Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transfer Learning and Data Augmentation Techniques to the COVID-19 Identification Tasks in ComParE 2021

In this work, we propose several techniques to address data scarceness in ComParE 2021 COVID-19 identification tasks for the application of deep models such as Convolutional Neural Networks. Data is initially preprocessed into spectrogram or MFCC-gram formats. After preprocessing, we combine three different data augmentation techniques to be applied in model training. Then we employ transfer learning techniques from pretrained audio neural networks. Those techniques are applied to several distinct neural architectures. For COVID-19 identification in speech segments, we obtained competitive results. On the other hand, in the identification task based on cough data, we succeeded in producing a noticeable improvement on existing baselines, reaching 75.9% unweighted average recall (UAR). Copyright © 2021 ISCA.
Acute Kidney Injury Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Coronary Syndrome: Incidence, Aetiology, Risk Factors and Outcomes

We investigated the predictors, aetiology and long-term outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) following urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Acute kidney injury occurred in 198 (7.2%) of 2917 patients: 14.1% of AKI cases were attributed to cardiogenic shock and 5.1% were classified as atheroembolic renal disease (AERD). Significant risk factors for AKI included age (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence limits [CI] 1.03-1.06), diabetes (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.20-2.47), hypertension (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.03-2.00), heart failure (OR 3.01, 95% CI 1.58-5.57), femoral access (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.03-2.15), cardiogenic shock (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.19-3.37) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (OR 3.89, 95% CI 2.80-5.47). One-year mortality after AERD was 44.4% and renal replacement therapy (RRT) requirement 22.2% (compared with mortality 33.3% and RRT requirement 7.4%, respectively, in all other AKI patients). Mortality at 1 year was associated with AKI (OR 4.33, 95% CI 2.89-6.43), age (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.06-1.09), heart failure (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.05-3.44), femoral access (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.41-2.95) and cardiogenic shock (OR 3.63, 95% CI 2.26-5.77). Acute kidney injury after urgent PCI is strongly associated with worse outcomes. Atheroembolic renal disease has a poor outcome and a high likelihood of long-term RRT requirement.
The Impact of Steady Blowing from the Leading Edge of an Open Cavity Flow

Cavity flows occur in a wide range of low-speed applications (Mach number ≤0.3), such as aircraft wheel wells, ground transportation, and pipelines. In the current study, a steady jet is forced from a cavity leading edge at different momentum fluxes (0.11 kg/ms2, 0.44 kg/m·s2, and 0.96 kg/m·s2). The investigation was performed for an open cavity with length to depth ratio of 4 at the Reynolds number based on a cavity depth of approximately 50,000. Particle image velocimetry, surface oil flow visualisation, constant temperature anemometry, and pressure measurements were performed in this investigation. The aim of the jet blowing is to separate the cavity separated shear layer from the recirculation zone to reduce the cavity return flow, and hence stabilise the cavity separated shear layer. It was found that increasing the jet momentum flux causes an increase in the cavity return flow due to the increase in the thickness of the cavity separated shear layer. The study also found that the jet populates the separated shear layer with a large number of small-scale disturbances. These disturbances increase the broad band level of the pressure power spectra and Reynolds shear stress in the cavity separated shear layer. On the other hand, the jet disturbances make the shedding of the large vortical structures more intermittent.
Calibration and initial validation of a low-cost computer-based screening audiometer coupled to consumer insert phone-earmuff combination for boothless audiometry

Abstract Objective To undertake calibration and preliminary validation of a custom-designed computer-based screening audiometer connected to consumer insert phone-earmuff combination for adult pure tone audiometry. Design Part 1 involved electroacoustic measurement and biological calibration of a laptop-earphone pair used for the computer-based audiometry (CBA). Part 2 compared CBA thresholds obtained without a sound booth with those measured using the gold-standard clinical audiometry. Study sample 17 young normal-hearing volunteers (Part 1) and 43 normal and hearing loss subjects (Part 2) recruited from an audiology clinic via convenience sampling. Results The transducer-device combination produced outputs suitable for measuring thresholds down to 0 dB HL. Threshold pairs obtained from the CBA and clinical audiometry were highly correlated (Spearman’s correlation coefficient, ρ = 0.92, p < 0.0001) and had a good degree of agreement (mean difference of −1.06 ± 7.63 dB). Also, the CBA showed about 90% sensitivity and 80% specificity for detecting hearing loss based on low (0.5, 1, 2 kHz) and high frequency (4, 8 kHz) pure tone averages of >25 dB HL. Conclusions The use of a computer-based audiometer application with consumer insert phone-earmuff combination can offer a cost-effective solution for boothless screening audiometry.
Soil Moisture Responses to Rainfall: Implications for Runoff Generation

