LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Lip feature extraction based on audio-visual correlation

In this paper, the lip feature that has the highest correlation with audio features is investigated. Audio features are selected as Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) of the audio signal. Three different lip features are considered for the visual lip information, where these features are 2D DCT coefficients of the intensity based image and the optical flow vectors within the lip region, and the distances between pre-defined points on the lip contour which carries the lip shape information. In this study, we present two techniques based on class conditional probability analysis and canonical correlation analysis to estimate and compare the correlations between audio feature and each lip feature. The lip feature, which has the highest correlation to audio features, is identified among the above lip features. Isolation of lip features, which are highly correlated with audio signal, can be used for audio-visual speech recognition, audio-visual lip synchronization and estimation of lip shapes using audio signal for visual synthesis.
A modified NLMS algorithm for adaptive noise cancellation

Adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) is used widely to reduce noise from a noisy speech sound. However the least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm and its variants, such as the normalized (N)LMS, the modified (M)-LMS and the constrained stability (CS)-LMS algorithms do not perform well in ANC since the desired speech signal has a bad effect on the convergence rate and steady state misadjustment of these algorithms. Thus, we propose a new adaptive algorithm that further relaxes the constraint in the CS-LMS algorithm. The new algorithm attempts to minimize the estimation error of the a posteriori error and the estimation is obtained using the concept of Taylor's expansion. The analysis and simulation results show that the proposed new algorithm outperforms the NLMS and CS-LMS algorithms.
Security-Aware Design Flow for 2.5D IC Technology

The increasing trend of outsourced fabrication in integrated circuit (IC) supply chain makes IC designs vulnerable to Intellectual Property (IP) piracy by untrusted foundries. 2.5D IC technology has shown the capability to counter this threat. By limiting the interposer layer of a 2.5D IC that contains inter-chip connections to be fabricated in a trusted foundry, the complete exposure of original design to an untrusted foundry is prevented. In this paper, we propose a security-aware physical design flow for 2.5D IC technology to prevent IP piracy based on IC testing rules and metrics. The partitioning phase utilizes the concepts of controllability and observability to conceal the functionality of a design and the placement phase generates obfuscated chip layouts that can withstand layout-geometry based attacks such as proximity attack. Simulation results show that our design flow is effective for producing secure chip layouts for outsourcing whose original netlist and functionality cannot be reverse-engineered based on layout-geometry information.
Applying UMLS for Distantly Supervised Relation Detection

This paper describes first results using the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) for distantly supervised relation extraction. UMLS is a large knowledge base which contains information about millions of medical concepts and relations between them. Our approach is evaluated using existing relation extraction data sets that contain relations that are similar to some of those in UMLS.
Decrease of lichens in Arctic ecosystems: the role of wildfire, caribou, reindeer, competition and climate in north‐western Alaska

We review and present a synthesis of the existing research dealing with changing Arctic tundra ecosystems, in relation to caribou and reindeer winter ranges. Whereas pan-Arctic studies have documented the effects on tundra vegetation from simulated climate change, we draw upon recent long-term regional studies in Alaska that have documented the actual, on-the-ground effects. Our review reveals signs of marked change in Arctic tundra ecosystems. Factors known to be affecting these changes include wildfire, disturbance by caribou and reindeer, differential growth responses of vascular plants and lichens, and associated competition under climate warming scenarios. These factors are interrelated, and, we posit, unidirectional: that is, they are all implicated in the significant reduction of terricolous lichen ground cover and biomass during recent decades. Lichens constitute the primary winter forage for large, migratory caribou and reindeer herds, which in turn are a critical subsistence resource for rural residents in Alaska. Thus, declines in these lichens are a major concern for rural people who harvest caribou and reindeer for subsistence, as well as for sport hunters, reindeer herders, wildlife enthusiasts and land managers. We believe a more widely distributed and better integrated research programme is warranted to quantify the magnitude and extent of the decline in lichen communities across the Arctic.
Chenopodium album seed extract-induced sperm cell death: exploration of a plausible pathway.

