that if there is a computed high risk for a teenager, some precautions, if necessary, may be taken by educators and parents to keep the teenager away from those substances.
Impact of exercise on diurnal and nocturnal markers of glycaemic variability and oxidative stress in obese individuals with type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance

Objective: We measured the effects of a single bout of exercise on diurnal and nocturnal oxidative stress and glycaemic variability in obese subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance versus obese healthy controls. Methods: Subjects (in random order) performed either a single 30-min bout of moderate-intensity exercise or remained sedentary for 30 min at two separate visits. To quantify glycaemic variability, standard deviation of glucose (measured by continuous glucose monitoring system) and continuous overlapping net glycaemic action of 1-h intervals (CONGA-1) were calculated for three 12-h intervals during each visit. Oxidative stress was measured by 15-isoprostane F2t levels in urine collections for matching 12-h intervals. Results: Exercise reduced daytime glycaemic variability (ΔCONGA-1 = −12.62 ± 5.31 mg/dL, p = 0.04) and urinary isoprostanes (ΔCONGA-1 = −0.26 ± 0.12 ng/mg, p = 0.04) in the type 2 diabetes mellitus/impaired glucose tolerance group. Daytime exercise-induced change in urinary 15-isoprostane F2t was significantly correlated with both daytime standard deviation (r = 0.68, p = 0.03) and with subsequent overnight standard deviation (r = 0.73, p = 0.027) in the type 2 diabetes mellitus/impaired glucose tolerance group. Conclusion: Exercise significantly impacts the relationship between diurnal oxidative stress and nocturnal glycaemic variability in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus/impaired glucose tolerance.
LMI based controller synthesis of an uncertain three tank system

Three tank system can be adapted to emulate many systems in process and aerospace industry. This paper presents synthesis of LMI based H∞ controller for uncertain three tank system. Uncertainties in parameters can arise due to imperfect knowledge of physical parametric values or from variations of these parameters during operation. A linearized affine dynamical model is derived with uncertain flow coefficients as varying parameters. H∞ controller is designed with multi-objective approach using derived affine model. Simulations are also carried out to assess the performance of controller against parametric variations/uncertainties simultaneously in the presence of input disturbances. The performance of designed controllers is compared with PI controller.
VISION BASED GESTURE RECOGNITION : A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY

Computer vision involves identifying the behavior, interpreting background scene and understanding the scenario much similar to the manner in which human brain thinks and reacts. This intelligence in tuning the computer to understand objects under study and their behavior is highly essential across various domains such as security, health care, medical science, educational systems, etc., . As part of this work, a comprehensive study of various works done towards hand and face based gesture recognition has been listed and the concepts and technical aspects used behind have been compared. Also, an architecture for designing a vision based intelligence system which has the intelligence to understand the situation or scene and react to the same is proposed.
Text detection in images based on unsupervised classification of high-frequency wavelet coefficients

Text localization and recognition in images is important for searching information in digital photo archives, video databases and Web sites. However, since text is often printed against a complex background, it is often difficult to detect. In this paper, a robust text localization approach is presented, which can automatically detect horizontally aligned text with different sizes, fonts, colors and languages. First, a wavelet transform is applied to the image and the distribution of high-frequency wavelet coefficients is considered to statistically characterize text and non-text areas. Then, the k-means algorithm is used to classify text areas in the image. The detected text areas undergo a projection analysis in order to refine their localization. Finally, a binary segmented text image is generated, to be used as input to an OCR engine. The detection performance of our approach is demonstrated by presenting experimental results for a set of video frames taken from the MPEG-7 video test set.
Central Role of Mitofusin 2 in Autophagosome-Lysosome Fusion in Cardiomyocytes*

