Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The performance comparison of fitting feature with segment model in speaker identification

In general, cepstra are used to manifest the shape of the vocal tract. But it ignores the various stochastic errors of the vocal tract, which can be observed from different speech signals is obtained from the same word pronounced repeatedly even if ignoring the noise and the speaking rate. Now we make use of a method to eliminate the various stochastic errors to some extent, and the feature vectors can represent the essential characteristics of the vocal tract more effectively. In this paper, we analyze the speech-production process and utilize a segment model to implement the elimination of the various stochastic errors. The experiments show: besides the elimination of the stochastic errors, the proposed method also can remove the noise in the environment.
Assessing methodological quality of randomized and quasi-experimental trials: A summary of stuttering treatment research

The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed analysis of the methodological quality of experimental and quasi-experimental group designed studies in the area of stuttering intervention. A total of 23 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and quasi-experimental studies of treatment in the area of stuttering were identified and retrieved from an electronic search of nine databases and 13 individual journals. Using the Downs and Black Checklist each study was coded for reporting, external validity, internal validity, and internal validity confounding. Results of the coding indicated that while overall reporting was reasonably complete, the quality of the external and internal validity scores was found to be substantively incomplete. This lack of clarity and completeness of reporting issues related to the external and internal validity makes the interpretation of the findings of individual study results problematic and seriously effects the replicability of the individual study. Implications of these findings are suggested for both researchers and clinicians.
Teacher Acceptance of Psychological Interventions of Varying Theoretical Orientation: A Replication

Many variables influence a teacher's attitude toward interventions for atypical children. The current study explores this problem in an attenzpt to replicate findings by Schneider, Kerridge, and Katz (1992). Twenty-two regular and 16 special education teachers used the Treatment Evaluation Inventory (Kazdin, 1980a) to rate the acceptability of several types of interventions for two hypothetical cases : an aggressive boy (Craig) and a withdrawn girl (Sally). Repeated measures ANOVAs indicated that teachers evaluated the acceptability of freatments differently depending on the case to which they were exposed. Teachers felt that timeout was less acceptable than either family therapy or coaching for Craig, and that pharmacotherapy and token reinforcement were less acceptable than all other treatments. L'attitude des enseignants envers une intervention proposée a un élève atypique est determinée par plusieurs variables. La présente étude est une replique d'une recherche menée par Schneider Kerridge et Katz (1992). Vingt-deux enseignants des classes ordinaires et 16 enseignants des classes speciales indiquèrent leurs opinions quant à l'acceptabilité de plusieurs interventions pour un garçon aggressif (Craig) et pour une fille timide. Selon les resultats de l'analyse de variance à mesures répétéees, l'evaluation de l'acceptabilité varia en fonction du cas présenté. La mise-à-l'écart fut moins acceptable que la thérapie familiale ou le counselling directifpour Craig. La pharmacothérapie et l'économie de jetons furent moins acceptables que toutes les autres interventions.
Indexing and Retrieval of Visual Design Representations

Indexing and retrieval of architectural visual databases refer to multiple levels of abstraction and various points of view which may co-exist in a single image. This complexity is increased by the necessity to structure architectural images into well-defined, meaningful representations. We propose that the correlation of domain analysis and general methods and techniques provides the background to the solution of most problems and a deeper understanding of the structure of indexing and retrieval in architecture.
Pyrethroids inhibit K2P channels and activate sensory neurons: basis of insecticide-induced paraesthesias

Abstract Pyrethroid insecticides are widely used for pest control in agriculture or in human public health commonly as a topical treatment for scabies and head lice. Exposure to pyrethroids such as permethrin or tetramethrin (TM) causes sensory alterations such as transient pain, burning, stinging sensations, and paraesthesias. Despite the well-known effects of pyrethroids on sodium channels, actions on other channels that control sensory neuron excitability are less studied. Given the role of 2-pore domain potassium (K2P) channels in modulating sensory neuron excitability and firing, both in physiological and pathological conditions, we examined the effect of pyrethroids on K2P channels mainly expressed in sensory neurons. Through electrophysiological and calcium imaging experiments, we show that a high percentage of TM-responding neurons were nociceptors, which were also activated by TRPA1 and/or TRPV1 agonists. This pyrethroid also activated and enhanced the excitability of peripheral saphenous nerve fibers. Pyrethroids produced a significant inhibition of native TRESK, TRAAK, TREK-1, and TREK-2 currents. Similar effects were found in transfected HEK293 cells. At the behavioral level, intradermal TM injection in the mouse paw produced nocifensive responses and caused mechanical allodynia, demonstrating that the effects seen on nociceptors in culture lead to pain-associated behaviors in vivo. In TRESK knockout mice, pain-associated behaviors elicited by TM were enhanced, providing further evidence for a role of this channel in preventing excessive neuronal activation. Our results indicate that inhibition of K2P channels facilitates sensory neuron activation and increases their excitability. These effects contribute to the generation of paraesthesias and pain after pyrethroid exposure.
A Rock or a Hard Place: The Foot-in-the-Face Technique for Inducing Compliance Without Pressure