BACKGROUND
This study was conducted for to explore the plausible pathway of Chenopodium album seed extract (CAE)-mediated sperm cell death.


STUDY DESIGN
The role of CAE for its spermicidal action was assessed by (a) measuring lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl content and intracellular glutathione content in CAE exposed sperm cells; (b) assaying antioxidant enzymes like catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD); (c) analyzing protein expressions by using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis; (d) fluorimetric measurement of intracellular H(2)O(2) level and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in CAE-treated sperm cells; and (e) DNA ladder formation study.


RESULTS
CAE-induced sperm death is due to (a) lipid peroxidation of the sperm cell membrane, oxidation of some critical cellular proteins and depletion of intracellular reduced gluthathione, indicating production of ROS; (b) activation of Mn-SOD and inactivation of catalase favoring endogenous accumulation of H(2)O(2); (c) generation of O(2)(*-) at an enhanced rate during oxidative stress as evidenced by increased Mn-SOD activity and protein expression; (d) accumulation of ROS in spermatozoa reflected in the fluorimetric experiments; and (e) increased production of O(2)(*-) and H(2)O(2) induced apoptosis-like death in sperm cells as observed by DNA ladder formation.


CONCLUSION
The sperm death mediated by CAE is due to oxidative damage of cellular macromolecules by in situ generation of ROS.
Results for all reactions $e^+ e^- \rightarrow 4{\rm f}, 4{\rm f}\gamma$ with nonzero fermion masses

Abstract. We accomplish our efforts to obtain predictions for all four–fermion final states of $e^+ e^-$–annihilation and the corresponding bremsstrahlung reactions which are possible in the framework of the Standard Model. For this purpose we have developed a program ee4f$\gamma$. Our predictions are valid for fermions of arbitrary masses and we can obtain results for total cross sections without any collinear cut. Keeping exact fermion masses is of course required for top quark production. We give a detailed phenomenological analysis of fermion mass effects and real photon radiation for all channels of four–fermion production at LEP-II and next linear collider energies.
Organizational culture and knowledge sharing: critical success factors

Purpose – This research aims at investigating the role of certain factors in organizational culture in the success of knowledge sharing. Such factors as interpersonal trust, communication between staff, information systems, rewards and organization structure play an important role in defining the relationships between staff and in turn, providing possibilities to break obstacles to knowledge sharing. This research is intended to contribute in helping businesses understand the essential role of organizational culture in nourishing knowledge and spreading it in order to become leaders in utilizing their know-how and enjoying prosperity thereafter. Design/methodology/approach – The conclusions of this study are based on interpreting the results of a survey and a number of interviews with staff from various organizations in Bahrain from the public and private sectors. Findings – The research findings indicate that trust, communication, information systems, rewards and organization structure are positively related to knowledge sharing in organizations. Research limitations/implications – The authors believe that further research is required to address governmental sector institutions, where organizational politics dominate a role in hoarding knowledge, through such methods as case studies and observation. Originality/value – Previous research indicated that the Bahraini society is influenced by traditions of household, tribe, and especially religion of the Arab and Islamic world. These factors define people’s beliefs and behaviours, and thus exercise strong influence in the performance of business organizations. This study is motivated by the desire to explore the role of the national organizational culture on knowledge sharing, which may be different from previous studies conducted abroad.
Heavy metals, occurrence and toxicity for plants: a review

