Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep Learning-Based Amplitude Fusion for Speech Dereverberation

Mapping and masking are two important speech enhancement methods based on deep learning that aim to recover the original clean speech from corrupted speech. In practice, too large recovery errors severely restrict the improvement in speech quality. In our preliminary experiment, we demonstrated that mapping and masking methods had different conversion mechanisms and thus assumed that their recovery errors are highly likely to be complementary. Also, the complementarity was validated accordingly. Based on the principle of error minimization, we propose the fusion between mapping and masking for speech dereverberation. Specifically, we take the weighted mean of the amplitudes recovered by the two methods as the estimated amplitude of the fusion method. Experiments verify that the recovery error of the fusion method is further controlled. Compared with the existing geometric mean method, the weighted mean method we proposed has achieved better results. Speech dereverberation experiments manifest that the weighted mean method improves PESQ and SNR by 5.8% and 25.0%, respectively, compared with the traditional masking method.
Study of Micro Structural Material Changes after WEDM Based on TEM Lamella Analysis

Wire electrical discharge machining is an unconventional machining technology that is crucial in many industries. The surface quality of the machined parts is carefully monitored, but the condition of the subsurface layer also plays a crucial role, especially in case of defects occurrence such as cracks or burnt cavities. The subsurface layer of individual materials is affected differently due to wire electrical discharge machining. For this reason, this study was carried out focusing on a detailed analysis of transmission electron microscope (TEM) lamella made of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy, AlZn6Mg2Cu aluminum alloy, pure molybdenum, Creusabro 4800 steel, and Hardox 400 steel. The attention was first of all paid to the concentration and distribution of individual elements in the recast layer and also in the base material, which was often affected by wire electrical discharge machining. Further, a diffraction analysis was performed for each TEM lamella in the adhesive area and in the base material area. In order to assess the macro-effects on the machined material, the topography analysis of the machined surfaces and the morphology analysis were performed using electron microscopy.
… Because the homeland cannot be in opposition: analysing the discourses of Fidesz and Law and Justice (PiS) from opposition to power

ABSTRACT Drawing on Ernesto Laclau’s theory of discourse, hegemony, and populism, this paper analyses the development of the discourses of Fidesz in Hungary and Law and Justice (PiS) in Poland from opposition to power with a focus on how authoritarianism is articulated, especially in relation to populism. The post-foundational discourse analysis finds that populism takes on an authoritarian expression only in certain discursive combinations, mostly with nationalism, while authoritarianism follows a range of different logics (populist and non-populist alike), including nationalism and social welfarism without populism (PiS) or what Laclau refers to as institutionalism (Fidesz).
Conceptualizations of the Heart in Jordanian Arabic: A Cognitive Perspective

The present paper examines the metaphorical and metonymical conceptualizations of the heart in Jordanian Arabic (JA) within the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory developed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). The main aim is to explore how the human heart is conceptualized in JA, and to test the applicability of the different general cognitive mechanisms proposed by Niemeier (2003 and 2008) to those found in JA. The data were extracted from Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions in Levantine Arabic: Jordanian Dialect (Alzoubi, 2020), and other resources including articles, dissertations and books of Arabic proverbs. The findings revealed that all the four general cognitive mechanisms suggested by Niemeier (2003 and 2008) are applicable to JA. The findings also showed that the similarity derives from the universal aspects of the human body, which lends tremendous support to the embodiment hypothesis proposed by cognitive linguists.
Multiple early Eocene carbon isotope excursions associated with environmental changes in the Dieppe-Hampshire Basin (NW Europe)

The early Eocene experienced a series of short-lived global warming events, known as hyperthermals, associated with negative carbon isotope excursions (CIE). The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM or ETM-1) and Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM-2) are the two main events of this Epoch, both marked by massive sea-floor carbonate dissolution. Their timing, amplitude and impacts are rather well documented, but CIEs with lower amplitudes also associated with carbonate dissolution are still poorly studied (e.g. events E1 to H1), especially in the terrestrial realm where hiatus/disconformities and various sedimentary rates in a single succession may complicate the assignation to global isotopic events. Here we present a new high-resolution multi-proxy study on the terrestrial, lagoonal and shallow marine late Paleocene-early Eocene succession from two sites of the Cap d’Ailly area in the Dieppe-Hampshire Basin (Normandy, France). Carbon isotope data (δ13C) on bulk organic matter and higher-plant derived n-alkanes, and K-Ar ages on authigenic glauconite were determined to provide a stratigraphic framework. Palynofacies, distribution and hydrogen isotope values (δ2H) of higher-plant derived n-alkanes allowed us to unravel paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes. In coastal sediments of the Cap d’Ailly area, δ13C values revealed two main negative CIEs, from base to top CIE1 and CIE2, and 3 less pronounced negative excursions older than the NP11 nannofossil biozone. While the CIE1 is clearly linked with the PETM initiation, the CIE2 could either correspond to 1) a second excursion within the PETM interval caused by strong local environmental changes or 2) a global carbon isotopic event that occurred between the PETM and ETM-2. Paleoenvironmental data indicated that both main CIEs were associated with dramatic changes such as eutrophication, algal and/or dinoflagellate blooms along with paleohydrological variations and an increase in seasonality. They revealed that the intervals immediately below these CIEs are also marked by environmental and climatic changes. Thus, this study shows either 1) a PETM marked by at least two distinct intervals of strong environmental and climatic changes or 2) at least one “minor” CIE: E1, E2, F or G, was associated with strong environmental and climatic changes similar to those that occurred during the PETM.
Optical Characterization of GaN-Based Vertical Blue Light-Emitting Diodes on P-Type Silicon Substrate

