Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Privacy-Preserving Unsupervised Speaker Disentanglement Method for Depression Detection from Speech ⋆

The proposed method focuses on speaker disentanglement in the context of depression detection from speech signals. Previousapproachesrequirepatient / speakerlabels, encounterinstabilityduetolossmaximization, andintroduceunnecessary parameters for adversarial domain prediction. In contrast, the proposed unsupervised approach reduces cosine similarity between latent spaces of depression and pre-trained speaker classification models. This method outperforms baseline models, matches or exceeds adversarial methods in performance, and does so without relying on speaker labels or introducing additional model parameters, leading to a reduction in model complexity. The higher the speaker de-identification score ( 𝐷𝑒𝐼𝐷 ), the better the depression detection system is in masking a patient’s identity thereby enhancing the privacy attributes of depression detection systems. On the DAIC-WOZ dataset with ComparE16 features and an LSTM-only model, our method achieves an F1-Score of 0.776 and a 𝐷𝑒𝐼𝐷 score of 92.87%, outperforming its adversarial counterpart which has an F1-Score of 0.762 and 68.37% 𝐷𝑒𝐼𝐷 , respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrate that speaker-disentanglement methods are complementary to text-based approaches, and a score-level fusion with a Word2vec-based depression detection model further enhances the overall performance to an F1-Score of 0.830.
Phosphorus supply and ﬂoodplain design govern phosphorus reduction capacity in remediated agricultural streams

Agricultural headwater streams are important pathways for diffuse sediment and nutrient losses, requiring mitigation strategies beyond in-ﬁeld measures to inter-cept the transport of pollutants to downstream freshwater resources. As such, ﬂoodplains can be constructed along existing agricultural streams and ditches to improve ﬂuvial stability and promote deposition of sediments and particulate phosphorus. In this study, we evaluated 10 remedi-ated agricultural streams in Sweden for their capacity to reduce sediment and particulate phosphorus export and investigated the interplay between ﬂuvial processes and phosphorus dynamics. Remediated streams with different ﬂood-plain designs (either on one side or both sides of the channel, with different width and elevation) were paired with up-stream trapezoidal channels as controls. We used sedimentation plates to determine seasonal patterns in sediment deposition on channel beds and ﬂoodplains and monthly water quality monitoring. This was combined with continuous ﬂow discharge measurements to examine suspended sediment and particulate phosphorus dynamics and reduction along reaches. Remediated streams with ﬂoodplains on both sides of the channel reduced particulate phosphorus concentrations and loads ( −
40 Farmers’ Independence Level in the Urban Area of Subak Sembung Denpasar City, Bali Province, Indonesia

Purpose: Subak is an organization owned by the farming community in Bali which specifically regulates traditional rice field management. Subak Sembung is one of the Subak organizations that is engaged in the production to date. The novelty of this research as well as the purpose of the research is to observe the independence of urban farmers from various sides. The purpose of this research is to increase the independence of farmers in adapting to urban situations. Research Method: Sixty-six members of Subak Sembung participated as study participants. Data were collected by observation and interview sessions. The qualitative analysis was employed to address the first, second, and third aims of the study. Findings: Results revealed that the majority of the farmers had a high level of independence in the aspect of cultivation tool preparation, crop production, capital, capital provider, and type of cultivated commodity. However, lack of independence was identified in the aspect of post-harvest handling, management, self-development, collaborating to provide agricultural services, and technology adoption. Originality/ Value: We suggest delivering training, workshops, and technology adoption to improve the level of independence of farmers in adapting to urban agriculture.
Lifetime and Current Predictors of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Among College Students

