Multimodal Affect Recognition: Current Approaches and Challenges

Many factors render multimodal affect recognition approaches appealing. First, humans employ a multimodal approach in emotion recognition. It is only fitting that machines, which attempt to reproduce elements of the human emotional intelligence, employ the same approach. Second, the combination of multiple-affective signals not only provides a richer collection of data but also helps alleviate the effects of uncertainty in the raw signals. Lastly, they potentially afford us the flexibility to classify emotions even when one or more source signals are not possible to retrieve. However, the multimodal approach presents challenges pertaining to the fusion of individual signals, dimensionality of the feature space, and incompatibility of collected signals in terms of time resolution and format. In this chapter, we explore the aforementioned challenges while presenting the latest scholarship on the topic. Hence, we first discuss the various modalities used in affect classification. Second, we explore the fusion of modalities. Third, we present publicly accessible multimodal datasets designed to expedite work on the topic by eliminating the laborious task of dataset collection. Fourth, we analyze representative works on the topic. Finally, we summarize the current challenges in the field and provide ideas for future research directions

The elicitation of key performance indicators of e-government providers: A bottom-up approach

Copyright @ 2013 EMCIS.Delivering an adequate e-Government service (e-service) is becoming more of a necessity in today's digital world. In order to improve e-services and increase the engagement of both users' and providers' side, studies on the performance evaluation of such provided e-services are taking places. However a clear identification of the key performance indicators from the e-Government providers’ side is not well explored. This shortcoming hampers the conduct of a holistic evaluation of an e-service provision from the perspective of its stakeholders in order to improve e-services as well as to increase e-services take-ups. In this paper, a systematic process to identify indicators is implemented based on a bottom-up approach. The process used three focus-group meetings with providers, users, and academics in Qatar, Lebanon and UK to collect, identify and validate key indicators from the perspective of e-services’ providers. The approach resulted in the identification of five factors levels (service, technology, employees, policy and management and social responsibilities) with fifteen sub-categories of SMART variables. Hence, leading to the development of a new model, STEPS, that can fully explain and predict e-government success from the providers’ point of view. It will work as a strategic management tool to align various stakeholders on common goal and values based on evidence based evaluation of e-services using smart measurable indicators for the improvement of an e-service at the engagement level in the field of e-government. In addition, other fields can benefit from the outcome of this work, such as logistics service providers, who make their services available across new and existing relationships between the Internet commerce firms, their customers, and their vendors

Chemosensetizing and cardioprotective effects of resveratrol in doxorubicin- treated animals

BACKGROUND: Doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline antibiotic is one of the most effective anticancer drug used in the treatment of variety of cancers .Its use is limited by its cardiotoxicity. The present study was designed to assess the role of a natural product resveratrol (RSVL) on sensitization of mammary carcinoma (Ehrlich ascites carcinoma) to the action of DOX and at the same time its protective effect against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. METHODS: Ehrlich ascites carcinoma bearing mice were used in this study. Percent survival of tumor bearing mice was used for determination of the Cytotoxic activity of DOX in presence and absence of RSVL. Uptake and cell cycle effect of DOX in tumor cells in the presence of RSVL was also determined. Histopatholgical examination of heart tissues after DOX and/or RSVL therapy was also investigated. RESULTS: DOX at a dose level of 15 mg/kg increased the mean survival time of tumor bearing mice to 21 days compared with 15 days for non tumor-bearing control mice. Administration of RSVL at a dose level of 10 mg/kg simultaneously with DOX increased the mean survival time to 30 days with 70% survival of the tumor-bearing animals. RSVL increased the intracellular level of DOX and there was a strong correlation between the high cellular level of DOX and its cytotoxic activity. Moreover, RSVL treatment showed 4.8 fold inhibition in proliferation index of cells treated with DOX. Histopathological analysis of rat heart tissue after a single dose of DOX (20 mg/kg) showed myocytolysis with congestion of blood vessels, cytoplasmic vacuolization and fragmentation. Concomitant treatment with RSVL, fragmentation of the muscle fiber revealed normal muscle fiber. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that RSVL could increase the cytotoxic activity of DOX and at the same time protect against its cardiotoxicity

