Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Speech Enhancement With Integration of Neural Homomorphic Synthesis and Spectral Masking

Speech enhancement refers to suppressing the background noise to improve the perceptual quality and intelligibility of the observed noisy speech. Recently, speech enhancement algorithms based on deep neural networks (DNNs) have replaced traditional algorithms based on statistical signal processing and have become mainstream in the research field. However, most DNN-based speech enhancement methods commonly operate on the frequency domain and do not use the speech production model, which makes the models prone to under-suppress the noise or over-suppress the speech. To address the shortcoming, we propose a novel speech enhancement method integrating neural homomorphic synthesis and complex spectral masking. Specifically, we use a shared-encoder and multi-decoder neural network architecture. For the neural homomorphic synthesis branch, the speech signal is separated into excitation and vocal tract components through liftering the cepstrum, two DNN decoders are applied to estimate the target components independently, and the denoised speech is synthesized by the estimated minimum-phase signal and the noisy phase. For the spectral masking branch, another DNN decoder is adopted to estimate the complex mask of the target spectrum, and the denoised speech spectrum is obtained by masking the noisy spectrum. The two branches respectively estimate speech signals, and the final enhanced speech is obtained by merging the two branches of estimated speech. Experimental results on two popular datasets show that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art level performance, with only 920 K model parameters.
Convex duality in constrained mean-variance portfolio optimization under a regime-switching model

In this thesis, we solve a mean-variance portfolio optimization problem with portfolio constraints under a regime-switching model. Specifically, we seek a portfolio process which minimizes the variance of the terminal wealth, subject to a terminal wealth constraint and convex portfolio constraints. The regime-switching is modeled using a finite state space, continuous-time Markov chain and the market parameters are allowed to be random processes. The solution to this problem is of interest to investors in financial markets, such as pension funds, insurance companies and individuals. We establish the existence and characterization of the solution to the given problem using a convex duality method. We encode the constraints on the given problem as static penalty functions in order to derive the primal problem. Next, we synthesize the dual problem from the primal problem using convex conjugate functions. We show that the solution to the dual problem exists. From the construction of the dual problem, we find a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for the primal and dual problems to each have a solution. Using these conditions, we can show the existence of the solution to the given problem and characterize it in terms of the market parameters and the solution to the dual problem. The results of the thesis lay the foundation to find an actual solution to the given problem, by looking at specific examples. If we can find the solution to the dual problem for a specific example, then, using the characterization of the solution to the given problem, we may be able to find the actual solution to the specific example. In order to use the convex duality method, we have to prove a martingale representation theorem for processes which are locally square-integrable martingales with respect to the filtration generated by a Brownian motion and a finite state space, continuous-time Markov chain. This result may be of interest in problems involving regime-switching models which require a martingale representation theorem.
Cognitive Impairment Is Associated with AMPAR Glutamatergic Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Neuronal Methionine Synthase Deficiency

Impairment of one-carbon metabolism during pregnancy, either due to nutritional deficiencies in B9 or B12 vitamins or caused by specific genetic defects, is often associated with neurological defects, including cognitive dysfunction that persists even after vitamin supplementation. Animal nutritional models do not allow for conclusions regarding the specific brain mechanisms that may be modulated by systemic compensations. Using the Cre-lox system associated to the neuronal promoter Thy1.2, a knock-out model for the methionine synthase specifically in the brain was generated. Our results on the neurobehavioral development of offspring show that the absence of methionine synthase did not lead to growth retardation, despite an effective reduction of both its expression and the methylation status in brain tissues. Behaviors were differently affected according to their functional outcome. Only temporary retardations were recorded in the acquisition of vegetative functions during the suckling period, compared to a dramatic reduction in cognitive performance after weaning. Investigation of the glutamatergic synapses in cognitive areas showed a reduction of AMPA receptors phosphorylation and clustering, indicating an epigenomic effect of the neuronal deficiency of methionine synthase on the reduction of glutamatergic synapses excitability. Altogether, our data indicate that cognitive impairment associated with methionine synthase deficiency may not only result from neurodevelopmental abnormalities, but may also be the consequence of alterations in functional plasticity of the brain.
The Prevalence of Side Effects of Sinopharm COVID-19 Vaccine: An Experience From Pakistan

