Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic time warping comb filter for the enhancement of speech degraded by white Gaussian noise

An attempt is made to enhance speech degraded by added noise by exploiting the periodic nature of voiced speech. A modification of the adaptive comb filter is employed for this purpose. Problems which may arise when using the periodicity of the speech for enhancement include significant distortion caused by comb filtering a time-varying waveform (called temporal smearing) as well as the variation in pitch from period to period (called overload). It is shown that the dynamic time warping (DTW) comb filter corrects for variations in the vocal tract as well as the variation in pitch by using DTW. A computationally straightforward but suboptimal implementation of the time warping algorithm is used to improve the performance of the comb filter algorithm. Performance is based on computational complexity, informal listening tests, and segmental SNR. <<ETX>>
Visual focus of attention in adaptive language acquisition

The authors present a study of an adaptive language acquisition system that has multisensory input as opposed to just a message input. They describe and evaluate a device that acquires language through interaction with an environment that provides both keyboard and visual input. In particular, the machine action is to focus its attention, by directing its eyeball toward one of many blocks of different colors and shapes, in response to a message such as 'look at the red square'. The attention focus is controlled by minimizing a time-varying potential function that correlates the message and visual input. This correlation is factored through color and shape sensory primitive subnetworks in an information-theoretic connectionist network, allowing the machine to generalize between different objects having the same color or shape. The system runs in a conversational mode where the user can provide clarifying messages and error feedback until the system responds correctly. During the course of performing its task, a vocabulary of 431 words was acquired from 11 users in over 1000 unconstrained natural language conversations. The average number of inputs for the machine to respond correctly with only 1.4 sentences, and it retained 98% of what it was taught. <<ETX>>
HNS: Speech modification based on a harmonic+noise model

HNS (harmonic plus noise synthesis), an analysis/modification/synthesis model based on a harmonic plus noise representation of the speech signal, is presented. Significant improvements over previous work on the subject are proposed at both the analysis and the synthesis stages: a model of harmonically related sinusoids with linearly varying complex amplitudes for the representation of the deterministic part of the signal; a joint time-domain and frequency-domain representations of the stochastic part of the signal; and a pitch-synchronous PSOLA (pitch-synchronized overlap-add)-like synthesis scheme. Informal listening-tests demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach for time-scale modifications. <<ETX>>
Frequency domain noise suppression approaches in mobile telephone systems

Frequency-domain noise suppression systems with a single microphone are studied for adverse mobile noise environments. A novel noise suppression algorithm based on a modified maximum likelihood estimate is developed. The algorithm takes into account not only minimum voice distortion but also subjective criteria for the noise naturalness. A speech detector based on the temporal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) information of every subband of a bandpass filter bank is proposed. The speech detector is proven to be very effective and robust in a rapidly changing noisy background. The proposed noise suppression method in mobile telephone systems demonstrates much better subjective and objective test results than the existing methods. A real-time test shows that 10 dB noise reduction and 9 dB SNR improvements have been achieved even in the most adverse mobile situation. <<ETX>>
Speech discrimination in adverse conditions using acoustic knowledge and selectively trained neural networks

It is demonstrated that the STNN (selectively trained neural network) method improves confusable work discrimination. Tests conducted on clean and Lombard-noisy speech show that using only a small part (two frames) of the work where useful information for discrimination is located is more efficient than taking into account the whole word. Recognition scores obtained with a continuous-density HMM (hidden Markov model) are lower than those obtained with the proposed method. The present results show an increase in recognition accuracy for the tests on Lombard-noisy speech when the training is done on clean, Lombard, and Lombard-noisy speech. Furthermore, if the same noise is used for the training and the test, the STNN performances improve far more than those of the HMM. The STNN method does not need any precise detection of word boundaries. This influences the robustness of the method, especially in noisy conditions. <<ETX>>
Recovering dynamically independent coordinates for time-delay-embedded product systems