Background: Mitofusin 2 is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein with multiple functions. Results: Mitofusin 2 deficiency in the heart causes autophagosomes to accumulate and leads to cardiac dysfunction. Conclusion: Mitofusin 2 serves as an adaptor protein to mediate the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes in the heart. Significance: Mitofusin 2 has a novel and essential role in cardiac autophagic regulation. In the heart, autophagy has been implicated in cardioprotection and ischemia-reperfusion tolerance, and the dysregulation of autophagy is associated with the development of heart failure. Mitochondrial dynamic proteins are profoundly involved in autophagic processes, especially the initiation and formation of autophagosomes, but it is not clear whether they play any role in cardiac autophagy. We previously reported that mitofusin 2 (MFN2), a mitochondrial outer membrane protein, serves as a major determinant of cardiomyocyte apoptosis mediated by oxidative stress. Here, we reveal a novel and essential role of MFN2 in mediating cardiac autophagy. We found that specific deletion of MFN2 in cardiomyocytes caused extensive accumulation of autophagosomes. In particular, the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes, a critical step in autophagic degradation, was markedly retarded without altering the formation of autophagosomes and lysosomes in response to ischemia-reperfusion stress. Importantly, MFN2 co-immunoprecipitated with RAB7 in the heart, and starvation further increased it. Knockdown of MFN2 by shRNA prevented, whereas re-expression of MFN2 restored, the autophagosome-lysosome fusion in neonatal cardiomyocytes. Hearts from cardiac-specific MFN2 knock-out mice had abnormal mitochondrial and cellular metabolism and were vulnerable to ischemia-reperfusion challenge. Our study defined a novel and essential role of MFN2 in the cardiac autophagic process by mediating the maturation of autophagy at the phase of autophagosome-lysosome fusion; deficiency of MFN2 caused multiple molecular and functional defects that undermined cardiac reserve and gradually led to cardiac vulnerability and dysfunction.
An Efficient 3D Animation Data Reduction Using Frame Removal

Existing methods in which the animation data of all frames are stored and reproduced as with vertex animation cannot be used in mobile device environments because these methods use large amounts of the memory. So 3D animation data reduction methods aimed at solving this problem have been extensively studied thus far and we propose a new method as follows. First, we find and remove frames in which motion changes are small out of all animation frames and store only the animation data of remaining frames (involving large motion changes). When playing the animation, the removed frame areas are reconstructed using the interpolation of the remaining frames. Our key contribution is to calculate the accelerations of the joints of individual frames and the standard deviations of the accelerations using the information of joint locations in the relevant 3D model in order to find and delete frames in which motion changes are small. Our methods can reduce data sizes by approximately 50% or more while providing quality which is not much lower compared to original animations. Therefore, our method is expected to be usefully used in mobile device environments or other environments in which memory sizes are limited. Keywords—Data Reduction, Interpolation, Vertex Animation, 3D Animation.
Cloning and Characterization of a Eukaryotic Pantothenate Kinase Gene (panK) from Aspergillus nidulans *

Pantothenate kinase (PanK) is the key regulatory enzyme in the CoA biosynthetic pathway. The PanK gene fromEscherichia coli (coaA) has been previously cloned and the enzyme biochemically characterized; highly related genes exist in other prokaryotes. We isolated a PanK cDNA clone from the eukaryotic fungus Aspergillus nidulans by functional complementation of a temperature-sensitive E. coli PanK mutant. The cDNA clone allowed the isolation of the genomic clone and the characterization of the A. nidulans gene designatedpanK. The panK gene is located on chromosome 3 (linkage group III), is interrupted by three small introns, and is expressed constitutively. The amino acid sequence of A. nidulans PanK (aPanK) predicted a subunit size of 46.9 kDa and bore little resemblance to its bacterial counterpart, whereas a highly related protein was detected in the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In contrast to E. coli PanK (bPanK), which is regulated by CoA and to a lesser extent by its thioesters, aPanK activity was selectively and potently inhibited by acetyl-CoA. Acetyl-CoA inhibition of aPanK was competitive with respect to ATP. Thus, the eukaryotic PanK has a distinct primary structure and unique regulatory properties that clearly distinguish it from its prokaryotic counterpart.
Analysis of therapeutic results and complications after colic surgery in 434 horses

