Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Policy for Pre-trained Deep Reinforcement Learning for Speech Emotion Recognition

Deep Reinforcement Learning (deep RL) has gained tremendous success in gaming but it has rarely been explored for Speech Emotion Recognition (SER). In the RL literature, policy used by the RL agent plays a major role in action selection, however, there is no RL policy tailored for SER. Also, an extended learning period is a general challenge for deep RL, which can impact the speed of learning for SER. In this paper, we introduce a novel policy, the “Zeta policy” tailored for SER and introduce pre-training in deep RL to achieve a faster learning rate. Pre-training with a cross dataset was also studied to discover the feasibility of pre-training the RL agent with a similar dataset in a scenario where real environmental data is not available. We use “IEMOCAP” and “SAVEE” datasets for the evaluation with the problem of recognising four emotions, namely happy, sad, angry, and neutral. The experimental results show that the proposed policy performs better than existing policies. Results also support that pre-training can reduce training time and is robust to a cross-corpus scenario.
Selenometabolomics: Identification of selenometabolites and specification of their biological significance by complementary use of elemental and molecular mass spectrometry

Selenium (Se) shows ambivalent characteristics in animals and plants. It is an essential element in animals but becomes severely toxic when the amount ingested exceeds the required level. Meanwhile, Se is not essential in plants although some plants are Se hyperaccumulators. As Se changes into several chemical forms when metabolized, the identification of selenometabolites is considered to correspond to the depiction of the metabolic chart of Se. Hence, we are very much interested in unveiling selenometabolomes, i.e., the entirety of selenometabolites. Speciation with elemental and molecular mass spectrometry coupled with separation techniques has significantly contributed to the discovery of selenometabolomes. At the same time, speciation has highlighted some metabolites required for solid verification of the metabolic chart. The aim of this article is to review currently proposed Se metabolic pathways in animals and plants and to point out ambiguous selenometabolites from the viewpoint of speciation.
Graphene-incorporated quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

The pursuit of technological implementation with no sacrifice of photovoltaic performances is a persistent objective for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Herein, we report an experimental realization of a graphene-incorporated quasi-solid-state DSSC comprising a graphene/TiO2 anode, a graphene integrated polyacrylate–poly(ethylene glycol) (PAA–PEG) gel electrolyte with I−/I3− redox couples, and a graphene counter electrode. An efficiency of 3.62% is measured under global air mass irradiation for the quasi-solid-state solar cell with a graphene/TiO2 photoanode, a PAA–PEG/graphene gel electrolyte, and a graphene counter electrode. The new concept, along with promising results, demonstrates the potential application of the new solar cells for cost-effective electricity generation.
So, You Think You Have an Idea: A Practical Risk Reduction-Conceptual Model for Academic Translational Research

Translational research for new drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics encompasses aspects of both basic science and clinical research, requiring multidisciplinary skills and resources that are not all readily available in either a basic laboratory or clinical setting alone. We propose that, to be successful, “translational” research ought to be understood as a defined process from basic science through manufacturing, regulatory, clinical testing all the way to market. The authors outline a process which has worked well for them to identify and commercialize academic innovation. The academic environment places a high value on novelty and less value on whether, among other things, data are reproducible, scalable, reimbursable, or have commercial freedom to operate. In other words, when investors, strategic companies, or other later stage stakeholders evaluate academic efforts at translational research the relative lack of attention to clinical, regulatory, reimbursement, and manufacturing and intellectual property freedom to operate almost universally results in more questions and doubts about the potential of the proposed product, thereby inhibiting further interest. This contrasts with industry-based R&D, which often emphasizes manufacturing, regulatory and commercial factors. Academics do not so much choose to ignore those necessary and standard elements of translation development, but rather, they are not built into the culture or incentive structure of the university environment. Acknowledging and addressing this mismatch of approach and lack of common language in a systematic way facilitates a more effective “translation” handoffs of academic project concepts into meaningful clinical solutions help translational researchers more efficiently develop and progress new and better medical products which address validated needs. The authors provide an overview and framework for academic researchers to use which will help them define the elements of a market-driven translational program (1) problem identification and validation; (2) defining the conceptual model of disease; and (3) risk evaluation and mitigation strategies.
Environmental Determinants of Soil Methane Oxidation and Methanotrophs

