Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VIRTUE AND VICE OF TIME-FREQUENCY REPRESENTATIONS FOR AUDIO SIGNALS

Time-frequency representations are commonly used tools for the representation of audio and in particular music signals. However, the connection to the mathematical theory of Gabor frames does not seem to be as well known in the audio processing community. Frame theory yields a convenient reconstruction method making post-processing unnecessary. Furthermore, using dual or tight frames in the reconstruction, we may resynthesize localized components from so-called sparse representation coefficients. Sparsity of coefficients is directly reinforced by the application of a `-penalization term on the coefficients. We introduce an iterative algorithm leading to sparse coefficients and demonstrate the effect of using these coefficients in several examples. In particular, we are interested in the ability of a sparsity promoting approach to the task of separating components with overlapping analysis coefficients in the time-frequency domain. We will consider both synthesized and real-life examples. The audio examples will be presented during the talk and made available online.
A Learning-based Text Synthesis Engine for Scene Text Detection

Scene text detection (STD) and recognition (STR) methods have recently greatly improved with the use of synthetic training data playing an important role. That being said, for text detection task the performance of a model that is trained sorely on large-scale synthetic data is signiﬁcantly worse than one trained on a few real-world data samples. However, state-of-the-art performance on text recognition can be achieved by only training on synthetic data [10]. This shows the limitations in only using large-scale synthetic data for scene text detection. In this work, we propose the ﬁrst learning-based, data-driven text synthesis engine for scene text detection task. Our text synthesis engine is decomposed into two modules: 1) a location module that learns the distribution of text locations on the image plane, and 2) an appearance module that translates the text-inserted images to realistic-looking ones that are essentially indistinguishable from real-world scene text images. Evaluation of our created synthetic data on ICDAR 2015 Incidental Scene Text dataset [15] outperforms previous text synthesis methods.
Effects of nocturnal aircraft noise on objective and subjective sleep quality in primary school children

Background: Disturbances of sleep represent adverse effects of nocturnal aircraft noise exposure. These disturbances can include awakening reactions, changes in the sleep depth and sleep continuity. Restorative sleep is vital for physiological and cognitive development of children. Children are less capable to estimate threats from environmental stressors and to use adequate coping strategies (1, 2). Moreover, they are in a sensitive developmental period (2). Children who are exposed to high transportation noise levels from an early age may have higher risks for cardiovascular problems in their adult life (3). Furthermore, children generally sleep longer than adults and during shoulder times of the night when (air) traffic density is high. They are therefore considered vulnerable to the negative consequences of transportation noise (4, 5). However, little is known about childhood sleep exposed to transportation noise. An investigation seemed particularly necessary due to the differences of sleep architecture between children and adults. The present study aimed at closing the research gap regarding the acute effects of nocturnal aircraft noise on sleep of primary school children.
Morphological and Molecular Studies on Menge District, Asossa Zone, Northwest Ethiopia

Despite the extensive study on plant and animal biodiversity in Ethiopia microbial diversity in general and macrofungal diversity in particular is very limited. Thus, as part of the ongoing study on macrofungal diversity of the country, this is the first report on morphological and molecular taxonomy of the ge particular report, we identified seven Termitomyces Asossa Zone, Benshangul Gumuz region. Identification was based on morphological characteristics and partial LSU rDNA sequences. of each of our collection were supported with molecular investigation. Phylogenetic analysis of partial LSU rDNA sequences of 7 Ethiopian Parsimony measurements and Maximum Likelihood presented similar inferred trees that only had minor differences. Based on these phylogenetic analyses of the partial LSU rDNA sequences, 7 species of Termitomyces were identified as eurrhizus, T. letestui, T. microcarpus, T. robustus cladogram revealed both Asian and African demonstrated a well-supported monophyletic group with bootstrap value of 99%. Moreover, the monophyletic tree from pure Ethiopian African and Asian Termitomyces samples suggested their common origin. However incorporating more samples, more DNA markers and extensive analyses may reveal the true link among the sequences from different region used for culinary purposes by the native community and few of them ( clypeatus) are used for treatment of indigestion and malnutrition. Copyright@2015 STAR Journal
Non-verbal predication and clitics in Aromanian*

This paper discusses predicational structures in some Aromanian varieties which involve PP or AP predicates combining with the copula BE. In these structures the internal argument and subject of BE is cross-referenced by an accusative clitic, as long as it is 3rd person and a topic. However, Individual-Level APs typically resist cliticisation. We propose that the clitic is the spell-out of topic and gender/number features available in Stage-Level predicates only (a spatio-temporal argument à la Kratzer 1995), with which the subject agrees, before agreeing with T. We argue that this structural property captures the restriction to Stage-Level predicate subject topics, the person restriction, and also the fact that the clitic behaves like a direct object clitic morphosyntactically.
The Role of Reading Comprehension in Improving EFL Learners

