3,003 research outputs found
Multimodal Observation and Interpretation of Subjects Engaged in Problem Solving
In this paper we present the first results of a pilot experiment in the
capture and interpretation of multimodal signals of human experts engaged in
solving challenging chess problems. Our goal is to investigate the extent to
which observations of eye-gaze, posture, emotion and other physiological
signals can be used to model the cognitive state of subjects, and to explore
the integration of multiple sensor modalities to improve the reliability of
detection of human displays of awareness and emotion. We observed chess players
engaged in problems of increasing difficulty while recording their behavior.
Such recordings can be used to estimate a participant's awareness of the
current situation and to predict ability to respond effectively to challenging
situations. Results show that a multimodal approach is more accurate than a
unimodal one. By combining body posture, visual attention and emotion, the
multimodal approach can reach up to 93% of accuracy when determining player's
chess expertise while unimodal approach reaches 86%. Finally this experiment
validates the use of our equipment as a general and reproducible tool for the
study of participants engaged in screen-based interaction and/or problem
solving
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Electricity Sector Reform in Developing Countries: A Survey of Empirical Evidence on Determinants and Performance
This paper reviews the empirical evidence on electricity reform in developing countries. We find that country institutions and sector governance play an important role in success and failure of reform; reforms appear to have increased operating efficiency and expanded access to urban customers; they have to a lesser degree passed on efficiency gains to customers, tackled distributional effects, or improved rural access. Moreover, some of the literature is not methodologically robust or on a par with general development economics literature and findings on some issues are limited and inconclusive while some important areas are yet to be addressed. Until we know more, implementation of reforms will be more based on ideology and economic theory rather than solid economic evidence.The World Bank Electricity Research Programme and the CMI Electricity Project (IR-45
Recovery of a medieval Brucella melitensis genome using shotgun metagenomics
Shotgun metagenomics provides a powerful assumption-free approach to the recovery of pathogen genomes from contemporary and historical material. We sequenced the metagenome of a calcified nodule from the skeleton of a 14th-century middle-aged male excavated from the medieval Sardinian settlement of Geridu. We obtained 6.5-fold coverage of a Brucella melitensis genome. Sequence reads from this genome showed signatures typical of ancient or aged DNA. Despite the relatively low coverage, we were able to use information from single-nucleotide polymorphisms to place the medieval pathogen genome within a clade of B. melitensis strains that included the well-studied Ether strain and two other recent Italian isolates. We confirmed this placement using information from deletions and IS711 insertions. We conclude that metagenomics stands ready to document past and present infections, shedding light on the emergence, evolution, and spread of microbial pathogens
Evaluation of the effect of esca disease on bud break in Vitis vinifera L.: possible relationship between cultivars and rootstocks
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect
of esca disease on bud break of grapevine in relation
to different rootstock combinations. For this purpose
under field conditions observations of flower bud phenological
stages were carried out on three widespread
grapevine cultivars 'Cabernet Sauvignon', 'Sangiovese'
and 'Trebbiano toscano'. Further phenological observations
were recorded under forcing conditions using
'Cabernet Sauvignon' as the most susceptible to esca
disease. Each cultivar was grafted on K5BB, 1103P
and own rooted. The plants were infected by esca due
to the natural presence of fungi in the vineyard. Results
showed that esca disease significantly delayed bud
break of symptomatic vines for several years. Grapevines
on different rootstocks showed different bud
break changes, in particular those on K5BB were the
most susceptible to esca
Endurance of SN 2005ip after a decade: X-rays, radio, and H-alpha like SN 1988Z require long-lived pre-supernova mass loss
SN2005ip was a TypeIIn event notable for its sustained strong interaction
with circumstellar material (CSM), coronal emission lines, and IR excess,
interpreted as shock interaction with the very dense and clumpy wind of an
extreme red supergiant. We present a series of late-time spectra of SN2005ip
and a first radio detection of this SN, plus late-time X-rays, all of which
indicate that its CSM interaction is still strong a decade post-explosion. We
also present and discuss new spectra of geriatric SNe with continued CSM
interaction: SN1988Z, SN1993J, and SN1998S. From 3-10 yr post-explosion,
SN2005ip's H-alpha luminosity and other observed characteristics were nearly
identical to those of the radio-luminous SN1988Z, and much more luminous than
SNe1993J and 1998S. At 10 yr after explosion, SN2005ip showed a drop in
H luminosity, followed by a quick resurgence over several months. We
interpret this variability as ejecta crashing into a dense shell located at
around 0.05 pc from the star, which may be the same shell that caused the IR
echo at earlier epochs. The extreme H-alpha luminosities in SN2005ip and
SN1988Z are still dominated by the forward shock at 10 yr post-explosion,
whereas SN1993J and SN1998S are dominated by the reverse shock at a similar
age. Continuous strong CSM interaction in SNe~2005ip and 1988Z is indicative of
enhanced mass loss for about 1e3 yr before core collapse, longer than Ne, O, or
Si burning phases. Instead, the episodic mass loss must extend back through C
burning and perhaps even part of He burning.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figs. accepted in MNRA
Mangosteen Extract Shows a Potent Insulin Sensitizing Effect in Obese Female Patients: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.
There is a widely acknowledged association between insulin resistance and obesity/type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and insulin sensitizing treatments have proved effective in preventing diabetes and inducing weight loss. Obesity and T2DM are also associated with increased inflammation. Mangosteen is a tropical tree, whose fruitsâknown for their antioxidant propertiesâhave been recently suggested having a possible further role in the treatment of obesity and T2DM. The objective of this pilot study has been to evaluate safety and efficacy of treatment with mangosteen extract on insulin resistance, weight management, and inflammatory status in obese female patients with insulin resistance. Twenty-two patients were randomized 1:1 to behavioral therapy alone or behavioral therapy and mangosteen and 20 completed the 26-week study. The mangosteen group reported a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity (homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, HOMA-IR â53.22% vs. â15.23%, p = 0.004), and no side effect attributable to treatment was reported. Given the positive preliminary results we report and the excellent safety profile, we suggest a possible supplementary role of mangosteen extracts in the treatment of obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation
ESO 381-47, an early-type galaxy with extended HI and a star forming ring
ESO 381-47 is an early type galaxy with an extended HI disk. GALEX and very
deep optical images reveal a distinct stellar ring far outside the optical body
with a diameter of ~30 kpc, which has undergone recent star formation at 1.8 x
10^-4 Msun/yr/kpc^-2, consistent with other new results which detect low level
star formation below the traditional Kennicutt relation in the outer parts of
spiral galaxies. The morphology of this galaxy resembles the recently
identified class of ultraviolet objects called extended ultraviolet disks, or
XUV-disks. New HI observations of this galaxy taken at the ATCA and in the CnB
array at the VLA show that the cold gas lies in an extended (diameter ~90 kpc)
ring around the central S0 galaxy. The HI data cube can be well modeled by a
warped ring. The faint ionized gas in the inner parts of the galaxy is
kinematically decoupled from the stars and instead appears to exhibit
velocities consistent with the rotation of the HI ring at larger radius. The
peak of the stellar ring, as seen in the optical and UV, is slightly displaced
to the inside relative to the peak of the HI ring. We discuss the manner in
which this offset could be caused by the propagation of a radial density wave
through an existing stellar disk, perhaps triggered by a galaxy collision at
the center of the disk, or possibly due to a spiral density wave set up at
early times in a disk too hot to form a stellar bar. Gas accretion and
resonance effects due to a bar which has since dissolved are also considered to
explain the presence of the star forming ring seen in the GALEX and deep
optical data.Comment: 48 pages, 16 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journa
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