Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using likelihood ratios to perform utterance verification in automatic pronunciation assessment

The aim of our current research is to investigate the possibility of using likelihood ratios to perform utterance verification within the context of automatic oral proficiency assessment. The likelihood ratios under investigation have the appealing feature that they may be computed simply by using an off-theshelf automatic speech recognition system in two different recognition modes (forced and free phone) instead of using a system with specifically trained anti-models. We achieved 93% correct classification for 10 phonetically rich sentences uttered by 60 non-native language students.
Fluxes and 13 C isotopic composition of dissolved carbon and pathways of methanogenesis in a fen soil exposed to experimental drought

Abstract. Peatlands contain a carbon stock of global concern and significantly contribute to the global methane burden. The impact of drought and rewetting on carbon cycling in peatland ecosystems is thus currently debated. We studied the impact of experimental drought and rewetting on intact monoliths from a temperate fen over a period of ~300 days, using a permanently wet treatment and two treatments undergoing drought for 50 days. In one of the mesocosms, vegetation had been removed. Net production of CH4 was calculated from mass balances in the peat and emission using static chamber measurements. Results were compared to 13C isotope budgets of CO2 and CH4 and energy yields of acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Drought retarded methane production after rewetting for days to weeks and promoted methanotrophic activity. Based on isotope and flux budgets, aerobic soil respiration contributed 32–96% in the wet treatment and 86–99% in the other treatments. Drying and rewetting did not shift methanogenic pathways according to δ13C ratios of CH4 and CO2. Although δ13C ratios indicated a prevalence of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, free energies of this process were small and often positive on the horizon scale. This suggests that methane was produced very locally. Fresh plant-derived carbon input apparently supported respiration in the rhizosphere and sustained methanogenesis in the unsaturated zone, according to a 13C-CO2 labelling experiment. The study documents that drying and rewetting in a rich fen soil may have little effect on methanogenic pathways, but result in rapid shifts between methanogenesis and methanotrophy. Such shifts may be promoted by roots and soil heterogeneity, as hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis occurred locally even when conditions were not conducive for this process in the bulk peat.
Bushrangers in the Sydney Morning Herald: Ned Kelly and the Australian Identity

Ned Kelly is a key symbol of Australian identity although ‘bushrangers’ per se are of marginal importance. Our examination of Sydney Morning Herald articles (1987 to 2004) shows that Kelly appears in print more often than all other bushrangers combined, with the mythology surrounding Kelly sustained through this process. Kelly is less likely than other bushrangers to appear in articles of an historical genre and is rarely the central focus of stories. On the contrary, Kelly is associated with films, art, literature and theatre productions, while Kelly the ‘outlaw’ is juxtaposed with ‘rapacious’ banks, inefficient government departments and ‘rogue’ politicians. Continual media exposure of Ned Kelly enshrines his place in Australian mythology 125 years after his death and contributes to his continuing relevance as a symbol of Australian identity.
Unitemporal vs bitemporal hypometabolism in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

BACKGROUND Patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) often show bilateral temporal hypometabolism (BTH), but the nature of this finding has not been well established. OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical characteristics between unitemporal hypometabolism (UTH) and BTH patients in mesial TLE. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Epilepsy center at university hospital in Seoul, Korea. PATIENTS We enrolled 95 patients with mesial TLE, 87 of whom had subsequently undergone surgery. Seizures, interictal and ictal electroencephalography (EEG), brain magnetic resonance imaging, Wada test, and neuropsychological test results were reviewed. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans were interpreted visually. Patients were divided into 2 groups: UTH and BTH. RESULTS There were 59 UTH patients and 36 BTH patients. Semiologic analysis showed that UTH patients had higher frequencies of aura and unilateral dystonic posturing, whereas BTH patients had higher frequencies of a nonlateralized bilateral ictal EEG pattern and bilateral interictal spikes. Moreover, BTH patients had more frequent symmetric Wada memory scores and white matter changes in the bilateral temporal lobes on brain magnetic resonance imaging than UTH patients. All UTH patients with bilateral TLE on scalp EEG showed unilateral seizure onset on intracranial EEG. CONCLUSIONS The characteristic clinical findings of mesial TLE with BTH were a more frequent nonlateralized ictal EEG pattern, bitemporal interictal spikes, symmetric Wada memory score, and the anterior temporal white matter changes, and less frequent aura and unilateral dystonic posturing. Surgical outcomes were similar and good in both groups, although surgery could not be performed in 8 BTH patients (22%).
Association of Hepatitis B Virus Covalently Closed Circular DNA and Human APOBEC3B in Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infections can progresses to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HBV covalently-closed circular DNA cccDNA is a key to HBV persistence, and its degradation can be induced by the cellular deaminase APOBEC3. This study aimed to measure the distribution of intrahepatic cccDNA levels and evaluate the association between levels of cccDNA and APOBEC3 in HCC patients. Among 49 HCC patients, 35 matched cancerous and contiguous noncancerous liver tissues had detectable cccDNA, and the median intrahepatic cccDNA in the cancerous tissues (CT) was significantly lower than in the contiguous noncancerous tissues (CNCT) (p = 0.0033). RCA (rolling circle amplification), followed by 3D-PCR identified positive amplification in 27 matched HCC patients. Sequence analysis indicated G to A mutations accumulated to higher levels in CT samples compared to CNCT samples, and the dinucleotide context showed preferred editing in the GpA context. Among 7 APOBEC3 genes, APOBEC3B was the only one up-regulated in cancerous tissues both at the transcriptional and protein levels (p < 0.05). This implies APOBEC3B may contribute to cccDNA editing and subsequent degradation in cancerous tissues.
Cebus paraguayanus in Zoos: The Spontaneous Expression of Species-Specific Behaviors