Reading is considered as one of the most important and a useful component for student's learning process. Reading skills enable learners to comprehend any type of texts, which eventually enable them to have greater understanding. This study aims to identify the reading difficulties that countered by students, Investigate the role of reading comprehension in developing students. The analysis has led to these results: Learners can comprehensibly write about the topic after being taught in reading comprehension class. Reading comprehension requires much attention and following up, so it’s difficult to be taught in overcrowded classes. The study recommended teachers should be trained to teach English language, encourage their students to be involved in reading not only in classes but also outside the classroom, divide the pupils into group and pair works in order to develop their reading comprehension.
The effects of intensity and duration of aerobic exercise on spatial memory function in male Wistar rats

BACKGROUND Memory is a vital function of the brain. Aerobic exercise has a positive effect on memory’s function, but the appropriate combination of intensity and duration of aerobic exercise is still unknown. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of optimum combinations of intensity and duration of aerobic exercise on spatial memory function. METHODS In this study, the authors performed in vivo experiment using 20 male Wistar rats (6-month-old). They were randomly divided into four groups: (1) low-intensity and short duration aerobic exercise group (L–S); (2) low-intensity and long duration aerobic exercise group (L–L); (3) high-intensity and short duration aerobic exercise group (H– S); and (4) high-intensity and long duration aerobic exercise group (H–L). The aerobic exercise treatment of each group was conducted for three weeks with a frequency of five days a week. The memory function was assessed with the help of water-E-maze on week 0, 1, 2, and 3 (a total of four times). RESULTS This study indicates that the central nervous system responds to aerobic exercise as an external stimulus differently depending on the combinations of intensity and duration. Moreover, this study demonstrates that changes in memory functions are best observed in the group with low-intensity and long duration aerobic exercise. CONCLUSIONS The combination of low-intensity and long duration of aerobic exercise for animal study can improve spatial memory functions better than any other combinations of intensity and duration of aerobic exercises in male Wistar rats.
The yin and yang of imaging tumor associated macrophages with PET and MRI

Tumor associated macrophages (TAM) are key players in the cancer microenvironment. Molecular imaging modalities such as MRI and PET can be used to track and monitor TAM dynamics in tumors non-invasively, based on specific uptake and quantification of MRI-detectable nanoparticles or PET-detectable radiotracers. Particular molecular signatures can be leveraged to target anti-inflammatory TAM, which support tumor growth, and pro-inflammatory TAM, which suppress tumor growth. In addition, TAM-directed imaging probes can be designed to include immune modulating properties, thereby leading to combined diagnostic and therapeutic (theranostic) effects. In this review, we will discuss the complementary role of TAM-directed radiotracers and iron oxide nanoparticles for monitoring cancer immunotherapies with PET and MRI technologies. In addition, we will outline how TAM-directed imaging and therapy is interdependent and can be connected towards improved clinical outcomes
The Most Ancient Verse in the World (Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite): Quantitative Analysis

Though there are many hypotheses as to the system of versification for proto-Indo-European or even all-world verse at its initial stage of development, the most ancient examples of verse have not yet been thoroughly studied. In this article we examine Sumerian, Akkadian, and Hittite texts. (some of which were written in 23–13 centuries B.C., before the much better known Ancient Greek). We discuss methods suitable for analyzing such verse, which is not strictly organized, as well as the results of quantitative analysis of verse in these three languages. We studied the number of syllables, number of stresses, number and distribution of long vowels (and where relevant the distribution of heavy syllables within a line). The presence or absence of rhyme, type of rhyme, and the presence or absence of well-formed stanzaic schemes were also taken into account. Comparing quantitative data for the three languages enables us to suggest that both syllabic (Sumerian) and accentual (Akkadian, Hittite) systems have existed since the first preserved examples of verse and that the choice for the system of versification was highly dependent on peculiarities of the particular language. 174 Quantitative Approaches to Versification
TONGUE-JA W COORDINATION IN GERMAN VOWEL PRODUCTION

