Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On representation of fundamental frequency of speech for prosody analysis using reliability function

This paper highlights on a method that provides a new prosodic feature called ‘F0 reliability field’ based on a reliability function of the fundamental frequency (F0). The proposed method does not employ any correction process for F0 estimation errors that occur during automatic F0 extraction. By applying this feature as a score function for prosodic analyses like prosodic structure estimation or superpositional modeling of prosodic commands, these prosodic information could be acquired with higher accuracy. The feature has been applied to ‘F0 template matching method’, which detects accent phrase boundaries in Japanese continuous speech. The experimental results show that compared to the conventional F0 contour, the proposed feature overcomes the harmful influence caused by F0 errors.
Class separability and features selection: GB-MIMO SAR MELISSA case of study

MELISSA is a new Ground Based (GB) MIMO SAR system developed by JRC. Despite the successes of MELISSA, GB MIMO SAR sensors could be particularly suitable for many other applications such as MIMO MTI, 3-D ISAR systems and Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) which are still under investigation. This document is addressed for investigating the ability of MELISSA as ATR sensor. The results have proved the abilities of MELISSA of of detecting, discriminating and recognizing potential targets presenting in the area of interest.
Segment-specific requirements for dorsoventral patterning genes during early brain development in Drosophila

An initial step in the development of the Drosophila central nervous system is the delamination of a stereotype population of neural stem cells (neuroblasts, NBs) from the neuroectoderm. Expression of the columnar genes ventral nervous system defective (vnd), intermediate neuroblasts defective (ind) and muscle segment homeobox (msh) subdivides the truncal neuroectoderm (primordium of the ventral nerve cord) into a ventral, intermediate and dorsal longitudinal domain, and has been shown to play a key role in the formation and/or specification of corresponding NBs. In the procephalic neuroectoderm (pNE, primordium of the brain), expression of columnar genes is highly complex and dynamic, and their functions during brain development are still unknown. We have investigated the role of these genes (with special emphasis on the Nkx2-type homeobox gene vnd) in early embryonic development of the brain. We show at the level of individually identified cells that vnd controls the formation of ventral brain NBs and is required, and to some extent sufficient, for the specification of ventral and intermediate pNE and deriving NBs. However, we uncovered significant differences in the expression of and regulatory interactions between vnd, ind and msh among brain segments, and in comparison to the ventral nerve cord. Whereas in the trunk Vnd negatively regulates ind, Vnd does not repress ind (but does repress msh) in the ventral pNE and NBs. Instead, in the deutocerebral region, Vnd is required for the expression of ind. We also show that, in the anterior brain (protocerebrum), normal production of early glial cells is independent from msh and vnd, in contrast to the posterior brain (deuto- and tritocerebrum) and to the ventral nerve cord.
Soluble Proteins of Guinea Pig Seminal Vesicle Lumen: Purification and Partial Characterization

Luminal contents of guinea pig seminal vesicle were extracted with 0.154 M NaCl and the soluble protein fraction was studied by DEAE‐cellulose and Sephadex G‐100 column chromatography; anionic, cationic, and SDS‐polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis; isoelectric focusing; molecular weight determinations by SDS‐polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis; analysis for neutral carbohydrate; sucrose density‐gradient centrifugation for determination of sedimentation coefficients; and amino acid analyses. Four protein fractions (referred to as proteins 1, 2, 3, and 4 in order of elution) were obtained by DEAE‐cellulose column chromatography. Proteins 1, 2, and 4 gave single major bands in multiple disc gel electrophoretic systems. Protein 3 gave one major band and one minor component believed to be a fragment of a primary vesicular protein.
Effects of High Fat Feeding and Diabetes on Regression of Atherosclerosis Induced by Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor Gene Therapy in LDL Receptor-Deficient Mice