Metal contamination issues are becoming increasingly common in India and elsewhere, with many documented cases of metal toxicity in mining industries, foundries, smelters, coal-burning power plants and agriculture. Heavy metals, such as cadmium, copper, lead, chromium and mercury are major environmental pollutants, particularly in areas with high anthropogenic pressure. Heavy metal accumulation in soils is of concern in agricultural production due to the adverse effects on food safety and marketability, crop growth due to phytotoxicity, and environmental health of soil organisms. The influence of plants and their metabolic activities affects the geological and biological redistribution of heavy metals through pollution of the air, water and soil. This article details the range of heavy metals, their occurrence and toxicity for plants. Metal toxicity has high impact and relevance to plants and consequently it affects the ecosystem, where the plants form an integral component. Plants growing in metal-polluted sites exhibit altered metabolism, growth reduction, lower biomass production and metal accumulation. Various physiological and biochemical processes in plants are affected by metals. The contemporary investigations into toxicity and tolerance in metal-stressed plants are prompted by the growing metal pollution in the environment. A few metals, including copper, manganese, cobalt, zinc and chromium are, however, essential to plant metabolism in trace amounts. It is only when metals are present in bioavailable forms and at excessive levels, they have the potential to become toxic to plants. This review focuses mainly on zinc, cadmium, copper, mercury, chromium, lead, arsenic, cobalt, nickel, manganese and iron.
CREST: Towards Fast Speculation of Straggler Tasks in MapReduce

Data-Intensive Computing emerges as the fourth paradigm for modern scientific discoveries. MapReduce, a programming paradigm for large-scale data-parallel applications, is widely applied to web indexing, machine learning, and scientific simulations in industries as well as in academia. Recently, the virtualized "utility computing" environments, such as campus cloud, are becoming an important scenario to run MapReduce jobs. For a MapReduce job, the straggler tasks may dominate the response time and delay whole job. Various speculation schemes have been proposed to alleviate such problem, however, most of them implicitly assume that the time cost for data movement on launching speculative map tasks is trivial, which does not always hold for the virtualized Hadoop clusters in a campus cloud. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, CREST(Combination Re-Execution Scheduling Technology), which can achieve the optimal running time for speculative map tasks and decrease the response time of MapReduce jobs. The main idea is that re-executing a combination of tasks on a group of computing nodes may progress faster than directly speculating the straggler task on target node, due to data locality. The evaluation validates our approach and demonstrates that CREST can reduce the running time of a speculative map task by 70% with best cases and 50% on average, comparing with LATE.
Entrepreneurship, Frictions, and Wealth;

This paper constructs and calibrates a parsimonious model of occupational choice that allows for entrepreneurial entry, exit, and investment decisions in presence of borrowing constraints. The model fits very well a number of empirical observations, including the observed wealth distribution for entrepreneurs and workers. At the aggregate level, more restrictive borrowing constraints generate less wealth concentration, and reduce average firm size, aggregate capital, and the fraction of entrepreneurs. Voluntary bequests allow some high-ability workers to establish or enlarge an entrepreneurial activity. With accidental bequests only, there would be fewer very large firms, and less aggregate capital and wealth concentration. J.E.L. Classification: E21, E23, J23,
AWASH WITH OPPORTUNITY: ENSURING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA'S NEW WATER LAW

This report is the culmination of many individuals’ efforts in researching, reviewing, and contributing to the understanding of B.C.’s new Water Sustainability Act.
Pepsinogen II Can Be a Potential Surrogate Marker of Morphological Changes in Corpus before and after H. pylori Eradication

BACKGROUND
The aim of this investigation is to study the relationship between gastric morphology and serum biomarkers before and after Helicobacter pylori eradication.


METHODS
First-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients underwent gastroscopy before and 2.5 years after H. pylori eradication. The morphological changes in two categories (normal to mild and moderate to severe) were compared with level of pepsinogens I and II before eradication (n = 369), after eradication (n = 115), and in those with persistent infection (n = 250).