Abstract Captive Cebus paraguayanus were observed to express spontaneously a wide variety of species-specific behaviors in different zoos from Argentina. The monkeys were kept in old-style wire mesh cages with cement floors, as well as island enclosures. We collected qualitative data on nine species-specific behaviors, and all the sex-age classes analyzed expressed some of these behaviors. The results indicated that in spite of living under predictable captive conditions without environmental enrichment, Cebus paraguayanus were able to react to the incidental opportunities that were presented in these environments.
Expression of ROS-responsive genes and transcription factors after metabolic formation of H2O2 in chloroplasts

Glycolate oxidase (GO) catalyses the oxidation of glycolate to glyoxylate, thereby consuming O2 and producing H2O2. In this work, Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing GO in the chloroplasts (GO plants) were used to assess the expressional behavior of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive genes and transcription factors (TFs) after metabolic induction of H2O2 formation in chloroplasts. In this organelle, GO uses the glycolate derived from the oxygenase activity of RubisCO. Here, to identify genes responding to an abrupt production of H2O2 in chloroplasts we used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to test the expression of 187 ROS-responsive genes and 1880 TFs after transferring GO and wild-type (WT) plants grown at high CO2 levels to ambient CO2 concentration. Our data revealed coordinated expression changes of genes of specific functional networks 0.5 h after metabolic induction of H2O2 production in GO plants, including the induction of indole glucosinolate and camalexin biosynthesis genes. Comparative analysis using available microarray data suggests that signals for the induction of these genes through H2O2 may originate in the chloroplast. The TF profiling indicated an up-regulation in GO plants of a group of genes involved in the regulation of proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin biosynthesis. Moreover, the upregulation of expression of TF and TF-interacting proteins affecting development (e.g., cell division, stem branching, flowering time, flower development) would impact growth and reproductive capacity, resulting in altered development under conditions that promote the formation of H2O2.
IMPACT OF PRIVATIZATION ON PERFORMANCE OF INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES IN RUSSIA

The paper has been prepared with the support of the Economic Education and Research Consortium managed by the Eurasia Foundation (Grant # 98-0971). The authors are very grateful to Erik Berglof and Mark Shaffer for their support and insightful comments. 2 The study, based on panel data of 198 industrial enterprises of the Sverdlovsk Oblast in 1992-1996, provides empirical evidence on the impact of privatization upon performance of medium, large, and extra-large industrial enterprises. The study shows that privatization "in average" produces performance improvements only for operating profit margin and to some extent for productivity of labor. We revealed that methods (options) of privatization had not only positive but also negative impact on performance of enterprises. The state seems to be a passive shareholder. However, our results suggest that not only full privatization, but also majority state ownership, is preferable to a state minority stakeholding, possibly because of the absence of a monitoring shareholder in the latter case not permitting managers to achieve their own objectives at the expenses of other shareholders. That is why the state should keep majority control over privatized enterprises or diminish its stake below 5% in order to avoid negative drop in performance results caused by absence of a monitoring shareholder. Privatization became one of the most powerful strategies implemented by policy-makers all over the world to improve performance of enterprises. This course of action has a very good theoretical background. Many theories were developed why private firms should outperform state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Some of them are seriously supported by empirical studies carried out in different countries all over the world. At the same time, privatization in Russia, the most mass one in the world history, seemed to have the most ambiguous results. There are even views that privatization in Russia turned to be a great failure. However, there is lack of statistically significant evidence on the matter, and there are only few studies where impacts of privatization and transition are carefully separated. We try to check empirically the hypothesis that privatization in Russia also promotes performance improvements, but these improvements are attenuated by negative influence of transition processes. Basing upon various theoretical and empirical studies, we analyze if privatization has positive impact upon a firm's ability to generate revenue growth and upon a level of workers' wages, leads to profitability increase and operating efficiency improvements, causes employment reduction. We use fixed effects and random …
Inactivation of Chk2 and Mus81 Leads to Impaired Lymphocytes Development, Reduced Genomic Instability, and Suppression of Cancer

