Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Speech Emotion Recognition Using Convolution Neural Networks and Multi-Head Convolutional Transformer

Speech emotion recognition (SER) is a challenging task in human–computer interaction (HCI) systems. One of the key challenges in speech emotion recognition is to extract the emotional features effectively from a speech utterance. Despite the promising results of recent studies, they generally do not leverage advanced fusion algorithms for the generation of effective representations of emotional features in speech utterances. To address this problem, we describe the fusion of spatial and temporal feature representations of speech emotion by parallelizing convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and a Transformer encoder for SER. We stack two parallel CNNs for spatial feature representation in parallel to a Transformer encoder for temporal feature representation, thereby simultaneously expanding the filter depth and reducing the feature map with an expressive hierarchical feature representation at a lower computational cost. We use the RAVDESS dataset to recognize eight different speech emotions. We augment and intensify the variations in the dataset to minimize model overfitting. Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) is used to augment the RAVDESS dataset. With the spatial and sequential feature representations of CNNs and the Transformer, the SER model achieves 82.31% accuracy for eight emotions on a hold-out dataset. In addition, the SER system is evaluated with the IEMOCAP dataset and achieves 79.42% recognition accuracy for five emotions. Experimental results on the RAVDESS and IEMOCAP datasets show the success of the presented SER system and demonstrate an absolute performance improvement over the state-of-the-art (SOTA) models.
Bernoulli and tail-dependence matrices: A simple numerical test

In a recent paper [Embrechts et al., 2015], the question “When is a given matrix [. ] the matrix of pairwise (either lower or upper) tail-dependence coefficients? ” is investigated and a link to Bernoulli-compatible matrices is provided. This question is interesting, e.g., for model building and stress testing in the financial industry. As part of their conclusions, the authors state that “[. ] an interesting open question is how one can (theoretically or numerically) determine whether a given arbitrary non-negative, square matrix is a tail-dependence or Bernoulli-compatible matrix. To the best of our knowledge there are no corresponding algorithms available. ” Such an algorithm is provided in this paper and a stochastic model based on its solution is constructed as a corollary. The theoretical foundation of these results stems from [Fiebig et al., 2014], who investigate the geometry of tail-dependence matrices in quite some detail.
Cascade equations and hadronic interactions at very high energies

The new matrix form of cascade equations is convenient to discuss numerical properties and to investigate the role of hadrons and phase-space for atmospheric leptons. Precision is often limited by hadronic interactions models. I improved the event generator DPMJET-III using experimental data including the LHC. A specific curvature in charged-particle multiplicity distributions raised questions about elastic scattering amplitude and the black disk limit at LHC energies.
COSTS AND RETURN OF FARO-44 RICE FARMERS’ BENEFICIARIES OF THE FADAMA III ADDITIONAL FINANCE II IN TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

The study was carried out to analyse the costs and return of faro-44 rice farmers’ beneficiaries of the fadama III additional finance II in Taraba State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select the 500 respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, percentages and tables) and inferential statistics (farm budget techniques or cost-benefit analysis). The findings showed that in wet cropping season, average labour cost of ploughing and harrowing was N23,600.23 (11.84%) with t-value of 7.1268 and significant at P≤0.01. In dry and wet cropping season, cost of land clearing was N32,500.33 (13.18%) and N17,500.00 (8.78%) with t-value of 3.4534 significant at P≤0.01. Cost of planting, harvesting, threshing, winnowing, bagging and were significant at P≤0.01 with their corresponding t-values of 3.5407; 5.9132; 4.4771; 3.5463 and 5.4935, respectively. In dry season, the respondents realized N1,569,780.00 as total revenue from 6,156 kg of paddy rice produced compared to N696,795.00 as total revenue in wet season. Similarly, sale of rice straws yielded total value of N108,800.00 in dry season compared to N29,200.00 in wet season. The respondents consumed 372 bags more rice in wet season valued at N61,380.00 compared to 164 bags in dry season valued at N41,820.00. The results further disclosed that dry season faro-44 rice farmers incurred total cost of N304,738.91 compared to wet season total cost of N225,840.33. Realizable revenue of N1,720,400.00 in dry season and N787,375.00 in wet season with net farm income of N1,415,661.09 and N561,534.67 in dry and wet seasons, respectively. With profit index of 5.74 and 2.82 in dry and wet seasons, respectively, the faro-44 rice farmers realized more profits in dry season as it is also glaring from the rate of returns on investment (RRI) of 4.65 (dry season) and 2.49 RRI in wet season. These results indicated that faro-44 rice farming is profitable in Taraba State meaning that for every N1 invested in faro-44 rice production, the farmers realized N4.65 and N2.49 in dry and wet seasons, respectively. The study concluded that faro-44 rice productivity is profitable in Taraba State; and that ploughing and harrowing was major on-farm rice activity carried out in wet season while land clearing was majorly an activity of dry season. It was recommended that faro-44 rice farmers in Taraba State should be given more cash-for-work supports; advisory services; supports for non-farm activities and capacity building on agribusiness, enterprise of farmers’ choice, record keeping.
Winter nocturnal air temperature distribution for a mesoscale plain of a snow-covered region: Field meteorological observations and numerical simulations

