Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Target speaker separation in a multisource environment using speaker-dependent postfilter and noise estimation

In this paper, we present a novel system for enhancing a target speech corrupted in a non-stationary real-life noise scenario. The proposed system consists of one spatial beamformer based on GCC-PHAT-estimated time-delay of arrival followed by three postfilters applied in a sequential way, namely: Wiener filter, minimum mean square error estimator (MMSE) of the log-amplitude, and a model-driven postfilter (MDP) that relies on particular speech signal statistics captured by target speaker Gaussian mixture model. The beamformer accounts for the directional interferences while the MMSE speech enhancement suppresses the stationary background noise, and MDP contributes to suppress the non-stationary sources from the binaural mixture. In our evaluation, multiple objective quality metrics are used to report the speech enhancement and separation performance, averaged on the CHiME development set. The proposed system performs better than standard state-of-the-art techniques and shows comparable performance with other systems submitted to the CHiME challenge. More precisely, it is successful in suppressing the non-stationary interfering sources at different SNR levels supported by the relatively high scores for signal-to-interference-ratio.
Content first - A concept for industrial augmented reality maintenance applications using mobile devices

Although AR has a long history in the area of maintenance and service-support in industry, there still is a lack of lightweight, yet practical solutions for handheld AR systems in everyday workflows. Attempts to support complex maintenance tasks with AR still miss reliable tracking techniques, simple ways to be integrated into existing maintenance environments, and practical authoring solutions, which minimize costs for specialized content generation. We present a general, customisable application framework, allowing to employ AR and VR techniques in order to support technicians in their daily tasks. In contrast to other systems, we do not aim to replace existing support systems such as traditional manuals. Instead we integrate well-known AR- and novel presentation techniques with existing instruction media. To this end practical authoring solutions are crucial and hence we present an application development system based on web-standards such as HTML,CSS and X3D.
Resveratrol and Grape Extract-loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

The aggregation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) has been linked to the formation of neuritic plaques, which are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Various natural compounds have been suggested as therapeutics for AD. Among these compounds, resveratrol has aroused great interest due to its neuroprotective characteristics. Here, we provide evidence that grape skin and grape seed extracts increase the inhibition effect on Aβ aggregation. However, after intravenous injection, resveratrol is rapidly metabolized into both glucuronic acid and sulfate conjugations of the phenolic groups in the liver and intestinal epithelial cells (within less than 2 h), which are then eliminated. In the present study, we show that solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) functionalized with an antibody, the anti-transferrin receptor monoclonal antibody (OX26 mAb), can work as a possible carrier to transport the extract to target the brain. Experiments on human brain-like endothelial cells show that the cellular uptake of the OX26 SLNs is substantially more efficient than that of normal SLNs and SLNs functionalized with an unspecific antibody. As a consequence, the transcytosis ability of these different SLNs is higher when functionalized with OX-26.
Severe and Moderate Forms of Food Insecurity in Australia: Are They Distinguishable?

Food insecurity, the inability to access an adequate food supply, is often considered an issue confronting developing countries only. Yet, conservative estimates show that about 5 per cent of the Australian population are food insecure at any point in time. This paper uses newly released data from the 2004/05 ABS National Health Survey to examine the prevalence and correlates of the severity of food insecurity, and to uncover potential health and nutrition outcomes. Consistent with previous studies, results show that just over 5 per cent of Australians are food insecure due to financial constraints. Of this figure, about 40 per cent are considered to be 'severely' food insecure. That is, the person ran out of money to purchase food, and as a result went without food. A range of economic and socio-demographic factors were found to be associated with food insecurity, indicating differential access to food supply throughout the Australian population. Results also show significant differences in the self-reported measures of health, wellbeing and dietary behaviours of the severely insecure, moderately insecure and food secure Australians.
Interpretation of the Verbal Form estar + Past Participle in Portuguese

In this paper, we propose a compositional approach for the semantic analysis of sentences in Portuguese whose main verb is a compound form constructed with the auxiliary estar (which partially corresponds to the auxiliary to be in English). We show that the identification of the correct semantic representation can be achieved easily by considering only the aspectual class of the main verb and its transitivity.
Allies for Armageddon: The Rise of Christian Zionism

