Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An MFCC‐based text‐independent speaker identification system for access control

In recent years, by merit of convenient and unique features, bio‐authentication techniques have been applied to identify and authenticate a person based on his/her spoken words and/or sentences. Among these techniques, speaker recognition/identification is the most convenient one, providing a secure and strong authentication solution viable for a wide range of applications. In this paper, to safeguard real‐world objects, like buildings, we develop a speaker identification system named mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC)‐based speaker identification system for access control (MSIAC for short), which identifies a speaker U by first collecting U's voice signals and converting the signals to frequency domain. An MFCC‐based human auditory filtering model is utilized to adjust the energy levels of different frequencies as U's voice quantified features. Next, a Gaussian mixture model is employed to represent the distribution of the logarithmic features as U's specific acoustic model. When a person, eg, x, would like to access a real‐world object protected by the MSIAC, x's acoustic model is compared with known‐people's acoustic models. Based on the identification result, the MSIAC will determine whether the access will be accepted or denied.
Virtual development of automotive antennas printed on glass using a hybrid of method of moments and method of auxiliary sources

Measurements of the far field radiation pattern at the AUDI measurement test site are done by setting the device under test on a turn table on an open area test site (OATS). The OATS is limited to one elevation angle of about four degrees due to the transmitting antenna's fixed position. The transmission factor between the fixed antenna and the antenna under test is measured continuously while rotating the turn table over the complete azimuth. Objects in close vicinity to the automotive antennas like the car body or ground can influence the antenna behaviour. Hence, accurate modelling of the environment of the investigated antenna should be provided. On one hand it is important to consider the maximum of details which can affect the antenna characteristics like the turn table and the ground. On the other hand, it should be ensured that all details are correctly interpreted by the simulation framework and that there are no restrictions due to the implemented algorithms in the modelling from the simulation tool. Great care should be taken when modelling a real ground which usually is approximated by the commonly used simulation frameworks. In this work, several minutiae for ground modelling are given which permit an accurate evaluation and development of antennas. Furthermore, investigation results concerning the influence of the glass curvature and the body shell on the antenna performance are presented.
CMV promoter and the mouse albumin promoter and enhancer triggered the elevation of hepatitis B virus envelope polypeptides.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope polypeptides including large, middle, and major envelope polypeptides are involved in the assembly of virion, and mediate infection of human hepatocytes [1 – 5]. These peptides were reported to play important roles in regulating the ampli ﬁ cation of replication intermediate (covalent closed circular DNA) [6]. However, the mechanism of HBV infection in human is not fully understood. Therefore, the in vitro expression of HBV envelope polypeptides may be helpful to address this issue. HBV genome is a small (~3.2 kb), circular, partially double-stranded DNA molecule. To date, 2.0, 1.3, 1.2, and 1.1 copies of HBV genome-containing plasmids have been established to construct the HBV replicons. Among these replicons, 1.3 copies of HBV genome encoded high level of HBV replication in the transgenic mice and was usually used to produce the transgenic mice [7]. However, the expression level of viral proteins encoded by the 1.3
Symmetrizable Difference Dchemes

Abstract A review of the stability theory of symmetrizable time-dependent difference schemes is represented. The notion of the operator-difference scheme is introduced and general ideas about stability in the sense of the initial data and in the sense of the right hand side are formulated. Further, the so-called symmetrizable difference schemes are considered in detail for which we manage to formulate the unimprovable necessary and su±cient conditions of stability in the sense of the initial data. The schemes with variable weight multipliers are a typical representative of symmetrizable difference schemes. For such schemes a numerical algorithm is proposed and realized for constructing stability boundaries.
The Interlobular Distribution of Copper in the Liver of Beef Calves on a High-Copper Diet

The aims of the present study were 1) to evaluate the interlobular distribution of copper (Cu) in the liver of beef calves on a high-Cu diet, 2) to determine whether this distribution differs between Galician Blonds and Holstein Friesians, and 3) to determine whether in vivo needle biopsy provides an appropriate measure of overall hepatic Cu status. Liver biopsies were performed before slaughter on twenty-nine 10-month-old beef calves fed growing and finishing diets supplemented with 35 mg/kg of Cu sulfate (10 Galician Blonds, 9 Holstein Friesians, and 10 Galician Blond × Holstein Friesian crosses). At slaughter, samples taken from 6 regions of the liver (the internal and external faces of the right lobe; the left, caudate, and quadrate lobes; and the processus papillaris) were acid digested, and their Cu contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The highest Cu concentrations were found in the left lobe, followed by the processus papillaris, and the lowest Cu concentrations were found in the caudate and quadrate lobes. Different breeds differ in absolute hepatic Cu levels, but interlobular Cu distribution does not appear to depend on breed, at least when Galician Blonds are compared with Holstein Friesians. In vivo needle biopsy afforded accurate estimates of overall hepatic Cu status.
Radiographic findings in the hand-foot-uterus syndrome (HFUS).