Fabricating GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a silicon (Si) substrate, which is compatible with the widely employed complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) circuits, is extremely important for next-generation high-performance electroluminescence devices. We conducted a systematic investigation of the optical properties of vertical LEDs, to reveal the impacts of the manufacturing process on their optical characteristics. Here, we fabricated and characterized high-efficiency GaN-based LEDs with integrated surface textures including micro-scale periodic hemispherical dimples and nano-scale random hexagonal pyramids on a 4 inch p-type Si substrate. The highly reflective Ag/TiW metallization scheme was performed to decrease downward-absorbing light. We demonstrated the influence of transferring LED epilayers from a sapphire substrate onto the Si substrate on the emission characteristics of the vertical LEDs. The removal of the sapphire substrate reduced the adverse impacts of the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE). The influence of integrated surface textures on the light extraction efficiency (LEE) of the vertical LEDs was studied. With the injection current of 350 mA, vertical LEDs with integrated surface textures demonstrated an excellent light output power of 468.9 mW with an emission peak wavelength of 456 nm. This work contributes to the integration of GaN-based vertical LEDs into Si-based integrated circuits.
Dénitrification biologique d'effluents industriels à fortes concentrations en nitrates

L'objectif de ce travail est l'etude de la faisabilite technico-economique de la denitrification biologique d'effluents industriels a fortes teneurs. Les etudes ont ete orientees vers la recherche de populations mixtes adaptees au probleme a resoudre et ceci selon deux grands axes: l'adaptation d'une population mixte de laboratoire et la definition et la mise en uvre d'une strategie originale de selection de populations mixtes endogenes d'un site industriel generant de tels effluents. Les experiences realisees ont permis de montrer l'adaptabilite de la population mixte denitrifiante de laboratoire a la denitrification dans des conditions extremes et la validite de notre demarche de selection de populations mixtes endogenes. Son application a en effet permis de selectionner une population mixte performante et a conduit a l'isolement de deux souches, l'une appartenant a l'espece alcaligenes faecalis et l'autre appartenant a une espece nouvelle, non encore decrite dans la litterature. Une caracterisation phenotypique et genetique de la souche a montre qu'elle appartenait au genre pseudomonas et la denomination halodenitrificans a ete proposee, en reference a ses proprietes physiologiques principales d'halophilie et de denitrification. Cette etude a egalement permis d'apporter un certain nombre d'informations concernant la connaissance fondamentale du processus de denitrification. La partie appliquee de cette etude, realisee en reacteur de type continu agite, a permis d'identifier un certain nombre de conditions d'inhibition, notamment par les especes anioniques remplacant les nitrates dans le milieu de culture (sulfates, bicarbonates) et par la force ionique. La determination de seuils d'inhibition constitue un aspect nouveau et original de l'etude de la denitrification. L'influence du ph sur les equilibres chimiques s'etablissant dans le reacteur a egalement ete mise en evidence. L'etude des principaux parametres influencant les differentes etapes de la reaction de denitrification et leur optimisation partielle ont abouti a une productivite optimale de 43,7 kg no#3#-/m#r#3. J. Les conditions operatoires qui seraient applicables dans un procede industriel de denitrification en continu des effluents generes par le procede industriel de conversion de l'uranium ont ete definies. L'extrapolation des donnees cinetiques obtenues au dimensionnement d'un reacteur a membranes a permis de montrer la competitivite de cette technique par rapport aux autres techniques envisagees. Le cout du traitement a ete envisagees. Le cout du traitement a ete estime a 3,5 f/kg no#3#-traite
From waifus to whales: The evolution of discourse in a mobile game-based competitive community of practice

