Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A reliable technique for detecting the second subglottal resonance and its use in cross-language speaker adaptation

In previous work [1], we proposed a speaker adaptation technique based on the second subglottal resonance (Sg2), which showed good performance relative to vocal tract length normalization (VTLN). In this paper, we propose a more reliable algorithm for automatically estimating Sg2 from speech signals. The algorithm is calibrated on children’s speech data collected simultaneously with accelerometer recordings from which Sg2 frequencies can be directly measured. To investigate whether Sg2 frequencies are independent of speech content and language, we perform a cross-language study with bilingual Spanish-English children. The study verifies that Sg2 is approximately constant for a given speaker and thus can be a good candidate for limited data speaker normalization and cross-language adaptation. We then present a cross-language speaker normalization method based on Sg2, which is computationally more efficient than maximum-likelihood based VTLN, and performs more robustly than VTLN.
Evaluation of Dietary Effects on Hepatic Lipids in High Fat and Placebo Diet Fed Rats by In Vivo MRS and LC-MS Techniques

Background & Aims Dietary saturated fatty acids contribute to the development of fatty liver and have pathogenic link to systemic inflammation. We investigated the effects of dietary fat towards the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by longitudinal in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and in vitro liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Methods All measurements were performed on rats fed with high fat diet (HFD) and chow diet for twenty four weeks. Longitudinal MRS measurements were performed at the 12th, 18th and 24th weeks. Liver tissues were analyzed by LC-MS, histology and gene transcription studies after terminal in vivo experiments. Results Liver fat content of HFD rats for all ages was significantly (P<0.05) higher compared to their respective chow diet fed rats. Unsaturation indices estimated from MRS and LC-MS data of chow diet fed rats were significantly higher (P<0.05) than HFD fed rats. The concentration of triglycerides 48∶1, 48∶2, 50∶1, 50∶2, 50∶3, 52∶1, 52∶2, 52∶3, 54∶3 and 54∶2 was significantly higher (P<0.05) in HFD rats. The concentration for some polyunsaturated triglycerides 54∶7, 56∶8, 56∶7, 58∶11, 58∶10, 58∶9, 58∶8 and 60∶10 was significantly higher (P<0.05) in chow diet fed rats compared to HFD rats. Lysophospholipid concentrations including LPC and LPE were higher in HFD rats at 24 weeks indicating the increased risk of diabetes. The expression of CD36, PPARα, SCD1, SREBF1 and UCP2 were significantly upregulated in HFD rats. Conclusions We demonstrated the early changes in saturated and unsaturated lipid composition in fatty liver by in vivo MRS and ex vivo LC-MS. The higher LPC concentration in HFD rats indicated a higher risk of developing diabetes. Early metabolic perturbations causing changes in lipid composition can be evaluated by the unsaturation index and correlated to the non alcoholic fatty liver disease.
An Improved DBF Processor with a Large Receiving Antenna for Echoes Separation in Spaceborne SAR

Digital beamforming (DBF) on receive in elevation with a large receiving antenna will be widely adopted in future spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions to improve system performances. Furthermore, DBF can be used to separate echoes corresponding to different sub-pulses in some novel spaceborne SAR imaging modes. This paper proposes an improved DBF processor with a large receiving antenna for separating echoes. The proposed DBF processor includes three important parts: multiples sharp receiving beam generation, range compression and null steering. Compared with the conventional DBF processor in spaceborne SAR, the proposed DBF processor can separate echoes with better performances. Simulation results on point targets demonstrate validity of the proposed DBF processor.
Acetabular Morphology in Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis

