Unsupervised automatic music genre classification

Trabalho apresentado no âmbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática, como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Classification Performance of Multilayer Perceptrons with Different Risk Functionals

In the present paper we assess the performance of information-theoretic inspired risks functionals in multilayer perceptrons with reference to the two most popular ones, Mean Square Error and Cross-Entropy. The information-theoretic inspired risks, recently proposed, are: HS and HR2 are, respectively, the Shannon and quadratic Rényi entropies of the error; ZED is a risk reflecting the error density at zero errors; EXP is a generalized exponential risk, able to mimic a wide variety of risk functionals, including the information-thoeretic ones. The experiments were carried out with multilayer perceptrons on 35 public real-world datasets. All experiments were performed according to the same protocol. The statistical tests applied to the experimental results showed that the ubiquitous mean square error was the less interesting risk functional to be used by multilayer perceptrons. Namely, mean square error never achieved a significantly better classification performance than competing risks. Cross-entropy and EXP were the risks found by several tests to be significantly better than their competitors. Counts of significantly better and worse risks have also shown the usefulness of HS and HR2 for some datasets.

Durability performance of self-compacting concrete (SCC) with binary and ternary mixes of fly ash and limestone filler

The basic objective of this work is to evaluate the durability of self-compacting concrete (SCC) produced in binary and ternary mixes using fly ash (FA) and limestone filler (LF) as partial replacement of cement. The main characteristics that set SCC apart from conventional concrete (fundamentally its fresh state behaviour) essentially depend on the greater or lesser content of various constituents, namely: greater mortar volume (more ultrafine material in the form of cement and mineral additions); proper control of the maximum size of the coarse aggregate; use of admixtures such as superplasticizers. Significant amounts of mineral additions are thus incorporated to partially replace cement, in order to improve the workability of the concrete. These mineral additions necessarily affect the concrete’s microstructure and its durability. Therefore, notwithstanding the many well-documented and acknowledged advantages of SCC, a better understanding its behaviour is still required, in particular when its composition includes significant amounts of mineral additions. An ambitious working plan was devised: first, the SCC’s microstructure was studied and characterized and afterwards the main transport and degradation mechanisms of the SCC produced were studied and characterized by means of SEM image analysis, chloride migration, electrical resistivity, and carbonation tests. It was then possible to draw conclusions about the SCC’s durability. The properties studied are strongly affected by the type and content of the additions. Also, the use of ternary mixes proved to be extremely favourable, confirming the expected beneficial effect of the synergy between LF and FA. © 2015 RILEM.

Automatic cymbal classification

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Partial classification of Lorenz knots: Syllable permutations of torus knots words

We define families of aperiodic words associated to Lorenz knots that arise naturally as syllable permutations of symbolic words corresponding to torus knots. An algorithm to construct symbolic words of satellite Lorenz knots is defined. We prove, subject to the validity of a previous conjecture, that Lorenz knots coded by some of these families of words are hyperbolic, by showing that they are neither satellites nor torus knots and making use of Thurston's theorem. Infinite families of hyperbolic Lorenz knots are generated in this way, to our knowledge, for the first time. The techniques used can be generalized to study other families of Lorenz knots.

Text classification using compression-based dissimilarity measures

Arguably, the most difficult task in text classification is to choose an appropriate set of features that allows machine learning algorithms to provide accurate classification. Most state-of-the-art techniques for this task involve careful feature engineering and a pre-processing stage, which may be too expensive in the emerging context of massive collections of electronic texts. In this paper, we propose efficient methods for text classification based on information-theoretic dissimilarity measures, which are used to define dissimilarity-based representations. These methods dispense with any feature design or engineering, by mapping texts into a feature space using universal dissimilarity measures; in this space, classical classifiers (e.g. nearest neighbor or support vector machines) can then be used. The reported experimental evaluation of the proposed methods, on sentiment polarity analysis and authorship attribution problems, reveals that it approximates, sometimes even outperforms previous state-of-the-art techniques, despite being much simpler, in the sense that they do not require any text pre-processing or feature engineering.

Multi-scale vegetation classification using earth observation data of the Sundarban mangrove forest, Bangladesh.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

On the Sensor Classification Scheme of Robotic Manipulators

This paper analyzes the signals captured during impacts and vibrations of a mechanical manipulator. The Fourier Transform of eighteen different signals are calculated and approximated by trendlines based on a power law formula. A sensor classification scheme based on the frequency spectrum behavior is presented.

