The spatiotemporal representation of dance and music gestures using topological gesture analysis (TGA)

SPATIOTEMPORAL GESTURES IN MUSIC AND DANCE HAVE been approached using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Applying quantitative methods has offered new perspectives but imposed several constraints such as artificial metric systems, weak links with qualitative information, and incomplete accounts of variability. In this study, we tackle these problems using concepts from topology to analyze gestural relationships in space. The Topological Gesture Analysis (TGA) relies on the projection of musical cues onto gesture trajectories, which generates point clouds in a three-dimensional space. Point clouds can be interpreted as topologies equipped with musical qualities, which gives us an idea about the relationships between gesture, space, and music. Using this method, we investigate the relationships between musical meter, dance style, and expertise in two popular dances (samba and Charleston). The results show how musical meter is encoded in the dancer's space and how relevant information about styles and expertise can be revealed by means of simple topological relationships

Basic gestures as spatiotemporal reference frames for repetitive dance/music patterns in samba and charleston

THE GOAL OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO GAIN BETTER insight into how dancers establish, through dancing, a spatiotemporal reference frame in synchrony with musical cues. With the aim of achieving this, repetitive dance patterns of samba and Charleston were recorded using a three-dimensional motion capture system. Geometric patterns then were extracted from each joint of the dancer's body. The method uses a body-centered reference frame and decomposes the movement into non-orthogonal periodicities that match periods of the musical meter. Musical cues (such as meter and loudness) as well as action-based cues (such as velocity) can be projected onto the patterns, thus providing spatiotemporal reference frames, or 'basic gestures,' for action-perception couplings. Conceptually speaking, the spatiotemporal reference frames control minimum effort points in action-perception couplings. They reside as memory patterns in the mental and/or motor domains, ready to be dynamically transformed in dance movements. The present study raises a number of hypotheses related to spatial cognition that may serve as guiding principles for future dance/music studies

Representation of Samba dance gestures, using a multi-modal analysis approach

In this paper we propose an approach for the representation of dance gestures in Samba dance. This representation is based on a video analysis of body movements, carried out from the viewpoint of the musical meter. Our method provides the periods, a measure of energy and a visual representation of periodic movement in dance. The method is applied to a limited universe of Samba dances and music, which is used to illustrate the usefulness of the approach

Balance hídrico positivo y alta mortalidad en niños con sepsis grave y choque séptico

ResumenIntroducciónUno de los pilares fundamentales del tratamiento en la sepsis grave y el choque séptico es la administración de líquidos intravenosos. Sin embargo, su administración excesiva puede tener efectos deletéreos.MétodoSe llevó a cabo un estudio observacional de cohortes y prospectivo en un grupo de niños con sepsis grave y choque séptico para determinar si el balance hídrico tiene un impacto determinante sobre la tasa de mortalidad.ResultadosSe incluyeron 102 niños en el análisis. La sepsis grave predominó en 61,8% de los casos y la mortalidad general fue de 25,5%. El balance hídrico fue significativamente más alto a las 48 y 72 horas en los que no sobrevivieron, al igual que el balance hídrico acumulado en las primeras 72 horas de admisión (1973±868ml vs. 1044±670ml, p<0.0001).Mediante un modelo de regresión multivariable de Cox, se identificaron como factores predictores independientes de mortalidad antes de 28 días: PELOD (Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction) mayor de 20 puntos (Hazard ratios [HR]=2.9; IC95% 1.7–11.4; p=0.014), insuficiencia renal aguda (HR=1,9; IC95% 1,1-3,8; p=0,001) y sobrecarga hídrica (HR=2,1; IC95% 1,3-8,2; p=0,035). Además, se observó un incremento significativo del riesgo de mortalidad en los niños con sobrecarga hídrica, según el método de Kaplan-Meier (p=0,002).ConclusiónEl balance hídrico positivo acumulado en las primeras 72 horas se asocia con mayor mortalidad en niños con sepsis grave y choque séptico. El puntaje PELOD, la insuficiencia renal y la sobrecarga hídrica incrementan el riesgo de mortalidad en estos pacientes.AbstractIntroductionIn severe sepsis and septic shock one of the mainstays of treatment is the administration of intravenous fluids. However, the administration of excess fluids in sepsis may have deleterious effects.MethodsA prospective observational cohort study was performed in order to determine if the fluid balance has a determining impact on mortality rate in a group of critically ill children with severe sepsis or septic shock.ResultsA total of 102 patients were included in the analysis. Severe sepsis was predominant in 61.8% of the cases. The mortality was 25.5%. The fluid balance was significantly higher at 48hours and 72hours in non-survivors, as well as the accumulated fluid balance in the first 72hours (1973±868ml vs. 1044±670ml, p<.0001).Using a multivariate Cox regression model, a PELOD (Paediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction) score of more than 20 points (HR=2.9; 1.7–11.4; p=.014), acute renal failure (HR=1.9; 95% CI; 1.1–3.8; p=.001), and fluid overload (HR=2.1; 95% CI; 1.3–8.2; p=.035) were identified as predictors of mortality at 28 days. A significantly increased risk of mortality in children with fluid overload (p=.002) is also observed in the survival curve using the Kaplan-Meier method.ConclusionsThe accumulated positive fluid balance in the first 72hours is associated with higher mortality in children with severe sepsis or septic shock. PELOD score, acute renal failure, and fluid overload increase the risk of mortality in these patients

Does Executive MBA Deliver? Exploration of Developmental Outcomes and Participants’ Perceptions of Delivery Effectiveness

