Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust continuous speech recognition using parallel model combination

This paper addresses the problem of automatic speech recognition in the presence of interfering noise. It focuses on the parallel model combination (PMC) scheme, which has been shown to be a powerful technique for achieving noise robustness. Most experiments reported on PMC to date have been on small, 10-50 word vocabulary systems. Experiments on the Resource Management (RM) database, a 1000 word continuous speech recognition task, reveal compensation requirements not highlighted by the smaller vocabulary tasks. In particular, that it is necessary to compensate the dynamic parameters as well as the static parameters to achieve good recognition performance. The database used for these experiments was the RM speaker independent task with either Lynx Helicopter noise or Operation Room noise from the NOISEX-92 database added. The experiments reported here used the HTK RM recognizer developed at CUED modified to include PMC based compensation for the static, delta and delta-delta parameters. After training on clean speech data, the performance of the recognizer was found to be severely degraded when noise was added to the speech signal at between 10 and 18 dB. However, using PMC the performance was restored to a level comparable with that obtained when training directly in the noise corrupted environment.
The Impact of Star Formation on the Interstellar Medium in Dwarf Galaxies. II. The Formation of Galactic Winds

Images and long-slit echelle spectra of the Hα emission from 14 dwarf galaxies and M82 have been used to identify expanding shells of ionized gas. Supershells (radius >300 pc) are found in 12 of the dwarfs. The measured shell sizes and expansion speeds constrain the ages and power requirements of the bubbles. The dynamical age of the larger bubbles is typically about 10 Myr, and ionized shells older than 20 Myr are rare. An energy equivalent to 100-10,000 supernova explosions over this period is needed to drive the shock front that sweeps out the cavity. The current star formation rates are high enough to meet these power requirements. Many of the shells will break through the surrounding layer of H I supersonically, but the projected expansion speeds are typically less than the lower limits on the escape velocity. Some of the shell material may permanently escape from a few galaxies such as NGC 1569. Whether bound to the galaxy or not, these outflows probably play an important role in regulating the star formation rate and are expected to significantly influence the chemical evolution of the galaxies. The shells lift gas out of the disk at rates comparable to, or even greater than, the current galactic star formation rates. They will displace a substantial fraction of the interstellar gas only if their duty cycle is much longer than the rotational period of the disk.
Involvement of the Striatal Medium Spiny Neurons of the Direct Pathway in the Motor Stimulant Effects of Phencyclidine

Background: The psychotomimetic phencyclidine (PCP) produces behavioral symptoms similar to those observed in schizophrenia, accompanied by increased motor activity. The dopamine and adenosine 3’,5’-cyclic monophosphate-regulated phosphoprotein of 32kDa (DARPP-32) is enriched in the medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the striatum and has been implicated in the actions of PCP. We examined the effects of deletion of DARPP-32 in distinct populations of striatal MSNs, on the ability of PCP to induce motor activation and memory deficit. Methods: The effects of PCP were examined in mice with conditional knockout of DARPP-32 in the MSNs of the direct, or indirect pathway. DARPP-32 phosphorylation was determined by Western blotting. The motor stimulant effects of PCP were determined by measuring locomotion following acute and chronic administration. Memory deficit was evaluated using the passive avoidance test. Results: Loss of DARPP-32 in direct MSNs prevents PCP-induced phosphorylation and abolishes the motor stimulation effects of PCP. In contrast, lack of DARPP-32 in indirect MSNs does not affect the ability of PCP to promote DARPP-32 phosphorylation and to increase motor activity. The impairment in passive avoidance induced by PCP is independent of the expression of DARPP-32 in direct or indirect MSNs. Conclusions: The increase in DARPP-32 phosphorylation induced by PCP occurs selectively in the MSNs of the direct pathway, which are also specifically involved in the motor stimulant effects of this drug. The memory deficit induced by PCP is not linked to the expression of DARPP-32 in striatal MSNs.
Nonstructural Protein NSs of Schmallenberg Virus Is Targeted to the Nucleolus and Induces Nucleolar Disorganization