Guided by a literal reading of the prophetic sections of the Bible, Christian Zionists are convinced that the world is hurtling toward a final Battle of Armageddon. They believe that war in the Middle East is God's will for the region. In this timely book, Victoria Clark first explores the 400-year history of this powerful political ideology, laying to rest the idea that Christian Zionism is a passing craze or the province of a lunatic fringe. Then Clark surveys the contemporary Christian Zionist scene in Israel and in the United States, where the influence of the religious fundamentalists has never been greater. Clark engages with Christian Zionism directly, interviewing leaders, attending events, and traveling with Christian Zionists in the Holy Land. She also investigates the Christian Zionist presence in Israel. She finds that the view through the Christian Zionist lens is dangerously simple: President Bush's War on Terror is a mythic battle between good and evil, and Syria and Iran represent the powers of darkness. Such views are far from rare--an estimated fifteen to twenty million Americans share them. Almost one in three Americans believes Israel was given to the Jews by God as a prelude to the Battle of Armageddon and Jesus' Second Coming. Clark concludes with an assessment of Christian Zionists' impact on American foreign policy in the Middle East and on America's relationships with European allies since the attacks of 9/11.
Lake landscape position: Relationships to hydrologic connectivity and landscape features

To improve our understanding of lake landscape position, we compared four metrics based on different aspects of lake surface hydrologic connections: (1) “lake hydrology,” which is a general measure of lake surface hydrologic position, (2) “lake order,” which measures connections to streams by stream order, (3) “lake network number,” which measures connections to other lakes, and (4) “lake network complexity,” which measures the complexity of connections to other lakes (in a chain or branched). We sampled 71 lakes in northern Michigan, U.S.A. and measured lake landscape position and landscape characteristics around each lake (e.g., land use/cover and geology) to answer two questions: (1) which metric of landscape position explains the most variation in lake water chemistry/clarity? and (2) what landscape and physical features are also related to landscape position? All four landscape position metrics explained significant variation in some water chemistry/clarity variables. However, lake order, the metric based on stream order, consistently explained the most variation, ranging from 22% (dissolved organic carbon) to 53% (conductivity and calcium), with lake hydrology, the metric based on both streams and lakes, explaining similar amounts of variation to lake order, but less overall. Landscape position was also significantly related to both lake morphometry and the proportion of wetland types in buffer areas, which may help explain why landscape position is related to lake water chemistry and clarity variables.
Livelihood responses to climate change in the Niger-delta: implications for food security in Nigeria

The Niger Delta produces the oil wealth that accounts for the bulk of Nigeria‘s foreign earnings. Before the 1950, agriculture was the main source of livelihoods. Today, climatic changes coupled with oil exploration activeities in the region have negatively impacted on the environment. This has resulted in the alteration of habitats, biodiversity los and pollution of water bodies. This paper assesses livelihood responses of local people to climate change and the implications for food security. The survey research design was adopted. The study covers nineteen randomly selected rural communities in Delta state. Both primary and secondary sources of data were utilized. The systematic sampling was used in selecting the final respondents who are basically household heads. The instruments of data collection were questionnaires and focus group guide. The results indicate that more than 80% of the households have diversified their livelihoods into the non-farm sector with serious implications for food security. The paper calls for support for local farmers to enhance their capacity to adapt to climate change to improve their agricultural practices. Keywords : Livelihoods, Climate Change, Niger-Delta, Implication, Food Security
Revised Baade-Wesselink Analysis of RR Lyrae Stars

We have applied the Baade-Wesselink method to two field RR Lyrae stars, i.e. SW And and RR Cet, and derived their distances and physical parameters. With respect to previous B-W analyses we have applied the following improvements: a) use of all sets of available data, after proper comparison for homogeneity and compatibility; b) use of the most recent and accurate model atmospheres, with turbulent velocity V(turb) = 4 km/s and the no-overshooting approximation, and comparison with other treatments of convection; c) use of the instantaneous gravity along the pulsation cycle rather than the mean value; d) comparison with modified radial velocity curves according to various assumptions on radial velocity gradients in the atmosphere; and e) careful reanalysis of the temperature scale. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the above items on the B-W results and verify whether any (or a combination) of them can possibly account for the discrepancy of the absolute magnitude zero-point with respect to other independent determinations.
Influence of specific training on spatio-temporal parameters at the onset of goal-directed reaching in infants.

