LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
An adaptive KLT approach for speech enhancement

An adaptive Karhunen–Loeve transform (KLT) tracking-based algorithm is proposed for enhancement of speech degraded by colored additive interference. This algorithm decomposes noisy speech into its components along the axes of a KLT-based vector space of clean speech. It is observed that the noise energy is disparately distributed along each eigenvector. These energies are obtained from noise samples gathered from silence intervals between speech samples. To obtain these silence intervals, we proposed an efficient voice activity detector based on outputs of principle component eigenfilter; the greatest eigenvalue of speech KLT. Enhancement is performed by modifying each KLT component due to its noise and clean speech energies. The objective is to minimize the produced distortion when residual noise power is limited to a specific level. At the end, inverse KLT is performed and an estimation of the clean signal is synthesized. Our listening tests indicated that 71% of our subjects preferred the enhanced speech by the above method over former methods of enhancement of speech degraded by computer generated white Gaussian noise. Our method was preferred by 80% of our subjects when we processed real samples of noisy speech gathered from various environments.
Orienting attention in time: behavioural and neuroanatomical distinction between exogenous and endogenous shifts

Temporal orienting of attention is the ability to focus resources at a particular moment in time in order to optimise behaviour, and is associated with activation of left parietal and premotor cortex [Coull, J. T., Nobre, A. C. Where and when to pay attention: the neural systems for directing attention to spatial locations and to time intervals as revealed by both PET and fMRI. Journal of Neuroscience, 1998, 18, 7426-7435]. In the present experiment, we explored the behavioural and anatomical correlates of temporal orienting to foveal visual stimuli, in order to eliminate any spatial attention confounds. We implemented a two-way factorial design in an event-related fMRI study to examine the factors of trial validity (predictability of target by cue), length of delay (cue-target interval), and their interaction. There were two distinct types of invalid trial: those where attention was automatically drawn to a premature target and those where attention was voluntarily shifted to a delayed time-point. Reaction times for valid trials were shorter than those for invalid trials, demonstrating appropriate allocation of attention to temporal cues. All trial-types activated a shared system, including frontoparietal areas bilaterally, showing that this network is consistently associated with attentional orienting and is not specific to spatial tasks. Distinct brain areas were sensitive to cue-target delays and to trial validity. Long cue-target intervals activated areas involved in motor preparation: supplementary motor cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus. Invalid trials, where temporal expectancies were breached, showed enhanced activation of left parietal and frontal areas, and engagement of orbitofrontal cortex bilaterally. Finally, trial validity interacted with length of delay. Appearance of targets prematurely selectively activated visual extrastriate cortex; while postponement of target appearance selectively activated right prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that distinct brain areas are involved in redirecting attention based upon sensory events (bottom-up, exogenous shifts) and based upon cognitive expectations (top-down, endogenous shifts).
AWNN-Assisted Wind Power Forecasting Using Feed-Forward Neural Network

With the growing wind power penetration in the emerging power system, an accurate wind power forecasting method is very much essential, to help the system operators, to include wind generation into economic scheduling, unit commitment, and reserve allocation problems. It also assists the wind power producers to maximize their benefits by bidding in the electricity markets. A statistical-based wind power forecasting without using numerical weather prediction (NWP) inputs is carried out in this work. The proposed approach consists of two stages. In stage-I, wavelet decomposition of wind series is carried out and adaptive wavelet neural network (AWNN) is used to regress upon each decomposed signal, to predict wind speed up to 30 h ahead. In stage-II, a feed-forward neural network (FFNN) is used for nonlinear mapping between wind speed and wind power output, which transforms the forecasted wind speed into wind power prediction. The effectiveness of the proposed method is compared with persistence (PER) and new-reference (NR) benchmark models and the results show that the proposed model outperforms the benchmark models.
Modeling English Past Tense Intuitions with Minimal Generalization

We describe here a supervised learning model that, given paradigms of related words, learns the morphological and phonological rules needed to derive the paradigm. The model can use its rules to make guesses about how novel forms would be inflected, and has been tested experimentally against the intuitions of
Multi-range Reasoning for Machine Comprehension