Situations in which the formulation of a target request is preceded by another request are a frequent field of research for social psychologists. So far, however, increased compliance with the target request has been found in conditions in which the initial request was either easier than the target request and was fulfilled (i.e., foot-in-the-door technique) or more difficult and was rejected (i.e., door-in-the-face technique). In the series of 3 field studies presented in this article, it is shown that increased compliance with the final request can also be observed when the initial request has more or less the same degree of difficulty as the final request. jasp_758 1514.1537 There are numerous situations in which people try to influence others. They may try to exert pressure directly or act without any evident pressure. Compliance without pressure is a phenomenon that has been quite intensively explored by social psychologists ever since the experiments by Freedman and Fraser (1966), who posed the hypothesis that if people agree to comply with a small request, they will be subsequently more willing to comply with a more difficult one. In one of their experiments, people who had complied with the experimenter’s request to sign a petition calling for keeping California clean or increasing road traffic safety or who had agreed to place a small sign in the front window of their homes encouraging others to behave in accordance with these appeals were then more willing to have a large, ugly billboard reading “Drive Carefully” installed in their front yards for a period of 1 week. Freedman and Fraser (1966) labeled the technique of getting a person to comply with an easy request before the target request is posed the footin-the-door technique. Although debate on the psychological mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of this technique has been going on for years, 1
Long-term asynchronous decoding of 3D hand trajectories using electrocorticographic signals in primates Toward a chronic asynchronous brain-machine interface

Brain-machine interfaces (BMI) based on electrocorticography (ECoG) utilize higher fidelity signals over non-invasive BMIs, and provide greater long-term stability over other invasive BMIs. However, little study on ECoG-based BMIs has focused on the asynchronous decoding of continuous actions that do not require external cues for start or stop. Here, we proposed a novel wavelet-based algorithm, and successfully decoded 3D continuous hand trajectories in a primate with accuracy comparable to that found in BMI studies using single unit activity. Furthermore, the performance was found to last for at least 2 months. Evidence of high accuracy and long-term stability elucidates the feasibility of chronic asynchronous ECoG-based BMIs.
On-demand flow regulated routing for ad hoc wireless networks

In this paper, we present an on-demand flow regulated routing algorithm (OFRA) for ad hoc wireless networks. The OFRA consists of two parts: an intermediate node load evaluation process and a routing path selection process. The intermediate node load evaluation process evaluates the load efficiency of the intermediate nodes according to bandwidth, data packets and computing capability. The routing path selection process selects the routing path with lower flow and fewer intermediate nodes. The OFRA can prevent intermediate nodes to be overcrowded and distribute traffic load over routing paths more evenly. The simulation result shows that the percentage of blocked routing paths is reduced and the total flow is more balanced and distributed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Consistency of Developmental Outcomes of 4-H Camp Experiences Over Time and Across Sites

The purpose of the reported trend study was to examine consistency in youth life skill outcomes following exposure to 4-H camp. Parents of campers ages 9 to 13 were randomly sampled in 2001, 2004, and 2007 and asked to report changes in their child’s behavior following camp. Statistical analysis indicates an overall consistency in parent reports of youth life skill development over time. Life skills that showed consistent gains over seven years and across six 4-H educational centers included an enhanced ability for youth to take care of their own things and to share work responsibilities. Multivariate statistics revealed that a standardized instrument used with parents over time can produce valid and reliable results concerning the impact of experiential learning on youth.
Mirror, Mirror on the Screen, What Does All this ASCII Mean?: A Pilot Study of Spontaneous Facial Mirroring of Emotions

Though an ever-increasing mode of communication, computer-mediated communication (CMC) faces challenges in its lack of paralinguistic cues, such as vocal tone and facial expression. Researchers suggest that emoticons fill the gap left by facial expression (Rezabek & Cochenour, 1998; Thompson & Foulger, 1996). The fMRI research of Yuasa, Saito, and Mukawa (2011b), in contrast, finds that viewing ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) emoticons (e.g., :), :( ) does not activate the same parts of the brain as does viewing facial expressions. In the current study, an online survey was conducted to investigate the effects of emoticons on perception of ambiguous sentences and users’ beliefs about the effects of and reasons for emoticon use. In the second stage of the study, eleven undergraduate students participated in an experiment to reveal facial mimicry responses to both faces and emoticons. Overall, the students produced more smiling than frowning gestures. Emoticons were found to elicit facial mimicry to a somewhat lesser degree than photographs of faces, while male and female participants differed in response to both ASCII emoticons and distractor images (photos of non-human, non-facial subjects used to prevent participants from immediately grasping the specific goal of the study). This pilot study suggests that emoticons, though not analogous to faces, affect viewers in ways similar to facial expression whilst also triggering other unique effects.
In Vivo Effect of Pneumonia on Surfactant Disaturated-Phosphatidylcholine Kinetics in Newborn Infants