BACKGROUND There is evidence that long-term experience can promote functional changes in infants. However, much remains unknown about how a short-term experience affects performance of a task. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the influence of a single training session at the onset of goal-directed reaching on the spatio-temporal parameters of reaching and whether there are differences in the effects of training across different reaching positions. METHOD Thirty-three infants were divided into three groups: 1) a control group; 2) a group that was reach trained in a reclined position; and 3) a group trained in the supine position. The infants were submitted to two assessments (pre- and post-training) in two testing positions (supine and reclined at 45°). RESULTS The short-duration training sessions were effective in promoting shorter reaches in the specific position in which the training was conducted. Training in the reclined position was associated with shorter and faster reaches upon assessment in the reclined position. CONCLUSIONS A few minutes of reach training are effective in facilitating reaching behavior in infants at the onset of reaching. The improvements in reaching were specific to the position in which the infants were trained.
Isolation and Biochemical Fingerprinting of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium From Meat, Chicken and Cheese

Background: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are important nosocomial pathogens and food chain has been considered as an assumed source for dissemination of VRE to human. Objectives: The presence of VRE isolates from food samples and typing of these isolates with Phene plate, a biochemical fingerprinting method, were investigated. Materials and Methods: Thirty samples of meat, chicken and cheese were analyzed for VRE during 2010. Antibiotic susceptibility tests and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were also examined. VRE isolates were typed with the Phene plate system (PhPlate), a biochemical fingerprinting method. Results: A total of 70 VRE isolates were obtained and identified as Enterococcus faecium by species-specific PCR. All the isolates carried vanA, while none of them harbored vanB. The VRE isolates included 35, 27, and 8 isolates from meat, chicken and cheese, respectively. Typing with the PhPlate revealed a diversity index of 0.78 for E. faecium, containing 10 common and four single types. The results of antibiotic susceptibility and MIC tests showed an increased resistance to ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, ampicillin and gentamicin, to which, 100%, 100%, 100%, and 95% of VRE isolates were resistant, respectively. Only 5% of the isolates were resistant to chloramphenicol and the MIC of the isolates for vancomycin and teicoplanin was ≥ 256 µg/mL and for gentamicin-resistant isolates it was 1024 µg/mL. Conventional and molecular identification tests exhibited that all the isolates were E. faecium carrying vanA. None of the isolates harbored vanB. Conclusions: The results showed that enterococci are common contaminants in food. Indeed, this study indicates a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant enterococci in food of animal origin in Iran. Isolating some persisting enterococcal isolates revealed that continuous surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in enterococci from food is essential.
The expression of GLP‐1 receptor mRNA and protein allows the effect of GLP‐1 on glucose metabolism in the human hypothalamus and brainstem

In the present work, several experimental approaches were used to determine the presence of the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor (GLP‐1R) and the biological actions of its ligand in the human brain. In situ hybridization histochemistry revealed specific labelling for GLP‐1 receptor mRNA in several brain areas. In addition, GLP‐1R, glucose transporter isoform (GLUT‐2) and glucokinase (GK) mRNAs were identified in the same cells, especially in areas of the hypothalamus involved in feeding behaviour. GLP‐1R gene expression in the human brain gave rise to a protein of 56 kDa as determined by affinity cross‐linking assays. Specific binding of 125I‐GLP‐1(7–36) amide to the GLP‐1R was detected in several brain areas and was inhibited by unlabelled GLP‐1(7–36) amide, exendin‐4 and exendin (9–39). A further aim of this work was to evaluate cerebral‐glucose metabolism in control subjects by positron emission tomography (PET), using 2‐[F‐18] deoxy‐d‐glucose (FDG). Statistical analysis of the PET studies revealed that the administration of GLP‐1(7–36) amide significantly reduced (p < 0.001) cerebral glucose metabolism in hypothalamus and brainstem. Because FDG‐6‐phosphate is not a substrate for subsequent metabolic reactions, the lower activity observed in these areas after peptide administration may be due to reduction of the glucose transport and/or glucose phosphorylation, which should modulate the glucose sensing process in the GLUT‐2‐ and GK‐containing cells.
Increased Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Activity in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Nerve growth factor (NGF)-dependent cholinergic basal forebrain neurons degenerate during the progression of Alzheimer disease (AD). Elevated proNGF and reduced levels of the TrkA high-affinity NGF receptor occur in prodromal and advanced stages of AD. We recently described a protease cascade responsible for the conversion of proNGF to mature NGF (mNGF) in which matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) degrades mNGF in the extracellular space. To determine whether this proteolytic cascade is altered during the progression of AD, we examined human frontal and parietal cortex tissues from aged subjects with a clinical diagnosis of AD, mild cognitive impairment, or no cognitive impairment. The analysis demonstrated greater MMP-9 activity in both AD and mild cognitive impairment compared with no cognitive impairment brain samples (p < 0.01), which supports the notion that a metabolic failure in the NGF-maturation/degradation pathway may be associated with an exacerbated degradation of mNGF in the cerebral cortex in early AD. Moreover, there were inverse correlations between Global Cognitive Score and Mini-Mental State Examination score and MMP-9 activity. These findings suggest that a reduction in mNGF as a consequence of MMP-9-mediated degradation may in part underlie the pathogenesis of cognitive deficits in mild cognitive impairment and AD.
Regional Differences in Dynamic Cerebral Autoregulation in the Healthy Brain Assessed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

