Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Speech Preprocessing Method Based on Perceptually Optimized Envelope Processing to Increase Intelligibility in Reverberant Environments

Speech intelligibility in public places can be degraded by the environmental noise and reverberation. In this study, a new near-end listening enhancement (NELE) approach is proposed in which using a time varying filter jointly enhances the onsets and reduces the overlap masking. For optimization, some look-ahead in clean speech and prior knowledge of room impulse response (RIR) are required. In this method, by optimizing a defined cost function, the Spectro-Temporal Envelope of reverb speech is optimized to be as close as possible to that of clean speech. In this cost function, onsets of speech are optimized with increased weight. This approach is different from overlap-masking ratio (OMR) and speech enhancement (OE) approaches (Grosse, van de Par, 2017, J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 65 (1/2), pp. 31–41) that only consider previous frames in each time slot for determining the time variant filtering. The SRT measurements show that the new optimization framework enhances the speech intelligibility up to 2 dB more that OE.
Open-ended coaxial exposure device for applying RF/microwave fields to very small biological preparations

An easily fabricated open-ended coaxial exposure device for applying radiofrequency/microwave energy to very small biological preparations is described. The device utilizes the fringing fields of a coaxial cable opening into a ground plane. Operation of the device is easily integrated into standard laboratory procedures in order to: observe a biological specimen; monitor temperature; regulate temperature, pH, and pO/sub 2/; and record cellular membrane potentials. The electromagnetic field configuration of the device leads to elimination of detectable interaction with microelectrodes. Measured patterns of electric field and specific absorption rate are given for a device built with quarter-inch semirigid coaxial cable and operating at 2450 MHz. Comparison is made to previous exposure devices for small biological preparations. The particular advantages of the open-ended coaxial exposure device over previous devices are the easy access to the preparation during exposure and the minimal, if any, coupling RF/microwave fields to microelectrodes used in electrophysiological studies. >
Threshold voltage roll-up/roll-off characteristic control in sub-0.2-/spl mu/m single workfunction gate CMOS for high-performance DRAM applications

Threshold voltage (V/sub t/) roll-off/roll-up control is a key issue to achieve high-performance sub-0.2-/spl mu/m single workfunction gate CMOS devices for high-speed DRAM applications. It is experimentally confirmed that a combination of well RTA and N/sub 2/ implant prior to gate oxidation is important to reduce V/sub t/ roll-up characteristics both in nFET and pFET. Optimization of RTA conditions after source/drain (S/D) implant is also discussed as a means of improving V/sub t/ roll-off characteristics. Finally, the impact of halo implant on V/sub t/ variation in sub-0.2-/spl mu/m buried channel pFETs is discussed. It is found that halo profile control is necessary for tight V/sub t/ variation in sub-0.2-/spl mu/m single workfunction gate pFET.
Fundamental characteristics of molten metal flow control by linear induction motor

Molten metal flow control using linear induction motor is expected much to be a new revolutionary basic technology to realize high quality and low cost processes. We report an experiment with fused metal (melting point: 45/spl deg/C) and 100 kg molten steel. According to the fused metal experiment, the linear induction motor has a good ability for stopping and acceleration as well as braking of metal flow. However, the electromagnetic force to be able to stop the metal flow in vertical arrangement is several times larger than the one in horizontal arrangement because of the liquid metal effect. A resonance condenser is useful to reduce the required power source capacity. Therefore, to control the molten metal flow, voltage (current) regulation is superior to frequency regulation. Though the large air gap also makes the electromagnetic force reduced, a conductive shorting bar (Z/sub r/B/sub 2/), installed inside the non-conductive firebrick, increases the electromagnetic force. >
Drone-Based Sensor Information Gathering System With Beam-Rotation Forward-Scattering Communications and Wireless Power Transfer

In this work, we propose a drone-based sensor information gathering system that utilizes an aerial drone to wirelessly transfer an electromagnetic (EM) wave signal toward a battery-less forward-scatter tag device with multiple antennas. The proposed tag device is designed to harvest the EM signal from the drone as a source of power, and at the same time to reuse the EM signal for the data transmission. We propose a beam-rotation forward-scattering algorithm for the data transmission, which creates the main beam rotating along the azimuth plane. In the proposed algorithm, data are transmitted from the tag device to the tag reader by mapping each bit of information to varying beam rotation speeds. A unique hardware design of the forward-scatter tag device is proposed in this article, and it has been fabricated and implemented for wireless power transfer (WPT) and data transmission experiments. By experiment, we have verified that power is successfully harvested by the proposed tag device, with the average power conversion efficiency rated at 57%. The proposed tag device is able to transmit the sensor data to the tag readers without the knowledge of the location of the tag readers. We have tested the proposed beam-rotation forward-scattering communication at up to 500 m communication distance and shown that the sensor data can successfully be delivered.
The Obstacles to the Modernization of Common Support Equipment