Informed by previous research on non-suicidal self-injury, researchers in the current study sought to understand further the relationships between non-suicidal self-injury, self-esteem, anxiety, and biological sex among college students. Furthermore, the researchers were interested in both current non-suicidal self-injury engagement and lifetime non-suicidal self-injury engagement, which could provide information on prevalence before and after commencing college. In order to examine the predictive relationships between lifetime non-suicidal self-injury engagement, current non-suicidal self-injury engagement, self-esteem, anxiety, and biological sex, participants completed several instruments assessing variables. Results yielded that non-suicidal self-injury engagement rate was higher before commencing college. It was further found that while trait anxiety was a significant predictor for current non-suicidal self-injury occurrence, self-esteem was a significant predictor of lifetime non-suicidal self-injury occurrence. Concerning non-suicidal self-injury functions, affect regulation was the leading reason to engage in non-suicidal self-injury followed by self-punishment and anti-dissociation/marking distress.
Putting the Pieces Together: Exploring the Dimensionality of Enhanced Baking Tray Task Indexes in School-Aged Children

The Enhanced Baking Tray Task (E-BTT) is a spatial task where disks are placed inside a modular frame and a Tangible Users Interface (TUI) system provides ordered coordinates for each disk. Recently two main innovations have been introduced in this version of the task: many quantitative measurements were applied, and it was adapted to children. E-BTT's new indexes refer to laterality (when calculated on the X axis) and verticality (when calculated on the Y axis); moreover, new measures about the quality of the sequence itself were used (some referred to the organization). We firstly calculated the list of indexes recently applied to E-BTT on 1) a sample of 137 school-aged children who completed the task, appropriately adapted to the new type of sample and 2) on a sample of 122 adults. We then applied a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model and cross-validation to the whole dataset to test its accuracy to discriminate, in terms of indexes, between adults and children. We then explored whether the dimensionality of E-BTT indexes reflected the pattern/structure of adults also in the sample of school-aged children. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on the indexes was then performed. Results on SVM model showed that it was indeed possibile to discriminate children from adults' indexes. Results on the dimensionality are totally overlapping to adults' results. A distinct component of Laterality and Verticality emerged; furthermore, four components containing indexes that referred to the quality of the spatio-temporal sequence resulted from the elaboration. We then discuss the differences and similarities of PCA dimensionality between adults and children. The fact that the indexes' dimensionality was overlapping in children and adults may confirm its soundness and justify their use for E-BTT data analysis. Moreover, our model supported the idea that, despite the indexes have the same dimensionality in adults and children, there are indeed peculiar differences between the two groups, what is a useful indication for spatial cognition development.
Inverter-based Tone Burst Signals for Decentralized Communication-less Blackout Detection

When the source fault of a blackout is in higher voltage levels, an extended interruption in a distribution feeder can be avoided if the inverter-coupled distributed generation takes over building up an islanded Microgrid. Such a restoration scheme can be protected against failures or attacks on communication channels if the inverter's terminal measurements replace communication signals. This paper explores communication alternatives for black start services. Specifically, it adopts tone burst signals in the inverter's droop-based control to make blackout detection a quick local decision for each participating inverter. In critical situations, such an application of tone burst signals removes the dependency on typical communication channels and adds a security layer to established bottom-up black starts scenarios.
Effect of edible coating chitosan and calcium gluconate on maintaining fruit quality and marketability of Guava (Psidium guajava) fruits during storage

This investigation was conducted for two successive seasons (2014 & 2015) to evaluate the effectiveness of the edible coating chitosan either alone or plus calcium gluconate for maintaining fruit quality attributes and marketability of Etmany guava fruits during cold storage conditions. Guava fruits were randomly distributed into six treatments and dipped for five minutes for the following treatments: tap water (control); 1%chitosan; 2% chitosan; 2%calcium gluconate; 1% chitosan + 2% calcium gluconate and 2% chitosan + 2 % calcium gluconate. All treatments were cold stored at 8±1°C and 85-90% relative humidity for 21 days and evaluated each 7 days interval. The results showed that all edible coating treatments under cold storage course had more profound effects effective technique for maintaining fruit quality attributes as well as extending postharvest life in comparison with uncoated treatment (control) of guava fruits in both seasons. Edible coating fruits with 2% chitosan coating plus 2% calcium gluconate significantly enhanced storability and decreased the rate of deterioration of physical and chemical properties of fruits by reducing in physiological loss in weight and decay, maintaining firmness and ascorbic acid and delaying the changes in external color, total soluble solids and titratable acidity content as compared to control of guava fruits during extended cold storage in both seasons.
The impact of Trichoderma isolates on seed germination, vigor index, and health of chilli cultivars

