Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical properties of the warped discrete cosine transform cepstrum compared with MFCC

Abstract In this paper, we continue our investigation of the warpeddiscrete cosine transform cepstrum (WDCTC), which wasearlier introduced as a new speech processing feature [1]. Here, we study the statistical properties of the WDCTC andcompare them with the mel-frequency cepstral coefﬁcients(MFCC). We report some interesting properties of the WD-CTC when compared to the MFCC: its statistical distrib-ution is more Gaussian-like with lower variance, it obtainsbettervowel clusterseparability,it formstightervowelclus-ters and generates better codebooks. Further, we employthe WDCTC and MFCC features in a 5-vowel recognitiontask using Vector Quantization (VQ) and 1-Nearest Neigh-bour(1-NN)as classiﬁers. Inourexperiments,the WDCTCconsistently outperforms the MFCC. 1. Introduction We recently introduced the warped discrete cosine trans-form cepstrum (WDCTC) as a new speech processing fea-ture and demonstrated its better performance than the mel-frequency cepstral coefﬁcients (MFCC) in a vowel recog-nition and speaker-identiﬁcation task [1]. The WDCTC hasshown good promise as a speech processing feature and weare encouraged to further investigate the WDCTC featureand its statistical properties.Alargevolumeoftrainingdataisrequiredto buildspea-ker-independentspeechrecognitionsystems. Onetechniqueof reducing the data size is clustering the data and choos-ing a reasonable number of representative feature vectorsto form codebooks [2]. Hence, codebook techniques arevery relevant and practical to speech recognition systems.We form WDCTC and MFCC codebooks using a k-meansclustering algorithm and compare the codebook statisticsfor clean and noisy vowels using the coefﬁcient of varianceand overlap ratio (deﬁned later). Our experiment demon-strates that the WDCTC codebooks represent the underly-ing vowel data better than MFCC.In order to compare the classiﬁcation capability of thefeatures, the WDCTC and MFCC are employed in a 5-vowel recognition task. Vector quantization (VQ) and 1-nearestneighbor(1-NN,[2])are usedas classiﬁersandtheirrecognition performance is reported. We also investigatethe clean and noisy vowel clusters formed by WDCTC andMFCC features and present the average separability of thevowel classes.
Using the Fast Fourier Transform and Monte Carlo Integration for Pricing Options

Two fixed input optical fibers may be aligned with two movable output optical fibers. The two output fibers are moved by exchanging the positions so that either output fiber may be optically aligned with either input fiber. In another optical switch either one of two movable fibers may be optically aligned with either one of two fixed fibers by rotating the movable member. In yet another optical switch a movable fiber may be aligned with one of a number of fixed optical fibers by rotating the movable member using a stepping motor. The angular positions of the fixed fibers are such that the input fiber is optically aligned with any one of the fibers by rotating the input fiber by a number of steps of the stepping motor.
Multichannel audio biofeedback for dynamical coupling between prosthetic hands and their users

Purpose – It is widely agreed that amputees have to rely on visual input to monitor and control the position of the prosthesis while reaching and grasping because of the lack of proprioceptive feedback. Therefore, visual information has been a prerequisite for prosthetic hand biofeedback studies. This is why, the underlying characteristics of other artificial feedback methods used to this day, such as auditive, electro‐tactile, or vibro‐tactile feedback, has not been clearly explored. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether it is possible to use audio feedback alone to convey more than one independent variable (multichannel) simultaneously, without relying on the vision, to improve the learning of a new perceptions, in this case, to learn and understand the artificial proprioception of a prosthetic hand while reaching.Design/methodology/approach – Experiments are conducted to determine whether the audio signals could be used as a multi‐variable dynamical sensory substitution in reaching movements .
Schema integration and query processing for multiple object databases

In a multiple database system, a global schema created by integrating schemas of the component databases provides a uniform interface and high level location transparency for the users to retrieve data. The main problem for constructing a global schema is to resolve conflicts among component schemas. In this paper, we define corresponding assertions for the database administrators to specify the semantic correspondences among component object schemas. Based on these assertions, integration rules are designed, which use a set of primitive integration operators to restructure the component schemas for resolving the conflicts and do the integration. The principle of our integration strategy is to keep the data of component databases retrievable from the global schema without losing information. Moreover, more informative query answers may be derived from the multiple databases due to schema integration. The strategies for processing the global queries are proposed, which use the provided mapping information between global schema and component schemas to decompose the global queries into a set of subqueries. A Flow Control Language is then defined to specify the execution flow of the subqueries as well as the integration of the partial results. Some query optimization techniques are considered in the specification of the execution flow. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Integer sorting on shared-memory vector parallel computers