The current fleet of Common Support Equipment (CSE) is faced with a $2 billion funding disconnect that threatens nine of the twelve Core Functions of the United States Air Force. The purpose of this research is to identify and explore the factors within the sustainment, acquisition, and maintenance communities that exist as barriers to efforts to modernize CSE across the Air Force Logistics Enterprise. Using a qualitative, grounded theory methodology, this study explores the responses of interviewed Aviation Support Equipment managers responsible for the sustainment and modernization of CSE. The analysis exposed significant barriers to current modernization efforts, resulting in expensive, outdated, duplicative, and unreliable equipment in use across the Air Force. This research concludes that the Air Force must change the way CSE is administrated, funded, and culturally understood to prevent future mission degradation and failure.
Revisiting Antlia 2’s Effect on the Outer Disk

Antlia 2 is the lowest surface-brightness satellite galaxy to our Milky Way that was discovered using data by the Gaia Mission, in the second data release (DR-2). Previous publications suggest that Antlia 2 may be responsible for observed large perturbations in the outer HI disk of our Galaxy. Earlier calculations used Gaia DR-2 proper motion measurements to constrain the stars within Antlia 2 and determine its orbit. It was found that low pericenter orbits (∼10 kpc) produce disturbances that match the observed perturbations. We use newly calculated Gaia EDR3 proper motions of Antlia 2 to compute pericenter distributions. We also independently recalculate the Gaia EDR3 proper motions of Antlia 2 using our own selection criteria and compare it to the range needed to produce the requisite low pericenter orbits. Since Gaia EDR3 has significantly less error, our results should be less sensitive to selection criteria. By exploring how this updated proper motion calculations affect the orbit, we can reevaluate Antlia 2’s dynamical effect on the gas disk of the Milky Way.
Ultrafast Optical Control And Characterization Of Carrier And Spin Dynamics In Novel Magnetic Topological Insulator Systems

Magnetic topological insulators (MTIs) are of considerable interest in developing novel spintronics and quantum computing applications. Under the topological protection by time-reversal Z2 invariant number, magnetic topological insulators are provided with robust electronic and magnetic properties against local perturbations. The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), which harbors dissipationless chiral edge states in MTIs, provides a competitive platform for future low-power consumption and high-speed spintronic devices. Although the present studies on both bulk and surface magnetic properties in MTIs have made significant progress, the in-depth understanding of the exchange couplings and the interaction between the two magnetization sources is far from completion. In addition, the optical control of the non-trivial properties in MTIs is important in achieving novel applications for ultrafast optoelectronics and optical spintronics. The goal of this dissertation is to understand and manipulate the dynamical spin coupling as well as the carrier relaxation dynamics in MTIs, using the static magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and the time-resolved magneto optical Kerr effect (TRMOKE) techniques. First, a pronounced spin-valve-like structure of dynamical magnetization is observed in Cr-(Bi,Sb)2Te3/CrSb bilayer heterostructure through the pumpmodulated MOKE characterization. The characters of the soft and resilient ferromagnetic phases are distinguished in terms of the spin coupling between the dynamical surface and bulk ferromagnetism. The dynamical bulk ferromagnetic ordering is softened by a laser-induced heat effect on the lattice, while the dynamical surface magnetization is enhanced via the strengthening Dirac-holemediated exchange coupling. In addition, the pump-fluence-dependent measurement of the exchange-bias effect provides further evidence for the enhancement of MTI surface magnetization at the MTI/AFM interface. Lastly, we propose a theoretical model that includes the long-range p-d exchange coupling and a Dirac-hole-mediated exchange interaction and estimate the exchange coupling energies in the MTI/AFM bilayer structure. Second, ultralong carrier lifetimes (3~20 ns) of the optically pumped surface states are observed in Cr-(Bi,Sb)2Te3 MTI which corresponds to the slow radiative recombination within the gapped Dirac cone. The photoinjection dependency of radiative lifetimes suggests a strong Coulomb screening effect of electron-hole plasma on surface excitons. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical simulation. On the other hand, the nonradiative nature of bulk electron relaxation is identified with a lifetime of ~1000 ps by photoinjectionand temperaturedependent reflectivity measurements. The finding of long-lived excited carriers in MTI improves the understanding of the general carrier dynamics in topological insulators-based materials.
River network rearrangements promote speciation in lowland Amazonian birds