Background Children with unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) often appear to have overcoverage of their contralateral (normal) side. This increased coverage can be a contributing factor to femoroacetabular impingement. The purpose of this study was to quantify the coverage of the normal hip in patients with unilateral SCFE and to compare our results to matched controls. Methods Between 2003 and 2008, we identified 50 patients treated for unilateral, stable SCFE by in-situ screw fixation. Using postoperative anteroposterior and frog radiographs of the pelvis, the lateral center-edge angle (LCEA) and Tönnis angle (TA) were measured on the uninvolved side. Pelvic tilt was evaluated to ensure the quality of the radiographs, and in those patients with appropriate films, the presence or absence of a posterior wall sign and cross-over sign was noted. Results were compared with 50 age and sex-matched controls. Control data was generated from scout views of otherwise healthy patients who underwent an abdominal computed tomography scan to rule out acute appendicitis. Results The mean LCEA and TA of the contralateral acetabulum were 33 and 5 degrees, respectively (range: 18 to 47; −7 to 13). Seventy-eight percent had a positive cross-over sign and 39% had a posterior wall sign. In comparison, the mean LCEA and TA in our control group were 20 and 8 degrees, respectively (range: 8 to 35; −6 to 23). In this group, 21% had a positive cross-over sign whereas 15% had a positive posterior wall sign. We found a significantly higher LCEA and lower TA in the study population compared with controls (P=1.6E-16, 0.0003), as well as a higher prevalence of retroversion signs (P=5E-7, 0.02). Conclusions The contralateral acetabulum in patients with treated unilateral SCFE demonstrates significantly more coverage compared with matched controls. In addition, there is a significantly higher prevalence of acetabular retroversion in these patients. Our findings should alert caregivers to the potential of developing femoroacetabular impingement on the contralateral side in patients who have had a unilateral SCFE. Levels of Evidence III (retrospective case-control).
Group, field and isolated early-type galaxies – II. Global trends from nuclear data

We have derived ages, metallicities and enhanced-element ratios [α/Fe] for a sample of 83 early-type galaxies essentially in groups, the field or isolated objects. The stellar-population properties derived for each galaxy correspond to the nuclear re/8 aperture extraction. The median age found for Es is 5.8±0.6 Gyr and the average metallicity is +0.37±0.03 dex. For S0s, the median age is 3.0±0.6 Gyr and [Z/H] = 0.53±0.04 dex. We compare the distribution of our galaxies in the Hβ-[MgFe] diagram with Fornax galaxies. Our elliptical galaxies are 3‐4 Gyr younger than Es in the Fornax cluster. We find that the galaxies lie in a plane defined by [Z/H] = 0.99 log σ 0 − 0.46 log(age) − 1.60, or in linear terms Z ∝ σ 0 × (age) −0.5 . More massive (larger σ 0) and older galaxies present, on average, large [α/Fe] values, and therefore must have undergone shorter star-formation time-scales. Comparing group against field/isolated galaxies, it is not clear that environment plays an important role in determining their stellar-population history. In particular, our isolated galaxies show ages differing by more than 8 Gyr. Finally we explore our large spectral coverage to derive log (O/H) metallicity from the Hα and N II λ6584 and compare it with model-dependent [Z/H]. We find that the O/H abundances are similar for all galaxies, and we can interpret it as if most chemical evolution has already finished in these galaxies. Ke yw ords: galaxies: abundances ‐ galaxies: elliptical and lenticular, cD ‐ galaxies: evolution ‐g alaxies: nuclei ‐ galaxies: stellar content.
OLTAGE C ONTROL S CHEMES IN F INFETS

Conventionally polysilicon is used in MOSFETs for gate material. Doping of polysilicon and thus changing the workfunction is carried out to change the threshold voltage. Additionally polysilicon is not favourable as gate material for smaller dimensional devices because of its high thermal budget process and degradation due to the depletion of the doped polysilicon, thus metal gate is preferred over polysilicon. Control of workfunction in metal gate is a challenging task. The use of metal alloys as gate materials for variable gate workfunction has been already reported in literature. In this work various threshold voltage techniques has been analyzed and a novel aligned dual metal gate technique is proposed for threshold voltage control in FinFETs.
Geometry-aware stationary subspace analysis