ABSTRACT Schmallenberg virus (SBV) was discovered in Germany in late 2011 and then spread rapidly to many European countries. SBV is an orthobunyavirus that causes abortion and congenital abnormalities in ruminants. A virus-encoded nonstructural protein, termed NSs, is a major virulence factor of SBV, and it is known to promote the degradation of Rpb1, a subunit of the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) complex, and therefore hampers global cellular transcription. In this study, we found that NSs is mainly localized in the nucleus of infected cells and specifically appears to target the nucleolus through a nucleolar localization signal (NoLS) localized between residues 33 and 51 of the protein. NSs colocalizes with nucleolar markers such as B23 (nucleophosmin) and fibrillarin. We observed that in SBV-infected cells, B23 undergoes a nucleolus-to-nucleoplasm redistribution, evocative of virus-induced nucleolar disruption. In contrast, the nucleolar pattern of B23 was unchanged upon infection with an SBV recombinant mutant with NSs lacking the NoLS motif (SBVΔNoLS). Interestingly, unlike wild-type SBV, the inhibitory activity of SBVΔNoLS toward RNA Pol II transcription is impaired. Overall, our results suggest that a putative link exists between NSs-induced nucleolar disruption and its inhibitory function on cellular transcription, which consequently precludes the cellular antiviral response and/or induces cell death. IMPORTANCE Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is an emerging arbovirus of ruminants that spread in Europe between 2011 and 2013. SBV induces fetal abnormalities during gestation, with the central nervous system being one of the most affected organs. The virus-encoded NSs protein acts as a virulence factor by impairing host cell transcription. Here, we show that NSs contains a nucleolar localization signal (NoLS) and induces disorganization of the nucleolus. The NoLS motif in the SBV NSs is absolutely necessary for virus-induced inhibition of cellular transcription. To our knowledge, this is the first report of nucleolar functions for NSs within the Bunyaviridae family.
Amygdalo-entorhinal relations and their reflection in the hippocampal formation: generation of sharp sleep potentials

While the anatomical relations between the amygdala, parahippocampal cortices, and hippocampus have been studied extensively, little is known about how they interact. To address this issue, we studied the timing of entorhinal (ENT), subicular, and basolateral amygdaloid (BL) discharges with respect to previously unknown population events, hereafter termed sharp potentials (SPs), that appear in the ENT cortex of cats during EEG-synchronized states. SPs occurred in two forms. Simple SPs were monophasic potentials, negative in deep ENT layers and positive in layer I. Complex SPs appeared as simple SPs interrupted by a brief potential of opposite polarity. Simple SPs had no hippocampal correlate whereas complex SPs were followed by large potentials that could be recorded at several levels of the hippocampal loop under barbiturate anesthesia, but not beyond the dentate gyrus in natural sleep. In agreement with this, layer II ENT neurons and most subicular cells fired only in relation to complex SPs under anesthesia. Layer II ENT neurons fired in phase with SPs whereas subicular neurons fired 20– 40 msec later. In contrast, BL cells, layers IV-VI and layer III ENT neurons fired sequentially in relation to SPs with BL cells discharging as early as 40 msec before SPs. Finally, amygdala lesions abolished ENT SPs. These results suggest that the BL complex plays an essential role in the generation of population events that are transmitted to the ENT cortex. This is the first demonstration that spontaneous events occurring in the amygdala are reflected in the activity of related cortices. In turn, layer II ENT neurons gate the transfer of incoming inputs to the hippocampus. These findings shed light on the elaboration of normal and pathological activities in the amygdalo-hippocampal network.
Retrospective attitudes towards the assessment system in physical education in the former Soviet Republic of Lithuania: Differences with regard to gender, education, age, and physical activity