Large Amazonian rivers impede dispersal for many species, but lowland river networks frequently rearrange, thereby altering the location and effectiveness of river-barriers through time. These rearrangements may promote biotic diversification by facilitating episodic allopatry and secondary contact among populations. We sequenced genome-wide markers to evaluate histories of divergence and introgression in six Amazonian avian species-complexes. We first tested the assumption that rivers are barriers for these taxa and found that even relatively small rivers facilitate divergence. We then tested whether species diverged with gene flow and recovered reticulate histories for all species, including one potential case of hybrid speciation. Our results support the hypothesis that river dynamics promote speciation and reveal that many rainforest taxa are micro-endemic, unrecognized and thus threatened with imminent extinction. We propose that Amazonian hyper-diversity originates in part from fine-scale barrier displacement processes –including river dynamics– which allow small populations to differentiate and disperse into secondary contact.
Performance Measures for Truck Level of Service

The current Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) provides analytical methods to evaluate performance levels of transportation facilities and to estimate level of service (LOS) perceived by the users. The HCM methodologies yield a single LOS value for all users in a traffic stream. However, because of the unique size and operating characteristics of large trucks, truck mode users may perceive LOS on various roadway facilities on the basis of different criteria than those of other mode users. A study was conducted to determine, from an LOS perspective, what roadway, traffic, and control issues should be focused on to better serve the needs of the trucking community. This paper describes the second part of the study, in which a survey of truck drivers and truck company managers was performed to quantitatively measure the relative importance, satisfaction, and improvement priority of truck LOS determinants and to examine which aspects of a truck trip should be analyzed to estimate truck LOS on each roadway type. Speed variance and pavement quality were identified as the service measures for truck LOS on freeways, while percent time being followed, percent time spent following, and travel lane and shoulder width and their pavement quality were identified for truck LOS on two-lane highways. Truck trip quality on urban arterials was found to depend on factors such as ease of turning maneuver, speed variance, traffic density, and pavement quality. Other drivers’ behavior, pavement condition, level of congestion, and frequency and timing of construction activities were common major contributors to truck LOS regardless of roadway type.
UPLC-ESI-MS/MS Method for Determination of Recombinant Antihypertensive Peptide in Rat Plasma

The focus of the study was to establish an UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of VLPVPR in rat plasma. The method was as follows: Protein impurities in the rat plasma samples were precipitated with methanol; A Waters Acquity BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) was adopted; the column temperature was 25°C; the mobile phase consisted of methanol-water with gradient elution at the steady flow rate of 0.3 mL·min-1; the detection wavelength was 202 nm. Mass spectrometry applied selected ion monitoring mode with m/z 255 (quantitative ion) and m/z 169 (qualitative ion). It was found that excellent linear relationship was obtained from the range of 10~200 ng·mL-1 (r=0.9991), the limit determination (LOD) of VLPVPR was 1.8 ng·mL-1, the recovery rate was 96.33%~100.76%, The inter and intre-day RSD were less than 7%. We thus conclude that a rapid and sensitive UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of recombinant antihypertensive peptide VLPVPR in rat plasma. It can be applied to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of VLPVPR.
Reconceptualising digital pedagogy during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative inquiry into distance teaching in China

ABSTRACT Digital pedagogy was used as a contingency plan to achieve teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to observe digital pedagogy in lecturers’ online teaching practices and instructional supervisors’ evaluations of teaching outcomes. A sample of 32 lecturers and instructional supervisors from three Chinese universities participated in the in-depth interviews. The thematic analysis approach of grounded theory was used in data analysis. The results show that pedagogical dimensions were extended. Besides technology, innovative pedagogy, and learning environments, this study added two constructs: sustained support and cyber safety. Collaboration is required at different levels; meanwhile, cyber safety is highlighted to ensure healthy digital learning environments.
Wake Expansion and the Finite Blade Functions for Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines

This paper considers the effect of wake expansion on the finite blade functions in blade element/momentum theory for horizontal-axis wind turbines. For any velocity component, the function is the ratio of the streamtube average to that at the blade elements. In most cases, the functions are set by the trailing vorticity only and Prandtl’s tip loss factor can be a reasonable approximation to the axial and circumferential functions at sufficiently high tip speed ratio. Nevertheless, important cases like coned or swept rotors or shrouded turbines involve more complex blade functions than provided by the tip loss factor or its recent modifications. Even in the presence of significant wake expansion, the functions derived from the exact solution for the flow due to constant pitch and radius helical vortices provide accurate estimates for the axial and circumferential blade functions. Modifying the vortex pitch in response to the expansion improves the accuracy of the latter. The modified functions are more accurate than the tip loss factor for the test cases at high tip speed ratio that are studied here. The radial velocity is important for expanding flow as it has the magnitude of the induced axial velocity near the edge of the rotor. It is shown that the resulting angle of the flow to the axial direction is small even with significant expansion, as long is the tip speed ratio is high. This means that blade element theory does not have account for the effective blade sweep due to the radial velocity. Further, the circumferential variation of the radial velocity is lower than of the other components.
An Expert System for Rotating Machine Fault Detection Using Vibration Signal Analysis

