Towards Speech Emotion Recognition "in the wild" using Aggregated Corpora and Deep Multi-Task Learning

One of the challenges in Speech Emotion Recognition (SER) "in the wild" is the large mismatch between training and test data (e.g. speakers and tasks). In order to improve the generalisation capabilities of the emotion models, we propose to use Multi-Task Learning (MTL) and use gender and naturalness as auxiliary tasks in deep neural networks. This method was evaluated in within-corpus and various cross-corpus classification experiments that simulate conditions "in the wild". In comparison to Single-Task Learning (STL) based state of the art methods, we found that our MTL method proposed improved performance significantly. Particularly, models using both gender and naturalness achieved more gains than those using either gender or naturalness separately. This benefit was also found in the high-level representations of the feature space, obtained from our method proposed, where discriminative emotional clusters could be observed.Comment: Published in the proceedings of INTERSPEECH, Stockholm, September, 201

Directional interactions in semiflexible single-chain polymer folding

Precise control over folded conformations of synthetic polymers is highly desirable in the development of functional nanomaterials for diverse applications. Introducing monomers capable of strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding is a promising route to achieve this control. In the present work we report the use of Wang–Landau Monte Carlo simulations of coarse-grained copolymers to explore the design parameters of these systems on their pathway to collapse. The highly directional nature of hydrogen-bonded supramolecular interactions is modelled by a directional non-bonded potential while a harmonic bending potential is used to take into account the flexibility of the polymer chain, thus making it possible to look at the interplay of both factors. The introduction of directional interactions in the copolymer chain leads to a sharper coil-globule collapse when compared to homopolymers composed of isotropic interacting beads only. Simultaneously, some of the stiffness-dependent structural properties become exacerbated when directional beads are present. Finally, from the heat capacity profiles for the different chain stiffness values we are able to distinguish the prevalence of the collapse of the backbone for highly flexible chains, while as chain stiffness increases folding of the co-polymer due to the directional interactions becomes the dominant feature

Identification of sex hormone-binding globulin in the human hypothalamus

Gonadal steroids are known to influence hypothalamic functions through both genomic and non-genomic pathways. Sex hormone-binding globulin ( SHBG) may act by a non-genomic mechanism independent of classical steroid receptors. Here we describe the immunocytochemical mapping of SHBG-containing neurons and nerve fibers in the human hypothalamus and infundibulum. Mass spectrometry and Western blot analysis were also used to characterize the biochemical characteristics of SHBG in the hypothalamus and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of humans. SHBG-immunoreactive neurons were observed in the supraoptic nucleus, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, paraventricular nucleus, arcuate nucleus, the perifornical region and the medial preoptic area in human brains. There were SHBG-immunoreactive axons in the median eminence and the infundibulum. A partial colocalization with oxytocin could be observed in the posterior pituitary lobe in consecutive semithin sections. We also found strong immunoreactivity for SHBG in epithelial cells of the choroid plexus and in a portion of the ependymal cells lining the third ventricle. Mass spectrometry showed that affinity-purified SHBG from the hypothalamus and choroid plexus is structurally similar to the SHBG identified in the CSF. The multiple localizations of SHBG suggest neurohypophyseal and neuroendocrine functions. The biochemical data suggest that CSF SHBG is of brain rather than blood origin. Copyright (c) 2005 S. Karger AG, Base

Absorption Enhancement in Lossy Transition Metal Elements of Plasmonic Nanosandwiches

Combination of catalytically active transition metals and surface plasmons offers a promising way to drive chemical reactions by converting incident visible light into energetic electron-hole pairs acting as a mediator. In such a reaction enhancement scheme, the conversion efficiency is dependent on light absorption in the metal. Hence, increasing absorption in the plasmonic structure is expected to increase generation of electron-hole pairs and, consequently, the reaction rate. Furthermore, the abundance of energetic electrons might facilitate new reaction pathways. In this work we discuss optical properties of homo- and heterometallic plasmonic nanosandwiches consisting of two parallel disks made of gold and palladium. We show how near-field coupling between the sandwich elements can be used to enhance absorption in one of them. The limits of this enhancement are investigated using finite-difference time-domain simulations. Physical insight is gained through a simple coupled dipole analysis of the nanostructure. For small palladium disks (compared to the gold disk), total absorption enhancement integrated over the near visible solar AM 1.5 spectrum is 8-fold, while for large palladium disks, similar in size to the gold one, it exceeds three

