MORE – a multimodal observation and analysis system for social interaction research

The MORE system is designed for observation and machine-aided analysis of social interaction in real life situations, such as classroom teaching scenarios and business meetings. The system utilizes a multichannel approach to collect data whereby multiple streams of data in a number of different modalities are obtained from each situation. Typically the system collects a 360-degree video and audio feed from multiple microphones set up in the space. The system includes an advanced server backend component that is capable of performing video processing, feature extraction and archiving operations on behalf of the user. The feature extraction services form a key part of the system and rely on advanced signal analysis techniques, such as speech processing, motion activity detection and facial expression recognition in order to speed up the analysis of large data sets. The provided web interface weaves the multiple streams of information together, utilizes the extracted features as metadata on the audio and video data and lets the user dive into analyzing the recorded events. The objective of the system is to facilitate easy navigation of multimodal data and enable the analysis of the recorded situations for the purposes of, for example, behavioral studies, teacher training and business development. A further unique feature of the system is its low setup overhead and high portability as the lightest MORE setup only requires a laptop computer and the selected set of sensors on site.     

Effect of lubricant on the formation of heavy-duty diesel exhaust nanoparticles

The effect of lubricants on nanoparticle formation in heavy-duty diesel exhaust with and without a continuously regenerating diesel particulate filter (CRDPF) is studied. A partial flow sampling system with a particle size distribution measurement starting from 3 nm, approximately, is used. Tests are conducted using four different lubricant formulations, a very low sulfur content fuel, and four steady-state driving modes. A well-documented test procedure was followed for each test. Two different kinds of nanoparticle formation were observed, and both were found to be affected bythe lubricant but in differentway. Without CRDPF, nanoparticles were observed at low loads. No correlation between lubricant sulfur and these nanoparticles was found. These nanoparticles are suggested to form mainly from hydrocarbons. With CRDPF, installed nanoparticles were formed only at high load. The formation correlated positively with the lubricant (and fuel) sulfur level, suggesting that sulfuric compounds are the main nucleating species in this situation. Storage effects of CRDPF had an effect on nanoparticle concentration as the emissions of nanoparticles decreased over time.     

Effect of laccase and transglutaminase on the textural and water-binding properties of cooked chicken breast meat gels

The effects of laccase and transglutaminase (TG) on the firmness and weight loss of cooked chicken meat homogenate gels were investigated at laboratory scale. The salt, trisodium pyrophosphate and meat contents were also used as variables. Laccase decreased firmness and increased weight loss of phosphate-free, low-meat (65%) and low-salt (1%) gels, although it modified myosin and troponin T and reacted with isolated myofibrils. By applying both low-salt (1%) and low-phosphate (0.17%) amounts, gel firmness decreased and weight loss increased (p<0.05) greatly. A high dosage of TG significantly improved (p<0.05) the strength of phosphate-free, low-meat and low-salt homogenate gels compared to the corresponding no-enzyme controls. TG improved gel firmness of the low-meat homogenate to the level of the homogenate containing 75% meat. Weight loss was increased significantly (p<0.05) in all cases when the high-TG dosage was used. Enzymes were not capable of improving either texture or water-holding capacity in the low-salt–low-phosphate system. The firmness and cooking loss of the chicken meat products containing different amounts of meat, salt and TG were investigated at pilot scale. Under the conditions and dosages used, TG was capable of improving (p<0.05) firmness of the products without a significant reduction in water-holding capacity.     

Adipose tissue omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content and breast cancer in the EURAMIC study. European Community Multicenter Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Breast Cancer

Three experiments examined the effect of either withdrawal from diazepam, or repeated treatment with the convulsant, pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), on behaviour and seizure threshold. The behaviours measured were on the elevated plus maze and in the four-plate test; seizure threshold was measured as dose of PTZ infused via the tail vein to the first clonic twitch. In experiment 1, we examined the effect of either single or repeated withdrawal from diazepam using a procedure in which the drug was administered SC in a slow release depot. Three cycles of withdrawal from diazepam were compared to a single withdrawal experience. A single withdrawal from diazepam following chronic treatment gave rise, 72 h following the last dosing, to behavioural changes, suggestive of anxiety, in both tests, but did not result in a reduced convulsant threshold. In contrast, repeated withdrawal resulted in a reduction in sensitivity in several measures of anxiety, but sensitised the mice to the convulsive effects of the PTZ. The unexpected failure to find an increased sensitivity to a convulsive agent following a single withdrawal from SC diazepam was examined in experiment 2. The seizure threshold following a single withdrawal of mice which had received diazepam chronically IP in aqueous vehicle was significantly reduced relative to vehicle-treated controls, whereas that of animals receiving the same dose SC in oil, was not. It is argued that the difference may arise from the animals treated repeatedly with IP diazepam unintentionally experiencing repeated withdrawal, since the half-life of the drug by this route is short. In experiment 3, repeated sub-convulsant PTZ treatment reduced the convulsant threshold (the dose of PTZ required to give rise to the first clonic twitch), but had no significant effect on the behavioural measures of anxiety compared to a single dose of PTZ or vehicle controls. The results suggest that repeated withdrawal from chronic treatments with diazepam sensitises mice to convulsant stimuli in a manner resembling the effects of repeated administration of sub-convulsant doses of PTZ, but that neither repeated PTZ nor repeated diazepam withdrawal results in increased sensitivity to anxiogenic stimuli; rather, repeated withdrawal from diazepam may reduce the susceptibility of mice to behavioural measures of anxiety.     