RESULTS
After eradication, pepsinogen I decreased to 70% and pepsinogen II to 45% of the previous values. Unlike pepsinogen II and pepsinogen I to II ratio that were affected by the severity of inflammation and atrophy in corpus in all groups, pepsinogen I generally did not change. After eradication, subjects with high mononuclear infiltration in corpus had lower pepsinogen I (54 versus 77.1 μ/mL), higher pepsinogen II (9.4 versus 6.9 μ/mL), and lower ratio (7.9 versus 11.6) than those without (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSION
Pepsinogen II is a good marker of corpus morphological changes before and after H. pylori eradication.
Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Cats During Anesthesia and Effect of Omeprazole on Gastric pH


BACKGROUND
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is poorly characterized in anesthetized cats, but can cause aspiration pneumonia, esophagitis, and esophageal stricture formation.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether pre-anesthetic orally administered omeprazole increases gastric and esophageal pH and increases serum gastrin concentrations in anesthetized cats, and to determine the prevalence of GER using combined multichannel impedance and pH monitoring.


ANIMALS
Twenty-seven healthy cats undergoing elective dental procedures.


METHODS
Prospective, double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Cats were randomized to receive 2 PO doses of omeprazole (1.45-2.20 mg/kg) or an empty gelatin capsule placebo 18-24 hours and 4 hours before anesthetic induction. Blood for measurement of serum gastrin concentration was collected during anesthetic induction. An esophageal pH/impedance catheter was utilized to continuously measure esophageal pH and detect GER throughout anesthesia.


RESULTS
Mean gastric pH in the cats that received omeprazole was 7.2 ± 0.4 (range, 6.6-7.8) and was significantly higher than the pH in cats that received the placebo 2.8 ± 1.0 (range, 1.3-4.1; P < .001). Omeprazole administration was not associated with a significant increase in serum gastrin concentration (P = .616). Nine of 27 cats (33.3%) had ≥1 episode of GER during anesthesia.


CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Pre-anesthetic administration of 2 PO doses of omeprazole at a dosage of 1.45-2.20 mg/kg in cats was associated with a significant increase in gastric and esophageal pH within 24 hours, but was not associated with a significant increase in serum gastrin concentration. Prevalence of reflux events in cats during anesthesia was similar to that of dogs during anesthesia.
Collaborative Energy and Thermal Comfort Management Through Distributed Consensus Algorithms

Buildings with shared spaces such as corporate office buildings, university dorms, etc., are occupied by multiple occupants who typically have different temperature preferences. Attaining a common temperature set-point that is agreeable to all users (occupants) in such a multi-occupant space is a challenging problem. Furthermore, the ideal temperature set-point should optimally trade off the building energy cost with the aggregate discomfort of all the occupants. However, the information on the comfort range (function) is held privately by each occupant. Using occupant-differentiated dynamically-adjusted penalty factor as feedback signals, we propose a distributed solution which ensures that a consensus is attained among all occupants upon convergence, irrespective of their ideal temperature preferences being in coherence or conflicting. Occupants are only assumed to be rational, in that they choose their own temperature set-points so as to minimize their individual energy cost plus discomfort. We establish the convergence of the proposed algorithm to the optimal temperature set-point vector that minimizes the sum of the energy cost and the aggregate discomfort of all occupants in a multizone building. Simulations with realistic parameter settings illustrate validation of our theoretical claims and provide insights on the dynamics of the system with a mobile user population.
Inverse relationship between aldosterone and large artery compliance in chronically treated heart failure patients.

AIMS
The purpose of this study was to examine, in chronically treated heart failure patients vs control subjects, the influence of neurohumoral activation and aldosterone escape on arterial elastic behaviour, assessed by non-invasive mathematical lumped-parameter modelling of the compliance of the arterial system.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Radial arterial pulse waves were recorded non-invasively for 30 s with an arterial tonometer sensor array in 13 chronic heart failure patients (mean age, 59 +/- 2.5 years) in New York Heart Association class II. The patients had been taking digoxin, furosemide, captopril and aspirin for more than 3 months. Thirteen healthy subjects (mean age, 50 +/- 4.0 years) acted as controls. Compliance of the proximal (aorta and major branches, C1) and distal parts (C2) of the circulation were derived from a third order four-element modified Windkessel model which can reproduce arterial pressure waveforms, including both exponential and oscillatory sections. Active renin, angiotensin II and aldosterone levels were determined on venous blood samples in the supine position and after 30 min active standing. There was decreased proximal (C1, 1.51 +/- 0.11 ml x mmHg(-1), P<0.01) and distal (C2, 0.050 +/- 0.011 ml x mmHg(-1)) arterial compliance in the chronic heart failure patients vs controls (C1, 1.71 +/- 0.16 ml x mmHg(-1); C2, 0.054 +/- 0.006 ml x mmHg(-1)). The chronic heart failure patients were characterized by an aldosterone escape phenomenon which was inversely correlated with the proximal arterial compliance in both supine (r= - 0.795, P=0.002) and standing (r= - 0.628, P=0.029) positions.