Methane (CH4) is one of the strongest greenhouse gases. Sources of CH4 are anthropogenic and natural, former playing ∼60% role. Major sink for CH4 are the atmospheric OH and Cl radicals (originating from CFCs), and biological system. Biological CH4 sink is mediated through the CH4 oxidation by the specialized group of bacteria called methanotrophs (MB). Methanotrophs have been reported from almost all the soil systems such as sediments, oceans, extremes of pH, salinity, and temperature. They oxidize methane aerobically in the presence of the enzyme methane monooxygenase (MMO). Anaerobic methane oxidation (AOM) also occurs in marine ecosystem where sulfate is final electron acceptor. Methanotrophs are of two types, first is cultured and low affinity group while the second is uncultured and high affinity group. Most of them can be grouped as Type I and Type II belonging to γ- and α-Proteobacteria, respectively. They may constitute up to 2% of total bacterial population in soil depending on physical factors such as water, temperature, soil depth, pH, texture, gaseous atmosphere (methane, oxygen, and CO2), soil organic content, and biological factors such as vegetation and microbial consortia. Besides, anthropogenic factors such as fertilizers, agro- and organochemicals, and land use pattern have strong influence over them. Global climate change including acid rain, high temperature, increasing rainfall, and drought have potential to affect the global methane sink activity. The authors attempt to review the recent advances made regarding CH4 oxidation and methanotrophic population size as well as community structure as affected by the various natural and anthropogenic factors.
Assessment of metal speciation evolution in sewage sludge dewatered in vertical flow reed beds using a sequential extraction scheme

Abstract An investigation was carried out into the speciation of metals contained in an industrial sewage sludge dewatered in vertical flow reed beds as compared to conventional sand drying beds. The highly contaminated sludge was loaded for two consecutive months and the dewatered sludge layers were monitored periodically during an ageing period of 15 months. Metal speciation was assessed by means of sequential extraction. The raw sludge was characterised by high metal mobility. 445 mg kg−1 dry matter (DM) Mn (70% of total Mn), 632 mg kg−1 DM Ni (42% of total Ni), 11,246 mg kg−1 DM Fe (32% of total Fe), 2,315 mg kg−1 DM Zn (19% of total Zn) and 258 mg kg-1 DM Pb (14% of total Pb) were retrieved in the exchangeable and acid extractable fractions. Cu and Cr were less mobile, with 24 mg kg−1 DM Cu (1.2% of total Cu) and 7 mg kg−1 DM Cr (0.8% of total Cr) occuring in these fractions. Upon sludge ageing, all metals except copper, were greatly immobilised in the oxidisable, reducible and residual fractions. However, considerable amounts remained mobile, posing environmental threats upon final disposal of the dewatered sludge.
Characterization and Biocompatibility Evaluation of Hydroxyapatite Doped with Silver and/or Fluorine

Hydroxyapatite [Ca5(PO4)3(OH)] is a form of calcium phosphate inorganic compound of great importance in the health area because of its presence in bone as in teeth where it provides structural rigidity to the matrix. Hydroxyapatite is often used in the biomaterial area as a primary material for implants that help regenerate tissues. The addition of doping agents may improve the degree of crystallization providing new characteristics to the material without losing its biocompatibility. The present study shows characterization results for a hydroxyapatite biomaterial doped with silver and/or fluorine prepared through combustion method. The mineralogy was determined using X-Ray diffraction identifying the following phases: Ca5(PO4)3OH, Ca2P2O7, Ag3PO4, Ca5(PO4)3F and CaF2; the oxidation state of elements was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; the morphological structure was studied by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Biocompatibility tests through intramuscular and subcutaneous implantation were performed in rodents to evaluate inflammatory response at 7, 14 and 30 days.
Soil acidification and aluminium mobility

