Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Speech production and perception in adult Arabic learners of English: A comparative study of the role of production and perception training in the acquisition of British English vowels

This thesis presents the results of four studies that investigated the perception and production of English by Saudi Arabic learners. Additionally, the thesis sought to investigate the role of different types of training, production- or perception-based, in learning, with the aim of understanding how training in different domains contributes to second language acquisition. A preliminary study (Study 1) investigated problematic phonemic contrasts for Arabic speakers, confirming that accuracy in perception and production depends on the similarity between L1 and L2 phonemes. Study 2 investigated the specificity of second language phonetic training by comparing the effect of three training programmes on the acquisition of British English vowels. Saudi Arabic learners were randomly assigned to one of three training programmes; Production Training (PT), High Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT), and a Hybrid Training Program (HTP). They completed a battery of tests before and after training. All participants improved after training, but improvements were largely domain-specific; production training led to improvements in production but not perception, whilst perception training led to improvements in perception but not production. Participants in the HTP showed improvements in both production and perception, indicating that only a small amount of training in production appears to be necessary to effect changes in production. Additionally, improvement on particular tasks appeared to be linked to initial L2 proficiency, and learning in perception and production was retained (Study 3) and production training appeared to be more beneficial for participants who were trained in a non-immersion setting (Study 4). In brief, the results suggest that L2 learners improve in both perception and production if training explicitly trains these domains. Production training was beneficial not only for L2 learners in an L2-speaking country, but also in non-immersion settings. Overall, these results suggest that a hybrid training programme would be most beneficial for L2 learners.
Learning the reachable space of a humanoid robot: A bio-inspired approach

In this paper we describe how a humanoid robot can learn a representation of its own reachable space from motor experience: a Reachable Space Map. The map provides information about the reachability of a visually detected object (i.e. a 3D point in space). We propose a bio-inspired solution in which the map is built in a gaze-centered reference frame: the position of a point in space is encoded with the motor configuration of the robot head and eyes which allows the fixation of that point. We provide experimental results in which a simulated humanoid robot learns this map autonomously and we discuss how the map can be used for planning whole-body and bimanual reaching.
Mean Expression of the X-Chromosome is Associated with Neuronal Density

Background: Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by key features such as loss of neurons, astrocytosis, and microglial activation/proliferation. These changes cause differences in the density of cell types between control and disease subjects, confounding results from gene expression studies. Chromosome X (ChrX) is known to be specifically important in the brain. We hypothesized the existence of a chromosomal signature of gene expression associated with the X-chromosome for neurological conditions not normally associated with that chromosome. The hypothesis was investigated using publicly available microarray datasets from studies on Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Data were analyzed using Chromowave, an analytical tool for detecting spatially extended expression changes along chromosomes. To examine associations with neuronal density and astrocytosis, the expression of cell specific reporter genes was extracted. The association between these genes and the expression patterns extracted by Chromowave was then analyzed. Further analyses of the X:Autosome ratios for laser dissected neurons, microglia cultures and whole tissue were performed to detect cell specific differences. Results: We observed an extended pattern of low expression of ChrX consistent in all the neurodegenerative disease brain datasets. There was a strong correlation between mean ChrX expression and the pattern extracted from the autosomal genes representing neurons, but not with mean autosomal expression. No chromosomal patterns associated with the neuron specific genes were found on other chromosomes. The chromosomal expression pattern was not present in datasets from blood cells. The X:Autosome expression ratio was also higher in neuronal cells than in tissues with a mix of cell types. Conclusions: The results suggest that neurological disorders show as a reduction in mean expression of many genes along ChrX. The most likely explanation for this finding relates to the documented general up-regulation of ChrX in brain tissue which, this work suggests, occurs primarily in neurons. If validated, this cell specific ChrX expression warrants further research as understanding the biological reasons and mechanisms for this expression, may help to elucidate a connection with the development of neurodegenerative disorders.
A-expansion for multiple "hedgehog" shapes

Overlapping colors and cluttered or weak edges are common segmentation problems requiring additional regularization. For example, star-convexity is popular for interactive single object segmentation due to simplicity and amenability to exact graph cut optimization. This paper proposes an approach to multiobject segmentation where objects could be restricted to separate "hedgehog" shapes. We show that a-expansion moves are submodular for our multi-shape constraints. Each "hedgehog" shape has its surface normals constrained by some vector field, e.g. gradients of a distance transform for user scribbles. Tight constraint give an extreme case of a shape prior enforcing skeleton consistency with the scribbles. Wider cones of allowed normals gives more relaxed hedgehog shapes. A single click and +/-90 degrees normal orientation constraints reduce our hedgehog prior to star-convexity. If all hedgehogs come from single clicks then our approach defines multi-star prior. Our general method has significantly more applications than standard one-star segmentation. For example, in medical data we can separate multiple non-star organs with similar appearances and weak or noisy edges.
Metacognitive Precursors: An Analysis in Children with Different Disabilities