Critics of the value of the Executive MBA program have not adequately considered the perceptions of Executive MBA students. This paper evaluates performance of an Executive MBA program by exploring students’ preferred developmental outcomes and perceptions about the effectiveness of their Executive MBA program towards delivering the targeted outcomes. Interviews, focus groups and survey were conducted with program’s directors, staff, and current and graduated students in a large privately run university in Punjab province of Pakistan. As a result of a rigorous process, the study identified twenty-seven critical outcomes under two categories namely “personal outcomes” and “professional outcomes” which students consider important and urge their Executive MBA program to deliver. On the whole students appear to be satisfied with their Executive MBA program; however, the effectiveness of their program is below their expectations. Identification of the exact outcomes in this study provide directions for Executive MBA administrators to make their curriculum and pedagogical/andragogical techniques more relevant and value-oriented for their students. Based on these findings, it is inferred that Executive MBA programs’ planning should consider students as the protagonist of their programs’ planning process

Telecommuting as a Sustainable Transportation Measure in Ecuador

The purpose of this article is to provide information to determine that telecommuting in Ecuador can be used as a measure of sustainable transport. Briefly, sustainable development is described, and certain definitions and approaches related to sustainable transport are covered, for instance, the Avoid-Shift-Improve (ASI) approach, as well as the Transport Demand Management (TDM), which serve to validate from a conceptual point of view the application and usefulness of telecommuting. An overview of the current situation in the transport sector in Ecuador is analyzed; the final energy demand; the environmental aspects related to transport, and the amount of public and private employees that are telecommuting. Taking into consideration some hypothesis, such as car ownership rate, the total amount of kilometers driven per year, the assumption of the distance travelled by employees who take public transportation; the assumptions helped to determine the savings that can be obtained through telecommuting in the present time. Therefore, these results would provide adequate information for decision makers to establish a conclusive pronouncement on whether or not support telecommuting as a valid working approach, and to develop the necessary policies to maintain it over time

SHOCK POR DENGUE: FACTORES DE RIESGO

INTRODUCCI 3N: El dengue es en la actualidad la enfermedad viral m\ue1s importante transmitida por mosquitos, con m\ue1s de 2.500 millones de personas expuestas. METODOLOG\ucdA: Para identificar factores de riesgo para shock por dengue, se dise\uf1\uf3 un estudio observacional, anal\uedtico, prospectivo, con 392 ni\uf1os con dengue con criterios de alarma; divididos en dos grupos, 51 que evolucionaron hasta shock; y 341 que no presentaron shock. En el grupo con shock, se registraron los datos en las 24 horas previas a su presentaci\uf3n; en el grupo sin shock, los datos registrados fueron los de mayor alteraci\uf3n durante el per\uedodo cr\uedtico de la enfermedad. RESULTADOS: Mediante regresi\uf3n log\uedstica binaria se identific\uf3 como factores de riesgo para s\uedndrome de shock dengue: infecci\uf3n anterior por dengue [RO: 4,7 IC 95% (2,6 - 8,7) p =3D 0,001], diferencia de presi\uf3n arterial sist\uf3lica menos diast\uf3lica menor de 20 mm de Hg. [RO: 3,1 IC 95% (1,3 - 5,9) p =3D 0,049], hemoconcentraci\uf3n mayor del 20% [RO: 4,1 IC 95% (2,7 - 7,3) p =3D 0,031], y leucocitos mayores de 7.000/mm3 [RO: 3,3 IC 95% (2,9 - 8,1) p =3D 0,037]. CONCLUSION: La atenci\uf3n a la diferencia entre tensi\uf3n arterial sist\uf3lica y diast\uf3lica, la hemoconcentraci\uf3n, y el recuento leucocitario, con antecedente de infecci\uf3n anterior por dengue, debe alertar al m\ue9dico sobre el alto riesgo para s\uedndrome de shock por dengue.PALABRAS CLAVES DEL AUTOR: Dengue. Shock. Factores de riesgo ABSTRACTDENGUE SHOCK: RISK FACTORS INTRODUCTION: Dengue is currently the most important viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, with more than 2,500 million people exposed. METHODOLOGY: To identify risk factors associated with dengue shock, we designed an observational, analytical, prospective study, with 392 children with dengue and alarm criteria, divided into two groups, 51 who progressed to shock, and 341 who did not have shock. In the shock group, data were recorded in the 24 hours before presentation of shock, in the group without shock, the recorded data were the most affected during the critical period of the disease. RESULTS: Through Binary logistic regression was identified as risk factors for dengue shock syndrome: previous dengue infection [OR: 4.7 95% CI (2.6 - 8.7) p =3D 0.001], difference of systolic minus diastolic blood pressure below 20 mm Hg. [OR: 3.1 95% CI (1.3 - 5.9 ) p =3D 0.049], hemoconcentration more than 20% [OR: 4.1 95% CI (2.7 - 7.3) p =3D 0.031], and leukocytes over 7.000/mm3 [OR: 3.3 95% CI (2.9 - 8.1) p =3D 0.037]. CONCLUSION: Attention to the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hemoconcentration, and the leukocyte count, with a previous history of dengue infection, should alert the clinician to the high risk for dengue shock syndrome.KEY WORDS: Dengue. Shock. Risk Factors. <br

Developing an undergraduate software engineering degree

As those who have done it can attest, developing an undergraduate degree in software engineering is a daunting and challenging task, and there have been instances where a department has tried, but failed to get its program approved. A strong desire to develop a program in software engineering together with interested faculty may not be enough to build a credible degree, let alone a curriculum that will be approved by all the administrative and State organizations who may have a say in it .This panel brings together a group whose experience in developing software engineering degrees at their respective institutions may be helpful to those thinking about doing so. Each member of the group will describe his/her experiences in developing an undergraduate program in software engineering and address key issues and problems that should be considered in any such effort. There will also be ample opportunity for interaction among the participants