6,6′-Dimeth­oxy-2,2′-[p-phenyl­ene­bis(nitrilo­methyl­idyne)]diphenol chloro­form disolvate

The title compound, C22H20N2O4·2CHCl3, a new Schiff base compound, lies across a crystallographic inversion centre. An intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond generates a six-membered ring, producing an S(6) ring motif. Inter­molecular bifurcated C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the two O atoms of the Schiff base ligand and the H atom of the chloro­form solvent of crystallization, generate an R 2 1(5) ring motif. The crystal structure is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions [centroid to centroid distance = 3.6158 (10) Å]. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are stacked down the c axis

FOXO3a gene polymorphism and bronchial asthma in Egyptian children INTRODUCTION Bronchial asthma is the most prevalent chronic immunological disorder in childhood period. It is characterized by airways inflammation and bronchial hyper-responsiveness where

Background: FOXO3a proteins play multiple crucial roles in immune response. FOXO3 inhibits T cell proliferation, induces T cell apoptosis via upregulation of proapoptotic proteins and it suppresses T cell activation preventing autoimmunity. The role of FOXO3a gene in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma has been studied in few ethnic groups and revealed its implication in asthma pathogenesis.Objectives: The aim of the current study is to detect the association between single nucleotide polymorphism of the FOXO3a gene (rs13217795) and bronchial asthma, atopy and asthma severity in Egyptian children.Methods: The current cross-sectional case-control study was performed on 75 asthmatic children aged 2 to 12 years following up in the pulmonology outpatient clinic in Children's hospital, Cairo University and 75 age and sex matched healthy controls. Candidates were subjected to clinical evaluation in addition to genotyping for the FOXO3a gene polymorphism using PCR-RFLP technique.Results: The highest frequency was for the heterozygous type CT in both cases and controls groups. The genotype frequencies of mutant type TT for cases and controls were 12 % and 16% respectively, and the T allele frequencies were 37.2% in cases and 46.7% in the control group while CC genotype was present in 37.3% of asthmatic patients and 22.6% in the controls and the C allele was detected in 62.8% and 53.3% for cases and controls respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between asthmatic patients and controls regarding the different genotypes of the FOXO3a gene polymorphism (p=0.161). No significant association was detected between the different genotypes of the FOXO3a gene polymorphism and the atopic status (p=0.536) or the different grades of asthma severity (p= 0.545).Conclusions: The study of FOXO3a gene polymorphism (rs13217795) in asthmatic Egyptian children revealed low frequency of the mutant TT genotype among cases and controls. In the current study, FOXO3a polymorphism has no role in the pathogenesis of asthma or atopy. Moreover, it has no relation to degree of disease severity.Keywords: Asthma, FOXO3a, gene, children, Egyptian, polymorphis

2-[1-(2-Hydr­oxy-3-methoxy­benz­yl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl]-6-methoxy­phenol methanol 1.13-solvate

In the main mol­ecule of the title compound, C22H20N2O4·1.13CH4O, the dihedral angles between the benzimidazole plane and the two benzene rings are 80.53 (10) and 82.76 (10)°. The solvent mol­ecules are disordered between three positions, with refined occupancies of 0.506 (13), 0.373 (13) and 0.249 (5). The crystal structure is stabilized by inter­molecular O—H⋯O, O—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The crystal studied was a merohedral twin [BASF ratio of 0.917 (1)/0.083 (1)]

2-Amino-N-(2-benz­yloxy-3-methoxy­benzyl­idene)aniline

The title compound, C21H20N2O2, a Schiff base ligand, contains two independent mol­ecules (A and B) in the asymmetric unit, with similar conformations. In mol­ecule A, the central benzene ring forms dihedral angles of 30.79 (13) and 23.56 (13)°, respectively, with the amino and benzyl benzene rings, while in mol­ecule B these angles are 32.30 (13) and 13.13 (12)°. The mol­ecular structure is stabilized by intra­molecular N—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The crystal structure is stabilized by N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds and N—H⋯π and C—H⋯π inter­actions

Maternal supplementation of diabetic mice with thymoquinone protects their offspring from abnormal obesity and diabetes by modulating their lipid profile and free radical production and restoring lymphocyte proliferation via PI3K/AKT signaling