Soil moisture is a key control on runoff generation and biogeochemical processes on hillslopes. Precipitation events can evoke different soil moisture responses with depth through the soil profile, and responses can differ among landscape positions along a hillslope. We sought to elucidate the nature of these responses by estimating changes in water content, response time between peak precipitation and peak soil moisture, and wetting front velocities for 43 storms at 45 locations on three adjacent hillslopes within a headwater catchment of the southern Appalachian Mountains (NC, USA). We used a multivariate modeling approach to quantify the relative influences and the predictability of soil moisture responses by a combination of landscape and storm characteristics. We quantified the lag correlations between hillslope mean soil moisture and catchment runoff to demonstrate how storm properties and hillslope‐scale characteristics may influence runoff at the catchment outlet. Soil moisture responses varied widely, and no consistent patterns were observed among response metrics laterally or vertically along hillslopes. In contrast to other studies, we found that the relative influence of hillslope properties and storm characteristics varied with soil moisture responses and during storms. Antecedent conditions and storm depths influenced the strength of lag correlations between soil moisture and runoff, whereas storm mean intensity was correlated with the lag times. These results highlight the utility of intensive observations for characterizing heterogeneity in soil moisture responses, suggesting, among other things, a need for better representation of the subsurface processes in rainfall‐runoff models. Identifying the relative importance of drivers can be beneficial in building parsimonious hydrological models.
Evaluation of Mass Transfer Coefficient during Scrap Melting

Mass transfer is a critical scrap melting step. Herein, mass transfer coefficients (k) during scrap melting were calculated using laboratory-scale experiments. Correlation analysis and the entropy weight method were used to determine the effect of variables on k. The evaluation model under natural and forced convection was established. It was consistent with the experimental results. Under forced convection, at 1573 and 1673 K, when the rotation speed was increased from 141 to 423 r/min, k increased from 7.50 × 10−5 to 1.54 × 10−4 m/s and from 8.42 × 10−5 to 1.72 × 10−4 m/s, respectively. Furthermore, as the bath temperature was increased from 1573 to 1723 K, the k value of a stationary specimen increased from 3.14 × 10−5 to 5.31 × 10−5 m/s, respectively. Correlation analysis and the entropy weight method indicated that the effects of variables on k decreased as follows: molten pool stirring rate > bath temperature > scrap type. Moreover, the explicit functional relationships between k and the factors affecting k under natural and forced convection conditions were established, and the results were consistent with the experimental data. Our results can be used to determine the quantitative relationships between k and the factors affecting k.
Application of green marketing mix of beauty products on sales through purchase decisions as intervening variable

Public awareness in Indonesia in responding to global warming has increased significantly. Increased public awareness plays an important role in providing challenges and opportunities for companies that provide goods or services to create products that are in accordance with their wishes. The challenge is to guarantee that the goods or services provided are safe for consumers and friendly and do not damage the environment. The concept of green marketing mix refers to the satisfaction of customer needs, wants, and desires in relation to the maintenance and preservation of the environment. Discussions on environmental issues in developed countries have been initiated and developed since the 1990s. Green marketing is a marketing concept used by companies to achieve the main goal of making a profit. Green marketing in the process is an act of integrating broad activities, which include product modifications, changes to the production process, changes to packaging, to changes to advertising. Based on this phenomenon, this study aims to find out how much influence the application of the green marketing mix has on sales.
Women’s autonomy and its impact on environmental sustainability agenda

Women’s autonomy remains under pressure from male dominancy in corporate business and household affairs. Women possess natural, analytical, social, political, and economic autonomy that acknowledges the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDG-5) to empower women and girls in inclusive business. The study analyzes different aspects of women’s autonomy in corporate business and the natural environment, leading to sustainable business outcomes in China between 1975 and 2019. In practice, Chinese women’s political power in the decision-making process is minimal. It needs to restructure its socio-political autonomy to move toward the SDG-5 agenda. The results show that women have the political wisdom to handle corporate sustainability affairs, manage matters of corporate environmental responsibility, and increase their participation in the workforce, enabling them to sustain their lives as knowledge workers. Corporate women hold more stewardship values than men, enabling them to handle corporate sustainability matters.
Pre‐ and post‐flushing of three schools in Arizona due to COVID‐19 shutdown