This paper describes new fast integer sorting methods for single vector and shared-memory parallel vector computers, based on the bucket sort algorithm. Existing vectorization methods for bucket sort have made great efforts to avoid store conflicts of vector scatter operations, and therefore are not so efftcient. The vectorization methods shown in this paper-the retry method, the split vector method and the mask vector method-all actively utilize the nature of the store conflicts to achieve high performance. The parallelization method in this paper uses a feature of shared-memory machines and dynamically changes the partitioning of histogram arrays without any overhead. By combining the retry and the parallelization methods, we got the worlds fastest results for the IS program (Class B) in the NAS Parallel Benchmarks on the NBC $X4. Our methods are also applicable to a wide range of particle simulation programs.
A manifesto for data sharing in social media research

More and more researchers want to share research data collected from social media to allow for reproducibility and comparability of results. With this paper we want to encourage them to pursue this aim -- despite initial obstacles that they may face. Sharing can occur in various, more or less formal ways. We provide background information that allows researchers to make a decision about whether, how and where to share depending on their specific situation (data, platform, targeted user group, research topic etc.). Ethical, legal and methodological considerations are important for making this decision. Based on these three dimensions we develop a framework for social media sharing that can act as a first set of guidelines to help social media researchers make practical decisions for their own projects. In the long run, different stakeholders should join forces to enable better practices for data sharing for social media researchers. This paper is intended as our call to action for the broader research community to advance current practices of data sharing in the future.
A VLSI Architecture for H . 264 / AVC Variable Block Size Motion Estimation

In this paper, we propose an efficient VLSI architecture for variable block size motion estimation (VBSME) in H.264/AVC to reduce the hardware cost and latency. The proposed architecture adopts four modes (8x8, 8x16, 16x8 and 16x16 modes) instead of seven modes for VBSME specified in H.264/AVC. Our architecture significantly reduces the hardware size by reducing (1) the registers and adders in each processing unit, (2) the comparison elements, and (3) the registers used to store the minimum SADs and motion vectors. The experimental result shows that our proposed architecture reduces the hardware size by 44.3% while it also increases the operation clock frequency by 54.9% compared with the best-known architecture. The proposed architecture satisfied the realtime processing requirement of the massive data in high resolution video applications.
Region-based Deployment Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper proposes Region-based Deployment Scheme for wireless sensor networks. Before deployment, we can divide the sensor field into several regions. According to the position of each region relative to the BS and the popular level of each region, we can decide how many sensor nodes should be deployed into each region. Under this scheme, the lifetime of each region can be shown to approximately identical. Experimental results confirm such an observation.
Announced climate policy and the order of resource use: Did Kyoto increase emissions?

A method for the treatment of musculoskeletal injury using low level laser therapy. In one embodiment, a therapist applies pressure adequate to blanch the skin at a treatment point on skin adjacent a site of musculoskeletal injury, and applies laser energy having a wavelength of about 630 nm to about 904 nm, with laser apparatus having a mean power output of about 100 mW to about 500 mW, for a treatment time sufficient to deliver at a laser energy dosage of about 1 joule/point to about 10 joules/point. Treatment times, total dosage, and number of treatment points are determined by the therapist trained in LLLT.
Abstract—multiple Input Multiple Output (mimo) Systems Are

wireless systems with multiple antenna elements at both ends of the link. Wireless communication systems demand high data rate and spectral efficiency with increased reliability. MIMO systems have been popular techniques to achieve these goals because increased data rate is possible through spatial multiplexing scheme and diversity. Spatial Multiplexing (SM) is used to achieve higher possible throughput than diversity. In this paper, we propose a Zero-Forcing (ZF) detection using a combination of Ordered Successive Interference Cancellation (OSIC) and Zero Forcing using Interference Cancellation (ZF-IC). The proposed method used an OSIC based on Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) ordering to get the estimation of last symbol, then the estimated last symbol is considered to be an input to the ZF-IC. We analyze the Bit Error Rate (BER) performance of the proposed MIMO system over Rayleigh Fading Channel, using Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation scheme. The results show better performance than the previous methods.
Automatic 3D segmentation of CT images based on active contour models