Online communities devoted to mobile games represent exemplary examples of competitive communities of practice, leveraging the competing forces of cooperation and competition to foster in-group solidarity and motivate members to further engage with the game and community. In this study, latent Dirichlet allocation was used to model conversation topics across over two million posts and comments made during a 3-year period on the r/grandorder subreddit, a competitive community of practice devoted to the mobile game Fate/Grand Order. In total, 20 distinct topics emerged spanning topical foci and emotional tones. The prevalence of certain topics, such as those related to gacha game mechanics, declined as community members mastered the practice and as the practice itself changed. Future studies should compare the structure and evolution of conversations across contexts, and they should likewise examine differences that emerge in discourse due to the relative balance of competitive and cooperative influences.
Research on fused sorting based on logical regression in news recommendation system

A fusion sorting model based on logical regression is used to solve the problem of information overload in the news recommendation system and meet the personalized needs of users. First, the fusion sorting model is trained based on the article data and user data, and the original candidate news set is obtained by multi-channel recall method. Then the original candidate set is filtered by the fusion sorting model, and the recommendation list is generated. Finally, the experiment is carried out based on the Wuli News Recommendation System. Under the evaluation indexes of precision, recall and ILS, the fusion sorting model adopted significantly improves the recommendation ability of the system, and achieves the goal of making multiple single recommendation strategies make up for each other’s shortcomings.
Bio-Inspired Approach Sybil Attack in AODV based MANET using BFO Algorithm

Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is an infrastructure-less network with mobile devices associated remote and it’s a self-configuring network without having a fixed framework. MANETs are peer-to-peer, multihop remote systems in which data packets are transmitted in a store and forward way from a source to destination. Bio-Inspired techniques are based on biological principles or models. The objective is to improve the modeling and simulation of the biological framework. Sybil attack could be serious security trouble to be illuminated for the effective delivery of packets in Mobile ad-hoc networks. In this research article focused on, Sybil attack in the AODV routing protocol established on Mobile Ad-hoc Network as well as at that moment optimize it utilizing the Bacteria Foraging Optimization algorithm (BFO) in NS3 simulator utilizing parameter corresponding routing overhead and packet delivery ratio. BFO is a bio-inspired algorithm that simulates bacteria’s behavior and can be successfully connected in various areas. Within the conclusion comparison of network nodes with attack and after recompense of attack with BFO has been made. From the results, it has been deduced that BFO works well for the prevention of Sybil attack. Keywords—MANET, Bio-Inspired, BFO, AODV, Security, Sybil attack
Indicators of improvements in seismic performance possible through retrofit of reinforced concrete frame buildings

Retrofitting older reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings aims to mitigate the well-established seismic vulnerabilities of these structures. However, the impact of retrofit design decisions (e.g. increases in strength, stiffness, or deformation capacity) on global performance is unclear because capacity and fragility models for retrofit structures are rare. This study quantifies the benefits of retrofitting nonductile RC moment frames in terms of global performance metrics, such as collapse rates and economic losses. In total, 27 buildings are assessed. In doing so, it subsequently identifies structural indicators, that is, strength and deformation characteristics of the retrofit system, which are most associated with improved performance. If the performance measure of interest is collapse risk and life safety, increases to either system strength or deformation capacity are important. If the performance measure of interest is expected earthquake-induced repair costs or economic losses, strength-based indicators are most effective. Some retrofits can significantly improve collapse risk without reducing economic losses.
Mindsets about remote work predict employee well-being in home office: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of employees worldwide transitioned to remote work. As remote work continues to characterize the post-crisis world of work, it is imperative to understand predictors of employee adjustment to remote work. The current research explores the extent to which individuals hold a fixed mindset about remote work (e.g., that a person either is or is not suited to remote work and this cannot be changed) and tested how this mindset shaped remote worker well-being during the coronavirus lockdown. In a longitudinal five-week study of 113 employees working remotely in Switzerland, we find that employees who endorsed a more fixed mindset about remote work experienced more negative emotion and reduced positive emotion during remote work. Further, the increased negative emotion prompted by fixed mindsets was associated with lesser perceived productivity among these employees. We conclude that encouraging employees to view remote work as a skill that can be learned and developed could help employees thrive in the new world of work. Keywords remote work, telecommuting, employee well-being, productivity, mindsets ABOUT THE AUTHOR/S Lauren C. Howe Howe University of Zurich lauren.howe@business.uzh.ch Dr. Lauren C. Howe is a postdoctoral scholar working with Prof. Jochen Menges at the Chair of Human Resource Management and Leadership at the University of Zurich. Her research examines the critical role of beliefs, expectations, and social relationships in organizational contexts and illustrate how considering their influence can lead to novel insights. Her website is here: http://www.laurenchowe. com/ Jochen I. Menges University of Zurich jochen.menges@uzh.ch Professor Jochen Menges holds the Chair of Human Resource Management and Leadership at the Department of Business Administration at the University of Zurich. He received his doctoral degree in management from the University of St. Gallen, spent a year at the Graduate School of Arts and Science at Yale University, and completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology at the University of Heidelberg. He also works as a Lecturer in Organizational Behaviour at Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge and has previously served as the Chair of Leadership and HRM at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Dusseldorf. Professor Menges’s research focuses on the social dynamics between leaders and followers, and on the role of emotions and motivation in organizational life. He studies how leaders can successfully inspire people to pursue collective goals and how people can work together in ways that contribute to their productivity and well-being. New Future of Work 2020, August 3–5, 2020 © 2020 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).
Facile Synthesis of Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticle for Biological Studies

