Mining sentiments from songs using latent dirichlet allocation

Song-selection and mood are interdependent. If we capture a song’s sentiment, we can determine the mood of the listener, which can serve as a basis for recommendation systems. Songs are generally classified according to genres, which don’t entirely reflect sentiments. Thus, we require an unsupervised scheme to mine them. Sentiments are classified into either two (positive/negative) or multiple (happy/angry/sad/...) classes, depending on the application. We are interested in analyzing the feelings invoked by a song, involving multi-class sentiments. To mine the hidden sentimental structure behind a song, in terms of “topics”, we consider its lyrics and use Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). Each song is a mixture of moods. Topics mined by LDA can represent moods. Thus we get a scheme of collecting similar-mood songs. For validation, we use a dataset of songs containing 6 moods annotated by users of a particular website.

Examining the Effectiveness of Discriminant Function Analysis and Cluster Analysis in Species Identification of Male Field Crickets Based on Their Calling Songs

Traditional taxonomy based on morphology has often failed in accurate species identification owing to the occurrence of cryptic species, which are reproductively isolated but morphologically identical. Molecular data have thus been used to complement morphology in species identification. The sexual advertisement calls in several groups of acoustically communicating animals are species-specific and can thus complement molecular data as non-invasive tools for identification. Several statistical tools and automated identifier algorithms have been used to investigate the efficiency of acoustic signals in species identification. Despite a plethora of such methods, there is a general lack of knowledge regarding the appropriate usage of these methods in specific taxa. In this study, we investigated the performance of two commonly used statistical methods, discriminant function analysis (DFA) and cluster analysis, in identification and classification based on acoustic signals of field cricket species belonging to the subfamily Gryllinae. Using a comparative approach we evaluated the optimal number of species and calling song characteristics for both the methods that lead to most accurate classification and identification. The accuracy of classification using DFA was high and was not affected by the number of taxa used. However, a constraint in using discriminant function analysis is the need for a priori classification of songs. Accuracy of classification using cluster analysis, which does not require a priori knowledge, was maximum for 6-7 taxa and decreased significantly when more than ten taxa were analysed together. We also investigated the efficacy of two novel derived acoustic features in improving the accuracy of identification. Our results show that DFA is a reliable statistical tool for species identification using acoustic signals. Our results also show that cluster analysis of acoustic signals in crickets works effectively for species classification and identification.

Caracterización de la producción de leche en las comarcas German Pomares, La Sandino, La ponzoña, Río Blanco, Matagalpa, Octubre -Enero 2014

Mediante el estudio de caso, considerada como un tipo de investigación no experimental, sino mas bien documental, se realizó, el presente trabajo para caracterizar la producción de leche en tres comarcas de Rio Blanco, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, siendo estas la German pomares, la Sandino, la ponzoña. La idea de realizar este estudio surgió como una necesidad de conocer los medios de producción que emplean los productores, identificar qué medidas sanitarias utilizan y conocer como alimentan el ganado, determinar las condiciones de las instalaciones, etc. De igual manera conocer los resultados y utilizarlos como una información que sirva para conocer el potencial económico e innovar en el mercado lácteo y satisfacer la necesidad de las fincas de estas zonas. El instrumento que se utilizó fue el de entrevistas, teniendo una población de 110 fincas de las 3 comarcas y una unidad de muestral 29 fincas de productores entre ellos pequeños y medianos productores. Dentro de los hallazgos más relevantes se tiene que los productores tienen una dieta alimenticia y nutricional poco balanceada y no definida para los bovinos de leche, un 76% de los productores usan pastos mejorados herbáceos y de corte (más comunes Brachiarias y Pennisetum), aunque no les dan el manejo adecuado, no los conservan para su uso en época seca o critica, tienen como principal fuente energética la melaza y la caña de azúcar (66 y 74% respectivamente) y como fuente proteica el concentrado (28%), presentan una calidad genética animal buena (Brahaman, Pardo y Holstein), aunque no es explotada según su potencial, los cruces no tienen control, orden y registro, no presentando la definición de lo que se quiere genéticamente en el hato, siendo la monta natural la principal forma de reproducción (66%), los planes sanitarios se encuentran con diferentes frecuencias siendo lo más común las vacunaciones semestralmente, desparasitaciones y vitaminación trimestral (86 y 83% respectivamente), las enfermedades y agentes causales son las parasitosis, curso negro y diarrea viral, reciben capacitación en temas de alimentación, manejo del ordeño limpio, salud, reproducción pero más enfocado al aspecto productivo, sobre todo por parte de los centros de acopio. La productividad de la leche es baja, sobre todo que con los grupos raciales que tienen solo realizan un ordeño, producto del mal manejo alimenticio y nutricional. Los entrevistados señalan que la calidad que tiene su leche es de tipo A y que los precios son fluctuantes entre los 8 a 10 C$, por litro, la cual es mayormente vendida a los centros de acopio. Finalmente se determina que las comarcas sujetas al presente estudio presentan un alto potencial productivo que de manejarse eficiente y técnicamente podría superar lo que actualmente se produce.