The hand-foot-uterus syndrome is a hereditary disorder with abnormalities involving the hands and feet. Females with the disorder have duplications of the genital tract. Radiologically, the metacarpals and metatarsals are shortened and unusual carpal and tarsal fusions are present. Clinodactyly of the fifth fingers and short, pointed distal phalanges of the thumb and great toe are apparent.
Cutaneous Lymphomas: An Update. Part 2 B-Cell Lymphomas and Related Conditions

Abstract:Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (PCBCL) are the second most common form of primary cutaneous lymphomas and account for approximately 25%–30% of all primary cutaneous lymphomas. Both forms of low-grade malignant PCBCL, primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma (PCFCL) and primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type (MALT lymphoma) (PCMZL) represent the vast majority of PCBCL and show an indolent slowly progressive course and an excellent prognosis despite a high recurrence rate. Genetic analysis indicates that PCMZL differ from other forms of extranodal MALT lymphomas. The more common class-switched and the non–class-switched form of PCMZL can be distinguished as two distinctive subsets that differ in the cellular composition, IgM expression, and biological behavior with extracutaneous involvement found in the non–class-switched form. Recently, unusual clinical and histological forms of PCMZL and PCFCL manifesting with miliary or agminated lesions have been described that are diagnostically challenging. In contrast to PCMZL and PCFCL, primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type, and other rare forms of large B-cell lymphomas such as intravascular large B-cell lymphoma have an unfavorable prognosis. There is an emerging group of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)–driven B-cell lymphoproliferations including posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders and mucocutaneous ulcer occurring in immunocompromised patients and EBV-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the elderly arising in the setting of senescence-linked immunodeficiency. This review reports on recent findings expanding the spectrum of clinicopathological features, differential diagnostic aspects, and the pathogenesis of PCBCL and discusses the group of EBV-associated B-cell lymphoproliferations involving the skin.
Omental pedicle transposition and suture repair of peripheral nerve: A comparative study of functional, histological, morphometric and relative gastrocnemius muscle weight in rabbits

The peripheral nervous system is able to regenerate after injury. Etiologies of injuries include penetrating injury, crush, traction, and ischemia compression. However, the presence of various nerve injury treatments such as coaptation and another technique to attain functional nerve regeneration are still inadequate. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of omental pedicle transposition and epineural nerve suture on peripheral nerve regeneration in a rabbit model. Ten male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into two groups. In the primary epineural repair group or control group (CG), the left sciatic nerve was skeletonized from the sciatic notch till the point of bifurcation. The nerve was transected at the mid shaft of the femoral bone and repaired with six epineural sutures. In the treatment group (TG), the epineural repaired sciatic nerve was wrapped with omental pedicle around the site of coaptation. Assessment of the nerve regeneration was based on functional (motor and sensory), histological, morphometric criteria and relative gastrocnemius muscle weight. The results of the examination show that the treated group had better regeneration and functional recovery. Key words: Omental pedicle, regeneration, hispathological, morphometric, sciatic nerve.
A Foveated Imaging System to Reduce Transmission Bandwidth of Video Images from Remote Camera Systems 6

We have developed a preliminary version of a foveated imaging system, implemented on a general purpose computer, which greatly reduces the transmission bandwidth of images. The system is based on the fact that the spatial resolution of the human eye is space variant, decreasing with increasing eccentricity from the point of gaze. By taking advantage of this fact, it is possible to create an image that is almost perceptually indistinguishable from a constant resolution image, but requires substantially less information to code it. This is accomplished by degrading the resolution of the image so that it matches the space-variant degradation in the resolution of the human eye. Eye movements are recorded so that the high resolution region of the image can be kept aligned with the high resolution region of the human visual system. This system has demonstrated that significant reductions in bandwidth can be achieved while still maintaining access to high detail at any point in an image. The system has been tested using 256x256 8 bit gray scale images with 20° fields-of-view and eye-movement update rates of 30 Hz (display refresh was 60 Hz). Users of the system have reported minimal perceptual artifacts at bandwidth reductions of up to 94.7% (18.8 times reduction)
Genomic channeling in bacterial cell division

