Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrating Large Context Language Models Into A Real Time Word Recognizer

In this paper we present a new recognizer architecture that allows the eecient integration of language models with arbitrary large context information, e.g. polygram models, into the recognition process. Instead of using these models for rescoring the n best word chains generated using bigram information, we extract the best word chain, or optionally the n best word chains, directly from the word lattice using an A ? algorithm that incorporates full language model information. For comparison, we developed an improved architecture for fast generation of the n best word chains using bigram information. Experimental results show, that direct incorporation of full language model information increases word accuracy signiicantly even when compared to rescoring the 1000 best word chains. At the same time, computation time is drastically reduced.
Auditor Independence and Audit Quality

This article presents a comprehensive review of academic research pertaining to auditor independence and audit quality. This literature review is conducted based on published articles during the period 1976-2013 in nine leading journals related to auditing. We organize our review around four main threats to auditor independence, namely, (a) client importance, (b) non-audit services, (c) auditor tenure, and (d) client affiliation with audit firms. For each of the threats, we discuss findings related to the incentives, perceptions, and behaviors of the auditor and the client, as well as the effects of each threat on the actual and perceived quality of audits and financial reports. We conclude that the mixed evidence, together with recent regulatory changes, provides opportunities for future research on auditor independence and audit quality.
A modified overall on-line modeling algorithm for the feedforward multiple-point ANC system

This paper proposes a modified overall on-line modeling algorithm for application in a feedforward multiple-point active noise control (ANC) system, in which acoustic path decoupling can be improved. First, the structure of the ANC system adopting the proposed method is discussed. Second, the update equations of the system modules employing the LMS algorithm are derived. Next, the off-line initialization procedures of the system modules together with the update equations are described. Computer simulations illustrate the performance of the feedforward multiple-point ANC system adopting the proposed method. Simulation results show that the system can achieve superb low-frequency noise reduction and the reconvergence of the system error is guaranteed even when changes are encountered in the primary and secondary paths.
A modified LIMA framework for spectral subtraction applied to in-car speech recognition

In noisy environments, speech recognition accuracy degrades significantly. Speech enhancement algorithms have been designed to overcome this, however solutions to date have not been optimal for speech recognition especially for non-stationary noise like that in a car. Recently, a likelihood-maximising (LIMA) criteria has been applied to speech enhancement techniques. This paper analyses the suitability of spectral subtraction for potential use under a modified version of this framework where direct access to and manipulation of speech recognition models is not available. Analysis shows spectral subtraction is suited to this holistic LIMA approach by confirming the cost surface is appropriate for gradient descent methods. It is also observed that there are regions on the cost surface where performance exceeds that achieved by parameter values traditionally selected for spectral subtraction.
Gene-environment interaction and aetiology of cancer: what does it mean and how can we measure it?

One form of defence against cancer development involves a series of genes whose role is to metabolize and excrete potentially toxic compounds and to repair subtle mistakes in DNA. Much laboratory and epidemiological research over the past decade has concentrated on the identification of these genes and an assessment of their role in cancer aetiology. Of particular interest has been whether the risk of cancer associated with a particular environmental exposure differs with respect to functionally different polymorphisms of these genes, i.e. gene-environment interaction. A large number of studies have been conducted for numerous genes and also for all common cancer sites, although results have been very inconsistent and therefore inconclusive. This is partially due to the inadequate sample size of most studies to detect modest effects and the over-reporting of positive associations identified in subgroups of the dataset. There is also much confusion about the meaning of "gene-environment interaction", what type of studies should be conducted to study it and also how it should be measured. Furthermore, the very purpose of these studies is not clear; are they attempting to identify high-risk individuals, or are they simply trying to further understand the cancer process? This review will explore these questions and provide some recommendations to help ensure that the next phase of gene-environment interaction studies, which are likely to be much larger and based on many more genes, also provide some clearer answers.
Advanced Virtualization Techniques for High Performance Cloud Cyberinfrastructure

With the advent of virtualization and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), the broader scientific computing community is considering the use of clouds frothier scientific computing needs. This is due to the relative scalability, ease of use, advanced user environment customization abilities, and the many novel computing paradigms available for data-intensive applications. However, there is still a notable gap that exists between the performance of IaaS when compared to typical high performance computing (HPC) resources, limiting the applicability of IaaS for many potential users. This work proposes to bridge the gap between supercomputing and clouds using a few key aspects. First, we evaluate current hypervisors and their viability to run HPC workloads within current infrastructure. Next, we illustrate a mechanism to enable advanced accelerators such as GPUs in a Virtual Machine that can significantly enhance scientific computing problems. Furthermore, we are also able to support high speed, low latency inter-node communication through the use of Infini Band within virtual machines. Upon evaluating these newfound features and leveraging the system within the Open Stack environment, we illustrate that cloud computing can perform at near-native speeds and support a broad range of scientific computing problems as never before.
Evidential combination of SVM road obstacle classifiers in visible and far infrared images