Background Bacterial pneumonia in newborns often leads to surfactant deficiency or dysfunction, as surfactant is inactivated or its production/turnover impaired. No data are available in vivo in humans on the mechanism of surfactant depletion in neonatal pneumonia. We studied the kinetics of surfactant's major component, disaturated-phosphatidylcholine (DSPC), in neonatal pneumonia, and we compared our findings with those obtained from control newborn lungs. Methods We studied thirty-one term or near-term newborns (gestational age 39.7±1.7 weeks, birth weight 3185±529 g) requiring mechanical ventilation. Fifteen newborns had pneumonia, while 16 newborns were on mechanical ventilation but had no lung disease. Infants received an intratracheal dose of 13C labeled dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine at the study start. We measured the amount and the isotopic enrichment of DSPC-palmitate from serial tracheal aspirates by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively, and we calculated the DSPC half-life (HL) and pool size (PS) from the isotopic enrichment curves of surfactant DSPC-palmitate. Results The mean DSPC amount obtained from all tracheal aspirates did not differ between the two groups. DSPC HL was 12.7 (6.5–20.2) h and 25.6 (17.9–60.6) h in infants with pneumonia compared with control infants (p = 0.003). DSPC PS was 14.1 (6.6–30.9) mg/kg in infants with pneumonia and 34.1 (25.6–65.0) mg/kg in controls, p = 0.042. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, as a marker of lung inflammation, was 1322 (531–2821) mU/ml of Epithelial Lining Fluid (ELF) and 371(174–1080) mU/ml ELF in infants with pneumonia and in controls, p = 0.047. In infants with pneumonia, DSPC PS and HL significantly and inversely correlated with mean Oxygenation Index (OI) during the study (DSPC PS vs. OI R = −0.710, p = 0.004 and HL vs. OI R = −0.525, p = 0.044, respectively). Conclusions We demonstrated for the first time in vivo in humans that DSPC HL and PS were markedly impaired in neonatal pneumonia and that they inversely correlated with the degree of respiratory failure.
On solving optimal control problems for switched hybrid nonlinear systems by strong variations algorithms

This paper focuses on the gain in efficiency that may be obtained when using strong variations-like algorithms to solve optimal control problems for switched hybrid nonlinear systems. After a review of existing algorithms, a simple version of a strong variations algorithm is proposed together with some new convergence results. A key features in the proposed algorithm are : 1) the absence of a priori assumptions on the number of switches. 2) The complexity is independent of the state’s dimension. 3) The algorithm uses a unified approach for both continuous input and discrete switching strategy. Several examples including a system with 8 states and 7 configurations are used to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Identification of Mobile Elements and Pseudogenes in the Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 Genome

ABSTRACT Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is the first of 22 different Shewanella spp. whose genomes have been or are being sequenced and thus serves as the model organism for studying the functional repertoire of the Shewanella genus. The original MR-1 genome annotation revealed a large number of transposase genes and pseudogenes, indicating that many of the genome's functions may be decaying. Comparative analyses of the sequenced Shewanella strains suggest that 209 genes in MR-1 have in-frame stop codons, frameshifts, or interruptions and/or are truncated and that 65 of the original pseudogene predictions were erroneous. Among the decaying functions are that of one of three chemotaxis clusters, type I pilus production, starch utilization, and nitrite respiration. Many of the mutations could be attributed to members of 41 different types of insertion sequence (IS) elements and three types of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements identified here for the first time. The high copy numbers of individual mobile elements (up to 71) are expected to promote large-scale genome recombination events, as evidenced by the displacement of the algA promoter. The ability of MR-1 to acquire foreign genes via reactions catalyzed by both the integron integrase and the ISSod25-encoded integrases is suggested by the presence of attC sites and genes whose sequences are characteristic of other species downstream of each site. This large number of mobile elements and multiple potential sites for integrase-mediated acquisition of foreign DNA indicate that the MR-1 genome is exceptionally dynamic, with many functions and regulatory control points in the process of decay or reinvention.
Ensemble Neural Network Approach for Accurate Load Forecasting in a Power System

