Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of electrolarynx speech based on auditory masking

Electrolarynx (EL) speech provides a valuable means of verbal communication for the laryngectomees. Yet EL speech tends to be less intelligible speech due to the presence of background noise. This paper addresses the issue of EL speech enhancement. The proposed approach takes into account the frequency-domain masking properties of the human auditory system for a subtractive-type enhancement process. Subtractive-type algorithms can efficiently reduce the radiated noise of EL speech but not to reduce the additive noise from the environment due to the use of fixed subtraction parameters. Considering the particular characteristics of EL speech, a new computationally efficient algorithm based on the perceptual weighting technique is developed to adapt the subtraction parameters. This leads to a significant reduction of the unnatural structure of the residual noise. Acoustic and perceptual experiments confirm that the enhanced EL speech is more pleasant to human listeners and the proposed algorithm results in improved performance over classical subtractive-type algorithms
Exchange rate changes and net positions of speculators in the EuroFX futures market - Does market size matter?

This thesis analyses whether the size of the EuroFX futures market (measured through the growth rate of the total open interest in the EuroFX futures market at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange) has an effect in the determination of the Euro per dollar exchange rate in short horizons, and if the relationship between changes in the net positions of speculators in the EuroFX futures market and changes in the Euro per dollar exchange rate is affected by the size of the market. For the period from January 5, 1999 to December 28, 2010, it could be concluded that when the growth rate of the EuroFX futures market is relatively stable, this variable is a determinant to explain exchange rate movements in the short-term, and also that the relationship between changes in the net positions of speculators in the EuroFX futures market and changes in the Euro per dollar exchange rate is affected by the fast growth in the EuroFX futures market. This implies that speculators should consider the growth of the EuroFX futures market to forecast changes in the spot exchange rate when the size of the market is relatively stable. To my family, four hearts united forever in love. Table of
Inhibition of L‐{18F}fluorodopa uptake into human brain by amino acids demonstrated by positron emission tomography

The brain uptake of L‐{18F}fluorodopa was measured by positron emission tomography in a healthy male volunteer both under fasting conditions and during intravenous amino acid loading. A significant reduction of tracer uptake into the brain was demonstrated with amino acid loading. This finding represents the first direct evidence for competition between L‐dopa and other amino acids for uptake across the blood–brain barrier obtained in vivo in a human subject. It underlines the possible importance of interference by dietary amino acids with the therapeutic actions of L‐dopa in Parkinson's disease.
Regression Models for the Mean of the Quality‐of‐Life‐Adjusted Restricted Survival Time Using Pseudo‐Observations

Summary In this research we develop generalized linear regression models for the mean of a quality‐of‐life‐adjusted restricted survival time. Parameter and standard error estimates could be obtained from generalized estimating equations applied to pseudo‐observations. Simulation studies with moderate sample sizes are conducted and an example from the International Breast Cancer Study Group Ludwig Trial V is used to illustrate the newly developed methodology.
Linked Data on the Web

The Web is increasingly understood as a global information space consisting not just of linked documents, but also of Linked Data. More than just a vision, the resulting Web of Data has been brought into being by the maturing of the Semantic Web technology stack, and by the publication of an increasing number of data sets according to the principles of Linked Data. The Linked Data on the Web (LDOW2008) workshop brings together researchers and practitioners working on all aspects of Linked Data. The workshop provides a forum to present the state of the art in the field and to discuss ongoing and future research challenges. In this workshop summary we will outline the technical context in which Linked Data is situated, describe developments in the past year through initiatives such as the Linking Open Data community project, and look ahead to the workshop itself.
Production of Virus Free Potato Plants Using Meristem Culture from Cultivars Grown under Jordanian Environment

Meristem culture has become a powerful and successful tool for virus elimination from infected plants and has been successfully applied in potato. A total of 70 potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers for each of three cultivars that grown in Jordan were obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for detection of virus infection. The percentage of infection with Potato virus Y (PVY) was 21.4%, 15.7 %, 12.8% for Spunta, Alaska and Safrane cultivars, respectively. Meristem culture was applied on infected potato tubers for all the three cultivars. Results of shoots and roots development indicated that medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l of Indole butyric acid (IBA) was the best for shoots length with mean (7.71 cm), roots length with mean (9.41 cm), number of shoots with mean (2.60) and number of leaves with mean (15.40). ELISA results for in vitro produced plantlets showed that all tested plantlets were PVY free. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was successfully amplified the coat protein gene of PVY virus in the infected samples and confirm the ELISA result. The Acclimatization of the plantlets that generated from in vitro shoots and roots multiplication stage revealed 90% of successful with Spunta cultivar and 80% with both Alaska and Safrane cultivars.
Perception of the Minority's Collective Identity and Voting Behavior: The Case of the Palestinians in Israel