In many real-world applications data exhibits non-stationarity, i.e., its distribution changes over time. One approach to handling non-stationarity is to remove or minimize it before attempting to analyze the data. In the context of brain computer interface (BCI) data analysis this is sometimes achieved using stationary subspace analysis (SSA). The classic SSA method finds a matrix that projects the data onto a stationary subspace by optimizing a cost function based on a matrix divergence. In this work we present an alternative method for SSA based on a symmetrized version of this matrix divergence. We show that this frames the problem in terms of distances between symmetric positive definite (SPD) matrices, suggesting a geometric interpretation of the problem. Stemming from this geometric viewpoint, we introduce and analyze a method which utilizes the geometry of the SPD matrix manifold and the invariance properties of its metrics. Most notably we show that these invariances alleviate the need to whiten the input matrices, a common step in many SSA methods which often introduces error. We demonstrate the usefulness of our technique in experiments on both synthetic and real-world data.
Arabidopsis thaliana Contains Both Ni2+ and Zn2+ Dependent Glyoxalase I Enzymes and Ectopic Expression of the Latter Contributes More towards Abiotic Stress Tolerance in E. coli

The glyoxalase pathway is ubiquitously found in all the organisms ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. It acts as a major pathway for detoxification of methylglyoxal (MG), which deleteriously affects the biological system in stress conditions. The first important enzyme of this system is Glyoxalase I (GLYI). It is a metalloenzyme which requires divalent metal ions for its activity. This divalent metal ion can be either Zn2+ as found in most of eukaryotes or Ni2+ as seen in prokaryotes. In the present study, we have found three active GLYI enzymes (AtGLYI2, AtGLYI3 and AtGLYI6) belonging to different metal activation classes coexisting in Arabidopsis thaliana. These enzymes have been found to efficiently complement the GLYI yeast mutants. These three enzymes have been characterized in terms of their activity, metal dependency, kinetic parameters and their role in conferring tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses in E. coli and yeast. AtGLYI2 was found to be Zn2+ dependent whereas AtGLYI3 and AtGLYI6 were Ni2+ dependent. Enzyme activity of Zn2+ dependent enzyme, AtGLYI2, was observed to be exceptionally high (~250–670 fold) as compared to Ni2+ dependent enzymes, AtGLYI3 and AtGLYI6. The activity of these GLYI enzymes correlated well to their role in stress tolerance. Heterologous expression of these enzymes in E. coli led to better tolerance against various stress conditions. This is the first report of a higher eukaryotic species having multiple active GLYI enzymes belonging to different metal activation classes.
Predicting the Impact of Heterogeneity on Unmanned-Vehicle Team Performance

Several recent studies have addressed the possible impact of using highly autonomous platforms to invert today's multiple-operators-per-single-unmanned-vehicle control paradigm. These studies, however, have generally focused on homogeneous vehicle teams and have not addressed the potential effects of vehicle, capability, or mission type heterogeneity on operator control capacity. Important implications of heterogeneous unmanned teams include increases in the diversity of potential team configurations, as well as the diversity of possible attention allocation strategies that may be utilized by operators in managing a given vehicle team. This paper presents preliminary findings from a modeling and simulation effort exploring the impact of heterogeneity on the supervisory control of unmanned vehicle teams. Results from a discrete event simulation study suggest that performance costs of team heterogeneity are highly dependent on resultant changes in operator utilization. Heterogeneous teams that result in lower overall operator utilization may lead to improved performance under certain operator control strategies.
Intergenerational transmission of parenting: findings from a UK longitudinal study