Currently Nanoparticles are utilized in various fields and have a different clinical application. In our research, we have developed the Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) NPs using the Sol-gel technique from the Cobalt chloride precursor. The synthesized nanoparticle was characterized by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR). The cytotoxicity studies were evaluated on the Vero cell line (African green monkey kidney cell line) by using MTT assay at 72 hrs. The Cell viability which was observed during the process depends upon the concentration and time exposure. Moreover, the In-vitro cytotoxic effects of Co3O4 NPs showed a better result at the concentration of 50 µg/100µl in Vero cell.
Acid influences postharvest quality and oxidative activity of gerbera cut flowers

Gerbera is a very popular ornamental plant and used in gardens as well as for cut flower. However, as a cut flower its postharvest quality is minimal, efforts are required to increase longivity and one of the possible way is to use acidic solutions. The study was conducted ot understand if the action of maintenance solutions with acids influence the postharvest physiology of gerbera cv. ‘Piang’. The experimental design was factorial completely randomized consisting of two factors: four postharvest treatments and seven evaluation times. The flowers were kept in 200 mg L-1 of citric acid solution (ACS reagent, ≥ 99.5 % Sigma-Aldrich), 200 mg L-1 of boric acid solution (ACS reagent, ≥ 99.5 %) and 200 mg L-1 of salicylic acid solution (ACS reagent, ≥ 99.0 %) and potable water as a control. During the postharvest period, fresh mass loss, water absorption, petal luminosity, total longevity, peroxidase (POD) enzyme activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD), total protein and total carbohydrate content were studied. Treatments with boric and salicylic acids recorded higher percentage of fresh weight loss. Citric acid showed higher water absorption rate and better appearance indicated by luminosity of the petals. The total protein and carbohydrate content decreased during the evaluation period but in the citric acid treatment, the reduction was not so significant. On the other hand, citric acid induced higher peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity on the second day of evaluation and lower activity until the tenth day.
Combining Deep Neural Network and Fourier Series for Tourist Arrivals Forecasting

Accurate tourist arrivals forecasting is essential for governments and the private sector to formulate policies and allocate funds more effectively. In this paper, the modeling of tourist arrivals time series data was introduced in a hybrid modeling that combines the deep neural network (DNN) with the Fourier series method. The proposed model approach applies the DNN to get the forecasted value and then employs the Fourier series to fit the residual error produced by the DNN. To verify the accurate prediction of the proposed model, different single models such as ARIMA, ANN and DNN, and modified ARIMA and ANN models using Fourier series are investigated. Historical data on monthly tourist arrivals to Langkawi Island with high trend and strong seasonality is used to compare the efficiency of the proposed model. A series of studies demonstrates that the performance of the single model can be further improved by taking into account the residual modification by Fourier series. The result shows that the proposed model is capable of forecasting tourist arrival series with higher reliability than other models used.
Overconfidence and Risk Taking in the Field: Evidence from Ethiopian Farmers

We argue that overconfidence wrongly inflates the expected returns to a risky income-generating activity. Overconfidence thus increases the willingness to take risks. We test this prediction using a sample of smallholder farmers from Ethiopia who face a risk-return trade-off in their crop cultivation choices. To meet their subsistence needs, these risk-averse farmers arguably have large incentives to wisely manage their risks. We find that overconfident farmers cultivate riskier crop portfolios. The relationship between overconfidence and risk taking is more pronounced for farmers who live near markets or are net sellers. Our results are robust to the inclusion of a wide range of controls (including local fixed effects, use of risk-managing measures, experience of idiosyncratic shocks, socioeconomic characteristics, measures of risk aversion, and personality traits) and instrumental variable estimation. The high volatility of agricultural income may thus not only be the result of a risky environment but also of farmers’ individual psychological biases.