We tested whether a high fat diet (HFD) containing the inflammatory dietary fatty acid palmitate or insulin deficient diabetes altered the remodeling of atherosclerotic plaques in LDL receptor knockout (Ldlr-/-) mice. Cholesterol reduction was achieved by using a helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAd) carrying the gene for the low-density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr; HDAd-LDLR). After injection of the HDAd-LDLR, mice consuming either HFD, which led to insulin resistance but not hyperglycemia, or low fat diet (LFD), showed regression compared to baseline. However there was no difference between the two groups in terms of atherosclerotic lesion size, or CD68+ cell and lipid content. Because of the lack of effects of these two diets, we then tested whether viral-mediated cholesterol reduction would lead to defective regression in mice with greater hyperglycemia. In both normoglycemic and streptozotocin (STZ)-treated hyperglycemic mice, HDAd-LDLR significantly reduced plasma cholesterol levels, decreased atherosclerotic lesion size, reduced macrophage area and lipid content, and increased collagen content of plaque in the aortic sinus. However, reductions in anti-inflammatory and ER stress-related genes were less pronounced in STZ-diabetic mice compared to non-diabetic mice. In conclusion, HDAd-mediated Ldlr gene therapy is an effective and simple method to induce atherosclerosis regression in Ldlr-/- mice in different metabolic states.
Antenna saturation effects on dense array MIMO capacity

We investigate the behaviour of MIMO capacity when the size of the antenna array is constrained. By increasing the number of antennas within a small region in space the antenna array becomes dense and spatial correlation inhibits capacity growth. A theoretically derived antenna saturation point is shown to exist for dense array MIMO systems, at which there is no capacity growth with increasing antenna numbers. We show this saturation point increases linearly with the radius of the region containing the antenna array and is independent of the number of antennas.
Pen Devices for Insulin Self-Administration Compared With Needle and Vial

Objectives: Pen devices offer advantages compared with vial and syringe (VaS). The purpose of this article was to evaluate efficacy of pen devices compared to VaS. Methods: A systematic review of literature was performed in 8 different databases. References were independently screened and selected. Primary observational or experimental studies comparing pen devices with VaS for insulin administrations were included. Studies on specific populations were excluded. Risk of bias was evaluated using appropriate tools. Data on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), hypoglycemia, adherence, persistence, patient preference, and quality of life (QOL) were collected. Meta-analysis was performed when appropriate. Heterogeneity and risk of publication bias were evaluated. Otherwise, descriptive analyses of the available data was done. Results: In all, 10 348 articles were screened. A total of 17 studies were finally selected: 7 experimental and 10 analytical. The populations of the included articles were mainly composed of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Important risk of bias was found in all of the articles, particularly experimental studies. Meta-analyses were performed for HbA1c, hypoglycemia, adherence and persistence. Pen device showed better results in mean HbA1c change, patients with hypoglycemia, adherence and persistence compared to VaS. No difference was observed in number of patients achieving <7% HbA1c. Preference studies showed a tendency favoring pen devices, however nonvalidated tools were used. One QoL study showed improvements in some subscales of SF-36. Conclusions: There is evidence that pen devices offer benefits in clinical and, less clearly, patient-reported outcomes compared to VaS for insulin administration. However, these results should be taken with caution.
General formulas for capacity of classical-quantum channels

The capacity of a classical-quantum channel (or, in other words, the classical capacity of a quantum channel) is considered in the most general setting, where no structural assumptions such as the stationary memoryless property are made on a channel. A capacity formula as well as a characterization of the strong converse property is given just in parallel with the corresponding classical results of Verdu-Han (1994) which are based on the so-called information-spectrum method. The general results are applied to the stationary memoryless case with or without cost constraint on inputs, whereby a deep relation between the channel coding theory and the hypothesis testing for two quantum states is elucidated.
Draft Genome Sequences of Two Hydrogenogenic Carboxydotrophic Bacteria, Carboxydocella sp. Strains JDF658 and ULO1, Isolated from Two Distinct Volcanic Fronts in Japan

ABSTRACT Hydrogenogenic carboxydotrophs may provide hydrogen as primary energy for the microbial community via carbon monoxide oxidation. To investigate the genetics of carbon monoxide metabolism, we report here the draft genome sequences of the hydrogenogenic carboxydotrophs Carboxydocella sp. strains JDF658 (2.60 Mbp; G+C content, 49.2%) and ULO1 (2.70 Mbp; G+C content, 48.8%).
Flawed Meta‐Analysis of Biodiversity Effects of Forest Management