Bhandari S, Kumar R, et al. The impact of Trichoderma isolates on seed germination, vigor index, and health of chilli cultivars. AGBIR.2024;40(1):762-766. Chilli ( Capsicum annuum L.) is a highly consumed and economically significant crop. The Trichoderma genus, renowned for its role as a biological control agent, exhibits diverse mechanisms influencing plant growth and defense. This research investigates the effect of Trichoderma isolates on the germination percentage, vigor index, and growth parameters of various chilli varieties. The study isolates indigenous Trichoderma spp. from rhizosphere soils and assesses their culture filtrates' effects on chilli seeds. Significant enhancements were observed in seed germination percentage, radical and plumule length, as well as seedling fresh and dry weight under Trichoderma treatments, particularly TRNU-1 and TRNU-2. Among the all the verities of chilli Kashmiri Long found the highest seed germination (64.67%), seedling length (8.88 cm), 10 seedling fresh weight (0.44 g) and vigour index-I (608.27), Pusha Jwala found the highest 10 seedling dry weight (0.35 g) and vigour index-II (16.34) and UHFC-12 found the highest radical length (4.47 cm) and plumule (4.70 cm). These findings highlight the potential of Trichoderma as a biocontrol agent and growth promoter in chilli cultivation, emphasizing its potential for sustainable agriculture and improved crop productivity.
Anomaly Detection using Generative Adversarial Networks Reviewing methodological progress and challenges

The applications of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are just as diverse as their architectures, problem settings as well as challenges. A key area of research on GANs is anomaly detection where they are most often utilized when only the data of one class is readily available. In this work, we organize, summarize and compare key concepts and challenges of anomaly detection based on GANs. Common problems which have to be investigated to progress the applicability of GANs are identified and discussed. This includes stability and time requirements during training as well as inference, the restriction of the latent space to produce solely data from the normal class distribution, contaminated training data as well as the composition of the resulting anomaly detection score. We discuss the problems using existing work as well as possible (partial) solutions, including related work from similar areas of research such as related generative models or novelty detection. Our findings are also relevant for a variety of closely related generative modeling approaches, such as autoencoders, and are of interest for areas of research tangent to anomaly detection such as image inpainting or image translation.
microRNA-499 expression and serum IL-17, ACCP and PADI4 cytokine levels in rheumatoid arthritis patients undergoing anti-TNF alpha therapy

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation and damage. While anti-TNF-alpha therapies like infliximab have revolutionized RA, treatment response varies among patients. Identifying reliable biomarkers for treatment response is crucial for optimizing therapy and patient outcomes. MicroRNA-499 has been implicated in autoimmune diseases, and IL-17 is a key mediator in RA pathogenesis. Additionally, PADI4 and ACCP are linked to RA autoimmunity. This study aimed to investigate the potential of microRNA-499 expression, serum levels of IL-17, PADI4 and ACCP as biomarkers for predicting and monitoring treatment response in RA patients undergoing anti-TNF-α (infliximab) therapy. Methodology: In this case-control research, blood samples from 100 Iraqi patients with RA and 100 controls were collected. RNA was extracted and the levels of miRNA499 were quantified using real-time PCR. The serum IL-17, PADI4 and ACCP levels were determined using ELISA. Patients were sub-grouped as responders and non-responders based on their responses to anti-TNF-α (infliximab) treatment. Results: The mean age of the patients in this study was 46.22±11.33 years. The occurrence of RA was higher in age group (31-45) years. There was a significant association between RA, smoking and BMI. miRNA-499 expression was significantly higher in RA patients versus controls (1.1 folds in patients compared to 0.52 in control group). The serum levels of IL-17, PADI4 and ACCP was significantly higher in RA patients than controls (54.3ng/L, 2.52 ng/ml and 2.15 U/ml) vs (40.35ng/ L, 1.78 ng/ml and 1.06 U/ml) respectively. Subdividing of patients showed that miRNA-499 expression and serum IL-17, PADI4 and ACCP to be significantly higher in non-responders patients than responders. Conclusion: MicroRNA-499 expression, serum levels of IL-17, PADI4 and ACCP were found to be significantly higher in RA patients compared to control group as well as in non-responding than responding patients.
Do the Theory of Planned Behavior, and Perceived Cheating predict academic dishonesty?