Abstract The author investigated how Palestinian (n = 130) and Jewish (n = 153) Israeli university students perceived the collective identity of the Palestinian minority in Israel. The Palestinian and Jewish respondents perceived the “identity space” of the minority as linear, or bipolar, with 1 pole defined by the national (Palestinian) identity and the other defined by the civic (Israeli) label. The Palestinian respondents defined their collective identity in national (Palestinian, Arab) and integrative (Israeli-Palestinian) terms; the Jewish respondents perceived the minority's identity as integrative (Israeli-Palestinian). Different political outlooks among Palestinian respondents were related to their identification with the civic (Israeli) identity but not to their identification with the national (Palestinian) identity. In contrast, different political outlooks among Jewish respondents were related to their inclusion, or exclusion, of the national (Palestinian) component in their definition of the minority's identity. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of a minority acculturation model (J. Berry, J. Trimble, & E. Olmedo, 1986).
Tacit Collusion under Multimarket Contact with Identical Firms and Markets

According to Bernheim and Whinston’s (The RAND Journal of Economics 21 (1), 1990) irrelevance result, multimarket contact may not facilitate tacit collusion if identical firms meet in identical markets. In contrast, we offer a novel behavioral explanation why multimarket contact may facilitate tacit collusion even in this case. By means of an economic laboratory experiment without explicit communication, we show that a firm can implicitly communicate the collusive intention through its price setting behavior, i.e., by price signaling. We find that multimarket contact facilitates tacit collusion because, in contrast to single market contact, firms can send differentiated price signals. Consequently, multimarket contact between oligopolistic firms should even more so be subject to scrutiny by competition authorities.
Risk management process towards operation performance in supply chain management: a survey of manufacturing SMEs

Risk management has become an important area in supply chain management since the late 1990s. However, less empirical studies have been reported in the literature that links risk management practices to performance, especially among SMEs. This paper aims to empirically investigate the sequential impact of this managerial process on non-financial performance of three execution decision areas of the SCOR model. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted among manufacturing SMEs in Iran. Data was collected from 160 high managers with knowledge of past and present organisational practices. Using partial least squares modelling (PLS-SEM), analysis of manufacturing plants from six industries indicates that superior risk identification supports the subsequent risk assessment and this in turn leads to better risk mitigation. The model also explains 38% of the variance observed in supply chain operation performance. Accordingly, to ensure better supply chain operations in terms of reliability, flexibility and responsiveness, cost and assets, the findings of this study recommend SMEs to pay more attention towards risk analysing practices on one hand and distribution KPIs on the other hand. However, the study was based on decision makers' perceptions and the participation of divergent industries creates common limitations and future research orientations.
Resistive switching in silicon sub-oxide films

We report a study of resistive switching in a silicon-based memristor/resistive RAM (RRAM) device in which the active layer is silicon-rich silica. The resistive switching phenomenon is an intrinsic property of the silicon-rich oxide layer and does not depend on the diffusion of metallic ions to form conductive paths. In contrast to other work in the literature, switching occurs in ambient conditions, and is not limited to the surface of the active material. We propose a switching mechanism driven by competing field-driven formation and current-driven destruction of filamentary conductive pathways. We demonstrate that conduction is dominated by trap assisted tunneling through noncontinuous conduction paths consisting of silicon nanoinclusions in a highly nonstoichiometric suboxide phase. We hypothesize that such nanoinclusions nucleate preferentially at internal grain boundaries in nanostructured films. Switching exhibits the pinched hysteresis I/V loop characteristic of memristive systems, and on/off resistance ratios of 104:1 or higher can be easily achieved. Scanning tunneling microscopy suggests that switchable conductive pathways are 10 nm in diameter or smaller. Programming currents can be as low as 2 μA, and transition times are on the nanosecond scale.
Bit-Interleaved LDPC-Coded Modulation Suitable for Free-Space Optical Communication over the Atmospheric Turbulence Channel

We determine the channel capacity of coded repetition MIMO scheme assuming non-ideal p.i. n. photodetection, and the channel is modeled using the statistical model due to Al-Habash et al. The coded repetition MIMO scheme is suitable for communication over the strong atmospheric turbulence channel. The scheme under study employs the Q-ary pulse position modulation and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. Component LDPC codes are designed using the concept of pairwise-balanced designs.
Comparative Performance Assessment of Point-of-Care Testing Devices for Measuring Glucose and Ketones at the Patient Bedside