A one‐day water sampling and flushing study was conducted for three schools in Maricopa County that experienced prolonged building inactivity due to the COVID‐19 pandemic: an elementary school, middle school, and high school. Grab samples were taken at hand washing sinks, water fountains, and hose bibbs before and after flushing. Samples were analyzed for free chlorine, UVA254, copper, lead, total trihalomethanes, pH, conductivity, temperature, and Legionella species. All three schools experienced an increase in free chlorine post‐flush. Copper concentrations were higher for first draw samples than post‐flush samples for all schools. Conductivity, temperature, and pH did not see a major change after flushing. UVA254 values decreased after flushing. Bromoform species saw a 20% increase after flushing at the elementary school. Legionella spp. did not decrease post‐flush at the elementary school. Overall, flushing changed the water quality at the schools. However, equipment flushing may be necessary to fully remediate Legionella spp.
Morphometric Parameters of Krumbein Grain Shape Charts—A Critical Approach in Light of the Automatic Grain Shape Image Analysis

Grain-shape analyses are essential in geological research because they provide the basis for genetic interpretations, including sedimentation conditions. The methods of visual evaluation used so far have been subjective, time-consuming and labour intensive. Automatic particle image analysis, including the methods used by the Morphology G3SE device, open up the possibility of mass and objective roundness analysis of mineral and organic particles. The article presents the results of measurements for the grain scale proposed by Krumbein in 1941, as this scale has been used in numerous sedimentological studies. The standard shapes were analysed using four parameters: High Sensitivity (HS) Circularity, Convexity, Solidity and Aspect Ratio. In the discussion, both the results and the grain-shape standards were critically assessed. The most important trends in the distribution of morphometric parameters of the scale are shown. On this basis, it was found that it is impossible to determine the parameter boundary values that would distinguish each class of grain roundness proposed by Krumbein. The conclusions propose criteria for the automatic differentiation of angular, subrounded and rounded grains, which could be a basis for describing the shape of mineral particles.
Spine2Net: SpineNet with Res2Net and Time-Squeeze-and-Excitation Blocks for Speaker Recognition

Modeling speaker embeddings using deep neural networks is currently state-of-the-art in speaker recognition. Recently, ResNet-based structures have gained a broader interest, slowly becoming the baseline along with the deep-rooted Time Delay Neural Network based models. However, the scale-decreased design of the ResNet models may not preserve all of the speaker information. In this paper, we investigate the SpineNet structure with scale-permuted design to tackle this problem, in which feature size either increases or decreases depending on the processing stage in the network. Apart from the presented adjustments of the SpineNet model for the speaker recognition task, we also incorporate popular modules dedicated to the residual-like structures, namely the Res2Net and Squeeze-and-Excitation blocks, and modify them to work effectively in the presented neural network architectures. The ﬁnal proposed model, i.e., the SpineNet architecture with Res2Net and Time-Squeeze-and-Excitation blocks, achieves remarkable Equal Error Rates of 0.99 and 0.92 for the Extended and Original trial lists of the well-known VoxCeleb1 dataset.
Accident and agency: a mixed methods study contrasting luck and interactivity in problem solving

Abstract Problem solving in a materially rich environment requires interacting with chance. Sixty-four participants were invited to solve 5-letter anagrams presented as movable tiles in conditions that either allowed the participants to move the tiles as they wished or only allowed random shuffling (without rearranging the tiles post shuffling) thus contrasting pure luck with an interactive model. We hypothesised that shuffling would break unhelpful mental sets and introduce beneficial unplanned problem-solving trajectories. However, participants performed significantly worse when shuffling, which suggests luck plays less of a role than has been previously suggested. Granular analysis of seven critical cases revealed arbitrary path dependency across both conditions and moments of missed luck. It also questions current models of non-agentic luck and the ability to separate agent and luck. This research has implications for fostering better problem solving in an uncertain and fluid world.
Drought Coincided with, but Does Not Explain, Late Holocene Megafauna Extinctions in SW Madagascar