In this work, we focus on an improvement of a road obstacle recognition system using SVM based classifiers combination. The improvement relies on the use of Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) to combine in a finer way the outputs of SVM classifiers. The SVM classifiers were trained on different local and global features based on Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) extracted from both visible and far-infrared images. A two-stage recognition method is also proposed to reduce the complexity of the overall system. The experiments are conducted on a set of images where obstacles occur at different scales, shapes and in difficult recognition situations. They show significant improvements while using DST combination compared to the classical combination strategies.
Non-slicing floorplanning-based crosstalk reduction on gridless track assignment for a gridless routing system with fast pseudo-tile extraction

Track assignment, which is an intermediate stage between global routing and detailed routing, provides a good platform for promoting performance, and for imposing additional constraints during routing, such as crosstalk. Gridless track assignment (GTA) has not been addressed in public literature. This work develops a gridless routing system integrating a congestion-driven global router, crosstalk-driven GTA and an enhanced implicit connection graph-based router. Initial assignment is produced rapidly with a left-edge like algorithm. Crosstalk reduction on the assignment is then transformed to a restricted non-slicing floorplanning problem, and a deterministic O-tree based algorithm is employed to re-assign each net segment. Finally, each panel is partitioned into several sub-panels, and the sub-panels are reordered using branch and bound algorithm to decrease the crosstalk further. Before detailed routing, routing tree construction is undertook for placed IRoutes and other pins; many original point-to-point routings are set to connect to IRoutes, and can be accomplished simply with pattern routing. For detailed routing, this work proposes a rapid extraction method for pseudo-maximum stripped tiles to boost path propagation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed gridless routing system has over 2.66 times the runtime speedup for fixed- and variable-rule routings of an implicit connection-graph-based router, NEMO. As compared with a commercial routing tool, this work yields an average reduction rate of 15% in coupling capacitance calculated using its built-in coupling capacitance estimator
Preconditioning Deep Convection with Cumulus Congestus

AbstractRecent studies have pushed forward the idea that congestus clouds, through their moistening of the atmosphere, could promote deep convection. On the other hand, older studies have tended to relate convective initiation to the large-scale forcing. These two views are here contrasted by performing a time-scale analysis. The analysis combines ship observations, large-eddy simulations, and 1 month of brightness temperature measurements with a focus on the tropical Atlantic and adjacent land areas.The time-scale analysis suggests that previous work may have overstated the importance of congestus moistening in the preconditioning of deep convection. It is found that cumuli congestus transition very rapidly to deep convection, in 2 h over land and 4 h over ocean. This is much faster than the time needed (10 h and longer) by congestus clouds to sufficiently moisten the atmosphere. Moreover, the majority of congestus clouds seem unable to grow into cumulonimbus and the probability of transition does not in.
An evolutionary explanation for the presence of cancer nonstem cells in neoplasms

Contrary to conventional views that assume all cells in a neoplasm can propagate the tumor, the cancer stem cell hypothesis posits that only a fraction of the cells (the cancer stem cells) can act as tumor‐propagating cells, while most of the tumor is composed of cells with limited replication potential. Here, we offer an evolutionary approach to this controversy. We used several evolutionary, computational models to investigate cancer cell dynamics and conditions consistent with the stem cell hypothesis. Our models predict that if selection acts at the cell level, neoplasms should be primarily comprised of cancer stem cells, in contrast to experimental data indicating that neoplasms contain large fractions of cancer nonstem cells. We explore several solutions explaining the paradoxical existence of cancer nonstem cells in neoplasms, including the possibility that selection acts at the level of multicellular proliferative units.
Research on grid resource reliability model based on promise

To distinguish the reliabilities of different resources is difficult in the grid environment. For the first time the signaling game theory is applied to the research on grid resource reliability, and a grid resource reliability model based on promise is proposed in this paper. The analyses and the emulation results indicate that the resource provider should abandon the cheating motivation voluntarily. The resource demander could make right decision without other nodes' recommendations, the calculation and communication is reduced remarkably. This is a new solution to the problem of distinguishing resources reliabilities in the grid environment.
A novel privacy preserving keyword searching for cloud storage