Abstract. Natural acidification processes result in increasing solubility of aluminium as soils become more acid. Exchangeable aluminium provides a large reserve that can be mobilized by percolating acids or salts, with solution pH determining the upper limit of its solubility. Aluminium can also be mobilized within soils and into drainage waters in soluble complexes with silica or fluoride, and in organically complexed forms.
Classical and Quantum-Mechanical Studies of Crystalline FOX-7 (1,1-Diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene)

First principles molecular orbital and plane-wave ab initio calculations have been used to investigate the structural and vibrational properties of the highly efficient low sensitive explosive 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene (FOX-7) in both the gas and solid phases. The ab initio molecular orbital calculations performed at second-order (MP2) and fourth-order (MP4) Moller−Plesset levels and using density-functional theory (DFT) methods with B3LYP functional indicate that in the gas phase FOX-7 is the most stable conformer relative to its cis-1,2 and trans-1,2 isomers. The calculated MP2 and DFT structures for the FOX-7 molecule agree well with the experimental X-ray configuration but with twists of the nitro and amino groups much larger than in the solid phase. The calculated fundamental vibrational frequencies at the DFT level generally compare well with the MP2 results. The IR spectra were computed for the three isomers. The structural properties of the FOX-7 crystal have been studied by a plane-wave DFT.
Microwave Frequency-Domain Spectroscopy of Complex Heterogeneous Nanocomposites: The Electromagnetic Functionality

ABSTRACT We present systematic effective permeability measurements of nanostructured granular systems composed of magnetic (Ni) grains embedded in a nonmagnetic (ZnO) matrix using broadband microwave spectroscopy. Using the transmission/reflection waveguide method, the effective complex permeability was measured in the frequency range 0.01–10 GHz. From the data collected, it is found that a mean-field approach (effective medium approximation) is appropriate for understanding the permeability of composite materials characterized by submicrometer inclusion length scales. A systematic study of the room temperature effective permeability tensor of these composite samples is performed and provides a signature for the nonreciprocity of wave propagation in these nanostructures.
Extraction of americium(III) from nitric acid medium by CMPO-TBP extractants in ionic liquid diluent

Abstract Extraction of americium(III) from nitric acid medium by a solution of tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) and n-octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO) in room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (bmimNTf2), was studied and the results were compared with that obtained with CMPO-TBP in n-doddecane (n-DD). The distribution ratio of 241Am(III) in TBP-CMPO/bmimNTf2 was measured as a function of various parameters such as concentrations of nitric acid, CMPO, bmimNO3, NaNO3 and TBP and temperature. Remarkably large distribution ratios were observed for the extraction of americium(III) when bmimNTf2 acted as diluent and the extraction was insignificant in the absence of CMPO. The stoichiometry of metal–solvate in organic phase was determined by the slope analysis of extraction data and it indicated the formation of 1:3 (Am:CMPO) complex in organic phase. Viscosity of TBP-CMPO/bmimNTf2 at various temperatures and enthalpy change accompanied by the extraction of americium(III) were determined and reported in this paper.
Global optimization of atomic and molecular clusters using the space‐fixed modified genetic algorithm method

A modified genetic algorithm approach has been applied to atomic Ar clusters and molecular water clusters up to (H2O)13. Several genetic operators are discussed which are suitable for real‐valued space‐fixed atomic coordinates and Euler angles. The performance of these operators has been systematically investigated. For atomic systems, it is found that a mix of operators containing a coordinate‐averaging operator is optimal. For angular coordinates, the situation is less clear. It appears that inversion and two‐point crossover operators are the best choice. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 18: 1233–1244
Structure of mixed-layer kaolinite-smectite and smectite-to-kaolinite transformation mechanism from synthesis experiments

