FAMOS: a framework for investigating the use of face features to identify spontaneous emotions

© 2017, Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature. Emotion-based analysis has raised a lot of interest, particularly in areas such as forensics, medicine, music, psychology, and human-machine interface. Following this trend, the use of facial analysis (either automatic or human-based) is the most common subject to be investigated once this type of data can easily be collected and is well accepted in the literature as a metric for inference of emotional states. Despite this popularity, due to several constraints found in real-world scenarios (e.g. lightning, complex backgrounds, facial hair and so on), automatically obtaining affective information from face accurately is a very challenging accomplishment. This work presents a framework which aims to analyse emotional experiences through spontaneous facial expressions. The method consists of a new four-dimensional model, called FAMOS, to describe emotional experiences in terms of appraisal, facial expressions, mood, and subjective experiences using a semi-automatic facial expression analyser as ground truth for describing the facial actions. In addition, we present an experiment using a new protocol proposed to obtain spontaneous emotional reactions. The results have suggested that the initial emotional state described by the participants of the experiment was different from that described after the exposure to the eliciting stimulus, thus showing that the used stimuli were capable of inducing the expected emotional states in most individuals. Moreover, our results pointed out that spontaneous facial reactions to emotions are very different from those in prototypic expressions, especially in terms of expressiveness

Palomar 5 and its Tidal Tails::A Search for New Members in the Tidal Stream

In this paper we present the results of a search for members of the globular cluster Palomar 5 and its associated tidal tails. The analysis has been performed using intermediate and low resolution spectroscopy with the AAOmega spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Based on kinematics, line strength and photometric information, we identify 39 new red giant branch stars along $\sim$20$^{\circ}$ of the tails, a larger angular extent than has been previously studied. We also recover eight previously known tidal tail members. Within the cluster, we find seven new red giant and one blue horizontal branch members and confirm a further twelve known red giant members. In total, we provide velocity data for 67 stars in the cluster and the tidal tails. Using a maximum likelihood technique, we derive a radial velocity for Pal 5 of $-57.4 \pm 0.3$ km s$^{-1}$ and a velocity dispersion of $1.2\pm0.3$ km s$^{-1}$. We confirm and extend the linear velocity gradient along the tails of $1.0 \pm 0.1$ km s$^{-1}$ deg$^{-1}$, with an associated intrinsic velocity dispersion of $2.1\pm0.4$ km s$^{-1}$. Neither the velocity gradient nor the dispersion change in any significant way with angular distance from the cluster, although there is some indication that the gradient may be smaller at greater angular distances in the trailing tail. Our results verify the tails as kinematically cold structures and will allow further constraints to be placed on the orbit of Pal 5, ultimately permitting a greater understanding of the shape and extent of the Galaxy's dark matter halo.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables; Accepted for publication in MNRA

Performance of sheep grazing Panicum maximum cv. Massai and supplemented with protein sources during the dry season

The low quality of tropical grasses in the dry season justifies the use of dietary supplements to meet the nutritional needs of sheep. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with high-protein feed on mutton sheep performance and yield in Massai grass pastures during the dry season. The treatments corresponded to four supplements, namely Leucaena leucocephala leaf hay, Gliricidia sepium leaf hay, soybean meal, and a treatment that received only multiple mixture (protein salt) ad libitum. The pasture was evaluated for canopy height, forage supply, and chemical composition of leaf blade, stem and dead material. Average daily gain, weight gain per area, and the stocking rate were also evaluated. There were four grazing cycles because the grazing method was rotational stocking with seven days of occupation and 35 days of rest. The interaction between supplements and grazing cycles was not significant, and no effects of the supplements were found for any of the variables. The highest forage and leaf blade offerings were observed in the first grazing cycle. The highest levels of crude protein and lower neutral detergent fibre and lignin of pasture components were observed in cycles 3 and 4. The highest average daily gains per animal and per area were observed in cycles 1 and 2. Protein supplementation of sheep in Massai grass pastures promotes satisfactory gains during the dry season, and Leucaena and Gliricidia hays can be used as protein sources instead of soybean meal. Keywords: Gliricidia sepium, leguminous, Leucaena leucocephala, pastur