Phase space embeddings, time-delay or otherwise, do not preserve the natural decoupled description of a product system's state variables. The authors show, invoking a genericity argument, that for a restricted class of diffeomorphic transformations the images of independent manifolds can be isolated in the embedded phase space without knowledge of the underlying dynamical description. Several applications of this results are suggested, including the separation of signals originating from independent dynamical systems. Some of the estimation problems that must be resolved before this technique realizes its full potential are mentioned. <<ETX>>
Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin İnternet Kullanım Biçimleri: Riskli Davranışlar ve Fırsatlar

Evde kullanimi giderek artan Internet, yasamimizda olumlu bircok donusume yol acmistir. Bununla birlikte cesitli kategorilerde olumsuz yonleri de dikkat cekmektedir. Bu calismada, ortaokul ogrencilerinin bilisim teknolojileri kullanim sureleri ve duzeyleri, evde bilgisayar ve Interneti kullanim bicimleri, riskli Internet davranislari ve bu davranislarin cinsiyet, anne ve babanin ogrenim durumu, Internet kullanim suresi ve Internet kullanim duzeyi gibi degiskenlerle arasindaki iliski incelenmektedir. Arastirma bulgularina gore azimsanmayacak oranda ogrenci uzun sure bilgisayar kullanmakta ve ogrenciler, orta ve ileri duzeyde bilgisayar ve Internet kullandiklarini dusunmektedir. Ogrencilerin yariya yakini kendi odasinda Interneti kullanmakta ve aileler cesitli kullanim kisitlamalari getirmektedir. Ogrenciler cesitli riskli davranislari sergilemekle birlikte, riskli Internet davranisi puanlari yuksek seviyede degildir. Cinsiyet, anne ogrenim durumu riskli Internet davranislari ile iliskili cikmistir. Bu sonuclara gore ogrencilere, ailelere ve cesitli kurumlara cevrimici riskler konusunda cesitli gorevler dustugu, paydaslarin isbirligi ile sorunlarin cozulebilecegi dile getirilmistir.
Large vocabulary continuous speech recognition of Wall Street Journal data

The authors report on the progress that has been made at Dragon Systems in speaker-independent large-vocabulary speech recognition using speech from DARPA's Wall Street Journal corpus. First they present an overview of the recognition and training algorithms. Then, they describe experiments involving two improvements to these algorithms, moving to higher-dimensional streams and using an IMELDA transformation. They also present some results showing the reduction in error rates. <<ETX>>
Partial parsing as a robust parsing strategy

The authors describe a robust parsing strategy where partial parsing is seen not as a back-up strategy, but as the normal mode of operation of the parser. The goal is to extract from a lattice of word hypotheses the information content of an utterance using the minimum amount of linguistic knowledge. A system for accessing a train timetable in Italian has been implemented and tested on a test set of 600 utterances. The proposed approach to partial parsing represents a compromise between the need for accurate linguistic knowledge to avoid misunderstanding and the need to reduce the amount of linguistic knowledge to be used by the system, given its high development cost and the related reduction in efficiency and robustness. The approach makes it possible to increase robustness to spontaneous speech and to reduce the effect of limitations in the syntactic/semantic coverage of the grammar. The experiments show that the method has a good ability to extract correctly many concepts even when recognition problems do not make it possible to extract all of them. <<ETX>>
Histological and micro‐computed tomography evaluations of newly formed bone after maxillary sinus augmentation using a xenograft with similar density and mineral content of bone: An experimental study in rabbits