Accurate and early detection of machine faults is an important step in the preventive maintenance of industrial enterprises. It is essential to avoid unexpected downtime as well as to ensure the reliability of equipment and safety of humans. In the case of rotating machines, significant information about machine’s health and condition is present in the spectrum of its vibration signal. This work proposes a fault detection system of rotating machines using vibration signal analysis. First, a dataset of 3-dimensional vibration signals is acquired from large induction motors representing healthy and faulty states. The signal conditioning is performed using empirical mode decomposition technique. Next, multi-domain feature extraction is done to obtain various combinations of most discriminant temporal and spectral features from the denoised signals. Finally, the classification step is performed with various kernel settings of multiple classifiers including support vector machines, K-nearest neighbors, decision tree and linear discriminant analysis. The classification results demonstrate that a hybrid combination of time and spectral features, classified using support vector machines with Gaussian kernel achieves the best performance with 98.2% accuracy, 96.6% sensitivity, 100% specificity and 1.8% error rate.
How to house a hen : assessing sustainable development of egg production systems

The objective of this study was to further develop and apply a methodology to assess the contribution of animal production systems to sustainable development (SusD). The practical use of the methodology is tested in a case study on egg production systems, because of the upcoming ban on the battery-cage system in 2012. This ban forces farmers to change to an alternative, more animal-friendly production system in the near future. Due to the general use of the term SusD, it is necessary to first define SusD in broad terms, before one can come to a more precise and context specific definition. In order to define SusD, two core elements have been identified. The first element is that SusD is not a fixed state of harmony, but rather a process of change, consistent with future as well as with present needs. The second element is that SusD relates to economic, ecological, and societal (EES) issues. Assessment of the contribution of animal production systems to SusD implies four steps: (1) description of the situation; (2) identification and definition of relevant EES issues; (3) selection and quantification of suitable sustainability indicators (SI); and (4) final assessment of the contribution to SusD. Selected EES issues included animal health and welfare, environment, egg quality, ergonomics, economics, consumer concerns, and knowledge and innovation. We compared four egg production systems, characterized by different housing systems, which were most common in the Netherlands: the battery-cage system, the deep-litter system with and without outdoor run, and the aviary system with outdoor run. We showed that on-farm quantification of SI was an appropriate method to identify strengths and weaknesses of different systems, and the variation within these systems as well. From this analysis it appeared that, within the boundaries of this study, the aviary system with outdoor run was the best alternative for the battery-cage system. The aviary system performed better on animal welfare and economics, but worse on environmental impact. No significant differences were found for other SI. Deep litter with and without outdoor run performed equally or worse than aviary with outdoor run on all SI. Many decisions during the four-step methodology, e.g., decisions on which stakeholders to involve, which reference values to choose, or how to aggregate information, are based on implicit value judgements. These value judgements influence the final results of the assessment, which makes it important to elucidate them when applying this methodology. Different users require a different level of aggregation and there is not a generally accepted way to aggregate SI results into a final index of SusD. The feature of SusD that it is context specific with regard to time and space, also contributes to the diversity of possible results. When presenting final results, therefore, the whole process has to be taken into account, which means that all choices have to be explicated.
Research on Hot Issues and Evolutionary Trends in Network Forums

The network forum is an important channel of information dissemination for Chinese Internet users and has become the primary source of opinions concerning “hot issues. ” This paper presents a fast and efficient method to mine “hot posts” in network forums and to analyze the evolutionary trends of hot issues. The proposed method uses statistical and mathematical models to sort posts into sections. The proposed method is also used to analyze the evolutionary trends of hot posts, thus determining whether tracking is necessary for a certain post. Experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model. This study establishes a foundation for the further study of the evolution of hot issues in complex networks.
A Systems on E-Learning to Different Primary School Pupil to Learn Style

At present, students receive a large number of messages with the progress of science and technology. Simple traditional study has been already unable to meet student's demands in the past, so the teacher needs to change some teaching methods to attract students. E-learning is one of new teaching methods. The teacher can utilize E-learning to let the student love to study.