Out of the total number of 434 horses that underwent colic surgery, small intestine was operated in 195 (44.9%) patients, caecum in 10 (2.3%) horses, large colon surgery was performed in 196 (45.2%) cases and small colon surgery in 14 (3.2%) horses. In 12 patients (2.8%) two different parts of the gastrointestinal tract were affected simultaneously, one horse suffered from peritonitis, torsion of the uterus developed in two mares and three animals had negative surgical findings. Of 434 horses, 371 (85.5%) survived. After small intestinal surgery, 159 patients (81.5%) recovered from anaesthesia and were discharged home as well as seven horses (70%) after caecal surgery, 175 horses (89.3%) after large colon surgery and 14 horses (100%) following small colon surgery. 75 out of 103 horses (72.8%) were discharged home after the small intestinal resection and 89 of 98 horses (90.8%) with small intestinal problems where no resection was needed. In total, 43 of the patients that underwent one surgery did not survive the immediate postoperative period. The most frequent lethal complications in horses following the small intestinal surgery included peritonitis (five horses) and paralytic ileus (four horses) and in horses with large colon problems it was typhlocolitis (six cases). Relaparotomy was indicated in 41 of 434 horses (9.4%) that recovered from colic surgery. 21 out of the 41 (51.2%) relaparotomised colic patients were released from the clinic. All successfully repeated surgeries were carried out to overcome primary small intestine ileus problems, and in 14 of these cases (66.7%) resection and anastomosis were performed. The most common finding, diagnosed in 9 of 21 reoperated horses, was paralytic ileus. Of 20 relaparotomised horses that did not survive, three animals were lost after the introduction of anaesthesia, nine horses were euthanised after the abdominal cavity revision, one horse did not recover after the surgical procedure and seven horses did not survive the postoperative period. In 15 of 20 dead horses, the cause of the first surgical intervention was small intestinal ileus, in other four horses there was a large colon problem and in the last patient, it was a stomach disease. In 13 of 15 (86.7%) horses with small intestinal problems and in three of four (75%) patients with large colon disease, either resection or bypass was performed. In the remaining four non-surviving horses of 20 relaparotomised ones, peritonitis and/or adhesion formation was diagnosed at the second surgery, in three horses anastomosis complications were the main problem. Peritonitis or paralytic ileus led to death or euthanasia in four of seven horses that recovered after relaparotomy.
K+ channels gated by voltage and ions.

Several different potassium channels are present in membranes of nerve, muscle, and other types of cells (50, 59, 75, 79). These channels come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. K+ channels range from the tiny (2 pS) delayed rectifier of Helix neuron (72) to the huge Ca2+ -activated K+ channel (200 pS) ubiquitously distributed in many cells and tissues (50, 75). Besides the classical K+ channel (delayed rectifier) of axon membranes (47) in striated and cardiac muscle, and in the egg cell membrane of the tunic ate and the starfish, we find the inward or anomalous rectifier (48, 65, 81). This channel allows the passage of large inward K+ currents, but only small outward currents. In the neuroso­ mata of a marine snail, in addition to the usual early Na+ and delayed K+ channels, there is an early K+ current that inactivates (38). Also, in excitable and non-excitable cells, Ca2+ -activated K+ channels are present (50,60, 75). It is in great part the interplay of these different K + channels, involved in such a variety of processes as repetitive firing (20, 59) and pacemaker activity (34,35, 76), that allows the appropriate information to flow through the nervous system. The patch-clamp (43, 64) and channel reconstitution techniques (62) now make possible analysis of these potassium conductances at the single-channel level. The delayed rectifier (23,24), the inward rectifier (29,30,68), and the Ca2+ -activated K+ channel (2, 49, 51, 55, 57, 70, 83) have been detected by patch-clamp and/or incorporation into planar lipid bilayer membranes. The success of these two techniques opens a whole new dimension towards the understanding of channels at the molecular level. This review focuses on the gating characteristics of the potassium-selective channels described above and the modulation of these characteristics by voltage
SoSNET – A Communication Network for Emergency Situations

The SoSNET project aims to build a Wireless Sensor Network platform to assist in emergencies and particularly suited for realtime, reliable detection and transmission of seismological and structural health data. There are several wireless sensing solutions for both structural assessment and seismic surveillance, however none benefit from the advantages of joining both “worlds”. The goal of SoSNET is to provide access to structural integrity and seismic data through the same network. WSNs have gained popularity in civil engineering due to their ease-of-deployment when compared to traditional wired systems, allowing previously inaccessible areas to be surveyed. However, today’s WSNs still face many challenges, preventing them from being widely used. This work analyzes some of these problems and discusses several network and MAC-layer solutions to overcome them.
Measles, misinformation, and risk: personal belief exemptions and the MMR vaccine

