Age regression from soft aligned face images using low computational resources

The initial step in most facial age estimation systems consists of accurately aligning a model to the output of a face detector (e.g. an Active Appearance Model). This fitting process is very expensive in terms of computational resources and prone to get stuck in local minima. This makes it impractical for analysing faces in resource limited computing devices. In this paper we build a face age regressor that is able to work directly on faces cropped using a state-of-the-art face detector. Our procedure uses K nearest neighbours (K-NN) regression with a metric based on a properly tuned Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) projection matrix. On FG-NET we achieve a state-of-the-art Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 5.72 years with manually aligned faces. Using face images cropped by a face detector we get a MAE of 6.87 years in the same database. Moreover, most of the algorithms presented in the literature have been evaluated on single database experiments and therefore, they report optimistically biased results. In our cross-database experiments we get a MAE of roughly 12 years, which would be the expected performance in a real world application.

Population based cohort study of the association between alcohol intake and cancer of the upper digestive tract

Objective: To examine the relation between different types of alcoholic drinks and upper digestive tract cancers (oropharyngeal and oesophageal).

Mechanism underlying bupivacaine inhibition of G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ channels

Local anesthetics, commonly used for treating cardiac arrhythmias, pain, and seizures, are best known for their inhibitory effects on voltage-gated Na+ channels. Cardiovascular and central nervous system toxicity are unwanted side-effects from local anesthetics that cannot be attributed to the inhibition of only Na+ channels. Here, we report that extracellular application of the membrane-permeant local anesthetic bupivacaine selectively inhibited G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ channels (GIRK:Kir3) but not other families of inwardly rectifying K+ channels (ROMK:Kir1 and IRK:Kir2). Bupivacaine inhibited GIRK channels within seconds of application, regardless of whether channels were activated through the muscarinic receptor or directly via coexpressed G protein Gβγ subunits. Bupivacaine also inhibited alcohol-induced GIRK currents in the absence of functional pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins. The mutated GIRK1 and GIRK2 (GIRK1/2) channels containing the high-affinity phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) domain from IRK1, on the other hand, showed dramatically less inhibition with bupivacaine. Surprisingly, GIRK1/2 channels with high affinity for PIP2 were inhibited by ethanol, like IRK1 channels. We propose that membrane-permeant local anesthetics inhibit GIRK channels by antagonizing the interaction of PIP2 with the channel, which is essential for Gβγ and ethanol activation of GIRK channels.

A study of a soft computing based method for 3D scenario reconstruction

Several recent works deal with 3D data in mobile robotic problems, e.g., mapping. Data comes from any kind of sensor (time of flight, Kinect or 3D lasers) that provide a huge amount of unorganized 3D data. In this paper we detail an efficient approach to build complete 3D models using a soft computing method, the Growing Neural Gas (GNG). As neural models deal easily with noise, imprecision, uncertainty or partial data, GNG provides better results than other approaches. The GNG obtained is then applied to a sequence. We present a comprehensive study on GNG parameters to ensure the best result at the lowest time cost. From this GNG structure, we propose to calculate planar patches and thus obtaining a fast method to compute the movement performed by a mobile robot by means of a 3D models registration algorithm. Final results of 3D mapping are also shown.

Influencia de la comunicación publicitaria en el consumo de alcohol

La literatura científica aduce que a mayor exposición de mensajes publicitarios de bebidas alcohólicas, mayor probabilidad de que estas sean consumidas. Método. La muestra constó de 437 estudiantes universitarios. Los objetivos se centraron en analizar la relación entre mensaje publicitario y consumo. Resultados. Existe relación entre publicidad y consumo, dado que el consumo de los jóvenes coincide con el recuerdo de las campañas en cuanto al tipo de bebida consumida. Conclusiones. Observamos que la publicidad parece ser un instrumento de influencia al consumo de alcohol.

Predictive Models of Alcohol Use Based on Attitudes and Individual Values

Two predictive models are developed in this article: the first is designed to predict people's attitudes to alcoholic drinks, while the second sets out to predict the use of alcohol in relation to selected individual values. University students (N = 1,500) were recruited through stratified sampling based on sex and academic discipline. The questionnaire used obtained information on participants' alcohol use, attitudes and personal values. The results show that the attitudes model correctly classifies 76.3% of cases. Likewise, the model for level of alcohol use correctly classifies 82% of cases. According to our results, we can conclude that there are a series of individual values that influence drinking and attitudes to alcohol use, which therefore provides us with a potentially powerful instrument for developing preventive intervention programs.