CONCLUSIONS
In chronically treated heart failure patients with full angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibition and diuretics, there is decreased compliance of the aorta and its major branches, which is inversely correlated with the aldosterone escape phenomenon.
An armoured Cambrian lobopodian from China with arthropod-like appendages

Cambrian fossil Lagerstätten preserving soft-bodied organisms have contributed much towards our understanding of metazoan origins. Lobopodians are a particularly interesting group that diversified and flourished in the Cambrian seas. Resembling ‘worms with legs’, they have long attracted much attention in that they may have given rise to both Onychophora (velvet worms) and Tardigrada (water bears), as well as to arthropods in general. Here we describe Diania cactiformis gen. et sp. nov. as an ‘armoured’ lobopodian from the Chengjiang fossil Lagerstätte (Cambrian Stage 3), Yunnan, southwestern China. Although sharing features with other typical lobopodians, it is remarkable for possessing robust and probably sclerotized appendages, with what appear to be articulated elements. In terms of limb morphology it is therefore closer to the arthropod condition, to our knowledge, than any lobopodian recorded until now. Phylogenetic analysis recovers it in a derived position, close to Arthropoda; thus, it seems to belong to a grade of organization close to the point of becoming a true arthropod. Further, D. cactiformis could imply that arthropodization (sclerotization of the limbs) preceded arthrodization (sclerotization of the body). Comparing our fossils with other lobopodian appendage morphologies—see Kerygmachela, Jianshanopodia and Megadictyon—reinforces the hypothesis that the group as a whole is paraphyletic, with different taxa expressing different grades of arthropodization.
The Costs and Benefits of Pair Programming

Pair or collaborative programming is where two programmers develop software side by side at one computer. Using interviews and controlled experiments, the authors investigated the costs and benefits of pair programming. They found that for a development-time cost of about 15%, pair programming improves design quality, reduces defects, reduces staffing risk, enhances technical skills, improves team communications and is considered more enjoyable at statistically significant levels.
Contribution of Aquaporins to Cellular Water Transport Observed by a Microfluidic Cell Volume Sensor

Here we demonstrate that an impedance-based microfluidic cell volume sensor can be used to study the roles of aquaporin (AQP) in cellular water permeability and screen AQP-specific drugs. Human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells were transiently transfected with AQP3- or AQP4-encoding genes to express AQPs in plasma membranes. The swelling of cells in response to hypotonic stimulation was traced in real time using the sensor. Two time constants were obtained by fitting the swelling curves with a two-exponential function, a fast time constant associated with osmotic water permeability of AQP-expressing cells and a slow phase time constant associated mainly with water diffusion through lipid bilayers in the nontransfected cells. The AQP-expressing cells showed at least 10x faster osmotic water transport than control cells. Using the volume sensor, we examined the effects of Hg (2+) and Ni (2+) on the water transport via AQPs. Hg (2+) inhibited the water flux in AQP3-expressing cells irreversibly, while Ni (2+) blocked the AQP3 channels reversibly. Neither of the two ions blocked the AQP4 channels. The microfluidic volume sensor can sense changes in cell volume in real time, which enables perfusion of various reagents sequentially. It provides a convenient tool for studying the effect of reagents on the function and regulation mechanism of AQPs.