The analysis of Metacognitive skills is a key element to guide the learning process. Current research has shown the initiation of these skills from an early age. The present study had two aims: (1) to validate a Scale Measuring Precursor Metacognitive Skills (SMPMS) in children with diverse disabilities, and (2) to study possible significant different between different disabilities in precursor metacognitive skill use. We worked with 87 children with different disabilities, with an average age range of 24–37 months. The results have shown high indicators of reliability and validity of the SMPMS. We isolated two factors related to cognitive and metacognitive and self-regulation skills response to an adult. We also found significant differences in the acquisition of metacognitive and self-regulation skills among children with global developmental retardation as compared to children with expressive language and comprehension disability.
An Ω(D log(N/D)) lower bound for broadcast in radio networks

We show that for any randomized broadcast protocol for radio networks, there exists a network in which the expected time to broadcast a message is Q(ll log(N/11)), where D is the diameter of the network and N is the number of nodes. This implies a tight lower bound of Q( D log N) for all D S N1-e, where s >0 is any constant.
English language learning and teaching styles in two Turkish primary schools

Foreign language learning styles are aimed at facilitating students’ learning and therefore the teaching style used is important in terms of matching learners’ styles to their educational needs. The present study was aimed at investigating several dimensions of primary school students’ language learning styles and the ways in which certain styles are shaped and favored by teachers’ teaching styles. The primary aim was to find out whether or not the measures taken by the Turkish Ministry of Education regarding rectifying the shortage of teachers of English as a foreign language have had an effect on the learning styles of primary school students. The secondary aim was to examine the varying learning styles of EFL students in two primary schools and to establish whether or not there has been a change in these learning styles. Finally, the researcher examined whether or not the economic conditions of the schools had an influence on the students’ learning styles.
Non-Iterative Two-Dimensional Linear Discriminant Analysis

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a well-known scheme for feature extraction and dimensionality reduction of labeled data in a vector space. LDA has been extended to two-dimensional LDA (2DLDA), which is an iterative algorithm for data in matrix representation. In this paper, we propose non-iterative algorithms for 2DLDA. Experimental results show that the non-iterative algorithms achieve competitive recognition rates with the iterative 2DLDA, while they are computationally more efficient than the iterative 2DLDA
UPMC/LIP6 at ImageCLEFannotation2009: Large Scale Visual Concept Detection and Annotation

In this paper, we present the LIP6 annotation models for the ImageCLEF2009annotation task. We focus on two challenges: 1-the large scale annotation and 2-the application of an ontology. We propose two models of classifiers for the first challenge. In the case of second challenge, we try to detect the relations between the concepts via a cooccurrence matrix. By this way, we avoid the exclusive concepts tagged to one image.
Comparison of Regional Blood Flow Values Measured by Radioactive and Fluorescent Microspheres

Fluorescent microspheres (FM) have become an attractive alternative to radioactive microspheres (RM) for the measurement of regional blood flow (RBF). The aim of the present study was to investigate the comparability of both methods by measuring RBF with FM and RM. Eight anaesthetised pigs received simultaneous, left atrial injections of FM and RM with a diameter of 15 µm at six different time points. Blood reference samples were collected from the descending aorta. RBF was determined in tissue samples of the myocardium, spleen and kidneys of all 8 animals. After radioactivity of the tissue samples was determined, the samples were processed automatically for measuring fluorescence using a recently developed filter device (SPU). RBF was calculated with both the isotope and spectrometric data of both methods for each sample resulting in a total of 10,512 blood flow values. The comparison of the RBF values yielded high linear correlation (mean r2 = 0.95 ± 0.03 to 0.97 ± 0.02) and excellent agreement (bias 5.4–6.7%, precision 9.9– 16.5%) of both methods. Our results indicate the validity of MS and of the automated tissue processing technique by means of the SPU.
Multiple sclerosis epidemiology in Latin America: An updated survey

Novel epidemiological data have appeared in recent years in Latin America (LATAM). The objective of this study was to perform an updated systematic review of the epidemiology of the disease reported in LATAM. Methods We conducted a systematic review of published epidemiological articles from January 1995 to December 2016. Results Incidence data were found in four studies and ranged from 0.3 to 3 annual cases per 100,000 person-years. Prevalence was reported in 13 studies and ranged from 0.83 to 38.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Two studies showed an increase in prevalence and incidence in the last five years in specific regions. Conclusion The study provides updated information on epidemiological features of MS in the region. The frequency reported is lower compared with some European and North American countries; however, due to recent observations, studies including follow-up assessment of prevalence and incidence should be conducted in the region.
Racial Differences in Association of Serum Calcium with Mortality and Incident Cardio- and Cerebrovascular Events.

