Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Teager Energy Based-Detection of One-point and Two-point Replay Attacks: Towards Cross-Database Generalization

Generalization of countermeasure (CM) systems is crucial for voice anti-spoofing in real-world scenarios. To that effect, in this paper, an attempt is made towards the generalization of CM system through the cross-database evaluation between the standard statistically meaningful corpora, namely, ASVSpoof 2017 V2.0, ASVSpoof 2019, and Voice Spoofing Detection Corpus (VSDC). To the best of authors’ knowledge, VSDC is the only dataset that which contains both One-Point Replay (1PR) and Two-Point Replay (2PR) utterances. Furthermore, we have investigated the effect of reverberation and noise suppression capabilities of TEO on the different types of replay signals, i.e., 1PR and 2PR signals. To that effect, we have compared performance of different variants of TECC w.r. t frequency scale (i.e., Linear, Mel, and Inv-Mel) w.r. t state-of-the-art features, such as MFCC, CQCC, LFCC. TECC is found to outperform the rest of the features and thus, validating our hypothesis of capturing reverberation more efficiently via TECC. TECC (Mel) gave % EER of 31.65% and 31.96% with training on ASVSpoof 2017 and testing on 0PR-1PR and 0PR-2PR VSDC, respectively. Further, % EER for TECC (Linear) with training on VSDC and testing on ASVSpoof 2017 for development and evaluation sets are 20.01% and 27.63%, respectively. Finally, the analysis of latency period is presented where TECC gave the optimal performance, indicating the potential for practical Spoofed Speech Detection (SSD) system development.
Attitudes of Polish adolescents towards energy drinks. Part 1. Development, validation and reliability testing of a scale to identify attitudes towards energy drinks

Introduction. Attitudes towards food are one of the most important but often underestimated factors related to food consumption. In recent years, researchers have pointed to the growing popularity of energy drinks (EDs) among adolescents and emphasized health risks posed by energy drink (ED) consumption. A substantive and research gap has been found in the subject of identifying attitudes towards EDs. Objective. The aim of the study was to develop and validate a scale to identify adolescents’ attitudes towards EDs, and to examine this scale in terms of reliability. Materials and method. The scale was validated, including content validation, response process validation and statistical validation. Experts in identifying attitudes towards food participated in the content validation procedure. Response process validation was conducted in a pre-test sample of adolescents aged 13–19 years, while statistical validation was performed based on results obtained in a pilot study. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha. Results. At the beginning, the scale consisted of 28 statements. Performing content validation resulted in the elimination of 2 items from the scale. The last step of the procedure, reliability testing, was connected with removing another 5 statements from the scale. A final version of the scale to identify adolescents’ attitudes towards EDs consisted of 21 statements. Cronbach’s alpha of the scale was 0.856, indicating high reliability of this scale. Conclusions. The constructed scale is valid, reliable and therefore can be used as a research instrument in the identification of adolescents’ attitudes towards EDs, and also in investigating associations between these attitudes and behaviours related
Mixed ration silage containing sugarcane and babassu byproducts as a nutritional alternative for livestock

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the ensiling fermentation profile, chemical composition, and in-situ degradability of mixed ration silages combining babassu by-products as a nutritional alternative for livestock. A completely randomised design was used, with four treatments (silages) and five replications (silos), which were composed of: Sugarcane silage, SS (control); sugarcane silage with corn and soybean meal (standard diet, MRSS); sugarcane silage with corn, soybean meal, and babassu flour, MRSF; and sugarcane silage with corn, soybean meal, and babassu cake, MRSC. The highest values (p < 0.05) of dry matter recovery (DMR) were for the MRSS, MRSF, and MRSC treatments, which also had higher dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and non-fibrous carbohydrate contents (NFC), compared to SC treatment, which showed the highest levels of neutral detergent fibre corrected for ash and protein (NDFap), acid detergent fibre (ADF), lignin (LIG), and ethanol. The MRSS, MRSF, and MRSC treatments exhibited higher potential degradability (PD) and effective degradability (ED) of DM and CP; and higher (P < 0.05) degradability of DM and CP compared to SS treatment. The inclusion of babassu concentrate and by-products in sugarcane silages in the form of total ration acted positively in the qualitative indicators of the silages.
Domain Adaptation in Automatic Picking of Phase Velocity Dispersions Based on Deep Learning