A randomized trial and novel SPR technique identifies altered lipoprotein-LDL receptor binding as a mechanism underlying elevated LDL-cholesterol in APOE4s

At a population level APOE4 carriers (~25% Caucasians) are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. The penetrance of genotype is however variable and influenced by dietary fat composition, with the APOE4 allele associated with greater LDL-cholesterol elevation in response to saturated fatty acids (SFA). The etiology of this greater responsiveness is unknown. Here a novel surface plasmon resonance technique (SPR) is developed and used, along with hepatocyte (with the liver being the main organ modulating lipoprotein metabolism and plasma lipid levels) uptake studies to establish the impact of dietary fatty acid composition on, lipoprotein-LDL receptor (LDLR) binding, and hepatocyte uptake, according to APOE genotype status. In men prospectively recruited according to APOE genotype (APOE3/3 common genotype, or APOE3/E4), triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) were isolated at fasting and 4-6 h following test meals rich in SFA, unsaturated fat and SFA with fish oil. In APOE4s a greater LDLR binding affinity of postprandial TRL after SFA, and lower LDL binding and hepatocyte internalization, provide mechanisms for the greater LDL-cholesterol raising effect. The SPR technique developed may be used for the future study of the impact of genotype, and physiological and behavioral variables on lipoprotein metabolism

Lestaurtinib Inhibits Histone Phosphorylation and Androgen-Dependent Gene Expression in Prostate Cancer Cells

Background: Epigenetics is defined as heritable changes in gene expression that are not based on changes in the DNA sequence. Posttranslational modification of histone proteins is a major mechanism of epigenetic regulation. The kinase PRK1 (protein kinase C related kinase 1, also known as PKN1) phosphorylates histone H3 at threonine 11 and is involved in the regulation of androgen receptor signalling. Thus, it has been identified as a novel drug target but little is known about PRK1 inhibitors and consequences of its inhibition. Methodology/Principal Finding: Using a focused library screening approach, we identified the clinical candidate lestaurtinib (also known as CEP-701) as a new inhibitor of PRK1. Based on a generated 3D model of the PRK1 kinase using the homolog PKC-theta (protein kinase c theta) protein as a template, the key interaction of lestaurtinib with PRK1 was analyzed by means of molecular docking studies. Furthermore, the effects on histone H3 threonine phosphorylation and androgen-dependent gene expression was evaluated in prostate cancer cells. Conclusions/Significance: Lestaurtinib inhibits PRK1 very potently in vitro and in vivo. Applied to cell culture it inhibits histone H3 threonine phosphorylation and androgen-dependent gene expression, a feature that has not been known yet. Thus our findings have implication both for understanding of the clinical activity of lestaurtinib as well as for future PRK

Methods to study microbial adhesion on abiotic surfaces

Microbial biofilms are a matrix of cells and exopolymeric substances attached to a wet and solid surface and are commonly associated to several problems, such as biofouling and corrosion in industries and infectious diseases in urinary catheters and prosthesis. However, these cells may have several benefits in distinct applications, such as wastewater treatment processes, microbial fuel cells for energy production and biosensors. As microbial adhesion is a key step on biofilm formation, it is very important to understand and characterize microbial adhesion to a surface. This study presents an overview of predictive and experimental methods used for the study of bacterial adhesion. Evaluation of surface physicochemical properties have a limited capacity in describing the complex adhesion process. Regarding the experimental methods, there is no standard method or platform available for the study of microbial adhesion and a wide variety of methods, such as colony forming units counting and microscopy techniques, can be applied for quantification and characterization of the adhesion process.This work was financially supported by: Project UID/EQU/00511/2013-LEPABE, by the FCT/MEC with national funds and co-funded by FEDER in the scope of the P2020 Partnership Agreement; Project NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000025 - RL2_Environment&Health, by FEDER funds through Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade-COMPETE, by the Programa Operacional do Norte (ON2) program and by national funds through FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia; European Research Project SusClean (Contract number FP7-KBBE-2011-5, project number: 287514), Scholarships SFRH/BD/52624/2014, SFRH/BD/88799/2012 and SFRH/BD/103810/2014