Chk2 is an effector kinase important for the activation of cell cycle checkpoints, p53, and apoptosis in response to DNA damage. Mus81 is required for the restart of stalled replication forks and for genomic integrity. Mus81Δex3-4/Δex3-4 mice have increased cancer susceptibility that is exacerbated by p53 inactivation. In this study, we demonstrate that Chk2 inactivation impairs the development of Mus81Δex3-4/Δex3-4 lymphoid cells in a cell-autonomous manner. Importantly, in contrast to its predicted tumor suppressor function, loss of Chk2 promotes mitotic catastrophe and cell death, and it results in suppressed oncogenic transformation and tumor development in Mus81Δex3-4/Δex3-4 background. Thus, our data indicate that an important role for Chk2 is maintaining lymphocyte development and that dual inactivation of Chk2 and Mus81 remarkably inhibits cancer.
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE: Amyloid beta-protein length and cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related haemorrhage

Departments of Neurology and Neuropathology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, G51 4TF, UK; Department of Medicine, UCLA and Sepulveda VAMC, CA 91343, USA; Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Donald Building, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU; Department of Pathological Sciences, University of Manchester, Stopford Building, Manchester, M13 9PT; Department of Neuropathology, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol BS16 1LE, UK
Discussion Paper Series in Economics and Management Managing Credit Risk with Credit and Macro Derivatives Managing Credit Risk with Credit and Macro Derivatives Managing Credit Risk with Credit and Macro Derivatives

The industrial organization approach to the microeconomics of banking augmented by uncertainty and risk aversion is used to examine credit derivatives and macro derivatives as instruments to hedge credit risk for a large commercial bank. In a partial–analytic framework we distinguish between the probability of default and the loss given default, model different forms of derivatives, and derive hedge rules and strong and weak separation properties between deposit and loan decisions on the one hand and hedging decisions on the other. We also suggest how bank–specific macro derivatives could be designed from common macro indices which serve as underlyings of recently introduced financial products. The industrial organization approach to the microeconomics of banking augmented by uncertainty and risk aversion is used to examine credit derivatives and macro derivatives as instruments to hedge credit risk for a large commercial bank. In a partial–analytic framework we distinguish between the probability of default and the loss given default, model different forms of derivatives, and derive hedge rules and strong and weak separation properties between deposit and loan decisions on the one hand and hedging decisions on the other. We also suggest how bank–specific macro derivatives could be designed from common macro indices which serve as underlyings of recently introduced financial products.
Optimum selection combining of binary NCFSK signals on independent Rayleigh fading channels

In this paper, we derive a new selection combining (SC) scheme for noncoherent binary FSK signals on independent (but not necessarily identically distributed) Rayleigh fading channels with L-antenna diversity reception. With this combining scheme, we choose the diversity branch having the largest magnitude of the logarithm of the ratio of the a posteriori probabilities (log-APP ratio - LAPPR) of the transmitted information bit. We show that this scheme minimizes the probability of bit error, thus proving the optimality. We also show that a) the traditional square-law combining of all L diversity branches is equivalent to combining the LAPPR of all the L diversity branches, and b) the SC scheme proposed by Neasmith and Beaulieu (1998) is a special case of the proposed optimum SC scheme for independent and identically distributed (i.i.d) Rayleigh fading. Bit error probability results show that, at 10/sup -4/ BER, a) for i.i. d Rayleigh fading, the proposed optimum SC combining scheme performs better than the existing SC schemes by 0.5 dB for L = 3 and 1.5 dB for L = 5, and performs within 0.5 dB of the scheme which square-law combines all the L diversity branches, and b) for independent Rayleigh fading, the proposed optimum SC scheme gives an additional gain of 2.0 dB over the SC schemes of Pierce (1958) and Chyi et al. (1989).
Korea as a Knowledge Economy : Evolutionary Process and Lessons Learned

This report on Korea is geared towards policy makers from developing countries that are in the midst of, or are intending to, embark on the transition towards the knowledge economy. It provides pragmatic policy lessons drawn from Korea's forty-five years of knowledge-based growth. This report not only looks at the current policies and challenges of today's high income Korea, but also reviews its historical economic development since the 1960s when Korea was still a low income country. It follows Korea through the decades as it undertook an array of knowledge strategies that propelled it through the various income levels. This report therefore provides compelling policy lessons that are relevant for developing countries at different stages of economic development.
The Effects of Binary Evolution on the Dynamics of Core Collapse and Neutron Star Kicks