AbstractWinter air temperatures strongly affect crop overwintering and cold resource usage. To clarify how winter air temperature distributions are formed in a mesoscale plain, field observations and simulations were conducted for the Tokachi region in Japan. Results elucidating the winter climate within the plain revealed that the winter mean air temperature at each site was correlated closely with the mean daily minimum air temperature. The daily minimum air temperature was not correlated with altitude, suggesting that local variation of the daily minimum temperature influences the temperature distribution. Observations at different distances from the upwind mountains revealed that nocturnal air temperatures were higher for stronger winds closer to the mountain foot. Low temperatures associated with wind speed suggest that radiative cooling strongly affects the temperature distribution. Wind and temperature conditions in the boundary layer influence the degree of drop in nocturnal air temperature and it.
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of continuous renal replacement therapy performed on younger children weighing up to 10 kg

Background/aim This study aimed to investigate the clinical features, modality, complications, and effecting factors on the survival of children weighing up to 10 kg who received continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Materials and methods This study was a retrospective observational study conducted in five pediatric intensive care units in tertiary hospitals in Turkey between January 2015 and December 2019. Results One hundred and forty-one children who underwent CRRT were enrolled in the study. The median age was 6 (range, 2–12) months, and 74 (52.5%) were male. The median weight of the patients was 6 (range, 4–8.35) kg and 52 (36.9%) weighed less than 5 kg. The most common indication for CRRT was fluid overload in 75 (53.2%) patients, and sepsis together with multiorgan failure in 62 (44%). The overall mortality was 48.2%. Conclusion Despite its complexity, CRRT in children weighing less than 10 kg is a beneficial, lifesaving extracorporeal treatment modality.
ConvNets and ImageNet Beyond Accuracy: Explanations, Bias Detection, Adversarial Examples and Model Criticism

ConvNets and Imagenet have driven the recent success of deep learning for image classification. However, the marked slowdown in performance improvement, the recent studies on the lack of robustness of neural networks to adversarial examples and their tendency to exhibit undesirable biases (e.g racial biases) questioned the reliability and the sustained development of these methods. This work investigates these questions from the perspective of the end-user by using human subject studies and explanations. We experimentally demonstrate that the accuracy and robustness of ConvNets measured on Imagenet are underestimated. We show that explanations can mitigate the impact of misclassified adversarial examples from the perspective of the end-user and we introduce a novel tool for uncovering the undesirable biases learned by a model. These contributions also show that explanations are a promising tool for improving our understanding of ConvNets' predictions and for designing more reliable models
A Comparative and Correlational Study of Face-to-Face and Face-to-Screen EFL Students' Speaking Anxiety with Reference to Complex Dynamic Systems Theory

The present study sought to examine if there was a difference in students’ speaking skill (sub-skills) in the different learning environments of Face-to-Face versus Face-to-Screen based on foreign language anxiety levels in both environments. To investigate the interactions of the elements influencing students' anxiety, this study used the Complex Dynamic Systems Theory as a lens. The study participants were EFL seniors enrolled in the Faculty of Education at Damietta University. The participants were assigned to one group (N=30) in the academic year 2020/2021. Two scales were administered to the participants: the Online World Languages Anxiety Scale (OWLAS) face-to-screen (F2Screen) during the lockdown of COVID-19 and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) Face-to-Face(F2F) after the lockdown ended. Three hypotheses were formulated. Pearson correlation coefficient and t-Test and a were used for statistical analysis. Results revealed that there is a statistically significant difference in anxiety scores as measured by the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale between two types of learning environments; F2F setting and Face-to-Screen setting, in favour of the F2F setting. Results also indicated that there was no correlation between the participants’ mean scores in the FLCAS and the total scores of the three sub-skills of speaking.Additionally, results indicates that there was no correlation between the participants’ mean scores in the OWLAS and the total of the three sub-skills of speaking.
Nonsmooth Nonlinearities in Applications from Hydrology