Ambient seismic noise tomography has been applied to probe the Earth's structure. To accurately map geological structures, a considerable amount of time is required to pick fundamental and higher modes of dispersion curves. We used frequency‐Bessel (F‐J) transform to calculate phase velocity‐frequency diagrams to obtain more higher modes of dispersion curves from the cross‐correlation function. Several studies have recently focused on picking dispersions automatically using deep learning to reduce time consumption. However, the generalization of neural networks has a degradation for untrained diagrams to some degree. Here, based on domain adaptation in computer vision, we used gamma transform to change the image contrast of the phase velocity‐frequency diagrams, rendering the test data closer to the training data. Introducing domain adaptation into the dispersion region extraction effectively improves the generalization of the neural network. Here, the dispersion regions are the regions in the phase velocity‐frequency diagram located around the dispersion curves where the energy is above a given threshold. We validated our method by using phase velocity‐frequency diagrams from different areas. We used one synthetic phase velocity‐frequency diagram and three phase velocity‐frequency diagrams of different areas to test domain adaptation. In particular, we tested one phase velocity‐frequency diagram that belongs to the same area for the training diagram, except for the processing steps. The results showed that our domain adaptation method successfully enhanced the generalization of the neural network. After domain adaptation, our trained network could effectively extract more higher modes of dispersion regions than before. Our dispersion curves picking method combined with domain adaptation can pick sufficient dispersion information for numerous phase velocity‐frequency diagrams. Furthermore, our method can facilitate the study of ambient noise tomography and illumination of the Earth's interiors. Our research provides a strategy for enhancing the generalization of neural networks for other deep learning‐based geophysical image segmentation tasks.
Antennal Transcriptome Analysis and Identification of Olfactory Genes in Glenea cantor Fabricius (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae)

Simple Summary In this study, we conducted antennal transcriptome analysis in Glenea cantor (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) and identified 76 olfactory-related genes, including 29 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), 14 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 13 odorant receptors (ORs), 18 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and 2 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). We also verified the reliability of transcriptome differential genes by qRT-PCR, which indicated the reliability of the transcriptome. Based on the relative expression of 30 d adults, GcanOBP22 and GcanOBP25 were highly expressed not only in the antennae, but also in the wings and legs. In addition, GcanCSP4 was the highest expression on the female antennae at 12 d. These findings laid the foundation for further research on the mechanism of G. cantor olfactory mechanism at the molecular level. Abstract Glenea cantor Fabricius (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) is a pest that devastates urban landscapes and causes ecological loss in southern China and Southeast Asian countries where its main host kapok trees are planted. The olfactory system plays a vital role in mating, foraging, and spawning in G. cantor as an ideal target for pest control. However, the olfactory mechanism of G. cantor is poorly understood at the molecular level. In this study, we first established the antennal transcriptome of G. cantor and identified 76 olfactory-related genes, including 29 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), 14 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 13 odorant receptors (ORs), 18 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and 2 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). Furthermore, the phylogenetic trees of olfactory genes were constructed to study the homology with other species of insects. We also verified the reliability of transcriptome differential genes by qRT-PCR, which indicated the reliability of the transcriptome. Based on the relative expression of 30 d adults, GcanOBP22 and GcanOBP25 were highly expressed not only in the antennae, but also in the wings and legs. In addition, GcanCSP4 was the highest expression on the female antennae at 12 d. These findings laid the foundation for further research on the mechanism of G. cantor olfactory mechanism at the molecular level.
A path inte-gral approach to white matter tractography

Introduction The so-called white matter tractography problem of finding the white matter anatomic pathways from diffusion MR.I has generated a fair share of interest recently due to the promise the approach holds for providing models of anatomic connectivity. The most popular solution to the tractography problem is the principal eigenvector streamline method which, motivated by the heuristic notion that the fiber paths should follow the direction of maximal diffusion, simply integrates over the diffusion tensor principal eigenvector field (l-3). The streamline solutions tend to suffer, however, from numerous practical weaknesses including high noise sensitivity and dependence on the particular choice of interpolation scheme. More fundamentally, the streamline approach lacks an explicit mechanical picture of the tracts; cannot handle distributed fiber orientations; does not allow for interactions between tracts; and, perhaps most significantly, is not amenable to probabilistic interpretations of the tract solutions. Prompted by the above concerns, it is reasonable to ask: How do the tract solutions behave in the presence of fiber crossing, divergence, twist, etc.? How sensitive is the solution to the true mechanical properties of white matter? What is the mechanical influence of other tracts on the tract of interest? What is the probability associated with a particular tract solution? Here, we show how the above concerns can be addressed through a path integral approach.
A non-linear radio pulsar emission mechanism

Un mecanisme coherent d'emission des pulsars, base sur l'hypothese qu'un tel processus resulte du developpement d'une instabilite a doubles faisceaux dans la magnetosphere de l'etoile a neutron, est developpe. Une description de la structure heterogene fine de la zone d'emission radio est realisee pour le stade non-lineaire de l'instabilite. Le rayonnement des inhomogeneites est estime.
Mapping of the sGC Stimulator BAY 41-2272 Binding Site on H-NOX Domain and Its Regulation by the Redox State of the Heme

Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is the main receptor of nitric oxide (NO) and by converting GTP to cGMP regulates numerous biological processes. The β1 subunit of the most abundant, α1β1 heterodimer, harbors an N-terminal domain called H-NOX, responsible for heme and NO binding and thus sGC activation. Dysfunction of the NO/sGC/cGMP axis is causally associated with pathological states such as heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. Enhancement of sGC enzymatic function can be effected by a class of drugs called sGC “stimulators,” which depend on reduced heme and synergize with low NO concentrations. Until recently, our knowledge about the binding mode of stimulators relied on low resolution cryo-EM structures of human sGC in complex with known stimulators, while information about the mode of synergy with NO is still limited. Herein, we couple NMR spectroscopy using the H-NOX domain of the Nostoc sp. cyanobacterium with cGMP determinations in aortic smooth muscle cells (A7r5) to study the impact of the redox state of the heme on the binding of the sGC stimulator BAY 41-2272 to the Ns H-NOX domain and on the catalytic function of the sGC. BAY 41-2272 binds on the surface of H-NOX with low affinity and this binding is enhanced by low NO concentrations. Subsequent titration of the heme oxidant ODQ, fails to modify the conformation of H-NOX or elicit loss of the heme, despite its oxidation. Treatment of A7r5 cells with ODQ following the addition of BAY 41-2272 and an NO donor can still inhibit cGMP synthesis. Overall, we describe an analysis in real time of the interaction of the sGC stimulator, BAY 41-2272, with the Ns H-NOX, map the amino acids that mediate this interaction and provide evidence to explain the characteristic synergy of BAY 41-2272 with NO. We also propose that ODQ can still oxidize the heme in the H-NOX/NO complex and inhibit sGC activity, even though the heme remains associated with H-NOX. These data provide a more-in-depth understanding of the molecular mode of action of sGC stimulators and can lead to an optimized design and development of novel sGC agonists.
A stable self-structuring adaptive fuzzy control scheme for continuous single-input single-output nonlinear systems

Adaptive fuzzy control has been an active research area in the past decade. Fundamental issues such as stability, robustness, and performance analysis have been solved. However, one main drawback is the generally fixed structure of the fuzzy controllers, which are normally chosen by trial-and-error in practice. Few attempts to develop self-structuring AFC have been reported, and important issues such as stability, computational efficiency, and implementability have not been investigated thoroughly. In particular, the stability of the system when the structure changes has not been proven. Thus, a more effective self-structuring AFC scheme is desirable. The main objective of the research is to develop a stable self-structuring AFC scheme for continuous-time single-input-single-output (SISO) uncertain nonlinear systems. A novel online self-structuring adaptive fuzzy control scheme that is applicable for a number of classes of continuous SISO nonlinear systems is proposed. The applicable classes include affine nonlinear systems, non-affine nonlinear systems, and nonlinear systems in triangular forms. The main features of the proposed control scheme are: • It needs less restriction on the controlled plants and no restriction on the design parameters. • It employs a modified adaptive law that guarantees explicit boundedness of adaptive parameters and control action. • The self-structuring algorithm is relatively simple and guarantees explicit boundedness of the number of rules generated. • Only triangular membership functions are generated and only 2 membership functions are allowed to overlap to increase the interpretability of generated fuzzy controllers. • High-gain observers are used when not all the states are measurable and the design of observers is completely separated from the design of controllers. • For nonlinear systems in triangular forms, only one fuzzy system is needed (unlike the back-stepping approach where one fuzzy system is needed at each step). • An approximation error estimator and an automatic switching mechanism can be used to further increase the robustness and computational efficiency. The stability of the overall system, especially when the structure changes, is guaranteed using the Lyapunov stability technique. The overall system is stable in the sense that all the variables are bounded (including number of rules generated) and the tracking error is uniformly ultimately bounded. The proposed control algorithms are implemented in Matlab and Simulink for ease of simulation and practical application. Numerous simulation examples are performed to demonstrate the theoretical results. The proposed control scheme makes practical application of AFC easier. Designers need to specify only a few design parameters and no longer have to specify the controller structure by trial and error. A simulation or application can be quickly and easily implemented using the developed controllers in Simulink.
Assessment of Knowledge and Practice to Control Nosocomial Infection, Among the Staff Nurses, Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital, Bhubaneswar