The bacterial dcw cluster is a group of genes involved in cell division and peptidoglycan synthesis. Comparison of the cluster across several bacterial genomes shows that its gene content and its gene order are conserved in distant bacterial lineages and, moreover, that, being most conserved in rod‐shaped bacteria, the degree of conservation relates to bacterial morphology. We propose a model in which the selective pressure to maintain the cluster arises from the need to efficiently coordinate the processes of elongation and septation in rod‐shaped bacteria. Gene order in the dcw cluster would be conserved as a result of mechanisms comprising: (i) a limited amout of peptidoglycan precursors required both for septation and elongation of the wall; (ii) co‐translational assembly of the protein complexes involved in cell division and in the synthesis of the peptidoglycan precursors; and (iii) alternation in the cellular localization of the assembled complexes to participate either in the synthesis of the septal peptidoglycan and division, or in the synthesis of the lateral wall. The name genomic channeling is proposed for this model as it involves a genomic arrangement that could facilitate the assembly of specific protein complexes and their subsequent conveyance to specific locations in the crowded cytoplasm and the envelope. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Towards Scalable Ontological Reasoning using Machine Learning

Ontological reasoning has become a very useful technique for several different applications. However, the use of large knowledge bases has shown that reasoning can be a very resource intensive task which does not scale well. The goal of this work is to explore the development of scalable reasoning approximation methods based on machine learning. Our most important concern is determining in which contexts would such methods be more convenient than currently available approximate reasoning techniques. For this purpose, we will study the use of currently available approximation approaches, and we will develop new machine learning based methods to compete with them. Our preliminary results already provide evidence that this is possible. However, there are several questions that need to be answered, e.g. what reasoning tasks can be efficiently approximated, or what is the appropriate feature representation for such purposes. Finally, it will be important to determine the degree of completeness and correctness of such methods based on machine learning, and compare them with approximate methods based on standard reasoning.
Evolving Simulated Modular Robots

We evolved virtual modular robots for locomotion using a direct and a generative encoding. An important benefit of modular robots in evolutionary robotics is the ability to quickly evaluate various morphologies and control systems in reality. Our use of a modular approach to construct robot morphologies is thus geared towards enabling us to construct robots in reality. However, our approach can also be used to solely construct virtual creatures. The advantage of our system is that due to accurate collision detection and our models being based on real world counterparts, the evolved behaviors can seem more realistic. Simulating virtual creatures usually takes up a lot of computational power and in this example we tried to reduce the computational power required through using an generative encoding based on an L-System, similar to what Hornby [1] implemented. Although there are other types of generative encodings L-Systems have, to our knowledge, not been frequently implemented in any modular robotic system. We compared both the direct encoding and the generative encoding for its performance [2] and the video can be found at https://www.youtube. com/watch? v=HCDftic1AdA. In the generative encoding multiple modules have the exact same control parameters which was color coded as illustrated in fig. 1. Through the reuse of genetic material we think that a generative encoding makes useful abstractions of both morphology and control which may be valuable for creating physical robots.
Patients' experiences of carcinoma of unknown primary site: dealing with uncertainty

It is generally acknowledged that patients may find it particularly hard to accept a cancer diagnosis if the primary origin cannot be identified. However, there is very little research exploring this. Aims: This is an exploratory mixed-method, largely qualitative, pilot study to explore patients' understanding of carcinoma of unknown primary site, any concerns they may have and to assess their quality of life. Methods: Ten patients were recruited and nine completed semi-structured interviews and McGill quality of life questionnaires. Thematic analysis was used in conjunction with demographic data and quality of life scores. Results: Six main themes were identified. These were - poor understanding, struggling with uncertainty/contrasting with stoical acceptance, undergoing multiple investigations, inability to treat, healthcare professionals not having the answers and difficulty explaining to others. Conclusion: Many patients find the uncertainty difficult and would welcome more opportunity to ask questions and learn of others' experiences.
Monitoring recommendations for oral azathioprine, methotrexate and cyclosporin in a paediatric dermatology clinic and literature review

Systemic oral immunomodulators azathioprine, methotrexate and cyclosporin are widely used in paediatric dermatology. Routine blood tests are performed to minimise drug‐related adverse events. However, the frequency of monitoring tests may lead to significant fearful experiences for patients. We reviewed haematological abnormalities and clinical side‐effects in a paediatric clinic population commencing immunomodulators for dermatological conditions, where haematological profiles are monitored less frequently than in current recommendations.
Integration of CAD/CAM planning into computer assisted orthopaedic surgery

Modern Computer Aided Design/Modeling (CAD/CAM) software allows complex surgical simulations, but it is often difficult to transfer and execute precisely the planned scenarios during actual operations. We describe a new method of integrating CAD/CAM surgical plans directly into a computer surgical navigation system, and demonstrate its use to guide three complex orthopaedic surgical procedures: a periacetabular osteotomy of a dysplastic hip, a corrective osteotomy of a post-traumatic tibial deformity, and a multi-planar resection of a distal femoral tumor followed by reconstruction with a CAD custom prosthesis.
Optimization of zero leakage helper data systems