Background: ‪The study aimed to determine differences between retrospective attitudes of adults towards the assessment system in PE in the former Soviet Republic of Lithuania (SRL) according to gender, education, age, and physical activity. Material and methods: ‪Randomised and cross-over study design. The research sample comprised 1,115 participants (510 male and 605 female, 524 35–45 years old 591 46–55 years old; 603 with secondary education and 512 with university education) representing the population of the Republic of Lithuania. Results: ‪ 35–45-year-old participants displayed more positive attitudes towards the suitability of assessment in PE in the former SRL and attitudes towards the influence of assessment on motivation to enjoyment than 46–55-year-old participants, but 46–55-year-old participants reported higher scores of attitudes towards the social characteristics of assessment by an individual and a teacher and attitudes towards the influence of assessment on physical activity than younger participants. Conclusions: ‪AThis study revealed significant differences in retrospective attitudes of 35–45-year-old and 46–55-yearold adults towards the assessment system in physical education in the former SRL. Retrospective attitudes of participants towards the assessment system in PE in the former SRL differed also with respect to educational level.
Corneal Epithelial Remodeling and Its Effect on Corneal Asphericity after Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy for Myopia

Purpose. To evaluate the changes in epithelial thickness profile following transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (T-PRK) for myopia and to investigate the effect of epithelial remodeling on corneal asphericity. Methods. Forty-four patients (44 right eyes) who underwent T-PRK were retrospectively evaluated. Epithelial thickness was measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography at different corneal zones (central, 2 mm; paracentral, 2–5 mm; and mid-peripheral, 5-6 mm) preoperatively and at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. The correlation between the changes in corneal epithelial thickness (ΔCET) and postoperative Q-value changes (ΔQ) was analyzed 6 months postoperatively. Results. Epithelial thickness at 6 months showed a negative meniscus-like lenticular pattern with less central thickening, which increased progressively toward the mid-periphery (3.69 ± 4.2, 5.19 ± 3.8, and 6.23 ± 3.9 μm at the center, paracenter, and mid-periphery, resp., P < 0.01). A significant positive relationship was observed between epithelial thickening and ΔQ 6 months postoperatively (r = 0.438, 0.580, and 0.504, resp., P < 0.01). Conclusions. Significant epithelial thickening was observed after T-PRK and showed a lenticular change with more thickening mid-peripherally, resulting in increased oblateness postoperatively. Epithelial remodeling may modify the epithelial thickness profile after surface ablation refractive surgery for myopia.
Investing in a robotic milking system: a Monte Carlo simulation analysis.

This paper uses Monte Carlo simulation methods to estimate the breakeven value for a robotic milking system (RMS) on a dairy farm in the United States. The breakeven value indicates the maximum amount that could be paid for the robots given the costs of alternative milking equipment and other important factors (e.g., milk yields, prices, length of useful life of technologies). The analysis simulates several scenarios under three herd sizes, 60, 120, and 180 cows. The base-case results indicate that the mean breakeven values are $192,056, $374,538, and $553,671 for each of the three progressively larger herd sizes. These must be compared to the per-unit RMS cost (about $125,000 to $150,000) and the cost of any construction or installation of other equipment that accompanies the RMS. Sensitivity analysis shows that each additional dollar spent on milking labor in the parlor increases the breakeven value by $4.10 to $4.30. Each dollar increase in parlor costs increases the breakeven value by $0.45 to $0.56. Also, each additional kilogram of initial milk production (under a 2x system in the parlor) decreases the breakeven by $9.91 to $10.64. Finally, each additional year of useful life for the RMS increases the per-unit breakeven by about $16,000 while increasing the life of the parlor by 1 yr decreases the breakeven value by between $5,000 and $6,000.
Finding High-Quality Metal Ion-Centric Regions Across the Worldwide Protein Data Bank