CONTEXT Abnormalities in calcium metabolism may potentially contribute to the development of vascular disease. Calcium metabolism may be different in African American (AA) vs white individuals, but the effect of race on the association of serum calcium with clinical outcomes remains unclear. OBJECTIVE This study sought to examine race-specific associations of serum calcium levels with mortality and with major incident cardiovascular events. DESIGN AND SETTING This was a historical cohort study in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities. PARTICIPANTS Participants included veterans (n = 1 967 622) with estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The association between serum calcium levels with all-cause mortality, incident coronary heart disease (CHD), and ischemic stroke incidence was examined in multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, including an interaction term for calcium and race. RESULTS The association of calcium with all-cause mortality was U-shaped in both AA and white patients, but race modified the association of calcium with all-cause mortality. Compared with white patients, AA patients experienced lower risk of mortality when calcium was ≥ 8.8 mg/dL, with a statistically significant interaction (P < .001). Conversely, AA vs white race was associated with higher mortality when calcium was < 8.8 mg/dL. Calcium showed no significant association with ischemic stroke or CHD in both races; and race did not modify these associations (P = .37 and 0.11, respectively for interaction term). CONCLUSIONS Race modified the U-shaped association between calcium and all-cause mortality. Serum calcium is not associated with incident stroke or CHD in either AA or white patients. The race-specific difference in the association of calcium levels with mortality warrants further examination.
Teaching Deliberative Navigation Using the LEGO RCX and Standard LEGO Components

A number of universities are using inexpensive robotic platforms to teach artificial intelligence and robotics courses – for examples, see the IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol. 10, no. 2, June 2003 (Weinberg and Yu 2003). The LEGO Mindstorms set is one of the most popular platforms. This set is frequently chosen for its low cost and ease of use. However, most of the work being done with it is in teaching reactive robotic architectures. Other, more expensive platforms are used for the deliberative and hybrid robotic architectures. This paper explains how an off-the-shelf LEGO Mindstorms kit can be used to teach deliberative navigation, including path planning and mapping.
Online codes

We introduce online codes – a class of near-optimal codes for a very general loss channel which we call the free channel. Online codes are linear encoding/decoding time codes, based on sparse bipartite graphs, similar to Tornado codes, with a couple of novel properties: local encodability and rateless-ness. Local encodability is the property that each block of the encoding of a message can be computed independently from the others in constant time. This also implies that each encoding block is only dependent on a constant-sized part of the message and a few preprocessed bits. Rateless-ness is the property that each message has an encoding of practically infinite size. We argue that rateless codes are more appropriate than fixed-rate codes for most situations where erasure codes were considered a solution. Furthermore, rateless codes meet new areas of application, where they are not replaceable by fixed-rate codes. One such area is information dispersal over peer-to-peer networks. ∗Secure Computer Systems Group, New York University, full-time PhD candidate, 715 Broadway, Room 715, New York, NY 10003
Eurographics/ Ieee-vgtc Symposium on Visualization (2006) Visualizing the Phonon Map

In this work we present several visualization approaches for analyzing acoustic behavior inside a room. Our methods are based on the results of the phonon tracing algorithm. For a simulated phonon map we examine the influence of the room surfaces on the wave fronts during their propagation from the sound source. Our visualization is based on individual phonon and surface representations as well as scattered data interpolation. Additionally, an observation of acoustic behavior at different positions inside the room using colored and deformed spheres is possible.
A Three Level Framework for Process Support: The MOWAHS Approach

A common assumption for many process-centred support environments is that they provide the same process support at different levels of the organization. We believe that the required process support from one level to another of an organization varies. In this paper we propose a framework that divides process support into three levels: Individual, group and team level. Further, we characterize each level and describe the required process support and type of process modelling language for each level. We also look at what interfaces are needed between the levels. Finally we use the framework to characterize an eXtreme Programming (XP) development process. Our framework focuses only on the project level of software development and does not consider management processes above this level.
Distributed Knowledge Representation using Universal Identity and Replication