Kavanagh, Kathleen Rose. Nonsmooth Nonlinearities in Applications From Hydrology. (Under the direction of C.T. Kelley) This work has two parts; simulation of unsaturated flow and optimization of remediation problems. For the unsaturated flow simulation, we propose an adaptive time stepping scheme based on error control for Richards’ equation, a model for flow in unsaturated porous media. The motivation for this work is a ground and surface water simulator being developed by the U.S. Engineering Research Development Center called the ADaptive Hydrology Model. ADH uses unstructured, adaptive finite elements. ADH advances in time implicitly, solving the nonlinear equations with an inexact—Newton method with a two-level domain decomposition preconditioner. The nonlinearity in Richards’ Equation can be non-Lipschitz and nonsmooth. Standard theory for temporal integration may not apply for certain physical parameters. We consider a method for error estimation and control for temporal adaption. In the optimization section, we investigate a suite of test problems from the literature that are intended for benchmarking purposes and comparison of optimization algorithms. The objective functions can be nonsmooth, nonconvex, or have several minima that may trap standard gradient based methods. We apply the implicit filtering algorithm to some such problems. NONSMOOTH NONLINEARITIES IN APPLICATIONS FROM HYDROLOGY by Kathleen R. Kavanagh a dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty of north carolina state university in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy applied mathematics, computational mathematics concentration raleigh, north carolina July 2003
From Endorsers to Endorsed: Examining the Role of Celebrity Endorsements on Attitudes and Purchase Intention

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of number of endorsers on consumers' attitudes regarding advertisements and brands, as well as their decisions to make purchases. Theoretical framework: This article examines the literature from a broad perspective, identifying the gap between the effectiveness of celebrity-endorsed commercials. To narrate the wide range of celebrity endorsements used in actual advertising campaigns, a holistic theory-inclusive framework is required. Design/methodology/approach: Survey method has been utilized to analyze the hypothesis and objective of the research. A total of 260 samples were received through various online sources using google forms. The data in this study was investigated using SPSS version 20.0 and Smart-PLS version 3.0. Findings: The findings indicated that there is no direct relationship between the endorsers and the intention to make a purchase; however, attitudes toward ads, attitudes towards brands, and purchase intentions have a positive relationship with a single celebrity endorsement, attitude towards advertisement and purchase intention have a positive relationship with both single and multiple celebrity endorsement. Research, Practical & Social implications: The study focused upon the effective form of celebrity endorsement which has a wider impact in future scope. Originality/value: This article builds value on the articles and past research works that gives a brief explanation on the effective form of celebrity endorsement which has a wider impact in future scope.
A block model for node popularity in networks with community structure

The community structure that is observed in empirical networks has been of particular interest in the statistics literature, with a strong emphasis on the study of block models. We study an important network feature called node popularity, which is closely associated with community structure. Neither the classical stochastic block model nor its degree‐corrected extension can satisfactorily capture the dynamics of node popularity as observed in empirical networks. We propose a popularity‐adjusted block model for flexible and realistic modelling of node popularity. We establish consistency of likelihood modularity for community detection as well as estimation of node popularities and model parameters, and demonstrate the advantages of the new modularity over the degree‐corrected block model modularity in simulations. By analysing the political blogs network, the British Members of Parliament network and the ‘Digital bibliography and library project’ bibliographical network, we illustrate that improved empirical insights can be gained through this methodology.
A Note on Nonparametric Identification of Distributions of Random Coefficients in Multinomial Choice Models

I prove that the joint distribution of random coefficients and additive errors is identified in a mulltinomial choice model. No restrictions are imposed on the support of the random coefficients and additive errors. The proof uses large support variation in choice-specific explanatory variables following Lewbel (2000) but does not rely on an identification at infinity technique where the payoffs of all but two choices are set to minus infinity.
Plant Regeneration from Cotyledon Explants of Bittergourd as influenced by Adenine Sulphate and D-Biotin