Liver segmentation on computed tomography (CT) images is a challenging task due to the anatomic complexity and the imaging system noises. In this paper a complex algorithm based on active contour is proposed to automatically extract the liver region in abdominal CT images. Combined with threshold segmentation, morphology image processing and active contour models, we can automatically extract the initial contour and segment the liver slice by slice, Experimental results show that the proposed method gives automatic and accurate liver structure segmentation.
Subjective Discount Rates, Intergenerational Transfers and the Return to Schooling

Using a dynamic programming model of schooling decisions, we investigate the relationship between subjective discount rates and the labor market ability (the discount rate bias) on a panel taken from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Given household human capital and Armed Forces Qualification test scores (AFQT), subjective discount rates, which vary between 1% and 5% per year, are found to be negatively correlated with labor market ability. The true return to schooling is estimated around 6% per year. Estimates obtained from a model where neither the ability bias nor the discount rate bias are considered, indicate that one percentage point can be imputed to the correlation between discount rates and labor market ability and at least another percentage point can be imputed to the positive correlation between the per-period utility of attending school and labor market ability. The model is used to simulate the effects of an increase in the level of human capital of one generation on both schooling attainments and labor market productivity of the next generation. We find the true intergenerational education correlation to be relatively low; an increase of 1 year in the average level of schooling will raise the level of human capital of the next generation by approximately 0.15 year of schooling and translates into a 1% productivity (wage) growth.
Inclusive special education : the role of special education teachers in Finlandbjsp

This study concentrates on the work of special education teachers in mainstream education in Finland, where these professionals work with children from various classes, usually in a separate room. The research reported in this article by Marjatta Takala of the University of Helsinki, Raija Pirttimaa of the University of Oulu and Minna Törmänen, who is studying for her PhD at the University of Helsinki, involved sending a questionnaire to 133 special education teachers and undertaking observations. The work of the special education teachers was revealed to consist of three elements: teaching, consulting and background work. Teaching, often focusing on giving support to children who had challenges in the main academic subjects, was realised in small groups, in co-operative or individual settings. Consultation mainly concerned co-operation and discussion. Behavioural challenges needed a targeted approach. The main problems experienced by the teachers were the lack of time for consultation and co-operation, an unclear work profile and too much work. The work of special education teachers was partly inclusive, but also entailed segregative elements. The authors discuss the potential for promoting further steps towards inclusion as well as possible changes in organising special educational provision at school level.
Linear index coding and representable discrete polymatroids

Discrete polymatroids are the multi-set analogue of matroids. In this paper, we explore the connections between linear index coding and representable discrete polymatroids. The index coding problem involves a sender which generates a set of messages X = {x1, x2, . xk} and a set of receivers R which demand messages. A receiver R ∈ R is specified by the tuple (x,H) where x ∈ X is the message demanded by R and H ⊆ X \ {x} is the side information possessed by R. It is first shown that a linear solution to an index coding problem exists if and only if there exists a representable discrete polymatroid satisfying certain conditions which are determined by the index coding problem considered. El Rouayheb et. al. showed that the problem of finding a multi-linear representation for a matroid can be reduced to finding a perfect linear index coding solution for an index coding problem obtained from that matroid. Multi-linear representation of a matroid can be viewed as a special case of representation of an appropriate discrete polymatroid. We generalize the result of El Rouayheb et. al. by showing that the problem of finding a representation for a discrete polymatroid can be reduced to finding a perfect linear index coding solution for an index coding problem obtained from that discrete polymatroid.
Automatic design of algorithms for optimization problems

The design of efficient algorithms for difficult combinatorial optimization problems remains a challenging field. Many heuristic, meta-heuristic and hyper-heuristic methods exist. In the specialized literature, it is observed that for some problems, the combined algorithms have better computational performance than individual performance. However, the automatic combination of the existing methods or the automatic design of new algorithms has received less attention in the literature. In this study, a method to automatically design algorithms is put into practice for two optimization problems of recognized computational difficulty: the traveling salesman problem and the automatic clustering problem. The new algorithms are generated by means of genetic programming and are numerically evaluated with sets of typical instances for each problem. From an initial population of randomly generated algorithms, a systematic convergence towards the better algorithms is observed after a few hundred generations. Numerical results obtained from the evaluation of each of the designed algorithms suggest that for each set of instances with similar characteristics, specialized algorithms are required.
Morph Moulder : Graphical Software for Teaching and Visualizing RSRL and Description Logics