Towards a classification scheme for musical sounds

Signal Processing: Algorithms, Architectures, Arrangements, and Applications (SPA), 2013

Spatial neighborhood matrix computation: Inverse distance weighted versus binary contiguity

Paper presented at Geo-Spatial Crossroad GI_Forum, Salzburg, Austria.

Impact of RIFLE Classification in Liver Transplantation

Acute renal failure (ARF) is common after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of RIFLE classification in the development of CKD, hemodialysis requirement, and mortality. Patients were categorized as risk (R), injury (I) or failure (F) according to renal function at day 1, 7 and 21. Final renal function was classified according to K/DIGO guidelines. We studied 708 OLT recipients, transplanted between September 1992 and March 2007; mean age 44 +/- 12.6 yr, mean follow-up 3.6 yr (28.8% > or = 5 yr). Renal dysfunction before OLT was known in 21.6%. According to the RIFLE classification, ARF occurred in 33.2%: 16.8% were R class, 8.5% I class and 7.9% F class. CKD developed in 45.6%, with stages 4 or 5d in 11.3%. Mortality for R, I and F classes were, respectively, 10.9%, 13.3% and 39.3%. Severity of ARF correlated with development of CKD: stage 3 was associated with all classes of ARF, stages 4 and 5d only with severe ARF. Hemodialysis requirement (23%) and mortality were only correlated with the most severe form of ARF (F class). In conclusion, RIFLE classification is a useful tool to stratify the severity of early ARF providing a prognostic indicator for the risk of CKD occurrence and death.

An automatic voice pleasantness classification system based on prosodic and acoustic patterns of voice preference

In the last few years the number of systems and devices that use voice based interaction has grown significantly. For a continued use of these systems the interface must be reliable and pleasant in order to provide an optimal user experience. However there are currently very few studies that try to evaluate how good is a voice when the application is a speech based interface. In this paper we present a new automatic voice pleasantness classification system based on prosodic and acoustic patterns of voice preference. Our study is based on a multi-language database composed by female voices. In the objective performance evaluation the system achieved a 7.3% error rate.

In vitro PHYTOTHERAPY OF VECTOR SNAILS BY BINARY COMBINATIONS OF LARVICIDAL ACTIVE COMPONENTS IN EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF FASCIOLIASIS

SUMMARY A food-borne trematode infection fascioliasis is one among common public health problems worldwide. It caused a great economic loss for the human race. Control of snail population below a certain threshold level is one of the important methods in the campaign to reduce the incidence of fascioliasis. The life cycle of the parasite can be interrupted by killing the snail or Fasciola larva redia and cercaria inside of the snail Lymnaea acuminata. In vitro toxicity of different binary combinations (1:1 ratio) of plant-derived larvicidal active components such as citral, ferulic acid, umbelliferone, azadirachtin and allicin against Fasciola redia and cercaria were tested. The mortality of larvae was observed at 2h, 4h, 6h and 8h of treatment. In in vitro condition azadirachtin + allicin (1:1 ratio) was highly toxic against redia and cercaria (8h LC50 0.006 and 0.005 mg/L). Toxicity of citral + ferulic acid was lowest against redia and cercaria larvae.

EFFECTS OF SINGLE, BINARY AND TERTIARY COMBINATIONS WITH Jatropha gossypifolia AND OTHER PLANT-DERIVED MOLLUSCICIDES ON REPRODUCTION AND SURVIVAL OF THE SNAIL Lymnaea acuminata

The effect of sub-lethal doses (40% and 80% of LC50/24h) of plant derived molluscicides of singly, binary (1:1) and tertiary (1:1:1) combinations of the Rutin, Ellagic acid, Betulin and taraxerol with J. gossypifolia latex, leaf and stem bark powder extracts and their active component on the reproduction of freshwater snail Lymnaea acuminata have been studied. It was observed that the J. gossypifolia latex, stem bark, individual leaf and their combinations with other plant derived active molluscicidal components caused a significant reduction in fecundity, hatchability and survival of young snails. It is believed that sub-lethal exposure of these molluscicides on snail reproduction is a complex process involving more than one factor in reducing the reproductive capacity.