On manifolds with nonhomogeneous factors

We present simple examples of finite-dimensional connected homogeneous spaces (they are actually topological manifolds) with nonhomogeneous and nonrigid factors. In particular, we give an elementary solution of an old problem in general topology concerning homogeneous spaces

Tune in to your emotions: a robust personalized affective music player

The emotional power of music is exploited in a personalized affective music player (AMP) that selects music for mood enhancement. A biosignal approach is used to measure listeners’ personal emotional reactions to their own music as input for affective user models. Regression and kernel density estimation are applied to model the physiological changes the music elicits. Using these models, personalized music selections based on an affective goal state can be made. The AMP was validated in real-world trials over the course of several weeks. Results show that our models can cope with noisy situations and handle large inter-individual differences in the music domain. The AMP augments music listening where its techniques enable automated affect guidance. Our approach provides valuable insights for affective computing and user modeling, for which the AMP is a suitable carrier application

History of acute knee injury and osteoarthritis of the knee: a prospective epidemiological assessment The Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study

AbstractObjective To evaluate the association between acute joint injury to the knee and knee osteoarthritis (OA).Design Prospective cohort. Sample size=1,436. Men and women aged 40 years and older participating in the population-based Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study (1988–current) with biennial physical exams including serial radiographs. Radiologically confirmed knee OA=27%; self-reported knee injury=11%. Lawrence and Kellgren ordinal scale was used to determine radiological evidence of the study outcome, knee OA. Self-reported history of knee injury was used to determine the study exposure.ResultsIndividuals with a history of knee injury were 7.4 (95% C.I. 5.9–9.4) times as likely to develop knee OA than were those individuals who did not have a history of knee injury.Conclusion Acute knee joint injury appears to be a risk factor for the development of knee OA. Prevention strategies for OA should be targeted to those individuals with a history of acute knee injury. Copyright 2002 OsteoArthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Efficacy of felbamate monotherapy in patients undergoing presurgical evaluation of partial seizures

The efficacy and safety of felbamate monotherapy were evaluated in 52 patients with refractory partial seizures with or without secondary generalization in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Each patient completed a routine evaluation for epilepsy surgery and was randomized to receive either felbamate, titrated to a maximum daily dose of 3600 mg over 2 days, or placebo during the 10-day, inpatient, treatment phase. An intent-to-treat analysis was performed on the data of all 52 patients who received study medication, while a separate efficacy analysis also was performed on the data of 43 evaluable patients, which excluded protocol violators. The endpoint of the trial was completing 10 days of treatment or the occurrence of a fourth seizure. The primary efficacy variable was the average daily seizure frequency during the treatment phase for each patient. For the intent-to-treat analysis based on all 52 patients who received study medications, the mean rank of the daily seizure frequency for patients treated with felbamate was 21.6 compared to 29.6 for patients treated with placebo ( P = 0.065). In the analysis based on the 43 evaluable patients, the mean rank of the daily seizure frequency for felbamate-treated patients was 17.0 compared to 25.4 for placebo-treated patients. This difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.032) in favor of felbamate. Seizure frequency was decreased by 89.5% compared to baseline in nine patients who completed 10 days of felbamate therapy. This study permitted the rapid determination of the anticonvulsant activity of felbamate and demonstrated that felbamate is effective as monotherapy for the treatment of partial seizures