As the number of macromolecular structures in the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) continues to grow rapidly, more attention is being paid to the quality of its data, especially for use in aggregated structural and dynamics analyses. In this study, we systematically analyzed 3.5 Å regions around all metal ions across all PDB entries with supporting electron density maps available from the PDB in Europe. All resulting metal ion-centric regions were evaluated with respect to four quality-control criteria involving electron density resolution, atom occupancy, symmetry atom exclusion, and regional electron density discrepancy. The resulting list of metal binding sites passing all four criteria possess high regional structural quality and should be beneficial to a wide variety of downstream analyses. This study demonstrates an approach for the pan-PDB evaluation of metal binding site structural quality with respect to underlying x-ray crystallographic experimental data represented in available electron density maps of proteins. For non-crystallographers in particular, we hope to change the focus and discussion of structural quality from a global evaluation to a regional evaluation, since all structural entries in the wwPDB appear to have both regions of high and low structural quality.
Understanding expert practices in order to control expert activities: The case of trading

Experts are important actors of organizational control. Nevertheless, experience suggests that they must be controlled as well. This is particularly the case for traders in financial institutions. We first identify the limits of traditional control patterns when the managing the activities of experts is at stake. Hyperspecialization, which is the ability to act within different logics and multiple time horizons, suggests that multidimensional representations of these activities be adopted and made explicit, which has the potential to prevent such activities from turning problematic. By examining bank risks and conducting additional interviews with actors from bank trading services, we recommend that multiple components of complexity be preserved when dealing with expert-related operational risks, instead of reducing this complexity to a single concept. Such an approach implies to turn back expertise against itself.
Reexamining the Relationship between Climate Sensitivity and the Southern Hemisphere Radiation Budget in CMIP Models

AbstractRecent efforts to narrow the spread in equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) across global climate models have focused on identifying observationally based constraints, which are rooted in empirical correlations between ECS and biases in the models’ present-day climate. This study reexamines one such constraint identified from CMIP3 models: the linkage between ECS and net top-of-the-atmosphere radiation biases in the Southern Hemisphere (SH). As previously documented, the intermodel spread in the ECS of CMIP3 models is linked to present-day cloud and net radiation biases over the midlatitude Southern Ocean, where higher cloud fraction in the present-day climate is associated with larger values of ECS. However, in this study, no physical explanation is found to support this relationship. Furthermore, it is shown here that this relationship disappears in CMIP5 models and is unique to a subset of CMIP models characterized by unrealistically bright present-day clouds in the SH subtropics. In view of th.
Bias associated with left ventricular quantification by multimodality imaging: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose Cardiac MR (CMR) is the gold standard for left ventricular (LV) quantification. However, two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) is the most common approach, and both three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and multidetector CT (MDCT) are increasingly available. The clinical significance and interchangeability of these modalities remains under-investigated. Therefore, we undertook a systemic review to evaluate the accuracy and absolute bias in LV quantification of all the commonly available non-invasive imaging modalities (2DE, CE-2DE, 3DE, MDCT) compared to cardiac MR (CMR). Methods Studies were included that reported LV echocardiographic (2DE, CE-2DE, 3DE) and/or MDCT measurements compared to CMR. Only modern CMR (SSFP sequences) was considered. Studies involving small sample size (<10 patients) and unusual cardiac geometry (ie, congenital heart diseases) were excluded. We evaluated LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), end-systolic volume (LVESV) and ejection fraction (LVEF). Results 1604 articles were initially considered: 65 studies were included (total of 4032 scans (echo, CT, MRI) performed in 2888 patients). Compared to CMR, significant biased underestimation of LV volumes with 2DE was seen (LVEDV—33.30 mL, LVESV −16.20 mL, p<0.0001). This difference was reduced but remained significant with CE-2DE (LVEDV −18.05, p<0.0001) and 3DE (LVEDV −14.41, p<0.001), while MDCT values were similar to CMR (LVEDV −1.20, p=0.43; LVESV −0.13, p=0.91). However, excellent agreement for echocardiographic LVEF evaluation (2DE LVEF 0.78–1.01%, p=0.37) was observed, especially with 3DE (LVEF 0.14%, p=0.88). Conclusions Comparing imaging modalities to CMR as reference standard, 3DE had the highest accuracy in LVEF estimation: 2DE and 3DE-derived LV volumes were significantly underestimated. Newer generation CT showed excellent accuracy for LV volumes.
The Process of Patient Engagement in Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Model-Centric Systematic Review