Background: Point-of-care (POC) testing devices for monitoring glucose and ketones can play a key role in the management of dysglycemia in hospitalized diabetes patients. The accuracy of glucose devices can be influenced by biochemical changes that commonly occur in critically ill hospital patients and by the medication prescribed. Little is known about the influence of these factors on ketone POC measurements. The aim of this study was to assess the analytical performance of POC hospital whole-blood glucose and ketone meters and the extent of glucose interference factors on the design and accuracy of ketone results. Methods: StatStrip glucose/ketone, Optium FreeStyle glucose/ketone, and Accu-Chek Performa glucose were also assessed and results compared to a central laboratory reference method. The analytical evaluation was performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) protocols for precision, linearity, method comparison, and interference. Results: The interferences assessed included acetoacetate, acetaminophen, ascorbic acid, galactose, maltose, uric acid, and sodium. The accuracies of both Optium ketone and glucose measurements were significantly influenced by varying levels of hematocrit and ascorbic acid. StatStrip ketone and glucose measurements were unaffected by the interferences tested with exception of ascorbic acid, which reduced the higher level ketone value. The accuracy of Accu-Chek glucose measurements was affected by hematocrit, by ascorbic acid, and significantly by galactose. The method correlation assessment indicated differences between the meters in compliance to ISO 15197 and CLSI 12-A3 performance criteria. Conclusions: Combined POC glucose/ketone methods are now available. The use of these devices in a hospital setting requires careful consideration with regard to the selection of instruments not sensitive to hematocrit variation and presence of interfering substances.
Expanding the theory of planned behaviour to predict Chinese Muslims halal meat purchase intention

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of halal meat consumption within the population of Chinese Muslims in China using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as a conceptual framework. The role of self-identity as a Muslim, dietary acculturation in the host culture, moral obligation to purchase halal meat and trust on the authenticity of halal meat are explored. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional data were collected through a survey with 378 Chinese Muslims, currently living in Beijing and Xian cities. Data were analysed by means of correlations and stepwise multiple regressions to test the model and the moderating effects of self-identity, dietary acculturation, moral obligation and trust on behavioural intention. Findings A positive personal attitude towards the consumption of halal meat, personal conviction, motivation to comply, perceived control over consuming halal meat and perceived availability of halal meat predict the intention to eat halal meat among Chinese Muslims. Research limitations/implications Limitations include the focus on only four individual characteristics related to religious food consumption, namely, self-identity, dietary acculturation, moral obligation and trust. Additional individual characteristics such as individualism-collectivism and involvement or values could improve the predictive power of the model. Practical implications Practical implications extend to food marketers and food policy decision-makers who might pursue identity, acculturation, trustworthiness and moral obligation-related strategies in their distribution and communication efforts targeted at the growing halal food market segments across China and worldwide. Originality/value The current study addresses the important limitation of previous studies regarding the inclusion of additional possible individual characteristics such as moral obligation and trust in the TPB model to investigate the determinants of halal meat consumption within a food-religion context.
Bis(pyridine-κN){N 2,N 2′-[1,1′-(pyridine-2,6-diyl)diethylidyne]benzenesulfonohydrazonato-κ5 O,N,N′,N′′,O′}nickel(II)

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Ni(C21H19N5O4S2)(C5H5N)2], the metal center is seven-coordinate, with an approximate pentagonal-bipyramidal configuration. The Ni atom is chelated by a dianionic pentadentate Schiff base via the pyridine N atom, the two azomethine N atoms and the two sulfonyl O atoms. The latter coordinate to Ni at different distances, viz. 2.3337 (12) and 2.7988 (12) Å. Two apically coordinated pyridine molecules complete the seven-coordinate geometry. The dihedral angle between the two pyridine ring planes is 68.25 (6)°.
Establishing the Turkish version of the SIGAM mobility scale, and determining its validity and reliability in lower extremity amputees

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study is to adapt the Special Interest Group in Amputee Medicine (SIGAM) mobility scale to Turkish, and to test its validity and reliability in lower extremity amputees. Material and methods: Adaptation of the scale into Turkish was performed by following the steps in American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) guideline. Turkish version of the scale was tested twice on 109 patients who had lower extremity amputations, at hours 0 and 72. The reliability of the Turkish version was tested for internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Structural validity was tested using the “scale validity” method. For this purpose, the scores of the Short Form-36 (SF-36), Functional Ambulation Scale (FAS), Get Up and Go Test, and Satisfaction with the Prosthesis Questionnaire (SATPRO) were calculated, and analyzed using Spearman’s correlation test. Results: Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.67 for the Turkish version of the SIGAM mobility scale. Cohen's kappa coefficients were between 0.224 and 0.999. Repeatability according to the results of the SIGAM mobility scale (grades A–F) was 0.822. We found significant and strong positive correlations of the SIGAM mobility scale results with the FAS, Get Up and Go Test, SATPRO, and all of the SF-36 subscales. Conclusion: In our study, the Turkish version of the SIGAM mobility scale was found as a reliable, valid, and easy to use scale in everyday practice for measuring mobility in lower extremity amputees. Implications for Rehabilitation Amputation is the surgical removal of a severely injured and nonfunctional extremity, at a level of one or more bones proximal to the body. Loss of a lower extremity is one of the most important conditions that cause functional disability. The Special Interest Group in Amputee Medicine (SIGAM) mobility scale contains 21 questions that evaluate the mobility of lower extremity amputees. Lack of a specific Turkish scale that evaluates rehabilitation results and mobility of lower extremity amputees, and determines their needs, directed us to perform a study on this topic when we took the number of amputations performed in our country into consideration. SIGAM mobility scale is directed at rehabilitation specialists who are working in amputee medicine. Turkish version of this scale was found both reliable and valid in our study and hence it can be used in clinical practice and studies.
Trust Management for Complex Agent Groups