Nuevos marcos de siembra para optimizar el crecimiento de maíz forrajero

El marco de siembra tradicional del maíz forrajero está condicionado por el ancho del tractor, en el cual la separación entre filas de siembra es cinco veces la separación entre plantas, lo que genera una baja competencia con malas hierbas ya que el cultivo tarda en cubrir completamente el suelo. Los nuevos prototipos de micro-máquinas que se están diseñando para los tratamientos herbicidas de post-emergencia en maíz facilitarían la modificación del marco de siembra. El objetivo es comprobar la eficacia de nuevos marcos de siembra. Durante 2010 se realizaron ensayos de siembra de maíz forrajero en Madrid y Copenhague. El tratamiento principal fue el marco de siembra tradicional de 75 cm × 15 cm y de 75 cm × 13 cm; y un marco nuevo más cuadrado de 37,5 cm × 30 cm y 32 cm × 32 cm, respectivamente en Madrid y Copenhague. Se consideraron dos subtratamientos: aplicación y no aplicación de herbicida en preemergencia. En ambos casos la producción de biomasa de la parte aérea fue mayor en el nuevo marco. Además, el nuevo marco mostró una mayor eficacia en el control de las malas hierbas por lo que podría reducirse el uso de herbicidas en su cultivo. Habría que poner a punto las nuevas máquinas para que estos marcos puedan llevarse a cabo en fincas comerciales

Even-sowing pattern strategies for a low-input agricultural system in forage maize

The objective of this study was to verify the effectiveness of new patterns of sowing and to achieve a low-input organic system in two different environments (northern and southern Europe). The study was motivated by the hypothesis that more even sowing patterns (triangular and square) would significantly enhance the growth and yield of forage maize under widely varying conditions, compared with traditional mechanised rectangular seed patterns. An experiment was conducted in Madrid and duplicated in Copenhagen during 2010. A random block design was used with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement based on two seed-sowing patterns: traditional (rectangular) and new (even) and two weed-management conditions (herbicide use and a low-input system). In both weed-management conditions and locations, the production of aerial maize biomass was greater for the new square seed patterns. In addition, the new pattern showed a greater effectiveness in the control of weeds, both at the initial crop stages (36 and 33% fewer weeds m-2 at the 4- and 8-leaf stages, respectively, in the Copenhagen field experiment) and at the final stage. The final weed biomass for the new pattern was 568 kg ha-1 lower for the Copenhagen experiment and 277 kg ha-1 lower in Madrid field experiments. In the light of these results, the new pattern could potentially reduce the use of herbicides. The results of the experiments support the hypothesis formulated at the beginning of this study that even-sowing patterns would be relatively favourable for the growth and yield of the maize crop. In the near future, new machinery could be used to achieve new seed patterns for the optimisation of biomass yield under low-input systems. This approach is effective because it promotes natural crop-weed competition

Compartmental analysis of ranitidine doubled peak plasma profile after oral administration to healthy volunteers