Ensemble Neural Network Approach for Accurate Load Forecasting in a Power System The paper presents an improved method for 1-24 hours load forecasting in the power system, integrating and combining different neural forecasting results by an ensemble system. We will integrate the results of partial predictions made by three solutions, out of which one relies on a multilayer perceptron and two others on self-organizing networks of the competitive type. As the expert system we will apply different integration methods: simple averaging, SVD based weighted averaging, principal component analysis and blind source separation. The results of numerical experiments, concerning forecasting the hourly load for the next 24 hours of the Polish power system, will be presented and discussed. We will compare the performance of different ensemble methods on the basis of the mean absolute percentage error, mean squared error and maximum percentage error. They show a significant improvement of the proposed ensemble method in comparison to the individual results of prediction. The comparison of our work with the results of other papers for the same data proves the superiority of our approach.
Seeding Arterial Prostheses with Vascular Endothelium The Nature of the Lining

Arterial prostheses seeded with autogenous vascular endothelium demonstrate a well-organized, cellular, inner lining. To determine the nature of the lining cells, six animals underwent replacement of the infrarenal aorta with Dacron® prostheses. During the preparation of three such grafts, endothelium was scraped from the saphenous vein with a steel wool pledget, suspended in chilled Sack's solution, and mixed with blood used to preclot the graft. This suspension was omitted from the three control grafts. After six weeks, the grafts were removed, rinsed and examined. Fluorescent Factor VIII related antigen (F VIIIRA) strongly stained the lining cells. Silver nitrate Haütchen and electron microscopy preparations revealed a lining pattern characteristic of vascular endothelium. Endothelial cell-specific Weibel-Palade bodies were identified in the lining cell cytoplasm. Masson's trichrome staining revealed a relatively collagen-poor connective tissue within the seeded fabric. Transmission electron microscopy disclosed vascular smooth muscle cells between the seeded graft fabric and the lining cells. Vasa vasorum, arising from the outer capsule, penetrated the fabric to supply the inner capsules of the seeded grafts. It is concluded that the cells lining seeded canine arterial prostheses are true vascular endothelium supported by vascular smooth muscle cells, that the lining contains minimal connective tissue, and that vasa vasorum develop. Unseeded control grafts lacked these features.
Engineering Efficient Planners with SAT

Planning with SAT has long been viewed as a main approach to AI planning. In comparison to other approaches, its high memory requirements have been considered to be a main obstacle to its scalability to large planning problems. Better implementation technology, especially addressing the memory use, together with a shift of understanding about SAT-based planning during the past ten years, enables planners that radically differ from those from the late 1990s. We discuss a SAT-based planning system that implements modern versions of virtually all components of first planners that used SAT, focusing on the new implementation technology for a compact clause representation that is both simpler and more effective than ones proposed earlier. Specifically, the decreased memory requirements enable the use of top-level solution strategies that lift the performance of SAT-based planning to the same level with other search methods.
Partial anterior vs partial posterior fundoplication following transabdominal esophagocardiomyotomy for achalasia of the esophagus: meta-regression of objective postoperative gastroesophageal reflux and dysphagia.

OBJECTIVES To review transabdominal esophagocardiomyotomy (surgical treatment of achalasia) of the esophagus and to compare outcomes of partial anterior vs partial posterior fundoplication. DATA SOURCES An electronic search was conducted among studies published between January 1976 and September 2011 using the keywords achalasia, myotomy, antireflux surgery, and fundoplication. STUDY SELECTION Prospective studies of transabdominal esophagocardiomyotomy were selected. DATA EXTRACTION Outcomes selected were recurrent or persistent postoperative dysphagia and an abnormal 24-hour pH test result. Studies were divided into the following 3 groups: myotomy only, myotomy with anterior fundoplication, and myotomy with posterior fundoplication. Studies were weighted by the number of patients and by the follow-up duration. Event rates were calculated using meta-regression of the log-odds with the inverse variance method. DATA SYNTHESIS Thirty-nine studies with a total of 2998 patients were identified. The odds of postoperative dysphagia were 0.06 (95% CI, 0.03-0.12) for myotomy only, 0.11 (95% CI, 0.09-0.14) for myotomy with anterior fundoplication, and 0.06 (95% CI, 0.04-0.08) for myotomy with posterior fundoplication. The odds of a postoperative abnormal 24-hour pH test result were 0.37 (95% CI, 0.12-1.08) for myotomy only, 0.16 (95% CI, 0.11-0.24) for myotomy with anterior fundoplication, and 0.18 (95% CI, 0.13-0.25) for myotomy with posterior fundoplication. The increased odds of postoperative dysphagia in the group undergoing myotomy with anterior fundoplication compared with the group undergoing myotomy with posterior fundoplication were statistically significant (P < .001). However, the incidence of a postoperative abnormal 24-hour pH test result was statistically similar. CONCLUSION Partial posterior fundoplication when combined with an esophagocardiomyotomy may be associated with significantly lower reintervention rates for postoperative dysphagia, while providing similar reflux control compared with partial anterior fundoplication.