: Academic Dishonesty is associated with general corruption, workplace dishonest actions, and a bad reputation for schools. However, few articles have studied the role of perceived cheating prevalence. Therefore, using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Perceived cheating prevalence, this paper proposes a structural equation model to explain acade-mically dishonest actions. Using questionnaires, the following variables were measured: perceived cheating prevalence, self-reported cheating, and the TPB variables (intention, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, & moral obligation). Results show the TPB’s attitudes and moral obligation as significant predictors of academic dishonesty, and perceived prevalence being an important mediator. These results show that perceived prevalence, attitudes, moral obligation should be included in future interventions aimed at reducing cheating behaviors.
Gender role conflicts experienced by Indonesian women with gynecological cancer: A phenomenological study

Background Gynecological cancer and its treatments can lead to sexual problems, potentially disrupting the gender role performance of women. Sexuality and gender roles are context-specific, yet these issues remain unexplored in the Indonesian context. Objective This study aimed to explore the gender role conflicts experienced by Indonesian women having gynecological cancer. Method A qualitative design with a phenomenology approach was utilized in this study. Data were collected through individualized, face-to-face, in-depth interviews conducted from 1 April to 30 December 2022 with 22 women diagnosed with gynecological cancer who had undergone treatments at the Dharmais Cancer Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Three themes were developed: 1) challenges in fulfilling female gender roles after having cancer diagnosis and therapies, 2) emotional struggles related to gender role conflicts, and 3) efforts to cope with gender role conflicts. Conclusion The study sheds light on how sexual complications due to gynecological cancer and its treatments extend beyond physical issues. A deeper layer of problems around sexual dysfunctions among gynecological cancer survivors is often rooted in traditional gender-role expectations. Nurses should have a comprehensive and contextual understanding of the unique experiences of women living with gynecological cancer to facilitate a positive adaptation to their cancer journey.
Sequencing and analysis of complete plastid genomes of diploid wheats Tritcum sinskajae and Triticum monococcum k-20970

Diploid wheat with genome A Triticum sinskajae A. Filat. et Kurk. was discovered in the early 70s. last century during the reproduction of samples of Triticum monococcum L. line k-20970. Despite the fact that T. sinskajae was initially proposed to be identi�ed as a separate wheat species, in further studies it was considered as a spontaneous mutant of T. monococcum. A number of studies have shown that T. sinskajae is genetically different from different T. monococcum lineages, but how different it is from the T. monococcum k-20970 lineage remained unknown. Based on this, the purpose of this study was to sequence and compare the chloroplast genomes of T. sinskajae and T. monococcum line k-20970, as well as to clarify the phylogenetic relationships between diploid wheats based on the results of analysis of the nucleotide sequences of their chloroplast genomes. During this study, we were the �rst to sequence and annotate the complete chloroplast genomes of T. sinskajae k-48993 (Dagestan), T. monococcum k-20970 (Turkey), T. boeoticum k-58674 (Armenia) on a Genolab M sequencer (GeneMind, China). For comparative analysis, chloroplast genome sequences of T. monococcum subsp. monococcum (LC005977.1) and T. urartu (KJ614411.1) were taken from GenBank. According to the results of the analysis, it turned out that T. sinskajae (k-48993) and T. monococcum k-20970, although they were closer to each other, differed in 10 changes in the chloroplast genome, including 3 substitutions, 1 transversion, 1 deletion, 4 insertions and 4bp inversion of AGAA with TTCT in the rbcL-psal intergenic region. The identi�ed differences in the chloroplast genomes of T. sinskajae (k-48993) and T. monococcum (k-20970) allow us to conclude that they are two very close, but still different species of diploid wheat. A comparison of the chloroplast genomes of diploid wheats showed a common origin of the plasmons of three closely related einkorns - T. sinskajae, T. monococcum and T. boeoticum, while T. urartu is located a little further from them.
Telematics and Informatics Reports