The Ohlin-Keynes Debate on the German Interwar Reparations Revisited

This paper analyzes the debate between Ohlin and Keynes on the question as to whether Germany was able to make the payments specified in the Dawes Plan. Keynes argued that Germany was able to collect the money but unable to transfer it to the victors because there existed an insurmountable “transfer problem”. Ohlin replied that such a “transfer problem” did not exist and, therefore, that Germany was able to make the payments stipulated by the Dawes Committee. This paper analyzes the positions of the two contenders and argues that the problems are not correctly delimited and that the theoretical bases of the contenders show serious deficiencies. It also brings to light some interesting theoretical and practical paradoxes that neither Keynes nor Ohlin dealt with.

The Comovement between Monetary and Fiscal Policy Instruments during the Post-War Period in the U.S.

This paper empirically studies the dynamic relationship between monetary and fiscal policies by analyzing the comovements between the Fed funds rate and the primary deficit/output ratio. Simple economic thinking establishes that a negative correlation between Fed rate and deficit arises whenever the two policy authorities share a common stabilization objective. However, when budget balancing concerns lead to a drastic deficit reduction the Fed may reduce the Fed rate in order to smooth the impact of fiscal policy, which results in a positive correlation between these two policy instruments. The empirical results show (i) a significant negative comovement between Fed rate and deficit and (ii) that deficit and output gap Granger-cause the Fed funds rate during the post-Volcker era, but the opposite is not true.

Markov Switching Risk Premium and the term structure of interest rates. Empirical evidence from US post-war interest rates

This paper considers the basic present value model of interest rates under rational expectations with two additional features. First, following McCallum (1994), the model assumes a policy reaction function where changes in the short-term interest rate are determined by the long-short spread. Second, the short-term interest rate and the risk premium processes are characterized by a Markov regime-switching model. Using US post-war interest rate data, this paper finds evidence that a two-regime switching model fits the data better than the basic model. The estimation results also show the presence of two alternative states displaying quite different features.

The changing behaviour of the term structure of post-war US

Using U.S. interest rate data covering the period 1950:1-1992:7, this paper tests the rational expectations model of the term structure of interest rates. We show evidence that the rational expectations model of the term structure is supported by the data during the seventies and a period lasting from the mid-eighties to the end of the sample. However, during the …fties, sixties and a period that covers most of the Volcker’s office term (from September 1979 to April 1986) the term structure model is rejected by the data. Moreover, wefind evidence of regime changes in the short-term rate process and the term structure of interest rates. These regime switches roughly coincide with changes in the Federal Reserve chairman. The switches in monetary policy taking place when the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve changes therefore seem to play an important role in characterizing the term structure of interest rates.

Switching Regimes in the Term Structure of Interest Rates During U.S. Post-War: A case for the Lucas proof equilibrium?

Published as an article in: Studies in Nonlinear Dynamics & Econometrics, 2004, vol. 8, issue 1, pages 5.

Body and Grotesque as Self-Disruption in Kerstin Hensel’s Gothic East(ern) German Novel Lärchenau (2008)

[EN] By analysing the novel Lärchenau and its -to a certain point- gothic features, this article interprets the elaboration of body in this novel as a site of the expression of power, but also as an alternative language. The grotesque dimension and the representation of the bodily numbness and pain as projections of historical awareness are key elements for the interpretation of Lärchenau in the context of Post-Unification Germany.

Literaturaren zertarakoa, itzulpenak eta hizkuntzaren auzia Orixerengan

Ejemplar dedicado a: Beñat Oihartzabali gorazarre - Festchrift for Bernard Oyharçabal/ Ricardo Etxepare, Ricardo Gómez, Joseba Andoni Lakarra ( eds.)

Voyages and travels into Brasil and east-Indies : containing an exact description of the dutch Brasil and divers parts of the east-Indies, their provinces, cities, living creatures, and products, the manners, customs, habits and religion the inhabitants : with a particular account of all the remarkable passages that happened during the author's stay of nine years in Brasil, especially in relation to the revolt of the portugueses, and the intestine war carried on there from 1640 to 1649 : as also a most ample description of the most famous city of batavia in the east-Indies

Joan Nieuhoff, viajante alemão, nasceu em Usen, Vesfália, em 1618, e morreu em Madagascar, em 1672. Trabalhou na Companhia das Índias Orientais, foi nomeado agente em Batávia, em 1654. Em 1655, foi à China tratar da abertura dos portos daquele país ao comércio holandês. Governou o Ceilão de 1662 a 1667. Em 1672, desembarcando em Madagascar, foi morto pelos nativos.

Bilingual Lexicography:Relevance of Corpora. The Example of German-Basque as Language Pair

Presentation for the 5th International Conference on Corpus Linguistics (CILC 2013), V Congreso Internacional de Lingüistica de Corpus.

Nigerian German Kainji Lake Fisheries Promotion Project - approach, result, future

The paper highlighted the overall goal and purpose of the Nigerian German Kainji Lake Fisheries Promotion Project. The main goal is to increase the standard of living of fishing communities in the project area. The target groups are the fishermen and fisherwomen in the area. The project also developed in effective extension delivery system in the basin. Also developed at the project headquarters are facilities for the execution of the project. The project are able to carry out frame, gear and stock assessment surveys on the Lake and able to formulate a fisheries management plan for the fisheries of Kainji Lake

Creating a German���Basque Electronic Dictionary for German Learners

Revista OJS