Biometric authentication is a promising solution for secure authentication. However, the storage of biometric data may lead to security and privacy problems. A Helper Data System (HDS) is introduced to solve these problems. HDS offers the capability to extract information from noisy data while maintaining the confidentiality. There are two types of HDS, which are Fuzzy Extractor (FE) and Secure Sketch (SS). The difference between FE and SS is, a Secure Sketch allows reconstruction of the enrolled biometric from a noisy measurement, whereas a Fuzzy Extractor derives a stable uniform key or secret. In this thesis, we consider a general Helper Data System (HDS), which extracts secret from the enrollment data, but with non-uniform probability of secret. This thesis explore the optimal secret reconstruction procedure in Zero Leakage Helper Data System (ZLHDS). The main goal is to maximize the amount of information that can be extracted from noisy data. The optimization of ZLHDS is done by maximizing the mutual information of the generated secret and the reconstruction secret given helper data. The optimization of ZLSS consists of two phase. First is the analysis to formulate the optimum reconstruction boundary. Second is the numerical analysis to find the optimum probability to obtain the maximum mutual information. The result confirmed that ZLHDS gives a higher mutual information than Zero Leakage Fuzzy Extractor (ZLFE) for a certain amount of noise. This thesis also explored the theoretical approach for the optimization of ZLHDS in a more general case, which is for arbitrary source and arbitrary noise distribution. This approach was done using Lagrange Multiplication, which resulted in a more complicated formula. Optimization of Zero Leakage Helper Data Systems iii Acknowledgement I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor dr. Boris Skoric for the continuous support of my thesis study and research, for his patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank the rest of my thesis committee: dr.ir. L.A.M. (Berry) Schoenmakers and dr. Tanya Ignatenko for their cooperation, insightful comments, and hard questions. iv Optimization of Zero Leakage Helper Data Systems
Authors’ Reply

The experimental results of the paper titled “Delay compensation of tilt sensors based on mems accelerometer using data fusion technique” was commented by Bodnicki and Łuczak. In this note, we address the raised comments by the mentioned authors. Moreover, appropriate explanations are provided in order to make the procedure of the experimental section more clear.
Evidence for the Involvement of Two Pathways in Activation of Extracellular Signal‐Regulated Kinase (Erk) and Cell Proliferation by Gi and Gq Protein‐Coupled Receptors in Osteoblast‐Like Cells

The mechanisms by which Gi and Gq protein‐coupled receptors mediate mitogenic signaling in osteoblast‐like cells are unknown and were investigated in MC3T3‐E1 cells using specific receptor agonists such as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α). In contrast to their implication in epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, the adaptor protein Shc, the Grb2/Sos complex, and the small G protein Ras were not involved in the activation of Erk induced by either LPA or PGF2α in MC3T3‐E1 cells, suggesting that activation of Erk by Gi and Gq protein‐coupled receptors is Ras independent in these cells. Using specific kinase inhibitors and kinetic analyses, we provide evidence for two distinct components in the activation of Erk by Gi and Gq protein‐coupled receptors in MC3T3‐E1 cells including an Src‐like kinase‐dependent pathway and a protein kinase C (PKC)‐dependent mechanism. Functional analyses suggested that these two components are required for optimal DNA synthesis in response to LPA and PGF2α. These results suggest the implication of two pathways in the stimulation of Erk and cell replication by growth factors acting through Gi and Gq protein‐coupled receptors in bone‐forming cells.
Transcriptional response to aging and caloric restriction in heart and adipose tissue

Sustained caloric restriction (CR) extends lifespan in animal models but the mechanism and primary tissue target(s) have not been identified. Gene expression changes with aging and CR were examined in both heart and white adipose tissue (WAT) of Fischer 344 (F344) male rats using Affymetrix® RAE 230 arrays and validated by quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) on 18 genes. As expected, age had a substantial effect on transcription on both tissues, although only 21% of cardiac age‐associated genes were also altered in WAT. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed coordinated small magnitude changes in ribosomal, proteasomal, and mitochondrial genes with similarities in aging between heart and WAT. CR had very different effects on these two tissues at the transcriptional level. In heart, very few age‐associated expression changes were affected by CR, while in WAT, CR suppressed a substantial subset of the age‐associated changes. Genes unaltered by aging but altered by CR were identified in WAT but not heart. Most interestingly, we identified a gene expression signature associated with mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity that was down‐regulated with age but preserved by CR in both WAT and heart. In addition, lipid metabolism genes, particularly those associated with peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ)‐mediated adipogenesis were reduced with age but preserved with CR in WAT. These results highlight tissue‐specific differences in the gene expression response to CR and support a role for CR‐mediated preservation of mTOR activity and adipogenesis in aging WAT.