In Multi-agent Systems, there are complex problems that cannot be solved by a single agent. Therefore, agent groups are formed to deal with the problems more effectively. These groups can have various types, structures, and complex behaviours. Meanwhile, the openness characteristic of multi-agent systems frequently introduces uncertainty into the environments. In such situations, it is hard or impossible to establish trust between agents and it can greatly affect the operation in the systems. Several trust models have been proposed to assist agents to make decisions during moments of uncertainty. Nevertheless, most of the existing works focus on trust evaluation for individual agents. Since complex agent groups are becoming ubiquitous in agent societies, these trust models have been exposing several shortcomings in addressing different aspects of trust in agent groups. This includes the highly dynamic and complex behaviours of them. Therefore, it is necessary to have a comprehensive trust management mechanism regarding these groups. To this end, our thesis presents a trust management stack which consists of three components, i.e., CoTrust, DBATE, and GEM. The three components manage trust in agent groups in three stages, i.e., group formation, group performance, and group disbandment. The following contributions have been made. It provides an efficient trust establishment method regarding group formation: CoTrust is a trust establishment method devised to address the lack of effective trust mechanism in group formation. It includes a protocol and a preference reasoning method that helps agents to improve the success rate of cooperation requests and also
In vivo Near-infrared Raman Spectroscopy: Demonstration of Feasibility During Clinical Gastrointestinal Endoscopy¶

Abstract Raman spectroscopy (RS) has potential for disease classification within the gastrointestinal tract (GI). A near-infrared (NIR) fiber-optic RS system has been developed previously. This study reports the first in vivo Raman spectra of human gastrointestinal tissues measured during routine clinical endoscopy. This was achieved by using this system with a fiber-optic probe that was passed through the endoscope instrument channel and placed in contact with the tissue surface. Spectra could be obtained with good signal-to-noise ratio in 5 s. The effects on the spectra of varying the pressure of the probe tip on the tissue and of the probe-tissue angle were determined and shown to be insignificant. The limited set of spectra from normal and diseased tissues revealed only subtle differences. Therefore, powerful spectral-sorting algorithms, successfully implemented in prior ex vivo studies, are required to realize the full diagnostic potential of RS for tissue classification in the GI.
Foreign buyers, price dispersion and local buyers eviction in bargaining markets

The presence of foreign buyers in land and housing markets has become a major concern for many regions in the world, sometimes seen as leading to the eviction of local (domestic) buyers from the market. We argue that the existence of the non-local buyer premium is a driving force behind the local buyer eviction phenomenon. To account for this phenomenon, we built a stylized static search and bargaining model with one type of seller and two types of buyers, local and non-local. We show that the market is in general characterized by the coexistence of two different selling prices, a high price paid by non-local buyers and a low price paid by local ones. Yet, if the price premium exceeds a given threshold, which we call the maximum sustainable price dispersion cut-point, no seller will be willing to deal with a local buyer at a low price anymore. To illustrate our theoretical results, we use a data set of more than 4,800 observations on the seaside farmland market of Corsica between 1998-2008. Controlling for land characteristics and potential endogeneity issues, a huge non-local premium of roughly e16 per square meter is found.
Perceived interactive service quality and health outcome

Based on the evidence that service outcome is a direct consequence of the process of service cocreation and co-production, this paper reports on a pilot study for future research aimed at understanding interactive health service quality through an investigation of the three key levels of service participants: manager; direct service provider; and client. The initial qualitative research results have identified three primary determinants of perceived service quality for a community-based aged care service, specifically Interpersonal Quality, Technical Quality and Administrative Quality. The primary determinants appear to be the direct result of a number of common key subdeterminants: interaction and relationship; outcome and skills; organisation and management. Accordingly, a conceptual framework is proposed along with a methodology for testing the model and then measuring perceived interactive service quality.