The role of mesoporosity and Si/Al ratio in the catalytic etherification of glycerol with benzyl alcohol using ZSM-5 zeolites

A comparative study of the influence of three different acid solids as catalysts (conventional zeolites Z15c with Si/Al = 19.5 and Z40c with Si/Al = 48.2, and a hierarchical zeolite Z40c-H with Si/Al = 50.0) for the etherification of glycerol with benzyl alcohol was performed. The catalytic activity and selectivity of these zeolites was elucidated at different catalyst contents. Three different ethers (3-benzyloxy-1,2-propanediol, which is a mono-benzyl-glycerol ether (MBG) and 1,3-dibenzyloxy-2-propanol, which is a di-benzyl-glycerol ether (DBG) and dibenzyl ether (DBz) were identified as the main products. MBG was the major product of the reaction catalyzed by the microporous Z15c zeolite with low Si/Al molar ratio, whereas DBG was formed in higher yield with the use of microporous Z40c and hierarchical Z40c-H zeolites, both of them having a similar high Si/Al molar ratio (≈50). MBG is a value-added product and it is obtained with good yield and selectivity when using the conventional zeolite Z15c as a catalyst. Under the best conditions tested, i.e., 25 mg of catalyst for 8 h at 120 °C, a 62% of conversion was obtained without the need of solvent, with an excellent 84% selectivity toward the MBG and no formation of DBz.

Soft or hard Brexit? EPC Commentary, 15 July 2016

The EU is in uncharted waters when it comes to negotiating the UK’s exit from the Union. Creative and flexible thinking will be required from all parties if an orderly departure is to be managed. The alternative is a fractious, mutually damaging and disorderly Brexit. This commentary argues for a short-term, time-limited agreement to stabilise the EU-UK relationship and to allow breathing space to develop the terms of a long-term strategic partnership.

Effects of thallus disturbance on abundance and biomass of soft-bottom species in Kongsfjorden in summer 2013

The effects of biotic disturbances, like seaweed whiplash, on the diversity of benthic communities are well documented for temperate coastal systems, yet missing for Arctic benthos. In Arctic soft-bottom habitats, kelp thalli occur either continuously (e.g. trapped by sediment) or sporadically (by drifting on the sediment) after detachment from rocky shores. To explore whether a kelp thallus can disturb the structure and diversity of a coastal Arctic soft-bottom assemblage, we continuously fixed a single thallus of the kelp Saccharina latissima to or sporadically (i.e. biweekly) moved it on the sediment and compared treatment effects to unmanipulated plots (= controls). On 6 September 2013 (i.e. after 73 days of manipulation), one sediment core was taken from each of the 30 plots (n = 10), from which the number of individuals of each of the 45 encountered animal species were recorded. The continuous presence of an experimentally fixed kelp thallus significantly reduced the number of individuals on average by 27 %. This disturbance effect was even stronger, on average 49 %, where a kelp thallus was biweekly moved on the sediment. Likewise, taxon richness was lowered by an average of 19 and 36 % where a S. latissima thallus was continuously or sporadically present, respectively. While the composition of taxa was also significantly different among all treatment groups, evenness and biomass were unaffected by kelp treatments. We conclude that the presence and already movements of a single kelp thallus can promote small scale patchiness in near-shore soft-bottom assemblage structure and diversity and exemplify a significant connection between rocky and sedimentary coastal habitats.

Drug and alcohol testing results 1996 annual report.

Federal Transit Administration, Washington, D.C.

Drug and alcohol testing results 1999 annual report.

Federal Transit Administration, Washington, D.C.

Drug and alcohol testing results 2001 annual report.

Statistics on employees returned to duty and results of return-to-duty tests and follow-up tests are presented separately from results of the other four test types because return-to-duty tests and follow-up tests represent a different segment of the test population and not all employers offer rehabilitation.

Methods for integrating alcohol education into existing curriculum. Volume II. Part 7. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Alcohol Countermeasures, Washington, D.C.