Abstract A smectite and a rhyolitic obsidian specimen were subjected to hydrothermal alteration for 4 months at 150 °C in two solutions having different AlCl3 concentrations. The solids were analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, electron microscopy (with microanalysis), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The solutions were chemically analyzed and the ion activities were plotted on activity diagrams. They are broadly coherent with the reaction products. The smectite specimen produced mixed-layer kaolinite-smectite (K-S), with a higher kaolinite proportion for the solution with higher Al content. The glass specimen produced glass + boehmite + kaolinite in the low-Al solution, and kaolinite in the high-Al solution. Thus, K-S probably forms only from smectite precursors. The formation of K-S follows the same mechanism of stripping of one of the tetrahedral sheets from smectite described for natural specimens by Dudek et al. (2006). Comparison of the synthetic and natural K-S indicates great similarity, although the arrangement of the kaolinite layers in the synthetic specimens is more ordered and some of their kaolinite infrared bands are more intense. The results of Dudek et al. (2006) and this study show a wide range of chemical and structural “maturity” of kaolinite in K-S, as kaolinization proceeds, that varies depending on the reaction conditions.
High index orientation effects of strained self‐assembled InGaAs quantum dots

Optical characterization of strained InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy on (001) and (n11)B, where n=1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 orientations is reported in this work. Quantum dot photoluminescence emission shows remarkable orientation effects, presented in peak shape, full width at half‐maximum, and integrated intensity. Quantum dots grown on the (711)B plane demonstrate high quantum efficiency: integrated photoluminescence ratio between quantum dots and quantum well is about 10. Our results indicate an enhancement of the quantum dots onset thermal quenching energy by a factor of 2.5 for all orientations. Activation energy for thermal stimulated electron–hole emission in quantum dots is 2–5 times higher than in quantum wells. Photoluminescence polarization measurements show strong in‐plane dependence caused by the quantum dots’ structural anisotropy.
Non-adiabatic effects in semiconductor waveguides

The adiabatic elimination of the polarization dynamics often invoked in treatments of pulse propagational and pulse interactions in semiconductor optical waveguides is critically investigated. By employing a systematic expansion of the polarization equation and staying within a third-order [(chi) (3)] regime we are able to derive explicit corrections to the response function due to non-adiabatic effects. Several such effects are identified and analyzed. This provides a unified view of different results reported previously in the literature, but also identifies a new effect which apparently hasn't been analyzed so far. The effect relates to virtual excitation of the total carrier density, as opposed to the well-known adiabatic following effect of individual two-level systems, and we derive simple analytical expressions that relate this effect to the gain and index dispersion. We find it to give a sizable contribution to the well-known instantaneous effects of two-photon absorption and Kerr nonlinearity.
Artificial Hummingbird Algorithm based Dynamic Generation Expansion Planning considering Renewable Energy Sources

Generation expansion planning (GEP) is a primary and rigorous exercise in shaping the long-term decisions in terms of capacity expansion, location and technology of the power plants, to be committed for next 25–30 years, based on forecasted electrical demand. It is a non-linear, mixed-integer, stochastic, dynamic and discrete optimization problem. The metaheuristics are deemed the best optimization techniques to answer this multi-dimensional optimization problem with a large number of complicated constraints. In this work, least cost GEP problem is solved using a new optimization technique named as Artificial Hummingbird Algorithm considering the future horizon of 14 years encapsulating power generation additions required to cater for the forecasted peak demand with significant reliability and reduced emissions. A new efficient radix-5 mapping method for the representation of population search agents and power plants selectivity method based on priority enlisting is embedded in AHA framework. AHA has been implemented on standard emission constrained test cases considered in the literature. The proposed GEP framework provides promising results in terms of least cost and computational time with enhanced reliability and reduced emissions in contrast to the approaches presented in the literature.
Manipulation of cuprous oxide surfaces for improving their photocatalytic activity