We propose MRU (Multi-Range Reasoning Units), a new fast compositional encoder for machine comprehension (MC). Our proposed MRU encoders are characterized by multi-ranged gating, executing a series of parameterized contractand-expand layers for learning gating vectors that benefit from long and short-term dependencies. The aims of our approach are as follows: (1) learning representations that are concurrently aware of long and short-term context, (2) modeling relationships between intra-document blocks and (3) fast and efficient sequence encoding. We show that our proposed encoder demonstrates promising results both as a standalone encoder and as well as a complementary building block. We conduct extensive experiments on three challenging MC datasets, namely RACE, SearchQA and NarrativeQA, achieving highly competitive performance on all. On the RACE benchmark, our model outperforms DFN (Dynamic Fusion Networks) by 1.5% − 6% without using any recurrent or convolution layers. Similarly, we achieve competitive performance relative to AMANDA [17] on the SearchQA benchmark and BiDAF [23] on the NarrativeQA benchmark without using any LSTM/GRU layers. Finally, incorporating MRU encoders with standard BiLSTM architectures further improves performance, achieving state-of-the-art results.
Creep behavior of the intact and meniscectomy knee joints.

The mechanical functions of the menisci may be partially performed through the fluid pressurization in articular cartilages and menisci. This creep behavior has not been investigated in whole knee joint modeling. A three-dimensional finite element knee model was employed in the present study to explore the fluid-flow dependent creep behaviors of normal and meniscectomy knees. The model included distal femur, tibia, fibula, articular cartilages, menisci and four major ligaments. Articular cartilage or meniscus was modeled as a fluid-saturated solid matrix reinforced by a nonlinear orthotropic and site-specific collagen network. A 300 N compressive force, equal to half of body weight, was applied to the knee in full extension followed by creep. The results showed that the fluid pressurization played a substantial role in joint contact mechanics. Menisci bore more loading as creep developed, leading to decreased stresses in cartilages. The removal of menisci not only changed the stresses in the cartilages, which was in agreement with published studies, but also altered the distribution and the rate of dissipation of fluid pressure in the cartilages. The high fluid pressures in the femoral cartilage moved from anterior to more central regions of the condyles after total meniscectomy. For both intact and meniscectomy joints, the fluid pressure level remained considerably high for thousands of seconds during creep, which lasted even longer after meniscectomy. For the femoral cartilage, the maximum principal stress was generally in agreement with the fiber direction, which indicated the essential role of fibers in load support of the tissue.
Developing Corpora for Sentiment Analysis: The Case of Irony and Senti-TUT

Senti-TUT-an ongoing Italian project that investigates sentiment and irony in online political discussions-illustrates how to develop corpora for mining and analyzing opinion and sentiment in social media.
Are eyes windows to a deceiver's soul? Children's use of another's eye gaze cues in a deceptive situation.

Three experiments examined 3- to 5-year-olds' use of eye gaze cues to infer truth in a deceptive situation. Children watched a video of an actor who hid a toy in 1 of 3 cups. In Experiments 1 and 2, the actor claimed ignorance about the toy's location but looked toward 1 of the cups, without (Experiment 1) and with (Experiment 2) head movement. In Experiment 3, the actor provided contradictory verbal and eye gaze clues about the location of the toy. Four- and 5-year-olds correctly used the actor's gaze cues to locate the toy, whereas 3-year-olds failed to do so. Results suggest that by 4 years of age, children begin to understand that eye gaze cues displayed by a deceiver can be informative about the true state of affairs.
Physical inactivity and arterial stiffness in COPD

BACKGROUND
Arterial stiffness is an important predictor of cardiovascular risk besides classic cardiovascular risk factors. Previous studies showed that arterial stiffness is increased in patients with COPD compared to healthy controls and exercise training may reduce arterial stiffness. Since physical inactivity is frequently observed in patients with COPD and exercise training may improve arterial stiffness, we hypothesized that low daily physical activity may be associated with increased arterial stiffness.


METHODS
In 123 patients with COPD (72% men; mean [standard deviation] age: 62 [7.5] years; median [quartile] forced expiratory volume in 1 second 35 [27/65] %predicted), arterial stiffness was assessed by augmentation index (AI). Daily physical activity level (PAL) was measured by an activity monitor (SenseWear Pro™) >1 week. The association between AI and PAL was investigated by univariate and multivariate regression analysis, taking into account disease-specific characteristics and comorbidities.


RESULTS
Patients suffered from moderate (35%), severe (32%), and very severe (33%) COPD, and 22% were active smokers. Median (quartile) PAL was 1.4 (1.3/1.5) and mean (standard deviation) AI 26% (9.2%). PAL showed a negative association with AI (B=-9.32, P=0.017) independent of age, sex, blood pressure, and airflow limitation.


CONCLUSION
In COPD patients, a higher PAL seems to favorably influence arterial stiffness and therefore may reduce cardiovascular risk.


CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01527773.
Transformational leadership and innovative work behavior

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of self-construal (independent and interdependent) on the relationship between transformational leadership and employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB). Design/methodology/approach – A total of 639 followers and 87 leaders filled out questionnaires from cross-industry sample of five most innovative companies of China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relations. Findings – Results revealed that psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and IWB. The research established that transformational leadership positively influences IWB which includes idea generation as well as idea implementation. The results also showed that the relationship between transformational leadership and IWB was stronger among employees with a higher interdependent self-construal and a lower independent self-construal. Originality/value – This study adds to IWB literature by empirically testing the moderating role of self-construal and the mediating role of psychological empowerment on transformational leadership-IWB link.
Managing the Fight against Onchocerciasis in Africa: APOC Experience

Due to the socioeconomic impact of human onchocerciasis (commonly referred to as river blindness) in West Africa, the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in the Volta River Basin (OCP) was instituted [1]. This initial programme started in 1975 and covered seven West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Togo. However, later evidence indicated that endemic areas outside the initial area posed a threat to the achievement of the OCP and, hence, the Programme was extended southward and westward to include four additional countries, bringing the total number of countries covered by OCP to eleven. The formal name was then changed to the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa, retaining the acronym OCP. OCP used aerial larviciding as its principle strategy to control the vectors of human onchocerciasis, members of the Simulium damnosum complex, in the absence of a safe drug for mass treatment against the parasites [2]. Efforts to control onchocerciasis evolved in 1987 when ivermectin was donated to kill the juvenile worms that cause the various symptoms associated with the disease. As a result of the donation, OCP instituted a new strategy of chemotherapy in combination with vector control. In the 11 countries covered by OCP, this two-prong approach led to the virtual elimination of onchocerciasis as a public health problem and as an obstacle to socioeconomic development. The availability of a donated drug effective against the parasite and safe for mass drug administration, coupled with evidence that other pathological effects of onchocerciasis were equally important socioeconomic threats, led to the decision that onchocerciasis should be controlled in all endemic countries in Africa (Fig 1). The African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) was launched in December 1995. In order to reach its objective of onchocerciasis control in all endemic countries in subSaharan Africa, the Programme used Rapid Epidemiological Mapping of Onchocerciasis (REMO) [3] to delineate areas of mesoendemicity and hyperendemicity and to estimate the population at high risk of contracting onchocerciasis. Countries included in the APOC program were: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. The exercise revealed that 102 million people in the Programme area were at risk and needed ivermectin treatment, while an estimated 37 million people were already infected with the disease [4]. In 1997, APOC adopted community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTi) as its core strategy [5–7]. Following CDT
Banking Competition, Risk and Regulation

Banking competition, risk, and regulation W. Bolt and A. F. Tieman In a dynamic framework banks compete for customers by setting lending conditions for the loans they supply, taking into account the capital adequacy requirements posed by the regulator. By easing its lending conditions a bank faces a tradeoff between attracting more demand for loans, thus making higher per-period profits, and a deterioration of the quality of its loan portfolio, thus a higher risk of failure. Our main results state that more stringent capital adequacy requirements lead commercial banks to set more stringent loan conditions to their customers, and we show that increased competition in the banking industry leads banks to behave more risky. In this model we also look at risk-adjusted capital requirements and show that risk-based regulation is effective. We extend the basic model to have banks choose both their lending conditions and the level of bank capital. In this extended model it turns out that it may be beneficial for a bank to hold more equity than prescribed by the regulator, even though equity is more expensive than attracting deposits. We show that the same conclusions with respect to the effectiveness of regulation hold as in the standard model.
A method for taxonomy development and its application in information systems

Received: 24 November 2010 Revised: 15 April 2012 Accepted: 17 April 2012 Abstract A fundamental problem in many disciplines is the classification of objects in a domain of interest into a taxonomy. Developing a taxonomy, however, is a complex process that has not been adequately addressed in the information systems (IS) literature. The purpose of this paper is to present a method for taxonomy development that can be used in IS. First, this paper demonstrates through a comprehensive literature survey that taxonomy development in IS has largely been ad hoc. Then the paper defines the problem of taxonomy development. Next, the paper presents a method for taxonomy development that is based on taxonomy development literature in other disciplines and shows that the method has certain desirable qualities. Finally, the paper demonstrates the efficacy of the method by developing a taxonomy in a domain in IS. European Journal of Information Systems advance online publication, 19 June 2012; doi:10.1057/ejis.2012.26
Optimization of ethanol, citric acid, and α-amylase production from date wastes by strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus niger, and Candida guilliermondii