Introduction Vaccination for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) helps develop protective immunity against COVID-19 without experiencing potentially severe illness. Many vaccines are used worldwide, but there is little data on the efficacy and side effects of the Sinopharm vaccine. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the reported adverse effects of the Sinopharm vaccine among participants. Methods This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in multiple hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. The study was eight months, from April 1, 2022, to November 30, 2022. A total of 600 participants who gave informed consent and had received their first and second doses of the Sinopharm vaccine were included in the study. As hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) are common prevalent conditions in our population, the duration of DM and hypertension were documented as means and standard deviations apart from age, height, and weight. Side effects of the Sinopharm vaccine were reported as frequencies and percentages. Results The study findings showed that out of 600 participants, 376 (62.7%) were males and 224 (37.3%) were females; their mean age was 42.79±14.44 years. Among them, 130 (21.7%) had hypertension, and 138 (23.0%) had DM. All participants received the Sinopharm vaccine. Fever was the most frequently reported adverse effect following the first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine in 308 (51.3% of participants), followed by burning at the injection site in 244 (40.7% of participants) and pain at the injection site in 228 (38.0% of participants). Following the second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine, fever was the most frequently reported side effect in 254 (42.3%) participants, followed by pain at the injection site in 236 (39.5%) participants and burning at the site of injection in 210 (35.0%) participants. Moreover, joint pain in 194 (32.3%), shortness of breath in 170 (28.3%), swelling of glands in 168 (28.0%), chest pain in 164 (27.3%), and muscle pain were reported by 140 (23.3%) participants. The level of satisfaction showed that the majority of the participants, 334 (55.7%), were satisfied, 132 (22.0%) were very satisfied with their vaccination, and only 12 (2.0%) were dissatisfied. Conclusion This study concluded that fever was the most frequent side effect after both doses of the Sinopharm vaccine. Pain and burning at the injection site and joint pain were among the other common side effects reported by most participants. The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine had mild, predictable, and non-life-threatening side effects after the first and second doses.
Too Much of a Good Thing: Downsides of a Large Social Network and Moderating Effects of Political Skill

Abstract Existing research examining the curvilinear relationship between network centrality and performance tends to focus on the information recipients’ perspective. Focusing on the information providers’ perspective, our study draws upon social exchange theory to demonstrate that the advice-giving centrality-performance relationship for information providers has an inverse U-shape due to decreasing benefits and increasing costs of maintaining more advice-giving ties. We further show that increasing advice-giving centrality increases the likelihood that individuals would become a hindrance to coworkers, as they become bottlenecks impeding efficient workflow. However, our study demonstrates that political skill enables them to overcome the interpersonal challenges associated with high advice-giving centrality. Specifically, individuals with high political skills can better convert advice-giving ties to resources that could assist their cooperation with coworkers, reducing the hindrance they impose. Overall, we provide insights into the trade-off between the benefits and costs of advice-giving ties from a social exchange perspective and examine political skill as an important mitigator of the downsides of large advice-giving networks – a key area that has been hitherto largely unexplored. 摘要： 现有文献在考察个体社交网络中心度和工作绩效之间的曲线关系时，往往聚焦于信息接收者的视角。 本研究站在信息/建议提供者的角度，基于社会交换理论来推断：其建议的网络中心度与其工作绩效呈现倒U型的关系，因为维护与建议接受者的关系，会出现收益递减而成本递增的趋势。 此外，建议提供者过高的网络中心度，会使他们成为高效工作流程的瓶颈，从而成为同事工作中的阻碍。 我们的研究结果支持上述推论，同时表明，建议提供者的政治技能有助于克服其网络中心度带来的人际挑战。 那些政治技能高的个体可以更好地将与建议接收者的关系，转化为有助于和同事开展合作的资源，从而减少同事设置的障碍。 总的来说，我们从社会交换的视角解读了建议提供者与接受者关系中的利弊权衡，并考察了政治技能对建议网络的负面影响产生的重要缓解作用。
Who gets to go home? Examining the correlates of parole release for the elderly and non-elderly

ABSTRACT Concerns over state and federal correctional budgets and the motivation to undo decades of mass incarceration have placed the institution of parole under the spotlight. While there is research on the correlates of parole decision-making, there has not been much examination of whether these correlates vary by age group. A critical segment of the incarcerated population is comprised of the elderly. For this reason, we draw on a sample of written parole board decisions from one state from the years 2015 through 2020 to examine whether the correlates of parole decisions vary by candidate’s age at the time of their parole hearings. Our findings demonstrate that age alone does not matter but influences decision-making when accounting for specific covariates. Evidence of rehabilitation remains the strongest indicator of parole release, though there is variation in the type of evidence that matters for the elderly versus the non-elderly. We suggest that with a better understanding of how age is related to decision-making, parole candidates will be able to draw on their age-based capacities to make an effective case for release.
Association between human genetic variants affecting the host NK cell response and the development of herpes simplex virus type 1 encephalitis

Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSE) is a rare complication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) infection or reactivation. It is so far unclear why only few patients develop HSE. As natural killer (NK) cells provide an important defense against HSV‐1, we investigated whether there is an association between distinct human genetic variants associated with the host NK cell response and HSE. Forty‐nine adult patients with confirmed HSE and 247 matched controls were analyzed for the distribution of the following genotypes: CD16A (FcγRIIIA) V/F and IGHG1 G1m3/17, both influencing antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity; HLA‐E*0101/*0103, associated with NK cell activation; and SLFN13 rs9916629C/T associated with NK cell response. Homozygous HLA‐E*0101:0101 and HLA‐E*0103:0103 variants as well as the rs9916629CC genotype were overrepresented in HSE patients compared to controls (p ≤ 0.001). Notably, cooccurrence of the homozygous HLA‐E*0101 and rs9916629CC genotypes was present in 19% of patients but totally absent in controls (p ≤ 0.0001). Distribution of CD16A and IGHG1 variants did not differ between patients and controls. Our data show that the rare combination of HLA‐E*0101:0101 and rs9916629CC is significantly associated with HSE. Possibly, these genetic variations could be useful as clinical markers predicting HSE prognosis and helping to adapt the treatment of HSE in the individual patient.
Chinese Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease Study (C-PAS): Design and Challenge from PET Acceptance

Background Large-scale preclinical Alzheimer’s disease study based on β-amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) has not been conducted in China. Objectives Establish a cohort on Alzheimer’s disease spectrum, especially the preclinical stages, and determine the factors influencing the acceptance of β-amyloid PET scan screening in China. Design Longitudinal. Setting Shanghai, China. Participants A total of 4386 participants were screened and 2451 participants who met enrollment criteria were eventually included in this report. Measurements The multidimensional data was collected, including comprehensive assessments, PET and magnetic resonance imaging scans, genetics, and plasma biomarkers. Results There were 571 participants in the normal cognition group, 625 participants in the subjective cognitive decline group, 155 participants in the objectively defined subtle cognitive decline group, 501 participants in the mild cognitive impairment group, 471 participants in Alzheimer’s disease group, and 128 participants with cognitive impairment from other known causes. Significant differences in demographics, florbetapir PET, APOE, and neuropsychological tests were found among the groups. Eight hundred and seventeen participants (33.3%) completed the florbetapir PET scanning. Non-demented individuals with higher age, lower education years, male, with a family history of dementia, and higher self-report depression prefer to undergo PET scans. Acceptance of PET scans did not correlate with objectively assessed cognitive impairment. Conclusions The Chinese Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease Study was designed to establish a large-scale cohort with comprehensive data collection. Our findings may help to understand the factors affecting the acceptance of β-amyloid PET in urban areas of China and help us address the low acceptance challenge.
Predicting Fact-Checking Health Information Before Sharing Among People with Different Levels of Altruism: Based on the Influence of Presumed Media Influence

Background Pervasive health misinformation on social media affects people’s health. Fact-checking health information before it is shared is an altruistic behavior that effectively addresses health misinformation on social media. Purpose Based on the influence of presumed media influence (IPMI), this study serves two purposes: The first is to investigate factors that influence social media users’ decisions to fact-check health information before sharing it in accordance with the IPMI model. The second is to explore different predictive powers of the IPMI model for individuals with different levels of altruism. Methods This study conducted a questionnaire survey of 1045 Chinese adults. Participants were divided into either a low-altruism group (n = 545) or a high-altruism group (n = 500) at the median value of altruism. A multigroup analysis was conducted with R Lavaan package (Version 0.6–15). Results All of the hypotheses were supported, which confirms the applicability of the IPMI model in the context of fact-checking health information on social media before sharing. Notably, the IPMI model yielded different results for the low- and high-altruism groups. Conclusion This study confirmed the IPMI model can be employed in the context of fact-checking health information. Paying attention to health misinformation can indirectly affect an individual’s intention to fact-check health information before they share it on social media. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the IPMI model’s varying predictive powers for individuals with different altruism levels and recommended specific strategies health-promotion officials can take to encourage others to fact-check health information.
Bat algorithm with the characteristics of Lévy flights

The basic bat algorithm(BA) in the past research studies reveal deficiencies as apt to be premature and low precision of convergence.This paper first analyzed the optimization mechanism and deficiency of bat algorithm(BA),and then considering the Levy flight behaviors of bats can simulate predatory more realistically,the study proposed substituting for the speed and location updating pattern of former algorithm.The proposed algorithm fully explored the trait of uneven random walks,so that clusters of short steps were connected by rare long steps,to avoid being trapped in local optimal solution.Simulation results for benchmark functions show that the proposed algorithm improved the global optimization ability remarkably and outperformed the basic BA and particle swarm optimization(PSO) in accuracy and convergence property.Therefore,the proposed algorithm is an effective tool for solving the optimization of complex functions.
Signature scheme based on bilinear pairings