The first experiment was done to select the most suitable explant to establish a culture for shoot regeneration. Four different explants (cotyledon, cotyledon node, leaf and hypocotyl) excised from in vitro grown seedlings were cultured on MS medium containing 1.0 mg l-1 BAP and 0.2 mg l-1 NAA. Cotyledon was the most responsive explant which exhibited quick callus initiation. The second experiment was conducted to determine the effect of cotyledon explants on different MS media containing 1.0 mg l-1 BAP, 0.2 mg l-1 NAA and also various concentrations (0, 20, 40 and 60 mg l-1) of adenine sulphate (AS). The best medium for callus formation was MS medium with 1.0 mg l-1 BAP, 0.2 mg l-1 NAA and 60 mg l-1 AS. Callus derived from the particular medium also showed the best positive response for shoot regeneration after subculturing on MS medium with 2.0 mg l-1 BAP and 0.2 mg l-1 NAA. In the third experiment, D-biotin added into the composition of the culture medium had a beneficial effect on the callogenesis in association with BAP and NAA. Regenerated shoots were multiplied on MS medium with 3.0 mg l-1 BAP. Eventually, in vitro rooting was achieved on MS medium included with 1.0 mg l-1 IBA.
Vegetation analysis and ethnobotanical study of rubber agroforests in South Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract. Eddy S, Rizal S, Kartika T, Sari KJ. 2023. Vegetation analysis and ethnobotanical study of rubber agroforests in South Sumatra, Indonesia 24: 2276-2283. Rubber agroforests (RA) play essential roles in conserving plant biodiversity and delivering ecosystem services while providing socio-economic benefits to local communities. This study aims to examine the composition and structure of vegetation and to explore the ethnobotanical uses of plants in rubber agroforests located in Southern Tempirai Village, North Penukal Sub-district, Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir (PALI) District, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Vegetation data were collected using the purposive sampling method in three different rubber agroforests by establishing transect lines and observation plots according to the plant life form (seedling, sapling, and tree) at each sampling point. Ethnobotanical data were collected through interviews with plant-using communities through a purposive sampling method. The results showed that there were 17 plant species belonging to 13 families documented in the studied area. The most dominant species at seedling stage (including understorey) was senduduk (Melastoma malabathricum) with an IVI (Important Value Index) of 38.79, while the most dominant species at sapling and tree layers was rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) with IVI of 185.48 and 300.00, respectively. In the rubber agroforests studied, the species diversity was classified as very low with a diversity index (H') value of 0.85. There are various ethnobotanical uses plants found in the rubber agroforest with the most common use by the community was for traditional medicines (Mimosa pudica, Melastoma malabathricum, Gleichenia linearis, Ageratum conyzoides, Piper betle, Stenochlaena palustris, Coffea sp., Salacca zalacca, Syzygium polyanthum, Sauropus androgynus, Imperata cylindrica, Areca catechu). Other uses were for food ingredients (Calamus sp., Coffea sp., Bambusa sp, Salacca zalacca, Syzygium polyanthum, Sauropus androgynus), building materials (Hevea brasiliensis, Areca catechu), and household furniture (Calamus sp., Bambusa sp.). This study enriches the understanding regarding the importance of rubber agroforest in conserving germplasm diversity and maintaining the ethnobotanical knowledge of local communities.
A eletrorredução de benzodiazepinas e a sua avaliação matemática

The benzodiazepines' electrochemical reduction process, a tool, capable to be used in electroanalytic investigation, was anaylzed by mechanistic and mathematical means. The correspondent model was analyzed by means of linear stability theory and bifurcation analysis, and by its mean it was possible to get the requisite for the best process efficiency, the pH-dependence of its function, like also of oscillatory and monotonic instability. An effort is made fot the systematic mechanistic analysis of the work of benzodiazepine electrochemical sensors.
Monitoring surveying students’ environmental attitudes as they experience higher education in New Zealand

We investigate the environmental attitudes (EA) of New Zealand’s land surveying students and how they change during a four-year programme. We implemented a multi-cohort survey and developed a longitudinal statistical model of change. Findings suggest that although the EA scores of groups of students vary at different times within and between cohorts, there are no significant general trends when genders are combined. But females tend to start their studies with higher mean EA scores than males and this difference declines overtime. This occurs consistently across the four cohorts studied. This is discussed in relation to women’s role within the profession.
EFFECTIVENESS OF ONLINE-BASED SCHOOL-AGE LEARNING MODEL: GAME QUIDENT MY TEETH IS HEALTHY

Dental caries in children are still often ignored by parents due to lack of knowledge about the importance of maintaining healthy teeth and mouth. In obtaining knowledge, people can use various media, the media that is widely used by society today is gadgets. Apart from being used as a medium of information, gadgets can also be used as a medium of entertainment and learning. Purpose: to create a Quident game application that can be used to increase children's dental health knowledge in the 9-11 year old group. Method: Design and Creation with the following steps Awareness, Suggestion, Development, Evaluation, and Conclusion. The research sample used random sampling. A total of 10 people tested the Quident game application. Research Results: The Quident game application has been created which is equipped with an animated video with a mascot that was created to educate and motivate users and can evaluate the increase in user knowledge with questionnaires on games, 10 sample people who use the application have no difficulty playing and can complete the game to the last level. Conclusion: Quident games can be used to motivate and increase children's dental health knowledge with Android-based games Suggestion: For future development, games are made more varied and published on the Google Play Store.