The present study deals with submerged ethanol, citric acid, and α-amylase fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae SDB, Aspergillus niger ANSS-B5, and Candida guilliermondii CGL-A10, using date wastes as the basal fermentation medium. The physical and chemical parameters influencing the production of these metabolites were optimized. As for the ethanol production, the optimum yield obtained was 136.00 ± 0.66 g/l under optimum conditions of an incubation period of 72 h, inoculum content of 4% (w/v), sugars concentration of 180.0 g/l, and ammonium phosphate concentration of 1.0 g/l. Concerning citric acid production, the cumulative effect of temperature (30°C), sugars concentration of 150.0 g/l, methanol concentration of 3.0%, initial pH of 3.5, ammonium nitrate concentration of 2.5 g/l, and potassium phosphate concentration of 2.5 g/l during the fermentation process of date wastes syrup did increase the citric acid production to 98.42 ± 1.41 g/l. For the production of α-amylase, the obtained result shows that the presence of starch strongly induces the production of α-amylase with a maximum at 5.0 g/l. Among the various nitrogen sources tested, urea at 5.0 g/l gave the maximum biomass and α-amylase estimated at 5.76 ± 0.56 g/l and 2,304.19 ± 31.08 μmol/l/min, respectively after 72 h incubation at 30°C, with an initial pH of 6.0 and potassium phosphate concentration of 6.0 g/l.
Ferritin nanocages: A biological platform for drug delivery, imaging and theranostics in cancer.

Nowadays cancer represents a prominent challenge in clinics. Main achievements in cancer management would be the development of highly accurate and specific diagnostic tools for early detection of cancer onset, and the generation of smart drug delivery systems for targeted chemotherapy release in cancer cells. In this context, protein-based nanocages hold a tremendous potential as devices for theranostics purposes. In particular, ferritin has emerged as an excellent and promising protein-based nanocage thanks to its unique architecture, surface properties and high biocompatibility. By exploiting natural recognition of the Transferrin Receptor 1, which is overexpressed on tumor cells, ferritin nanocages may ensure a proper drug delivery and release. Moreover, researchers have applied surface functionalities on ferritin cages for further providing active tumor targeting. Encapsulation strategies of non metal-containing drugs within ferritin cages have been explored and successfully performed with encouraging results. Various preclinical studies have demonstrated that nanoformulation within ferritin nanocages significantly improved targeted therapy and accurate imaging of cancer cells. Aims of this review are to describe structure and functions of ferritin nanocages, and to provide an overview about the nanotechnological approaches implemented for applying them to cancer diagnosis and treatment.
A RSSI-based and calibrated centralized localization technique for wireless sensor networks

This paper presents a multi-hop localization technique for WSNs exploiting acquired received signal strength indications. The proposed system aims at providing an effective solution for the self localization of nodes in static/semi-static wireless sensor networks without requiring previous deployment information
An adaptive ontology mapping approach with neural network based constraint satisfaction

1 1 This paper has been revised and extended from the authors' previous work [23][24][25]. ABSTRACT Ontology mapping seeks to find semantic correspondences between similar elements of different ontologies. It is a key challenge to achieve semantic interoperability in building the Semantic Web. This paper proposes a new generic and adaptive ontology mapping approach, called the PRIOR+, based on propagation theory, information retrieval techniques and artificial intelligence. The approach consists of three major modules, i.e., the IR-based similarity generator, the adaptive similarity filter and weighted similarity aggregator, and the neural network based constraint satisfaction solver. The approach first measures both linguistic and structural similarity of ontologies in a vector space model, and then aggregates them using an adaptive method based on their harmonies, which is defined as an estimator of performance of similarity. Finally to improve mapping accuracy the interactive activation and competition neural network is activated, if necessary, to search for a solution that can satisfy ontology constraints. The experimental results show that harmony is a good estimator of f-measure; the harmony based adaptive aggregation outperforms other aggregation methods; neural network approach significantly boosts the performance in most cases. Our approach is competitive with top ranked systems on benchmark tests at OAEI campaign 2007, and performs the best on real cases in OAEI benchmark tests.
Infrastructures publiques et politiques de developpement decentralisees

We consider a capital accumulation game between two different jurisdictions. When the jurisdictions adopt open loop strategies, we study the inefficiency of the steady state Nash equilibrium with respect to the steady state utilitarian solution.