Abstract This study aimed to compile existing evidence about the proposed relationships among variables at three stages of the model of therapeutic engagement (MTE): patient intention to engage in cardiac rehabilitation (CR), CR initiation, and sustained engagement. This model has not been tested in any rehabilitation setting. Therefore, this systematic literature review is key to future research and application of MTE to predict and enhance patient engagement in CR. Model-centric systematic literature reviews have been conducted for each stage of the MTE. A coherent approach to understanding and monitoring the process of patient engagement in CR is absent. Few relevant studies included in the model-centric reviews met the criteria: eight in stage 1, four in stage 2, and six in stage 3 of the MTE. In total, the tenets of the MTE were supported in patient intention to engage in CR. However, there was less evidence quantifying the proposed relationships among variables that impact on CR initiation and sustained engagement. There is a scarcity of research examining rehabilitation engagement in depth to better understand the complicated process contributing to behavioural outcomes. No decision-support models currently exist to alert patients and healthcare provider to the factors that influence non-engagement.
Mood and symptoms of expectant fathers during the course of pregnancy

This study was designed to examine the general emotional state of expectant fathers and symptom manifestation of expectant fathers during the course of pregnancy. The specific purposes of the study were: First, to explore the general emotional state of expectant fathers during pregnancy by studying changes in the levels of anxiety, depression, and hostility as pregnancy progressed; second, to explore the occurrence of symptoms in expectant fathers during early, middle, and late pregnancy; and third, to determine which expectant fathers are most likely to experience symptoms and increased levels of anxiety, depression, and hostility during pregnancy by using assumptions underlying crisis theory to guide the investigation. Ninety-one expectant fathers from the Greensboro, North Carolina, area comprised the sample. The sample included black and white men of working-class and middle-class backgrounds. Experienced fathers and men expecting their first child were selected for participation in the study. After an initial personal contact, each subject was mailed a questionnare in early, middle, and late pregnancy.
Final thoughts

ith an issue as important as wiretapping, it is important we base our actions and decisions on well-grounded assessments rather than opinions, myths, fallacies, and misunderstandings. In what follows, I will challenge the un-grounded assessments and address concerns not covered in my opening statement such as the possibility of government abuse. I will limit my remarks to the wiretapping issues. The very concept of wiretapping conjures up dystopian images of 1984 and Big Brother, blinding us to the current realities about electronic surveillance. It is common to hear statements such as made by Ron Rivest that many people feel it is better to let a few criminals get away than to put a comprehensive electronic surveillance technology in the hands of the government. Similarly, it is not surprising Marc Rotenberg was able to cite a survey showing the American public opposes wiretapping, especially since the question asked did not include the essential qualifier when done by law enforcement and authorized by a court order. Since wiretapping is illegal without a court order, the survey at best tells us Americans oppose unlawful eavesdropping. So does the FBI. In America, wiretapping is not used for comprehensive electronic surveillance of the general public. Nor is it used against petty criminals. Wiretapping is used against major drug traffickers, organized crime leaders, and terrorists. Use of the electronic surveillance investigative technique has been sparse (as evidenced by figures found in the Federal Wiretap Report) and is constrained by significant statutory requirements including court orders, minimization , and extensive record keeping. In addition, it is labor intensive and costly (averaging $45,000 per tap in 1991). After a tap has been completed, government attorneys are required to notify the subjects of the electronic surveillance. That so few people even know of anyone who has received such notification shows the myth of comprehensive electronic surveillance of the general public has little do to with reality. Several commentators expressed a concern about possible wiretap abuses by the government. However, none of the commentators has identified a single act of wiretapping abuse occurring under the current wiretapping statutes, which date back to 1968 (Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act) and 1978 (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), respectively. The American system of government has extensive mechanisms to protect against possible wiretap abuses. These include the illegality of unauthorized wiretapping (criminal and civil actions against violators); the inadmissibility …