Manipulating the surface characteristics of metal oxide electrodes allows the properties of the interface between electrodes and the electrolyte to be controlled and can lead to improvements in both efficiency and reliability of the electrodes. In this study, the facets exposed on the surfaces of Cu2O photoelectrodes were manipulated by controlling the pH of the bath during Cu2O film electrodeposition. The Cu2O film with (100)-type facets, deposited at a bath pH of 12, produced a photocurrent 19 times higher than that of the film deposited at pH 8.3 and possessing (111) facets. In addition, inverse-opal-structured Cu2O films were electrodeposited in alkali solutions using templates of polystyrene beads; these films exhibited even higher photocatalytic activities than the planar ones. The templated, three-dimensional (3D) Cu2O film deposited at pH 12 produced a photocurrent 2.14 times higher than that generated by the planar Cu2O film deposited at the same pH; this was a result of the greater surface area and higher light absorption of the 3D film.
Degradation of tocopherols during near-ambient rapeseed drying.

Increased interest manifested by consumers in products rich in biologically active components makes it necessary to minimize their loss during drying and storage of raw materials for food production. In this study, the effect of drying conditions and further storage of rapeseed on changes in contents of tocopherols (T) and plastochromanol-8 (PC-8) was examined. Seeds of rape cv. Californium, Elektra and Livius, dried after harvest using the near-ambient drying method in a bed of 2-m thickness and air heated to a temperature of 60, 80 and 100C, were used. Contents of T and PC-8 were determined immediately after drying and after 6 and 12 months of storage at 10 2C. Quality and quantity of antioxidants in seeds were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. The near-ambient seed drying method resulted in a decrease in T content by 6–11%, while that for hot air drying was 4–8%. Seed storage reduced the level of T by a further 23–30%. Similar dependences were found for PC-8. The analyzed results demonstrated the effect of varietal differences, drying conditions and storage time on the contents of T and PC-8 in rapeseed.
Biofiltration for BTEX Removal

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) biofiltration is an increasingly popular research area because it offers a relatively cheap solution to limit emissions of these toxic agents to the atmosphere. The authors review different technological options for biofiltration, and discuss the main influencing factors including type of packing material, temperature, moisture content and pH of the biofilter packing, influent conditions, and nutrient status. Whenever relevant, these factors are discussed in the context of biofilter ecology, and microbiology of BTEX biofiltration is briefly outlined. The kinetics of BTEX biofiltration are discussed, and the main simulation models developed for this system are presented. Insights on biofiltration of other compounds are also included to complement the available information. The review concludes with a brief outline of some operational challenges.
Correction of intensities for preferred orientation in powder diffractometry: application of the March model

Diffracted intensities from axially symmetric flat-plate or capillary specimens, composed of effectively rod- or disk-shaped crystallites, can be corrected for preferred orientation with a single pole-density profile. A convenient procedure is to approximate this profile with a function whose variable parameters are fit during least-squares structure refinement. Several functions have previously been suggested but without theoretical justification. The present study reviews the derivation of this method and examines its assumptions and applications. The several proposed functions are compared with each other and with the March function which describes the pole-density distribution produced by rigid-body rotation of inequant crystallites (i.e. crystallites with unequal sides) upon axially symmetric volume-conserving compression or expansion. For its basis, ease of use, single variable parameter, direct interpretability and good refinement test results, the March distribution is proposed as an advantageous pole-density profile function for general use.
A sample cell for diffraction studies with control of temperature, relative humidity and applied electric field

Sample cells for applying an electric field on the sample during synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments have been designed and built, both for small single crystals in an arbitrary orientation and for thin films. For the former type of sample, the cell also includes equipment for control of relative humidity and temperature. Cells of different design have been used successfully with single crystals of two distinct phases of the organic ferroelectric Rochelle salt and in studies of epitaxial thin films of ferroelectric PbTiO3 on a SrTiO3 substrate under weak electric fields.