We systematically examine how the presence in a binary affects the final core structure of a massive star and its consequences for the subsequent supernova explosion. Interactions with a companion star may change the final rate of rotation, the size of the helium core, the strength of carbon burning, and the final iron core mass. Stars with initial masses larger than ~11 M☉ that experience core collapse will generally have smaller iron cores at the point of explosion if they lost their envelopes through a binary interaction during or soon after core hydrogen burning. Stars below ~11 M☉, on the other hand, can end up with larger helium and metal cores if they have a close companion, since the second dredge-up phase that reduces the helium core mass dramatically in single stars does not occur once the hydrogen envelope is lost. We find that the initially more massive stars in binary systems with masses in the range 8-11 M☉ are likely to undergo an electron-capture supernova, while single stars in the same mass range would end as ONeMg white dwarfs. We suggest that the core collapse in an electron-capture supernova (and possibly in the case of relatively small iron cores) leads to a prompt or fast explosion rather than a very slow, delayed neutrino-driven explosion and that this naturally produces neutron stars with low-velocity kicks. This leads to a dichotomous distribution of neutron star kicks, as inferred previously, where neutron stars in relatively close binaries attain low kick velocities. We illustrate the consequences of such a dichotomous kick scenario using binary population synthesis simulations and discuss its implications. This scenario has also important consequences for the minimum initial mass of a massive star that becomes a neutron star. For single stars the critical mass may be as high as 10-12 M☉, while for close binaries it may be as low as 6-8 M☉. These critical masses depend on the treatment of convection, the amount of convective overshooting, and the metallicity of the star, and will generally be lower for larger amounts of convective overshooting and lower metallicity.
Joint Approximately Sparse Channel Estimation and Data Detection in OFDM Systems Using Sparse Bayesian Learning

It is well known that the impulse response of a wideband wireless channel is approximately sparse, in the sense that it has a small number of significant components relative to the channel delay spread. In this paper, we consider the estimation of the unknown channel coefficients and its support in OFDM systems using a sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) framework for exact inference. In a quasi-static, block-fading scenario, we employ the SBL algorithm for channel estimation and propose a joint SBL (J-SBL) and a low-complexity recursive J-SBL algorithm for joint channel estimation and data detection. In a time-varying scenario, we use a first-order autoregressive model for the wireless channel and propose a novel, recursive, low-complexity Kalman filtering-based SBL (KSBL) algorithm for channel estimation. We generalize the KSBL algorithm to obtain the recursive joint KSBL algorithm that performs joint channel estimation and data detection. Our algorithms can efficiently recover a group of approximately sparse vectors even when the measurement matrix is partially unknown due to the presence of unknown data symbols. Moreover, the algorithms can fully exploit the correlation structure in the multiple measurements. Monte Carlo simulations illustrate the efficacy of the proposed techniques in terms of the mean-square error and bit error rate performance.
The perspectives of Aboriginal patients and their health care providers on improving the quality of hemodialysis services: A qualitative study

Chronic kidney disease has a higher prevalence in Indigenous populations globally. The incidence of end‐stage kidney disease in Australian Aboriginal people is eight times higher than non‐Aboriginal Australians. Providing services to rural and remote Aboriginal people with chronic disease is challenging because of access and cultural differences. This study aims to describe and analyze the perspectives of Aboriginal patients' and health care providers' experience of renal services, to inform service improvement for rural Aboriginal hemodialysis patients. We conducted a thematic analysis of interviews with Aboriginal patients (n = 18) receiving hemodialysis in rural Australia and health care providers involved in their care (n = 29). An overarching theme of avoiding the “costly” crisis encompassed four subthemes: (1) Engaging patients earlier (prevent late diagnosis, slow disease progression); (2) flexible family‐focused care (early engagement of family, flexibility to facilitate family and cultural obligations); (3) managing fear of mainstream services (originating in family dialysis experiences and previous racism when engaging with government organizations); (4) service provision shaped by culture (increased home dialysis, Aboriginal support and Aboriginal‐led cultural education). Patients and health care providers believe service redesign is required to meet the needs of Aboriginal hemodialysis patients. Participants identified early screening and improving the relationship of Aboriginal people with health systems would reduce crisis entry to hemodialysis. These strategies alongside improving the cultural competence of staff would reduce patients' fear of mainstream services, decrease the current emotional and family costs of care, and increase efficiency of health expenditure on a challenging and increasingly unsustainable treatment system.