Background: A nosocomial infection is that which is acquired in a hospital or other health care agency upto 48 hours after hospital admission, upto 3 days after discharge, upto 30 days after an operation or was admitted to hospital for other reasons other than the infection. Nurses have the major role to prevent the hospital acquired infection. Appropriate knowledge and practice in preventing nosocomial infection is important in their in their day to day patient care. Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice to control nosocomial infection & also to find out the association between knowledge and practice to control nosocomial infection with the selected demographic variables. Material & Methods: The study was conducted in different wards of Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital, BBSR. The sample size was 122 and the universal sampling technique was used. After obtaining written informed consent from the study participants, data was collected using two standardized tool. Knowledge was assessed by a scoring key and practice was assessed by likert scale. The association of knowledge and practice with demographic variables was analysed using chi square test. Results: 89.4% of staff nurses were females, 39.3% were in the age group of 31-40 years. and majority (51.6%) were GNM. There was no significant association (p<0.05) found, neither with knowledge nor with practice, with different demographic variables.
Hospital Intervention to Reduce Overweight with Educational Reinforcement after Discharge: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: Obesity and overweight affect more than one-third of the world’s population and pose a major public health problem. Objective: To evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on dietary habits and physical exercise in patients with overweight admitted to departments of internal medicine, comprising a pre-discharge educational session with follow-up and reinforcement by telephone at 3, 6, and, 12 months post-discharge. Outcome variables were weight, systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), hospital readmissions, emergency department visits, and death. Method: A randomized experimental study with a control group was performed in hospitalized non-diabetic adults aged ≥18 years with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 Kg/m2. Results and conclusions: The final sample included 273 patients. At three months post-discharge, the intervention group had lower SBP and DPB and improved dietary habits (assessed using the Pardo Questionnaire) and VAS-assessed HRQOL in comparison to the control group but a worse EQ-5Q-5L-assessed HRQOL. There were no between-group differences in hospital readmissions, emergency department visits, or mortality at any time point. Both groups evidenced a progressive improvement over the three follow-up periods in weight, SBP, and dietary habits but a worsening of EQ-5D-5L-value-assessed HRQOL. Discussion: The intervention group showed greater improvements over the short term, but between-group differences disappeared at 6 and 12 months. Weight loss and improvements in key outcomes were observed in both groups over the follow-up period. Further research is warranted to determine whether a minimum intervention with an educational leaflet, follow-up phone calls, and questionnaires on overweight-related healthy habits, as in the present control group, may be an equally effective strategy without specific individual educational input.
Blockchain validation framework for COVID-19 testing kit

Throughout the current pandemic situation, the functioning of the Covid-19 testing kits is very critical owing to its necessity in the diagnosis of the disease. The fabrication and supply of these kits is taking place at a large scale, therefore there may be some malpractices in the supply process. The authenticity of the kits is primarily significant and to keep the globe from using the defective kits is a big challenge. Therefore before using the kit, it must have permitted by some authentic and authoritative medical body such as EUA, ICMR, CCMB, etc. So, the validation of these testing kits is vital for the fair conveyance from production houses to the various agencies. In this paper, we will discuss the framework which assures that the testing kit is approved by different metrics so that any malpractice in the supply chain is detected. The parties which are involved in these supply chain such as Validation, Notary and Manufacturers. Along with the above mentioned parties, buyer also acting an essential part and can inspect whether the kits is approved or not through its batch number. For inspection purpose, the framework is developed using Blockchain technology.
Effect of Optiglaze Coating on the Staphylococcus aurous and Porosity of Heat Cured Acrylic Material

Background: Polishing technique for acrylic resin material have great effect on properties of acrylic material and bacterial colonization such as staphylococcus aurous, which are responsible for many acrylic prosthetic infections such as the commonly ocular infections. Ineffective polishing technique could affect roughness and subsequently porosity of acrylic materials.So, a new effective method for polishing acrylic was used depending on the use of optiglaze coating material. So, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of optiglaze polishing on porosity of acrylic resin material and staphylococcus aurous activity in comparison to conventional polishing technique. Materials and methods: Specimen(n=120) were prepared :20 specimens constructed as circle shaped diameter 30mm with 1 mm thickness for porosity test (10 control polishing by conventional technique and 10 polishing by optiglaze technique). Other 82 specimens were prepared as circle specimen (6mm diameter and 1mm thickness) for sensitivity and adherences test ( each test have 20 specimens10 control and 10 optiglaze) and 42 specimens for viability test for three dilution,21 specimens for control and 21 for optiglaze (7 specimens for each dilution). Porosity were tested by light microscopic while agar well technique, adherence test and viability count test were tested for antibacterial activity of optiglaze against staphylococcus aurous. Result: The high mean value for porosity test was recorded by control while low mean value was recorded by optiglaze group with significant differences between them. Sensitivity and adherence test high mean value recorded by optiglaze with highly significant differences in comparison to control. Viability count test all dilution 10-7 ,10-6, 10-5 showed highly significant reduction in viability count of staphylococcus aurous by optiglaze group in comparison to control. Conclusion Polishing technique by Optiglaze significantly decrease porosity of acrylic resin and this method inhibited growth of staphylococcus aurous, and decrease its viable count (have antibacterial effect) but had less effect in adherence of this bacterial in comparison to control.