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have shown that the offspring of mothers who experience diabetes mellitus during pregnancy are seven times more likely to develop health complications than the offspring of mothers who do not suffer from diabetes during pregnancy. The present study was designed to investigate whether supplementation of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic pregnant mice with thymoquinone (TQ) during pregnancy and lactation improves the risk of developing diabetic complications acquired by their offspring. METHODS: Three groups of pregnant female mice were used: non-diabetic control dams (CD), diabetic dams (DD), and diabetic dams supplemented with TQ (DD + TQ) during pregnancy and lactation (n = 10 female mice in each group). RESULTS: Our data demonstrated a marked decrease in the number of neonates born to DD, and these neonates showed a marked increase in their mean body weight (macrosomic pups) compared to those born to CD and DD + TQ. The induction of diabetes during pregnancy and lactation resulted in macrosomic pups with several postpartum complications, such as a marked increase in their levels of blood glucose, free radicals, plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α), and lipids, and a tendency toward abnormal obesity compared to the offspring of CD. By contrast, macrosomic offspring born to DD exhibited a marked reduction in plasma cytokine levels (IL-2, -4 and -7), an obvious reduction in the number of circulating lymphocytes, decreased proliferation of superantigen (SEB)-stimulated lymphocytes and aberrant AKT phosphorylation. Interestingly, the supplementation of DD with TQ during pregnancy and lactation had an obvious and significant effect on the number and mean body weight of neonates. Furthermore, TQ significantly restored the levels of blood glucose, insulin, free radicals, plasma cytokines, and lipids as well as lymphocyte proliferation in the offspring. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the nutritional supplementation of DD with the natural antioxidant TQ during pregnancy and lactation protects their offspring from developing diabetic complications and preserves an efficient lymphocyte immune response later in life

Novel organometallic catalyst for efficient valorization of lipids extracted from Prunus domestica kernel shell in sustainable fuel production.

This study focuses on converting Plum Kernel Shell (PKS) waste biomass into biodiesel using a novel synthesized heterogeneous catalyst, contributing to the pursuit of renewable fuel from sustainable resources. Plum Kernel Shell (PKS) is waste biomass generated from plum fruit and available abundantly; utilizing it can help in many ways, such as overcoming environmental issues and promoting a circular economy. The precursor for the heterogeneous catalyst is derived from post-oil extraction waste biomass and further modified with metallic oxides (CuO and Mo) due to its acidic nature to enhance its efficacy for biodiesel production. Thorough characterization of the synthesized catalyst was conducted using analytical techniques such as XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), EDS (Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy), BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller), and XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) to elucidate its nature and performance. The transesterification process was systematically optimized by varying parameters such as temperature, time, methanol-to-oil ratio, and catalyst loading. The optimized yield of 92.61% of biodiesel resulted under ideal conditions, specifically at 65°C, 150 min, 5 wt% catalyst loading, and an 18:1 M ratio. The biodiesel derived from PKS oil exhibited promising fuel properties encompassing cold flow properties, density, viscosity, cetane number, and flash point, validating its potential as a viable alternative fuel source. Furthermore, the synthesized novel catalyst demonstrated exceptional efficiency, retaining stability over five cycles without significant reduction in biodiesel yield. These findings underscore the viability of PKS biomass as a renewable and sustainable source for both catalyst synthesis and biodiesel production

2-[1-(2-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl]-6-methoxyphenol monohydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C22H20N2O4·H2O, comprises a substituted benzimidazole molecule and a water mol­ecule of crystallization. The dihedral angles between the benzimidazole ring system and the two outer benzene rings are 16.54 (4) and 86.13 (4)°. The dihedral angle between the two hydr­oxy-substituted benzene rings is 82.20 (5)°. In the crystal structure, inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, involving the hydr­oxy groups and water mol­ecules, form R 4 4(8) ring motifs, and link symmetry-related mol­ecules into extended chains along the c axis. The crystal structure is further stabilized by weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, weak C—H⋯π and π–π stacking [centroid–centroid = 3.6495 (6)–3.7130 (6) Å] inter­actions. Intra­molecular O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N inter­actions are also present