In cloud storage environment, clients no longer have physical possession of their data, it indicates that their data may be leaked maliciously by cloud provider. To avoid the security risks, we propose a privacy preserving keyword searching scheme whose encryption procedure needs no pairing operation. Our scheme allows users to encrypt their data before uploading to the cloud, and retrieve them by searching the encrypted keywords, besides it enables the cloud service provider to participate in decipherment which reduces the computational overhead of the client's decryption. Performance analysis shows our new scheme is more efficient and more adaptable to the cloud environment than the existing schemes. In addition, the new scheme is proved to be semantically secure in the random oracle model.
Phonetic Changes in the Speech of Anglophone Expatriates

Předkladana diplomova prace zkouma nepatologickou ztratu mateřskeho jazyka na foneticke urovni u rodilých mluvcich anglickeho jazyka žijicich v Ceske republice. V prvni casti prace je představen fenomen nepatologicke ztraty mateřskeho jazyka a některe výsledky dosavadniho výzkumu na tomto poli. Na tomto zakladě je posleze zformulovano několik hypotez týkajicich se fonetiky rodilých mluvcich anglickeho jazyka žijicich v Ceske republice. V dalsim kroku jsou nahravky 14 těchto mluvcich ohodnoceny co do stupně přitomnosti ciziho přizvuku jinými rodilými mluvcimi anglickeho jazyka, a pote analyzovany autorkou pro přitomnost předpokladaných fonetických změn. Skupina ucastniků výzkumu je nasledně rozdělena do tři podskupin podle stupně ztraty mateřskeho jazyka na foneticke urovni; hlavnimi faktory, ktere nejvice ovlivňuji stupeň teto ztraty, se v kontextu tohoto výzkumu zdaji být množstvi komunikace v cestině a množstvi komunikace v anglictině s dalsimi rodilými mluvcimi.
Octreotide inhibits hepatic cystogenesis in a rodent model of polycystic liver disease by reducing cholangiocyte adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS In polycystic liver diseases (PCLDs), increased cholangiocyte proliferation and fluid secretion are key features and cholangiocyte adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) is an important regulator of these processes. Thus, we assessed cAMP levels and evaluated octreotide (an analogue of somatostatin known to inhibit cAMP) in hepatic cyst growth using an in vitro model of cystogenesis and an in vivo animal model of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), one of the PCLDs. METHODS Expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) was assessed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and confocal microscopy in cholangiocytes from normal and polycystic kidney (PCK) rats, the ARPKD model of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease. Effects of octreotide on cAMP levels and cyst expansion were studied in vitro using PCK bile ducts grown in 3-dimensional culture. The effects of octreotide on hepatic and renal cystogenesis were investigated in PCK rats in vivo. RESULTS In cholangiocytes and serum of PCK rats, cAMP concentrations were approximately 2 times higher than in normal rats. SSTR subtypes that bind octreotide (ie, SSTR2, SSTR3, and SSTR5) were expressed in both normal and PCK cholangiocytes. In vitro, octreotide inhibited cAMP levels by 35% and reduced cyst growth by 44%. In vivo, octreotide lowered cAMP content in cholangiocytes and serum by 32%-39% and inhibited hepatic disease progression, leading to 22%-60% reductions in liver weight, cyst volume, hepatic fibrosis, and mitotic indices. Similar effects were observed in kidneys of PCK rats. CONCLUSIONS This preclinical study provides a strong rationale for assessing the potential value of octreotide in the treatment of PCLDs.
Spatio-temporal feature based VLAD for efficient video retrieval

Compact representation of visual content has emerged as an important topic in the context of large scale image/video retrieval. The recently proposed Vector of Locally Aggregated Descriptors (VLAD) has shown to outperform other existing techniques for retrieval. In this paper, we propose two spatio-temporal features for constructing VLAD vectors for videos in the context of large scale video retrieval. Given a particular query video, our aim is to retrieve similar videos from the database. Experiments are conducted on UCF50 and HMDB51 datasets, which pose challenges in the form of camera motion, view-point variation, large intra-class variation, etc. The paper proposes the following two spatio-temporal features for constructing VLADs i) Local Histogram of Oriented Optical Flow (LHOOF), and ii) Space-Time Invariant Points (STIP). The performance of these proposed features are compared with SIFT based spatial feature. The mean average precision (MAP) indicates the better retrieval performance of the proposed spatio-temporal feature over spatial feature.
Automated RFID network planning with site-specific stochastic modeling and particle Swarm Optimization