Climate drying could have transformed ecosystems in southern Madagascar during recent millennia by contributing to the extinction of endemic megafauna. However, the extent of regional aridification during the past 2000 years is poorly known, as are the responses of endemic animals and economically important livestock to drying. We inferred ~1600 years of climate change around Lake Ranobe, SW Madagascar, using oxygen isotope analyses of monospecific freshwater ostracods (Bradleystrandesia cf. fuscata) and elemental analyses of lake core sediment. We inferred past changes in habitat and diet of introduced and extinct endemic megaherbivores using bone collagen stable isotope and 14C datasets (n = 63). Extinct pygmy hippos and multiple giant lemur species disappeared from the vicinity of Ranobe during a dry interval ~1000–700 cal yr BP, but the simultaneous appearance of introduced cattle, high charcoal concentrations, and other evidence of human activity confound inference of drought-driven extirpations. Unlike the endemic megafauna, relatively low collagen stable nitrogen isotope values among cattle suggest they survived dry intervals by exploiting patches of wet habitat. Although megafaunal extirpations coincided with drought in SW Madagascar, coupled data from bone and lake sediments do not support the hypothesis that extinct megafauna populations collapsed solely because of drought. Given that the reliance of livestock on mesic patches will become more important in the face of projected climate drying, we argue that sustainable conservation of spiny forests in SW Madagascar should support local livelihoods by ensuring that zebu have access to mesic habitat. Additionally, the current interactions between pastoralism and riparian habitats should be studied to help conserve the island’s biodiversity.
Comparative analysis of mandible morphology in four ant species with different foraging and nesting habits

Mandibles of ants can be considered as one of the most vital tools for the survival and success of their colonies since these are extensively utilised for defence, nest maintenance and foraging activities. We hypothesised that mandibular design is strongly dependent on the respective ecological niche and foraging habit of an ant species. In the present study, we compared the external morphology and zinc content in the mandibles of four species of ants by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The ant mandible morphology varied significantly in accordance with their species-specific foraging and nesting strategies. The sickle-shaped mandibles of the strongly predaceous, Oecophylla smaragdina worker ants were characterised by a large number of pointed teeth which would be of immense utility for subduing the prey, while the shovel-shaped, highly sclerotized mandibles of Cataglyphus longipedem ants appear to be adaptations for the solitary scavenging habit and nest maintenance in arid habitats. The large-sized mandibles of Camponotus compressus ants and the stout mandibles of the predatory, Tetraponera. rufonigra forager ants, have apparently evolved for collection of sugary secretions by the former and for the solitary foraging and arboreal nesting habit of the latter. The mandibular zinc content was highest in T. rufonigra ants and the lowest in the mandibles of the sugar-loving Cm. compressus ants. The diversity in the arrangement of bristles and the type of mandibular concavities, have also evolved accordingly. Thus, this study might prove to be instrumental in evaluating the various physical mechanisms involved in the evolution of insect mandibles for their defined function.
The Influence of Intellectual Capital, Innovation and Knowledge Management on Firm Performance

This study aims to determine the effect of Intellectual Capital, Innovation, and Knowledge Management on firm performance. This research uses quantitative research with a descriptive analysis approach. The data used are primary and secondary. The population in this study are all MSME companies engaged in the fashion sector. At the same time, the samples in this study were 10 MSME Fashion companies in Jakarta, which were selected by random sampling method. The data collection method used in this research is field research in observation, interviews and questionnaires, and library research. The data analysis method used to determine the independent variable on the dependent variable used multiple linear regression formula using SPSS Version 20.0. A data analysis method is a tool used in solving problems. In addition, the analysis of research data using Validity Test, Reliability Test, Multiple Linear Regression Test and Hypothesis Testing. Based on the results of data analysis, it can be concluded that: 1) Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management have a positive and significant effect on the performance of MSME Fashion companies in Jakarta, and 2) Innovation does not have a positive effect on the performance of MSME Fashion companies in Jakarta.
Cross-Linguistic Speaker Individuality of Long-Term Formant Distributions: Phonetic and Forensic Perspectives

This study considers issues of languageand speakerspecificity in long-term formant distributions (LTFDs) from phonetic and forensic perspectives and examines their potential value in cases of cross-language forensic voice comparison. Acoustic analysis of 60 male English–French bilinguals revealed systematic differences in LTFDs between the two languages, with higher LTF2–4 in French than in English. Cross-linguistic differences in the shapes of LTFDs were also found. These differences are argued to reflect not only vowel inventories of each language but also languagespecific phonetic settings. At the same time, a high degree of within-speaker consistency was found across languages. Likelihood ratio based testing was carried out to examine the effect of language mismatch on the utility of LTFDs as speaker discriminants. Results showed that while the performance of LTFDs was worse in cross-language comparisons than in same-language comparisons, they were still capable of providing speaker-specific information. These findings demonstrate that, in spite of deteriorated performance, LTFDs are still potentially useful speaker discriminants in cases of language mismatch. These findings thus call for further empirical investigation into the use of linguistic-phonetic features in cross-language comparisons.