The objective of this study was to evaluate possible differences in the assessment of bone formation between histological and micro‐computed tomography (CT) analyses in maxillary sinuses augmented with a xenograft with similar density and mineral content of bone. A collagen membrane was placed subjacent the elevated sinus mucosa at the test sites of 18 rabbits, and the elevated spaces were filled with xenograft. The antrostomy was covered with collagen membranes, bilaterally. Six rabbits per group were sacrificed after 2, 4, and 8 weeks of healing. Biopsies were retrieved and scanned in a high‐resolution micro‐CT at two different gray thresholds. Histological assessments were subsequently performed. At the histological analyses, bone increased over time, from 7.5 ± 2.4% to 27.0 ± 5.3%, between 2 and 8 weeks of healing. The highest content of bone was found close to the sinus bone walls, whereas the middle regions contained lower amounts. At the micro‐CT analyses, discrepancies were found in bone content percentages compared with the histological analyses, especially after 2 weeks of healing and within the middle regions of the sinus, in which new bone was ~15–22% at the micro‐CT analyses and only 1.6% at the histological evaluation. The outcomes of a micro‐CT analysis performed in an early phase of healing may be altered when a resorbable bone substitute with similar density and mineral content of bone is applied.
Prevalence of rifampicin resistant tuberculosis and associated factors among presumptive tuberculosis patients in a secondary referral hospital in Lagos Nigeria

Background Nigeria is one of the 30 high burden countries for drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) in a secondary referral hospital in Lagos State Nigeria. Methods A retrospective review of presumptive TB register of patients screened for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and RR-TB using Xpert MTB/RIF assay at Mainland hospital between January 1 2012 and December 31 2016 was conducted. Results A total of 2497 clients were screened for MTB and RR-TB during the study period. The majority (51.4%) were between 25 – 44 years. Male: Female ratio was 1:0.8. Of the 2497 clients screened, MTB was detected in 942 (37.7%) out of which 220 (23.4%) had RR-TB. Age (AOR 1.8, 95%CI 1.3– 2.6, p = 0.001), symptomatic contact with DR-TB patients (AOR 3.3, 95%CI 2.1–5.1, p <0.001) and type of TB (AOR 2.9, 95% CI 1.7 — 5.0, <0.001) were associated with RR-TB after adjusting for age, gender, HIV status and symptomatic contacts with DR-TB patients. Conclusion The prevalence of RR-TB in new and previously treated TB patients was high in this study. Urgent steps are needed to avert an impending RR-TB epidemic
Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation does not influence liver regeneration in rats after partial hepatectomy

Aim of the study In the initiation of liver regeneration, multiple stimulatory and inhibitory factors participate. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on liver regeneration after 30% partial hepatectomy in rats. Material and methods A total of 14 male Wistar Albino rats were included in this study. The animals were randomly allocated to two groups: the control group (n = 7) and the omega-3 group (n = 7). Rats in the control group were fed a standard rat chow and rats in the omega-3 group received 10 mg/kg/day omega-3 supplementation in addition to normal rat chow in the perioperative period. Rats were investigated seven days after 1/3 partial hepatectomy by liver weight change and hepatocyte proliferation. Results The mean liver regeneration rate was found to be slightly higher (p = 0.061) in the omega-3 group compared the control group. In addition, no significant difference was observed regarding binuclear hepatocyte ratio in pericentral and periportal areas between the two groups. However, livers from rats given omega-3 supplementation have less inflammatory cellular infiltrate in the portal space than livers from the control group. Conclusions Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids showed no influence on the liver regeneration in rats undergoing 1/3 partial hepatectomy.
Common ELF1 deletion in prostate cancer bolsters oncogenic ETS function, inhibits senescence and promotes docetaxel resistance

ETS family transcription factors play major roles in prostate tumorigenesis with some acting as oncogenes and others as tumor suppressors. ETS factors can compete for binding at some cis-regulatory sequences, but display specific binding at others. Therefore, changes in expression of ETS family members during tumorigenesis can have complex, multimodal effects. Here we show that ELF1 was the most commonly down-regulated ETS factor in primary prostate tumors, and expression decreased further in metastatic disease. Genome-wide mapping in cell lines indicated that ELF1 has two distinct tumor suppressive roles mediated by distinct cis-regulatory sequences. First, ELF1 inhibited cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by interfering with oncogenic ETS functions at ETS/AP-1 cis-regulatory motifs. Second, ELF1 uniquely targeted and activated genes that promote senescence. Furthermore, knockdown of ELF1 increased docetaxel resistance, indicating that the genomic deletions found in metastatic prostate tumors may promote therapeutic resistance through loss of both RB1 and ELF1
Meningococcal serogroups and surveillance: a systematic review and survey