Echovirus 1 replication, not only virus binding to its receptor, VLA-2, is required for the induction of cellular immediate-early genes

Induction of immediate-early genes c-jun, junB, and c-fos was demonstrated during echovirus 1 infection in a human osteogenic sarcoma (HOS) cell line. Tenfold induction was seen at 10 h postinfection, corresponding approximately to the end of the first replication cycle of the virus. Echovirus 1 uses VLA-2 integrin as its cellular receptor, and ligand binding by integrin is known to trigger signal transduction pathways ultimately activating immediate-early genes. In the present study, however, VLA-2 binding alone was not sufficient to induce their expression; viral replication was needed. This conclusion was based on the observations that no stimulation of the immediate-early genes occurred in the MG-63 cell line where the virus attached only to VLA-2 but was not able to replicate and that induction of these genes was observed when the HOS cells were infected with echovirus type 7, known to use a different cellular receptor. Induction was not seen in the presence of the antiviral compound WIN 54954, which evidently inhibits the uncoating but not receptor binding of echovirus 1, suggesting that viral replication triggers the activation of the immediate-early genes. The induction of these genes may have a role in viral replication and in the pathogenesis of infection.     

Trends of out-mobility from large housing estates in Stockholm: influences of the housing policy and neighbourhood context

Since 1990s Stockholm housing market has seen deregulations in accordance with liberalization trends in other European welfare states. The new governance principles together with increasing immigration and public rental housing conversions into cooperative housing in attractive inner city areas have put pressure on still rental-dominated estates because fewer rental dwellings must now cater to expanding numbers of people who have little choice on the housing market. In recent decades, many estates have displayed increasing signs of stigmatization, social exclusion, and outflow of relatively affluent people. This paper improves our knowledge of how the housing policy and economic changes have affected out-mobility from the housing estates in case of three cohorts of young people and how the childhood neighbourhood conditions affect this. Individual annual Swedish registry data (1990–2014) are employed to longitudinally study the out-mobility patterns of three cohorts that grew up in the estates against the backdrop of marketization, growing inequality and deteriorating conditions. This study supplements the existing literature on housing estates by clarifying how income has become more and ethnicity less important over time in explaining sorting patterns from these estates. However, the combination of the two has determined sorting throughout the study period. Growing up in a higher socioeconomic status neighbourhood had modest impact on reducing socioeconomic differences in out-mobility from the estates, while leading to more sorting based on ethnic background.

     

Electrochemical Wear of Carbon Cathodes in Electrowinning of Aluminum

Cathode wear is the main factor limiting the lifetime of high-amperage aluminum electrolysis cells with graphitized cathodes. The current article deals with an investigation of cathode wear in a laboratory cell, where the cathode is directly exposed to the electrolyte during electrolysis. The wear was shown to be electrochemical in nature and dependent on the current density, the rotation speed, and the depth of prefabricated slots in the cylindrical cathodes. The wear mechanism is discussed with respect to kinetics influencing the electrochemistry as well as the solubility of aluminum carbide in the electrolyte.     

Effects of physical activity on the deposition of traffic-related particles into the human lungs in silico

Traffic-related particle emissions have been a great concern over a number of years due to their adverse health effects. In this research project, traffic-related particle deposition in the human lungs is studied using lung deposition estimates based on the ICRP 66 model. This study covers four human groups, i.e. adult males, adult females and two groups of children aged 5 and 10 years. The study examines particle deposition in the human lungs in relation to four different physical exercise levels, i.e. sleeping, sitting, light exercise and heavy exercise. To conduct the study, the particle size distributions of diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) busses were monitored in field laboratory conditions. The study indicates that the total number of diesel particles measured is greater than the total number of CNG particles. The results further display that most of the diesel particles measured are smaller than 0.2 μm, whereas the CNG particles are smaller than 0.05 μm in aerodynamic diameter. The level of physical exercise, as well as the age and gender of a person affects the deposition of particles in the lungs. An increase in the physical activity results in larger amounts of small-size particles penetrating deeper into the respiratory system. The lung deposition of particles in males was substantially different compared to that of females and children. The deposited dose of particles was generally lower for females than for males and further lower for children than for females. This article argues that these groups should be discussed separately when conducting exposure assessments and that the level of physical activity should be taken into account when assessing potential health consequences.