A novel method is described for mapping dynamic cerebral blood flow autoregulation to assess autoregulatory efficiency throughout the brain, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Global abnormalities in autoregulation occur in clinical conditions, including stroke and head injury, and are of prognostic significance. However, there is limited information about regional variations. A gradient-echo echo-planar pulse sequence was used to scan the brains of healthy subjects at a rate of 1 scan/second during a transient decrease in arterial blood pressure provoked by a sudden release of pressure in bilateral inflated thigh cuffs. The signal decrease and subsequent recovery were analyzed to provide an index of autoregulatory efficiency (MRARI). MRI time-series were successfully acquired and analyzed in eleven subjects. Autoregulatory efficiency was not uniform throughout the brain: white matter exhibited faster recovery than gray (MRARI = 0.702 vs. 0.672, p = 0.009) and the cerebral cortex exhibited faster recovery than the cerebellum (MRARI = 0.669 vs. 0.645, p = 0.016). However, there was no evidence for differences between different cortical regions. Differences in autoregulatory efficiency between white matter, gray matter and the cerebellum may be a result of differences in vessel density and vasodilation. The techniques described may have practical importance in detecting regional changes in autoregulation consequent to disease.
Acoustic stria: Anatomy of physiologically characterized cells and their axonal projection patterns

The mammalian cochlear nucleus (CN) has been a model structure to study the relationship between physiological and morphological cell classes. Several issues remain, in particular with regard to the projection patterns and physiology of neurons that exit the CN dorsally via the dorsal (DAS), intermediate (IAS), and commissural stria. We studied these neurons physiologically and anatomically using the intra‐axonal labeling method. Multipolar cells with onset chopper (OC) responses innervated the ipsilateral ventral and dorsal CN before exiting the CN via the commissural stria. Upon reaching the midline they turned caudally to innervate the opposite CN. No collaterals were seen innervating any olivary complex nuclei. Octopus cells typically showed onset responses with little or no sustained activity. The main axon used the IAS and followed one of two routes occasionally giving off olivary complex collaterals on their way to the contralateral ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VNLL). Here they can have elaborate terminal arbors that surround VNLL cells. Fusiform and giant cells have overlapping but not identical physiology. Fusiform but not giant cells typically show pauser or buildup responses. Axons of both cells exit via the DAS and take the same course to reach the contralateral IC without giving off any collaterals en route. J. Comp. Neurol. 482:349–371, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Working Memory, Second Language Acquisition and Low-Educated Second Language and Literacy Learners

The role of memory in language learning has long been of interest to researchers in first and second language acquisition (SLA) (Baddeley, 1999; Ellis, 2001). At an intuitive level, it seems obvious that part of the explanation for individual differences among adults in success at learning a second language (L2) is attributable to differences in memory capacity. In SLA, researchers have focused on short-term rather than longterm memory differences because they think short-term memory is more responsible for differences in language development. The reason for this belief is that short-term memory is an on-line capacity for processing and analyzing new information (words, grammatical structures and so on); the basic idea is that the bigger the on-line capacity an individual has for new information, the more information will pass into off-line, long-term memory. It is an open question whether low-educated second language and literacy acquisition populations (LESLLA) have short-term memory systems that are similar to literate, educated populations, and if so how their working memory capacity can be measured. This paper will survey the literature on this topic, and will make some suggestions about how models of memory (as they have been applied to second language learning) may and may not be applied to LESLLA contexts. The review is organized as follows. First, different models are presented, along with the principal research results and main areas of disagreement among researchers. Section three deals with working memory and second language acquisition research. Finally, section four addresses how these models may or may not be appropriate to LESSLA contexts.