Background Meningococcal disease continues to be a global public health concern due to its epidemic potential, severity, and sequelae. The global epidemiological data on circulating meningococcal serogroups have never been reviewed concurrently with the laboratory capacity for meningococcal surveillance at the national level. We, therefore, aimed to conduct a country-level review of meningococcal surveillance, serogroup distribution, and vaccine use. Methods We conducted a systematic literature review across six databases to identify studies (published January 1, 2010 to October 16, 2017) and grey literature reporting meningococcal serogroup data for the years 2010-2016. We performed independent random effects meta-analyses for serogroups A, B, C, W, X, Y, and other. We developed and circulated a questionnaire-based survey to surveillance focal points in countries (N = 95) with known regional bacterial meningitis surveillance programs to assess their surveillance capacity and summarized using descriptive methods. Results We included 173 studies from 59 countries in the final analysis. The distribution of meningococcal serogroups differed markedly between countries and regions. Meningococcal serogroups C and W accounted for substantial proportions of meningococcal disease in most of Africa and Latin America. Serogroup B was the predominant cause of meningococcal disease in many locations in Europe, the Americas, and the Western Pacific. Serogroup Y also caused many cases of meningococcal disease in these regions, particularly in Nordic countries. Survey responses were received from 51 countries. All countries reported the ability to confirm the pathogen in-country, while approximately 30% either relied on reference laboratories for serogrouping (N = 10) or did not serogroup specimens (N = 5). Approximately half of countries did not utilize active laboratory-based surveillance system (N = 22). Nationwide use of a meningococcal vaccine varied, but most countries (N = 36) utilized a meningococcal vaccine at least for certain high-risk population groups, in private care, or during outbreaks. Conclusions Due to the large geographical variations in circulating meningococcal serogroups, each country should continue to be monitored for changes in major disease-causing serogroups in order to inform vaccine and control policies. Similarly, laboratory capacity should be appropriately scaled up to more accurately understand local epidemiology and disease burden, as well as the impact of vaccination programs.
The promising immune checkpoint LAG-3: from tumor microenvironment to cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy and tumor microenvironment have been at the forefront of research over the past decades. Targeting immune checkpoints especially programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has made a breakthrough in treating advanced malignancies. However, the low response rate brings a daunting challenge, changing the focus to dig deeply into the tumor microenvironment for alternative therapeutic targets. Strikingly, the inhibitory immune checkpoint lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) holds considerable potential. LAG-3 suppresses T cells activation and cytokines secretion, thereby ensuring immune homeostasis. It exerts differential inhibitory impacts on various types of lymphocytes and shows a remarkable synergy with PD-1 to inhibit immune responses. Targeting LAG-3 immunotherapy is moving forward in active clinical trials, and combination immunotherapy of anti-LAG-3 and anti-PD-1 has shown exciting efficacy in fighting PD-1 resistance. Herein, we shed light on the significance of LAG-3 in the tumor microenvironment, highlight its role to regulate different lymphocytes, interplay with other immune checkpoints especially PD-1, and emphasize new advances in LAG-3-targeted immunotherapy.
Determinants of delay in seeking treatment among malaria patients in Dera district, NorthWest Ethiopia: a case control study

Background Prompt and effective treatment of malaria is critical because delays increase the risk for serious illness, disability and death. Objective To assess determinants of delay in seeking treatment among malaria patients at Dera district, NorthWest Ethiopia. Methods A case control study was conducted from September 01 to October 15, 2014. A total of 318 malaria patients diagnosed using microscopy or rapid diagnostic test, and who sought treatment in health centers were interviewed. Multivariable logistic regression was done to identify determinants of delay. Results Delay was high when a patient earned less than 25.0 USD [AOR=15.7, 95% CI: 4.8 – 51.2] and 9.6 times higher if he/she was not a member of community based health insurance [AOR= 9.6, 95% CI: 4.4 – 21.3]. Respondents who travelled for more than 30 minutes to get to a health facility [AOR= 4.4, 95% CI: 1.2 – 15.9] were more likely to be late in seeking treatment for malaria. Conclusion Income, community based health insurance, previous history of malaria infection, decision making and distance were determinants of delay in seeking treatment for malaria. To reduce the delay, interventions should focus on outreach malaria services and increase enrollment to community based health insurance.
Phylogeography of Bulinus truncatus (Audouin, 1827) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Selected African Countries