In this paper, a solution for automated passive RFID network planning is proposed. The proposed scheme comprises two parts; i) a fast site specific stochastic propagation model that extracts the probabilities of successful identification for any possible reader-antenna configuration, ii) a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm that selects a subset of the antenna-configurations to be installed so that a given cost function is satisfied. In contrast to prior art, the combinatorial performance of all reader antennas is evaluated at each tag location; this revealed that good identification-performance is recorded at overlapping regions, where no single reader-antenna would operate adequately. As a result, the final solution includes less equipment, reducing the cost of the network. Results presented herein demonstrate that nearly half the number of antennas are needed for the same problem, compared to prior art.
An Enhanced Macroscopic Closure Approximation to the Micro-Macro FENE Model for Polymeric Materials

We present an enhanced moment-closure approximation to the finite extensible nonlinear elastic (FENE) models of polymeric fluids. This new moment-closure method involves the perturbation of the equilibrium probability distribution function (PDF), which takes into account of the drastic split into two spikes and centralized behavior under the large macroscopic flow effects. The resulting macroscopic system includes the moment-closure equations, the momentum (force balance) equations, as well as an auxiliary equation representing implicitly the dynamics of the spikes for the microscopic configurations. It also inherits the energy dissipation law from the original micro-macro models. Through numerical experiments, we demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the moment-closure system for some special external flow with a wide range of flow rates.
A Behavior-Based Fractionation of Cognitive Competence with Clinical Applications: A Comparative Approach

We describe experimental techniques based on serial ordering tasks using touch screens, designed to assess memory and high level cognitive organization in human and nonhuman subjects. We demonstrate the applicability of these techniques to a wide range of cognitive competence and executive functioning, illustrating some promising new applications in areas of cognitive dysfunction in humans, specifically Fragile X syndrome and Autistic Spectrum Disorder in children, and Alzheimer’s disease and bipolar disorder in adults. We conclude that these techniques have implications both for work in areas of cognitive remediation, as well as in the promotion of animal models of human cognitive function and executive control.
‘Journey in the world of professions and work’: A career intervention for children

Abstract A structured ten-unit training was devised to stimulate some career adaptability resources such as optimism and hope toward the future, curiosity, career exploration, and occupational knowledge in children. Ten classes, for a total of 154 children (79 boys and 75 girls) with a mean age of 10.65 years (SD = 1.24), were randomly assigned to either the experimental, who was the focus of the intervention, or control group. At post-test the experimental group held significantly more hope, optimism, curiosity, career exploration, occupational knowledge, information, planning, and time perspective than the control group. The pattern of effect sizes strengthens the idea that the training enhanced experimental participants’ some career adaptability resources.
Energy Optimization for Multi-level Cell STT-MRAM Using State Remapping

Multi-level Cell Spin-Transfer Torque Magnetic RAM (MLC STT-MRAM), is emerging as a promising candidate to build L2 cache. However, the high write energy impedes the adoption of MLC STT-MRAM. In this paper, we focus on reducing the write energy consumption. For a 2-bit STT-MRAM cell, the energy consumption of flipping the left bit is greater than that of flipping the right bit. Beside, writing state '01' and state '10' consumes more energy than writing states '00' and '11'. To reduce the energy consumption during MLC STT-MRAM write operations, we propose an encoding scheme to minimize the number of the left bit flips and reduce the write count of states '01' and '10' by exchanging two states with different left bit, such as states '00' and '10', when exchanging two states can reduce the total write energy consumption of a cache line. The main idea of this scheme is state remapping. The experimental results show that the encoding scheme reduces 12.17% write energy consumption on average and up to 27.58% based on the complex write scheme.
Differential involvement of CD4+ cells in mediating skin graft rejection against different amounts of transgenic H-2K(b) antigen

Differential involvement of CD4+ cells in mediating class I-disparate skin graft rejection was investigated using quantitatively different Kb transgenic mice as donors under conditions in which CD8+ cells were blocked in vivo by administration of anti-CD8 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Tg.H-2Kb-1 and -2 are C3H transgenic mice with 14 and 4 copies, respectively, of the H-2Kb gene. Cell surface expression of Kb antigen and the Kb antigenicity of skin for eliciting graft rejection with homozygous and heterozygous transgenic mice were correlated with the copy number. In vivo administration of anti-Lyt-2.1 (CD8) mAb markedly prolonged survival of heterozygous and homozygous C3H Tg.H-2Kb-2 skin grafted onto C3H mice, but prolonged survival of heterozygous Tg.H-2Kb- 1 skin grafts much less and did not prolong survival of homozygous Tg.H- 2Kb-1 grafts. Administration of anti-L3T4 (CD4) mAb alone did not have any effect on skin graft rejection. Administration of anti-L3T4 (CD4) mAb with anti-Lyt-2.1 (CD8) mAb blocked rejection in all combinations. These findings indicate that a quantitative difference of class I antigen caused differential activation of CD4+ cells under conditions in which CD8+ cells were blocked.