potential and enhancing functionality. As such, to maintain an economical level of performance that meets ever-tighter requirements, one must understand the drivers of new model emergence and expansion, and how contemporary challenges differ from past ones. To that end, this article investigates and assesses the factors influencing the evolution of computing systems, covering established systems and architectures as well as newer developments, such as serverless computing, quantum computing, and on-device AI on edge devices. Trends emerge when one traces technological trajectory, which includes the rapid obsolescence of frameworks due to business and technical constraints, a move towards specialized systems and models, and varying approaches to centralized and decentralized control. This comprehensive review of modern computing systems looks ahead to the future of research in the field, highlighting key challenges and emerging trends, and underscoring their importance in cost-effectively driving technological progress.
An Examination of the Effects of External Debt on the Economic Growth of Zimbabwe

: The paper undertook an examination of the effects of external debt on the economic growth of Zimbabwe. The study proposed that economic growth in Zimbabwe has been negatively affected by external growth. It is periodically delimited to the period 2009-2020. The study was conducted based on a positivist philosophical framework. Secondary data was utilized and this data was obtained from publicly available sources including International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and Zimbabwe Statistical Agency reports. Ordinary Least of Squares regression analysis was the analysis method opted for given its superiority in the context of the study. Various tests were also undertaken prior too regression analysis to ensure that assumptions were not violated. Findings indicated that external debt significantly and negatively impact economic growth in Zimbabwe. Similarly, inflation negatively affects economic growth. Other variables like labour force and investment positively impact economic growth in Zimbabwe. In conclusion, it was held that external debt has a negative effect on economic growth. As a recommendation it is submitted that the decision relating to whether to borrow ought to be taken carefully while external borrowing ought to be avoided were possible. Should policy makers decided to borrow internally, care should be taken not to crowd out the private sector. Foreign direct investment should be encouraged as it would help plug capital gaps thereby eliminating or reducing the need to borrow
Effect of music engagement and movement on attentiveness and memory in children with down syndrome: A quasi-experimental research

Children with Down syndrome (DS) could have problems with attentiveness and memory due to innate developmental deficits. Studies have found that music can help improve the attentiveness and memory of children with DS. Orff-Schulwerk, a creative and improvisational music pedagogy, is often used to support the development of children with special needs. However, no study has used Orff-Schulwerk-based music interventions to explore their influence on the attentiveness and memory of children with DS. Therefore, this research aimed to examine the effect of music engagement and movement (MEM) on attentiveness and memory in children with Down syndrome. This quasi-experimental study involved 8-week MEM activities based on Orff-Schulwerk as the music intervention. This study recruited 18 children with DS, aged 7–10 years. MEM was used to teach vocabulary to children with DS and measured their memory and attention in classes. The results demonstrated that the attentiveness and memory of the participants were significantly improved in the MEM classes compared with the control group. The results of the paired t-test also showed statistically significant differences in attentiveness (t = 9.88, p < 0.001) and memory (t = -10.92, p < 0.001) before and after the intervention. The results of this study supported that MEM could help improve attentiveness and memory in children with DS. Implications and future directions are also discussed.