The transmission of some schistosome parasites is dependent on the planorbid snail hosts. Bulinus truncatus is important in urinary schistosomiasis epidemiology in Africa. Hence, there is a need to define the snails’ phylogeography. This study assessed the population genetic structure of B. truncatus from Giza and Sharkia (Egypt), Barakat (Sudan) and Madziwa, Shamva District (Zimbabwe) using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI) and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS 1) markers. COI was sequenced from 94 B. truncatus samples including 38 (Egypt), 36 (Sudan) and 20 (Zimbabwe). However, only 51 ITS 1 sequences were identified from Egypt (28) and Sudan (23) (because of failure in either amplification or sequencing). The unique COI haplotypes of B. truncatus sequences observed were 6, 11, and 6 for Egypt, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, respectively. Also, 3 and 2 unique ITS 1 haplotypes were observed in sequences from Egypt and Sudan respectively. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from Sudan and Zimbabwe indicated high haplotype diversity with 0.768 and 0.784, respectively, while relatively low haplotype diversity was also observed for sequences from Egypt (0.334). The location of populations from Egypt and Sudan on the B. truncatus clade agrees with the location of both countries geographically. The clustering of the Zimbabwe sequences on different locations on the clade can be attributed to individuals with different genotypes within the population. No significant variation was observed within B. truncatus populations from Egypt and Sudan as indicated by the ITS 1 tree. This study investigated the genetic diversity of B. truncatus from Giza and Sharkia (Egypt), Barakat area (Sudan), and Madziwa (Zimbabwe), which is necessary for snail host surveillance in the study areas and also provided genomic data of this important snail species from the sampled countries.
The number of remaining teeth as a risk indicator of cognitive impairment: A cross‐sectional clinical study in Sado Island

Most studies that have demonstrated an association between number of remaining teeth and cognitive impairment have treated teeth as a continuous variable, although the relationship is nonlinear. The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to determine the critical number of remaining teeth in hospital outpatients at which the association with cognitive impairment becomes apparent. Japanese adults living on Sado Island who visited Sado General Hospital were invited to participate in Project in Sado for Total Health. In total, 2,530 adults were interviewed and had their teeth counted; 1,476 of these individuals also completed the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and underwent measurement of their serum high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) levels. Patients on dialysis and those with hsCRP ≥ 10 mg/L were excluded. The final study group consisted of 565 adults (290 men and 275 women) of mean age 69.8 (range 29–91) years. An MMSE score < 24 was considered to indicate cognitive impairment. The subjects were categorized according to whether they had an edentulous jaw or one to 10, 11–20, 21–27, or ≥28 remaining teeth. One hundred twenty‐eight of the 565 study participants were diagnosed to have cognitive impairment. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed associations of cognitive impairment with older age, ischemic heart disease, smoking, and alcohol consumption. After adjustment for covariates, having one to 10 remaining teeth was significantly associated with cognitive impairment. There is a significant association between having only one to 10 remaining teeth and cognitive impairment in hospital outpatients.
Updating Our Definitions of Parkinson’s Disease for a Molecular Age

Clinical definitions of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are over 200 years old, while neuropathological definitions— which are still the basis of how we define the disease now— are over 100 years old. We argue that for both clinical care and therapeutic development, these definitions need updating for the molecular age in which we live. We highlight specific instances in which genetic or biochemical biomarkers are increasingly used for clinical trial enrollment in the neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting that molecular definition(s) of PD are already emerging. We review candidate biomarkers for PD-related pathologies and highlight the need for further validation.