Background: The quality of parenting is associated with a wide range of child and adult outcomes, and there is evidence to suggest that some aspects of parenting show patterns of intergenerational transmission. This study aimed to determine whether such intergenerational transmission occurs in mothers and fathers in a UK birth cohort. Methods: The study sample consisted of 146 mothers and 146 fathers who were recruited from maternity wards in England and followed up for 24 months [‘Generation 2’ (G2)]. Perceptions of their own parenting [by ‘Generation1’ (G1)] were assessed from G2 parents at 12 months using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). G2 parents were filmed interacting with their ‘Generation 3’ (G3) children at 24 months. Results: We found that G1 mothers’ ‘affection’ was associated with positive parenting behaviour in the G2 fathers (‘positive responsiveness’ β = 0.19, P = 0.04 and ‘cognitive stimulation’ β = 0.26, P < 0.01). G1 mothers’ ‘control’ was associated with negative parenting behaviour in G2 mothers (decreased ‘engagement’ β = −0.19, P = 0.04), and negative parenting behaviour in G2 fathers (increased ‘control’ β = 0.18, P = 0.05). None of the G1 fathers’ parenting variables were significantly associated with G2 parenting. Conclusions: There is evidence of intergenerational transmission of parenting behaviour in this highly educated UK cohort, with reported parenting of grandmothers associated with observed parenting in both mothers and fathers. No association was seen with reported parenting of grandfathers. This raises the possibility that parenting interventions may have benefits that are realised across generations.
Abdelazim and Shikanova suggested protocol of Ain Shams and West Kazakhstan Universities for management of delayed-interval delivery of the second twin: Case report

Background: The incidence of multiple gestations increased after the assisted reproductive techniques. Preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes are the most common complications of multiple gestations. Traditionally, if one fetus is delivered preterm in twin pregnancies, the situation is managed by delivery of the second fetus. Recently, there are reported cases of delayed-interval delivery (DID) of the second twin, with good outcome without established protocol for management of such cases. This report presents the protocol suggested by Abdelazim and Shikanova for the management of DID of the remaining second twin. Conclusion: The birth weight and the survival rate increased after Abdelazim and Shikanova suggested protocol for management of DID of the remaining second twin without any maternal risks or complications. DID should be done in tertiary centers after informing the parents about the possible risks of keeping the live second twin in the hostile intrauterine environment.
Multipath Routing Protocol for Reducing Congestion and Delay in MANET

In this paper, a congestion aware multipath routing protocol in mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) is proposed. The paths which have better bandwidth will be initially selected. For selected paths, first the congestion status of the node is found by using the early congestion detection technique which is based on the queue status and data arrival rate of the nodes. The delay includes weighted channel delay and buffer queuing delay. The paths which have better bandwidth will be initially selected. If the congestion status is lower than the threshold value, the packets are sent direcrly through the path. If it is more than the threshold value, a congestion aware routing is initiated. In this congestion aware routing, routes having less end-to-end delay will be selected from the backup routes, so that they have low congestion. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol reduces the end-to-end delay and increases the packet delivery ratio.
Multi-stage genetic fuzzy systems based on the iterative rule learning approach

Genetic algorithms (GAs) represent a class of adaptive search techniques inspired by natural evolution mechanisms. The search properties of GAs make them suitable to be used in machine learning processes and for developing fuzzy systems, the so-called genetic fuzzy systems (GFSs). In this contribution, we discuss genetics-based machine learning processes presenting the iterative rule learning approach, and a special kind of GFS, a multi-stage GFS based on the iterative rule learning approach, by learning from examples.
Demonstrating Pronto: a Non-Monotonic Probabilistic OWL Reasoner (Demo Description)

The demonstration presents Pronto a prototype of a nonmonotonic probabilistic reasoner for very expressive Description Logics. Pronto is built on top of the OWL DL reasoner Pellet, and is capable of performing default probabilistic reasoning in the Semantic Web. It can handle uncertainty in terminological and assertional DL axioms. The demonstration covers Pronto’s features and capabilities as well as current challenges and limitations. It describes how an involved realistic problem of breast cancer risk assessment can be formalized in terms of probabilistic reasoning in Pronto.
Sexual intercourse, abuse and pregnancy among adolescent women: does sexual orientation make a difference?