It appears that the negative effect of forest managementon biodiversity has become an axiom. Whether the neg-ative effect, however, is a fact based on solid empiricalevidence is not self-evident. Most of the studies that ad-dress the issue suffer from a lack of geographic extentand taxonomic narrowness. Therefore, a synthesis draw-ing together results from the individual studies is direlyneeded. In their recent paper, Paillet et al. (2010) rise tothis challenge and present a formal pan-European meta-analysis of data from 49 papers representing 120 indi-vidual comparisons across 10 taxonomic groups. Theirsynthesis has the potential to be a landmark paper inecological research, but also to affect pan-European for-est policies and conservation prioritizations. In any meta-analysis, selection of studies to be included is critical forthe conclusions to be reliable, but in such a potentiallyhigh-profile contribution as the synthesis by Paillet et al.,a particularly high level of scrutiny of the data is calledfor. Here we draw attention to four major shortcomingsin Paillet et al. that undermine the conclusions of theirmeta-analysis.
Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase II Inhibition in Smooth Muscle Reduces Angiotensin II–Induced Hypertension by Controlling Aortic Remodeling and Baroreceptor Function

Background Multifunctional calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) is activated by angiotensin II (Ang II) in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), but its function in experimental hypertension has not been explored. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of CaMKII inhibition selectively in VSMCs on Ang II hypertension. Methods and Results Transgenic expression of a CaMKII peptide inhibitor in VSMCs (TG SM-CaMKIIN model) reduced the blood pressure response to chronic Ang II infusion. The aortic depressor nerve activity was reset in hypertensive versus normotensive wild-type animals but not in TG SM-CaMKIIN mice, suggesting that changes in baroreceptor activity account for the blood pressure difference between genotypes. Accordingly, aortic pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial wall stiffness and a determinant of baroreceptor activity, increased in hypertensive versus normotensive wild-type animals but did not change in TG SM-CaMKIIN mice. Moreover, examination of blood pressure and heart rate under ganglionic blockade revealed that VSMC CaMKII inhibition abolished the augmented efferent sympathetic outflow and renal and splanchnic nerve activity in Ang II hypertension. Consequently, we hypothesized that VSMC CaMKII controls baroreceptor activity by modifying arterial wall remodeling in Ang II hypertension. Gene expression analysis in aortas from normotensive and Ang II–infused mice revealed that TG SM-CaMKIIN aortas were protected from Ang II–induced upregulation of genes that control extracellular matrix production, including collagen. VSMC CaMKII inhibition also strongly altered the expression of muscle contractile genes under Ang II. Conclusions CaMKII in VSMCs regulates blood pressure under Ang II hypertension by controlling structural gene expression, wall stiffness, and baroreceptor activity.
Dating of Iron Age Agriculture in the Negev Highlands: A Response to Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein

Abstract In this response to the reply by Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein (2017), we present additional data of our research at Horvat Haluqim. This includes phytolith percentages and multicellular phytolith stomata in a thin section of a layer in Terraced Field 12, dated by radiocarbon (14C) to the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age. We also show thin-section evidence of aggrading sediment laminations in this terraced field. A new 14C date is given of the Early Islamic Period in Terraced Field 7, as differences in terrace wall architecture are highlighted. We revisit the interpretation by Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein in relation to herd management. Our 14C dates attest that terrace agriculture based on runoff/floodwater irrigation occurred in the Negev Highlands during several periods, including the Iron Age.
A forewing of the Jurassic dragonfly Austroprotolindenia jurassica Beattie & Nel (Odonata: Anisoptera) from the Talbragar Fish Bed, New South Wales, Australia