This paper describes a pervasive, scalable, and extensible design for distributed information objects. The system is designed so that all information has persistent identity, independently of the devices used to store and transmit information. The system relies on the notion of a u-form, which is a bundle of attributevalue pairs indexed by a universal identifier. The Universal Unique Identifiers (UUID’s) in our system are more ubiquitous than the typical uses of the URI or URN references of the World Wide Web, since even mundane objects are given UUID’s that are guaranteed to be unique, even if they have no fixed location and are not objects in any other managed
Orthogonal Nonnegative Matrix Factorization for Multi-type Relational Clustering

— Relational clustering with heterogeneous data objects has impact in various important applications, such as web mining, text mining and bioinformatics etc. In this paper, we build a star-structured general model for relational clustering. It is formulated as an orthogonal tri-nonnegative matrix factorization. The model performs matrix approximation among all different data types to look for hidden cluster structure. Under this model, we propose a multiplicative update algorithm to minimize the matrix approximation error for simultaneously clustering of heterogeneous relational objects. The proposed algorithm tries to retain the orthogonality of indicator matrices, which make it easier for result interpretation. We also prove the correctness and convergence of the algorithm under the proposed iterative update rules. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and the ability to co-cluster different data objects.
Clinical characteristics of delayed endolymphatic hydrops in Japan: A nationwide survey by the Peripheral Vestibular Disorder Research Committee of Japan

Abstract Conclusion: Similarly to almost all delayed endolymphatic hydrops (DEH) cases with both precedent sudden deafness and mumps deafness, two-thirds of DEH cases with precedent deafness of unknown cause with onset in early childhood developed DEH symptoms within 40 years after the precedent deafness. In spite of the diagnosis of precedent deafness, viral labyrinthitis may build up the late endolymphatic hydrops in most DEH cases up to four decades. Objective: To clarify the characteristics of DEH in Japan. Methods: Clinical information on 198 DEH cases was collected by nationwide, multicenter surveys conducted by the Peripheral Vestibular Disorders Research Committee of Japan. Results: The incidence of the ipsilateral type of DEH was 47.5%, which was almost equal to that of the contralateral type. In both types of DEH, the most common diagnosis of precedent deafness was deafness of unknown cause with onset in early childhood: 43.9% in both types of DEH. Sudden deafness and mumps deafness were the subsequent diagnoses of precedent deafness. The distribution of time delay of the onset between precedent deafness of unknown cause with onset in early childhood and DEH was different from that between precedent sudden and mumps deafness and DEH.
A phonetic similarity model for automatic extraction of transliteration pairs

This article proposes an approach for the automatic extraction of transliteration pairs from Chinese Web corpora. In this approach, we formulate the machine transliteration process using a syllable-based phonetic similarity model which consists of phonetic confusion matrices and a Chinese character n-gram language model. With the phonetic similarity model, the extraction of transliteration pairs becomes a two-step process of recognition followed by validation: First, in the recognition process, we identify the most probable transliteration in the k-neighborhood of a recognized English word. Then, in the validation process, we qualify the transliteration pair candidates with a hypothesis test. We carry out an analytical study on the statistics of several key factors in English-Chinese transliteration to help formulate phonetic similarity modeling. We then conduct both supervised and unsupervised learning of a phonetic similarity model on a development database. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the phonetic similarity model by achieving an F-measure of 0.739 in supervised learning. The unsupervised learning approach works almost as well as the supervised one, thus allowing us to deploy automatic extraction of transliteration pairs in the Web space.
Identification and Dynamic Model of a Bipedal Robot With a Cable-Differential-Based Compliant Drivetrain

This research identifies an eleven degree of freedom dynamic model of MABEL, a new robot for the study of bipedal walking and running. Model parameters are identified on the basis of fourteen angles measured by encoders and the commanded torque of the robot’s four independent actuators. The identification process is modular and begins with the cabledriven transmission mechanism of the robot. By blocking an appropr iate pulley, the springs that are part of the transmission can be removed from the initial portion of the identification process. Furthermore, by selectively connecting and disconnectingcables in the transmission, experiments are designed for each actu ated coordinate in order to determine inertias, friction coefficients, motor constants, and power amplifier biases of the transmiss ion system. With the identified transmission model and estimate s of the inertial parameters of the torso and legs from a CAD package,a priori estimates of the robot’s overall dynamic model can be constructed. Thesea priori estimates are initially validated by comparing predicted response of the combined legs and transmission system to experimental data excited by common torque commands. At this point, the compliant elements in the transmission are brought back into the system and are identi fied with a set of static experiments. Specifically, spring stiff ness is estimated from the spring torques and deflections. A second unplanned source of compliance is accounted for next. This compliance arises when the cables connecting the pulleys in the transmission stretch under heavy loads. The overall model o f the robot is validated through a hopping experiment that excites all of the dynamics of the model.