INTRODUCTION Across the United States, children entering schools are required to get a series of vaccinations that includes the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.1 Designed to prevent those three devastating childhood illnesses, the MMR vaccine has proven highly effective and low risk. By the year 2000, decades of the vaccine’s use in the US led to the official elimination of measles in this country;2 during those decades, children had severe, vaccine-associated adverse reactions so infrequently that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not report them as causally linked.3 Nonetheless, a now-retracted 1998 paper linked the MMR vaccine with the development of autism. This paper set off the most-recent anti-vaccination movement—a wave of fear and mistrust of vaccines (and particularly of MMR) that persists in some communities to this day.4 Because of a clustering of such communities in affluent regionsofCalifornia,5 epidemiological conditions in the state became favorable for anew,
Character Strengths Before and After September 11

Did Americans change following the September 11 terrorist attacks? We provide a tentative answer with respect to the positive traits included in the Values in Action Classification of Strengths and measured with a self-report questionnaire available on-line and completed by 4,817 respondents. When scores for individuals completing the survey in the 2 months immediately after September 11 were compared with scores for those individuals who completed the survey before September 11, seven character strengths showed increases: gratitude, hope, kindness, leadership, love, spirituality, and teamwork. Ten months after September 11, these character strengths were still elevated, although to a somewhat lesser degree than immediately following the attacks.
Antiproliferative activity of Haematoxylum brasiletto H. Karst

Background: Haematoxylum brasiletto is a tree that grows in Central America, commonly known as “Palo de Brasil,” which is used in the traditional medicine for the treatment of cancer and gastric ulcers. Objective: The aim of this study was to isolate the compounds responsible for antiproliferative activity of H. brasiletto. Materials and Methods: A bioassay-guided fractionation of ethanol extract of H. brasiletto was performed using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide cell proliferation assay to measure the antiproliferative activity on six human cancer cell lines (A549, LS180, HeLa, SiHa, MDA-MB-231, and NCI-H1299) and one human noncancer cell line (ARPE-19). The ethanol extract was partitioned with hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate. The active dichloromethane fraction was fractioned by silica-column chromatography, and active subfractions were separated using preparative-thin layer chromatography. The chemical structure of an isolated compound was elucidated with different chemical and spectroscopic methods. Results: The flavonoid brazilin (1) was isolated from the heartwood of H. brasiletto. The measurement of antiproliferative activity showed that brazilin can inhibit the growth of SiHa, MDA-MB-231, A549, and NCI-H1299 cell lines by 50% at doses of 44.3, 48.7, 45.4, and 48.7 μM, respectively. Furthermore, the flavonoid showed a high antiproliferative activity on LS 180 and HeLa with IC50 values of 62.2 and 71.9 μM, respectively. Brazilin also exhibited a high antiproliferative activity on the human noncancer cell line ARPE-19 with an IC50 value of 37.9 μM. Conclusions: Brazilin: (6aS,11bR)-7,11b-Dihidro-6H-indeno[2,1-c] cromeno-3,6a, 9,10-tetrol was isolated; this compound demonstrated antiproliferative activity against several human cancer cell lines. This work demonstrated that brazilin, a flavonoid isolated and characterized of H. brasiletto, has antiproliferative activity against cancer cell lines. Abbreviations used: MTT: [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium]; FBS: Fetal bovine serum; TLC: Thin layer chromatography.
Quantitative morphology of mast cells in skeletal muscle of normal and genetically dystrophic mice

Mast cells are indigenous connective tissue cells that function in the process of inflammation and edema. Their numbers were studied in a quantitative morphological study of the soleus muscles from 32‐week‐old and 56‐week‐old normal and genetically dystrophic dy2J and mdx mice to determine the incidence of mast cells in muscle to increasing age and to normal and myopathic conditions.