O objetivo deste trabalho foi o duplo pico observado no perfil farmacocinético plasmático da ranitidina após administração oral a voluntários sadios através de análise compartimental. Uma dose simples de 300 mg de ranitidina foi administrada a dez voluntários sadios (5 homens e 5 mulheres). Amostras de sangue foram coletadas em diferentes tempos e analisadas por HPLC. Os perfis plasmáticos foram avaliados pela abordagem compartimental e nãocompartimental. Os parâmetros não compartimentais determinados foram k (0,0054 ± 0,001 min¹), t² (2,2 ± 0,4 h), Vd/F (265,3 ± 70,6 L), Cl/F (84,8 ± 24,3 L/h) e AUC (225916 ± 54099 ng*min/mL). A análise compartimental foi conduzida utilizando-se o modelo de dois compartimentos corporais com constantes de absorção de primeira ordem a partir de dois sítios de absorção diferentes. Os parâmetros determinados foram k21 (0,0149 ± 0,0133 min¹), k a1 (0,0117 ± 0,0073 min¹), k a02(0,1496 ± 0,1699 min¹), Vc (128 ± 75,2 L), a (0,0299 ± 0,0319 min¹), b (0,0074 ± 0,0014 min¹) e o tempo para o início da absorção no segundo sítio (126,7 ± 58,1 min). O modelo usado na análise compartimental foi adequado para descrever o duplo pico no perfil plasmático da ranitidina e para determinar os parâmetros farmacocinéticos.The aim of this study was to describe the double peak plasma pharmacokinetic profile of ranitidine after oral administration to healthy volunteers using non-compartmental and compartmental analysis. A single 300 mg dose of ranitidine was given to ten healthy volunteers (5 male and 5 female). Blood samples were drawn at different times and analyzed by HPLC. Plasma profiles were evaluated by non-compartmental and compartmental approaches. The non-compartmental parameters determined were k (0.0054 ± 0.0010 min-1), t1/2ss/F (265.3 ± 70.6 L), Cl/F (84.8 ± 24.3 L/h) and AUC (225916 ± 54099 ng*min/mL). The compartmental analysis was carried out using a two compartments body model, with first order absorption from two different sites. The parameters determined were k21 (0.0149 ± 0.0133 min-1), k a1(0.0117 ± 0.0073 min-1), k a2 (0.1496 ± 0.1699 min-1), Vc (128 ± 75.2 L), a (0.0299 ± 0.0319 min-1), b (0.0074 ± 0.0014 min-1) and time for the beginning of the absorption from the second site (126.7 ± 58.1 min). The model used in the compartmental analysis was adequate to describe the double peak of ranitidine plasma profile and to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters

Nonextensivity in Geological Faults?

Geological fault systems, as the San Andreas fault (SAF) in USA, constitute typical examples of self-organizing systems in nature. In this paper, we have considered some geophysical properties of the SAF system to test the viability of the nonextensive models for earthquakes developed in [Phys. Rev. E {\bf 73}, 026102, 2006]. To this end, we have used 6188 earthquakes events ranging in the magnitude interval $2 < m < 8$ that were taken from the Network Earthquake International Center catalogs (NEIC, 2004-2006) and the Bulletin of the International Seismological Centre (ISC, 1964-2003). For values of the Tsallis nonextensive parameter $q \simeq 1.68$, it is shown that the energy distribution function deduced in above reference provides an excellent fit to the NEIC and ISC SAF data.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, standard LaTeX fil

New Molecular Markers Distinguishing Fonsecaea Agents of Chromoblastomycosis

Contains fulltext : 207327.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Inflammatory and Adipose Response in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients After a Marathon Cycling Race

Abstract Background Organ transplant recipients frequently have chronic inflammation, with a weighty impact on cardiovascular risk. These patients can benefit from exercise, although the role of intense training is unclear. We evaluated the effect of a 130-km cycling race on inflammatory cytokines and adiponectin levels in transplant recipients. Methods Circulating interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, and adiponectin were assayed in 35 healthy subjects vs 19 transplant recipients (10 kidney, 8 liver, 1 heart), matched for sex, age, body mass index, and preparation workout. The determinations were performed before the race, at the end, and after 18 to 24 hours. Baseline values of 32 sedentary transplant recipients also were evaluated to explore the possible chronic impact of lifestyle. Results All cyclists had 6- to 8-fold increased IL-6 levels after the race that decreased, without returning to baseline, the day after. Conversely, serum TNF-α and IFN-γ showed a progressive increase starting during physical performance and enduring for the next 18 to 24 hours in healthy subjects, whereas they were unchanged over time in cyclists with transplants. In transplant recipients who did not perform exercise, all of the analytes were significantly higher in comparison to basal levels of physically active subjects. Conclusions Our data suggest that clinically stable and properly trained transplant recipients can safely perform and progressively benefit from exercise, even at a competitive level. The changes in inflammation parameters were temporary and parallel with those of the healthy subjects. The comparison with sedentary transplant recipients revealed an overall amelioration of inflammatory indexes as a possible effect of regular physical activity on systemic inflammation