CONTEXT Although a limited amount of research has retrospectively explored the childhood and adolescent heterosexual experiences of lesbians, little is known about the prevalence of heterosexual behavior and related risk factors or about pregnancy histories among lesbian and bisexual teenagers. METHODS A secondary analysis was conducted using responses from a subsample of 3,816 students who completed the 1987 Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey. Behaviors, risk factors and pregnancy histories were compared among adolescents who identified themselves as lesbian or bisexual, as unsure of their sexual orientation and as heterosexual. RESULTS Overall, bisexual or lesbian respondents were about as likely as heterosexual women ever to have had intercourse (33% and 29%, respectively), but they had a significantly higher prevalence of pregnancy (12%) and physical or sexual abuse (19-22%) than heterosexual or unsure adolescents. Among sexually experienced respondents, bisexual or lesbian and heterosexual women reported greater use of ineffective contraceptives (12-15% of those who used a method) than unsure adolescents (9%); bisexual or lesbian respondents were the most likely to have frequent intercourse (22%, compared with 15-17% of the other groups). In the sample overall, among those who were sexually experienced and among those who had ever been pregnant, bisexual or lesbian women were the most likely to have engaged in prostitution during the previous year. CONCLUSIONS Providers of reproductive health care and family planning services should not assume that pregnant teenagers are heterosexual or that adolescents who say they are bisexual, lesbian or unsure of their sexual orientation are not in need of family planning counseling. Further research should explore the interactions between adolescent sexual identity development and sexual risk behaviors.
Interaction Diversity Maintains Resiliency in a Frequently Disturbed Ecosystem

Frequently disturbed ecosystems are characterized by resilience to ecological disturbances. Longleaf pine ecosystems are not only resilient to frequent fire disturbance, but this feature sustains biodiversity. We examined how fire frequency maintains beta diversity of multi-trophic interactions in longleaf pine ecosystems, as this community property provides a measure of functional redundancy of an ecosystem. We found that beta interaction diversity at small local scales is highest in the most frequently burned stands, conferring immediate resiliency to disturbance by fire. Interactions become more specialized and less resilient as fire frequency decreases. Local scale patterns of interaction diversity contribute to broader scale patterns and confer long-term ecosystem resiliency. Such natural disturbances are likely to be important for maintaining regional diversity of interactions for a broad range of ecosystems.
Detection of First-Line Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Mutations by Allele-Specific Primer Extension on a Microsphere-Based Platform

Background Resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs is almost exclusively due to spontaneous chromosomal mutations in target genes. Rapid detection of drug resistance to both first- and second-line anti-TB drugs has become a key component of TB control programs. Technologies that allow rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput detection of specific nucleic acid sequences are needed. This study was to develop a high-throughput assay based on allele-specific primer extension (ASPE) and MagPlex-TAG microspheres to detect anti-TB drug resistance mutations. Methods DNA samples from 357 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates and H37Rv were amplified by multiplex PCR using four primer sets, followed by multiplex ASPE using 23 TAG-ASPE primers. The products were sorted on the TAG-ASPE array and detected by using the Luminex xMAP system. Genotypes were also determined by sequencing. Results Genetic drug susceptibility typing by the TAG-ASPE method was 100% concordant with those obtained by sequencing. Compared with phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) as a reference method, the sensitivity and specificity of the TAG-ASPE method were 83% (95% confidence interval [CI], 79-88%) and 97% (95% CI, 90-100%) for isoniazid. For rifampin testing, the sensitivity and specificity were 90% (95% CI, 86-93%) and 100% (95% CI, 99-100%). Also, the sensitivity and specificity were 58% (95% CI, 51-65%) and 86% (95% CI, 79-93%) for ethambutol. Conclusions This study demonstrated the TAG-ASPE method is suitable for highly reproducible, cost-effective, and high-throughput clinical genotyping applications.