Nel, A. , Frese, M. , McLean, G. & Beattie R. , May 2017. A forewing of the Jurassic dragonfly Austroprotolindenia jurassica from the Talbragar Fish Bed, New South Wales, Australia. Alcheringa 41, 532–535. ISSN 0311-5518. The discovery of a well-preserved dragonfly forewing in the Upper Jurassic Talbragar Fish Bed near Gulgong and attributed to Austroprotolindenia jurassica Beattie & Nel allows this taxon to be placed in Protolindeniidae. It extends the palaeogeographical distribution of this family, previously known only from the Jurassic of Europe, to Australia. André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr], CNRS UMR 7205, CP 50, Entomologie, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 45 rue Buffon, F-75005, Paris, France; Michael Frese [michael.frese@canberra.edu. au], University of Canberra, Institute for Applied Ecology and Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics, Bruce, ACT 2601, Australia; Graham McLean [mcleangg@bigpond.com], The Australian Museum, 1 William St., Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia; Robert Beattie [rgbeattie@bigpond.com], The Australian Museum, 1 William St., Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
Variable-rate adaptive modulation in MIMO systems exploiting multiuser diversity

An adaptive modulation technique for multiuser MIMO systems with multiuser diversity is proposed. This technique maximizes the sum of the instantaneous bit rate under a target BER constraint by feeding back sub-channel SNRs only. By generating a random transmit beamforming matrix with a water-filling configuration, each user estimates and feeds back the effective SNRs for its sub-channels. With each user's sub-channel SNRs, the transmitter then schedules the transmission to a particular one selected by a proportional fair scheduling algorithm. Finally, adaptive modulation is applied to each sub-channel of the selected user based on the BER constraint. Simulation results show that the throughput of the proposed method converges to that of eigen-beamforming when the number of users in a cell is large.
A RGB and D vision aided multi-sensor system for indoor mobile robot and pedestrian seamless navigation

An accurate navigation system is an essential and important part for many applications carried out in the indoor environments. In the absence of absolute positioning information such as global positioning system, the navigation solution which relies on previous system states such as dead reckoning has shown disadvantage over long time running. In contrast, we introduce an novel and inexpensive sensor fusion based approach to solve the problem. The key idea is to use visual gyroscope as a complementary source for system heading estimation since it only depends on the scene observed by the camera. The introduced methods only requires a Kinect and a low cost inertial measurement unit. By using the same mechanism, the introduced method has been tested for the applications of both indoor mobile robot and pedestrian navigation. Field experiments have been carried out and corresponding results are presented.
Intention revisited : towards an Anglo-American genetic criticism.

T HIS PAPER REVISITS THE CONCEPT OF INTENTION in order to consider its potential as an interpretive focus a d th oretical underpinning for the study of poetic process and the coming-intobeing of a literary work. It does so from a position informed by recent German and French theories, particularly the French critique gdnatique, but moves on from these to define a distinctive AngloAmerican "genetic" or "compositional" criticism. French "genetic criticism" emerged in the 1970s, with its focus firmly on the avant-texte ("pre-text") as representative of "production", in opposition to the text as published. Where the published text is a fixed and limited entity, the "pre-text" is fluid and representative of multiple possibilities: "The process of writing is of a different nature than the written word" (Hay, "Does Text Exist" 73). Like the German theory of textual versions, French genetic criticism finds its underlying principles, ethos and concept of the text in the principles of structuralism and semiotics (specifically the work of Roland Barthes and Julia Kristeva). As a natural consequence of such origins, both French and German approaches are bound to follow a strongly "text-based" approach, one which distinguishes sharply between the avant-texte and the Text and seeks to detach both from
High Recall Open IE for Relation Discovery

Relation Discovery discovers predicates (relation types) from a text corpus relying on the co-occurrence of two named entities in the same sentence. This is a very narrowing constraint: it represents only a small fraction of all relation mentions in practice. In this paper we propose a high recall approach for Open IE, which enables covering up to 16 times more sentences in a large corpus. Comparison against OpenIE systems shows that our proposed approach achieves 28% improvement over the highest recall OpenIE system and 6% improvement in precision than the same system.
Petrological Mixing A Regression Approach