The graphical software Morph Moulder (MoMo) presented here was originally created for teaching the logical foundations of Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG) in an e-Learning environment. It has recently been extended to a treatment of Description Logics (DL). With MoMo, students can construct interpretations of sets of formulae and check whether their interpretations model these formulae. MoMo supports reasoning such as the construction of well-formed interpretations in the feature logic of HPSG and the automatic extraction of subsumption
Monitoring enzymatic reactions with in situ sensors

In previous publications and presentations we have described our construction of a laboratory-on-a-chip based on nanoliter capacity wells etched in silicon. We have described methods for dispensing reagents as well as samples, for preventing evaporation, for embedding electronics in each well to measure fluid volume per well in real-time, and for monitoring the production or consumption of NADH in enzyme-catalyzed reactions such as those found in the glycolytic pathway of yeast. In this paper we describe the use of light sensors (photodiodes) in each well to measure both fluorescence (such as that evidenced in NADH) as well as bioluminescence (such as evidenced in ATP assays). We show that our detection limit for NADH fluorescence in 100 μM and for ATP/luciferase bioluminescence is 2.4 μM.
Quantum Circuit Placement

We study the problem of the practical realization of an abstract quantum circuit when executed on a quantum hardware. By practical, we mean adapting the circuit to particulars of the physical environment which restricts/complicates the establishment of certain direct interactions between qubits. This is a quantum version of the classical circuit placement problem. We study the theoretical aspects of the problem and also present empirical results that match the best known solutions that have been developed by experimentalists. Finally, we discuss the efficiency of the approach and the scalability of its implementation with regard to the future development of quantum hardware.
A review of e-service quality dimensions in user satisfaction

Quality of e-service is one of the significant factors that play a major role in the success or failure of online organizations. It enhances the competitive advantages of online organization; in addition, it improves the relationships with clients and increases their satisfactions. Measuring online service quality becomes industry or context dependent in which, it may increase the difficulties to constitute a global measure. This paper reviews e-service quality literature in Malaysian educational institutions because it is of great importance in attracting and retaining tuition-based returns for education in Malaysia, which has become an increasingly competitive business.
CodeGenie: using test-cases to search and reuse source code

We present CodeGenie, a tool that implements a test-driven approachto search and reuse of code available on large-scale coderepositories. While using CodeGenie developers design test cases fora desired feature first, similar to Test-driven Development (TDD). However, instead of implementing the feature as in TDD, CodeGenieautomatically searches for it based on information available in thetests. To check the suitability of the candidate results in thelocal context, each result is automatically woven into thedeveloper's project and tested using the original tests. Thedeveloper can then reuse the most suitable result. Later, reusedcode can also be unwoven from the project as wished. For the codesearching and wrapping facilities, CodeGenie relies on Sourcerer, anInternet-scale source code infrastructure that we have developed
Scalability in Distributed Multi-Agent Based Simulations: The JADE Case

Agent platforms provide a framework for development and execution of parallel applications such as multi-agent based simulation (MABS). However, these platforms have limitations to support large-scale MABS applications in practice. This paper aims at investigating and improving the performance of an agent platform with a MABS workload in distributed environments. We carried out an experimental study with the JADE framework as our agent platform. The experiments show the performance characteristics of the workload and that JADE does not scale well due to message transport and agent directory service limitations. We propose solutions to overcome these performance bottlenecks and facilitate the efficient execution of MABS in a distributed environment. Initial experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approaches.
The expressiveness of CSP extended by priority ( draft )

In previous work [27, 26] the author defined a notion of CSP-like operational semantics whose main restrictions were the automatic promotion of most τ actions, no cloning of running processes, and no negative premises in operational semantic rules. He showed that every operator with such an operational semantics can be translated into CSP and therefore has a semantics in every model of CSP. In this paper we demonstrate that a similar result holds for CSP extended by the priority operator described in Chapter 20 of [26], with the restriction on negative premises almost completely removed. However, since priority is not compositional in most CSP models, the range of such models that support operators with negative premises is limited.