Linguo-mandibular coordination in the production of front vowels by seven speakers of German was analyzed with respect to the three phonological oppositions of Height, Tenseness and Rounding. The effect of consonantal context was also examined. The three oppositions differed characteristically in the relative amount of jaw involvement in tongue-height differences: greatest for Height, least for Rounding. Tenseness was located in between; moreover it showed the greatest influence of consonantal context. While speakers differed, for example, in the precise amount of jaw involvement in the tense-Iax opposition, nonetheless all speakers showed the same overall pattem over the three Oppositions. Thus articulatory organisation in the realization of such oppositions may be more stable than has sometimes been assumed. La coordination Iangue-machoire dans Ia production de voyelles anteneures par sept locuteurs allemands a ete analysee dans son rapport avec les trois Oppositions phonologiques de Hauteur, de Tension, et d'Arrondissement. L'effet du contexte consonantique a ete egalement examine. Les trois Oppositions presentaient des differences caracteristiques en ce qui conceme I'importance relative du röle joue par Ia mächoire dans les variations de hauteur de Ia Iangue: plus grande pour Ia dimension de Hauteur, moins grande pour celle d'Arrondissement, intermediaire pour celle de Tension, qui a en outre donne a observer les effets de contexte consonantique les plus grands. Bien que des differences inter-individuelles aient ete observees, portant par exemple sur le degre precis de la contribution de la mächoire dans l'opposition tendu-Iäche, tous les locuteurs ont presente le meme patron d'ensemble toutes oppositions confondues. Ainsi, I'organisation articulatoire dans Ia realisation de ces oppositions est peut-etre plus stable qu'on a pu quelquefois le supposer.
Blending approaches to Abstractive Summarization

Abstractive summarization with neural sequence-to-sequence techniques does a good job of making fluent, readable summaries, but can end-up including words and phrases which a human summarizer would not typically regard as the essential content. They can also incorrectly relay factual content and have a tendency to repeat themselves. In this paper, we take two state-of-the-art techniques to address these problems, the bottom-up attention mechanism and the pointer-generator network, and improve upon how they work together to achieve a sweet-spot between extractive and abstractive summarizers. We find that adding intra-attention on past states of the decoder to the pointer-generator architecture has the potential to improve performance. We also show the benefits of incorporating the prediction probabilities from the content-selector directly in the "copy-attention" mechanism, to improve the bottom-up approach.ive summarization with neural sequence-to-sequence techniques does a good job of making fluent, readable summaries, but can end-up including words and phrases which a human summarizer would not typically regard as the essential content. They can also incorrectly relay factual content and have a tendency to repeat themselves. In this paper, we take two state-of-the-art techniques to address these problems, the bottom-up attention mechanism and the pointer-generator network, and improve upon how they work together to achieve a sweet-spot between extractive and abstractive summarizers. We find that adding intra-attention on past states of the decoder to the pointer-generator architecture has the potential to improve performance. We also show the benefits of incorporating the prediction probabilities from the content-selector directly in the "copy-attention" mechanism, to improve the bottom-up approach.
Type-Coercion in Contexts of Desire

A computational lexicon should have generative mechanisms in order to deal with the creativity and flexibility known from natural language. I present a large-scale semantic lexicon based on combinatory categorial grammar (CCG) with a modeltheoretic interpretation based on discourse representation theory (DRT), and discuss how to incorporate type-coercion for verbs expressing contexts of desire, such as want. I compare functor coercion with strong and weak argument coercion, and also show how to incorporate information on tense and presupposition.
TOOLS FOR DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF PIANO DRUM PATTERNS FROM CANDOMBE RECORDINGS

The African-rooted Candombe drumming is one of the most characteristic traits of Uruguayan culture. Yet its complex rhythm can sound difficult to decode for unfamiliar listeners. In this work the authors present tools for detailed analysis of the rhythmic patterns of each type of drum found in Candombe performances, using as a platform an assortment of recordings by different players, with annotated metrical structures. For a given recording, the first tool consists in constructing a map of bar-length patterns that enables the inspection of their evolution over time; the second tool clusters those patterns, and maps the result onto a low dimensional space for visualization. A set of controlled experiments illustrate and justify the fundamentals of the described strategies, which are then applied to the analysis of real piano drum performances as a case study. The tests demonstrate that the obtained clusters match characteristic patterns of the instrument, and also allows the disclosure of differences and similarities among schools or personal styles. The output of this investigation is an interactive software tool for the analysis of Candombe recordings oriented towards the study of the underlying structures and rules governing performance styles and improvisation.
The impact of pre-analytical variables on measuring CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis: A review

Oskar Hansson, Alvydas Mikulskis, Anne M. Fagan, Charlotte Teunissen, Henrik Zetterberg, Hugo Vanderstichele, Jose Luis Molinuevo, Leslie M Shaw, Manu Vandijck, Marcel M. Verbeek, Mary Savage, Niklas Mattsson, Piotr Lewczuk, Richard Batrla, Sandra Rutz, Robert A Dean, Kaj Blennow aDepartment of Neurology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden bMemory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden cBiogen Inc, Boston, USA dDepartment of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, USA
TCP PERFORMANCE ON LTE MOBILE NETWORK BY USING NS-3