The geochemical processes of fractional crystallization of a magma, partial fusion of a rock and assimilation or hybridization of rock(s) and/or magma(s) are generally termed as petrological mixing process. In the present paper a unified attempt has been made to describe the three processes under the purview of regression model. As the data involved are essentially compositional in nature, their suitable log-ratio transforms have been utilized and the constrained least squares principle has been applied to reach a meaningful solution. A highly accommodative procedure is suggested so as to describe any specified d~gree of fractional crystallization of magma or of partial fusion of a rock. The paper concludes with applications of the proposed method on data available from i) Rajmahal Trap, Eastern India (fractional crystallization) ii) Bihar Mica Belt, Eastern India (partial fusion) and iii) Kilauea Volcano, Hawai (formation of hybrid magma). AMS (2000} Subject Classification: Primary: 62J05, 62P99; Secondary: 90C20.
The History of WiMAX: A Complete Survey of the Evolution in Certification and Standardization for IEEE 802.16 and WiMAX

Most researchers are familiar with the technical features of WiMAX technology but the evolution that WiMAX went through, in terms of standardization and certification, is missing and unknown to most people. Knowledge of this historical process would however aid to understand how WiMAX has become the widespread technology that it is today. Furthermore, it would give insight in the steps to undertake for anyone aiming at introducing a new wireless technology on a worldwide scale. Therefore, this article presents a survey on all relevant activities that took place within three important organizations: the 802.16 Working Group of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for technology development and standardization, the WiMAX Forum for product certification and the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) for international recognition. An elaborated and comprehensive overview of all those activities is given, which reveals the importance of the willingness to innovate and to continuously incorporate new ideas in the IEEE standardization process and the importance of the WiMAX Forum certification label granting process to ensure interoperability. We also emphasize the steps that were taken in cooperating with the ITU to improve the international esteem of the technology. Finally, a WiMAX trend analysis is made. We showed how industry interest has fluctuated over time and quantified the evolution in WiMAX product certification and deployments. It is shown that most interest went to the 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequencies, that most deployments are in geographic regions with a lot of developing countries and that the highest people coverage is achieved in Asia Pacific. This elaborated description of all standardization and certification activities, from the very start up to now, will make the reader comprehend how past and future steps are taken in the development process of new WiMAX features.
Characterization of Autosomal Dominant Hypercholesterolemia Caused by PCSK9 Gain of Function Mutations and Its Specific Treatment With Alirocumab, a PCSK9 Monoclonal Antibody

Background—Patients with PCSK9 gene gain of function (GOF) mutations have a rare form of autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia. However, data examining their clinical characteristics and geographic distribution are lacking. Furthermore, no randomized treatment study in this population has been reported. Methods and Results—We compiled clinical characteristics of PCSK9 GOF mutation carriers in a multinational retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study. We then performed a randomized placebo-phase, double-blind study of alirocumab 150 mg administered subcutaneously every 2 weeks to 13 patients representing 4 different PCSK9 GOF mutations with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥70 mg/dL on their current lipid-lowering therapies at baseline. Observational study: among 164 patients, 16 different PCSK9 GOF mutations distributed throughout the gene were associated with varying severity of untreated LDL-C levels. Coronary artery disease was common (33%; average age of onset, 49.4 years), and untreated LDL-C concentrations were higher compared with matched carriers of mutations in the LDLR (n=2126) or apolipoprotein B (n=470) genes. Intervention study: in PCSK9 GOF mutation patients randomly assigned to receive alirocumab, mean percent reduction in LDL-C at 2 weeks was 62.5% (P<0.0001) from baseline, 53.7% compared with placebo-treated PCSK9 GOF mutation patients (P=0.0009; primary end point). After all subjects received 8 weeks of alirocumab treatment, LDL-C was reduced by 73% from baseline (P<0.0001). Conclusions—PCSK9 GOF mutation carriers have elevated LDL-C levels and are at high risk of premature cardiovascular disease. Alirocumab, a PCSK9 antibody, markedly lowers LDL-C levels and seems to be well tolerated in these patients. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique Identifier: NCT01604824.