Recently the bilinear pairing such as Weil pairing or Tate pairing on elliptic curves and hyperelliptic curves have been found various applications in cryptography.A new digital signature scheme and a blind signature scheme are proposed by using the bilinear property of Weil pairing defined on elliptic curves,and their security and applications are also analyzed.The safety of this scheme is based on the elliptic curve discrete logarithm of non-singular elliptic curve over finit field,which has no efficient attack up to now.It is secure,the operation of it is convenient and the implementation is easier as well.
Effect of Withdrawal Rate on Solidification Microstructures of DD9 Single Crystal Turbine Blade

Single crystal superalloys are widely used in the manufacturing of turbine blades for aero-engines due to their superior performance at high temperatures. The directional solidification process is a key technology for producing single crystal turbine blades with excellent properties. In the directional solidification process, withdrawal rate is one of the critical parameters for microstructure formation and will ultimately determine the blade’s properties. In this paper, the as-cast microstructures in the typical sections of a DD9 single crystal (SX) superalloy turbine blade were investigated with 3 mm/min and 5 mm/min withdrawal rates during the directional solidification process. With increased withdrawal rate, the dendrite morphologies tended to become more refined, and the secondary dendritic arms tended to be highly developed. The dendrite in the blade aerofoil section was more refined than that in the tenon section, given the same withdrawal rate. Additionally, with increasing withdrawal rates, the size and dispersity of the γ′ precipitates in the inter-dendritic (ID) regions and dendritic core (DC) tended to decrease; furthermore, the size distributions of the γ′ precipitates followed a normal distribution law. Compared with the ID regions, an almost 62% reduction in the average γ′ sizes was measured in the DC. Meanwhile, given the same withdrawal rate, at the blade’s leading edge closest to the heater, the γ′ sizes in the aerofoil section (AS) were more refined than those in the tenon section (TS). As compared with the decreasing cross-sectional areas, the increased withdrawal rates clearly brought down the γ′ sizes. The sizes of the γ–γ′ eutectics decreased with increasing withdrawal rates, with the γ–γ′ eutectics showing both lamellar and rosette shapes.
Statistical Analysis of Ellipticity in Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies

The ellipticity and obliquity of the spots in the WMAP 5 year Q, V, W and VW maps has been investigated and compared to simulated maps. No significant excess ellipticity has been found. The ellipticity is found to be around ǫ ≈ 1.61 for spots larger than 20 pixels and higher for smaller spots; an effect attributed to noise. This is in agreement with what is found on simulated maps. Obliquity for maps varies depending on what great circle is used as equator with mean of e = 57.2955 when all possible such circles are considered. Obliquity result variation is higher as a function of what equator ring was is chosen for larger spots. This variation would seem to suggest a “preferred direction” on the CMB anisotropies, but detections of different “preferred directions” are made on simulated maps with almost as much significance. Also the results seem to be influenced by the mask and no certain detection of any preferred direction for the spots may be claimed from the obliquity data presented. The ellipticity data disagrees with earlier reports [1, 2, 3, 4] claiming significantly higher ellipticity in the WMAP data than can be found in simulated data. The results also disagree with findings that spots between 20 and 50 pixels show significantly higher ellipticity than spots of > 50 pixels. The obliquity result is consistent with what is reported by G.Gurzadyan et al [1, 2, 3, 4].
Pregnancy outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus: experience from a Caribbean center

Abstract Background Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune multi-system disorder frequently affecting black women of childbearing age. No published data exist on the obstetric outcomes in a Caribbean population. Objective We analyzed pregnancy outcomes in an Afro-Caribbean cohort of women with SLE at a tertiary university hospital. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed of all pregnant women with SLE prior to pregnancy from January 1990 to December 2021 at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Jamaica. Maternal rheumatologic, obstetric, fetal/neonatal data were analyzed. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. To determine if outcomes were associated with various factors, Spearman’s rho was followed by logistic regression analysis to estimate unadjusted odds ratios with statistical significance at p < 0.05. Results A total of 56 pregnancies in 47 women were identified with SLE. Live births were 87.5%, with 10.7% spontaneous miscarriages and no neonatal deaths. Prednisone was the most used drug in 67.9% of patients. 85% of women had an adverse outcome with an adverse fetal outcome occurring in 55% of cases. Prednisone was associated with an adverse fetal/neonatal outcome (Spearman’s rho = 0.38; p = .004). Conclusion In this first Caribbean series on SLE in pregnancy, reasonably successful pregnancy outcomes are achievable in Afro-Caribbean women managed in multidisciplinary centers.