Our inspiration for this research is to propose additional information to researchers based on our field of study: Networking systems. The world has been entering a new era of Long Term Evolution, LTE. There is different research gap in view based on internet connectivity, security, data privacy, system efficiency, data accuracy and another research gap that can be explored and research. The LTE supported mixed data, voice, video and messaging traffic and can provide new business opportunity based on LTE. In LTE cellular network, one of the most critical issues considered by researchers is to improve QoS (Quality of Service). Performances of protocols depend on network throughput, an end to end delay and packet drop. Performance analysis of improved protocols can be tested using simulation tools. The characteristic of LTE has been researched but it is in generic, makes it hard for any IT company to fulfill the characteristic. Our aim of the study is to provide information regarding the performance of LTE to LTE users, companies IT managers and LTE service providers. Keywords—LTE, TCP performance, NS-3 simulator
TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE: WHAT IT IS, HOW IT FUNCTIONS IN THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER EDUCATION

This paper is being developed as part of the background research for the ITEL project. The purpose of the paper is to review the research on how teacher knowledge has been conceptualised in the literature in order to gain a better understanding of what it is and how it relates to teacher quality and student outcomes. The review will also discuss how pedagogical knowledge is learned and how it functions in teacher decision-making in an effort to understand how this relates to quality. The paper will conclude with implications for teacher education and professionalism. This review paper is part of the conceptual work currently in progress in ITEL and accompanies the ITEL “Progress Report” [EDU/CERI/CD(2013)11].
What do faculties specializing in brain and neural sciences think about, and how do they approach, brain-friendly teaching-learning in Iran?

Objective: to investigate the perspectives and experiences of the faculties specializing in brain and neural sciences regarding brain-friendly teaching-learning in Iran. Methods: 17 faculties from 5 universities were selected by purposive sampling (2018). In-depth semi-structured interviews with directed content analysis were used. Results: 31 sub-subcategories, 10 subcategories, and 4 categories were formed according to the “General teaching model”. “Mentorship” was a newly added category. Conclusions: A neuro-educational approach that consider the roles of the learner’s brain uniqueness, executive function facilitation, and the valence system are important to learning. Such learning can be facilitated through cognitive load considerations, repetition, deep questioning, visualization, feedback, and reflection. The contextualized, problemoriented, social, multi-sensory, experiential, spaced learning, and brain-friendly evaluation must be considered. Mentorship is important for coaching and emotional facilitation.
Deep Learning Humor Classification on Yelp reviews

Humor is an abstract, high-level use of language that is largely subjective. Still, are structures and patterns of language that are widely recognized as funny. We attempt to build a model capable of recognizing humor within Yelp reviews. Despite the simple binary labels, we believe that this domain exemplifies real-world, subtle humor, since the “reviews” aren’t forced to be “funny” all the time. Using a set of 120000 Yelp reviews, where we used the “funny” votes from other users as an indicator for humor, we trained a baseline shallow neural network model that simply averages the word embeddings to a single vector and feeds it into a neural network and achieved an initial accuracy of 0.602. We were also interested in seeing how omitting punctuation versus keeping the punctuation plays a role in detecting humor, and we found that keeping the punctuation but separating them as separate “embeddings” works better. We also tried to see if tf-idf weighting for our baseline method, where we multiply each vector by a tf-idf weight before adding them, affected the model, and it slightly ameliorated the accuracy. We then tried different models such as CNN, LSTM-RNNs with attention, and LSTM-CNNs to see if it could capture more complexity and it did, with LSTM-CNN proving to be the best model because of it being more complex to be able to capture humor via sarcasm. Lastly, we tried hyperparameter searching on the LSTM-CNN model on learning-rate, batch size, and window sizes to see how to make our model perform the best. All models were competent, but it looked like we needed a complex model to properly fit to the data.
The Construction of Confidence Bits to Improve Protected Iris Recognition System

This paper discussed about a recent iris template protection scheme named Indexing-First-One hashing (IFO). IFO hashing is originally inspired by the concept of min-hashing while integrating Hadamard product and modulo threshold function to increase the complexity in reconstruction by adversary. It possesses strong security shield against major security and privacy attacks. However, similar to other template protection schemes, it degrades the recognition performance of biometrics system. In this paper, we propose a confidence mask based method into biometric system to overcome the performance degradation experienced by IFO template protection scheme. The newly proposed biometric framework shows promising improvement of 22% and 17% in recognition accuracy for CASIA iris database v1 andv3-interval respectively with lower equal error rate being reported.