Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Channel Factors Compensation in Model and Feature Domain for Speaker Recognition

The variability of the channel and environment is one of the most important factors affecting the performance of text-independent speaker verification systems. The best techniques for channel compensation are model based. Most of them have been proposed for Gaussian mixture models, while in the feature domain typically blind channel compensation is performed. The aim of this work is to explore techniques that allow more accurate channel compensation in the domain of the features. Compensating the features rather than the models has the advantage that the transformed parameters can be used with models of different nature and complexity, and also for different tasks. In this paper we evaluate the effects of the compensation of the channel variability obtained by means of the channel factors approach. In particular, we compare channel variability modeling in the usual Gaussian mixture model domain, and our proposed feature domain compensation technique. We show that the two approaches lead to similar results on the NIST 2005 speaker recognition evaluation data. Moreover, the quality of the transformed features is also assessed in the support vector machines framework for speaker recognition on the same data, and in preliminary experiments on language identification
A Double Error-Correction Scheme for Peripheral Systems

In multiple digital recording peripheral systems, the errors which are encountered are burst-type errors which may occur in several tracks or channels. This paper discusses methods and implementation procedures for correcting a series of errors or erasures of arbitrary length in any one or two tracks of a multi-channel system. We have shown that such errors in multiple tracks may be detected and corrected using a two-redundant Hamming code over a Galois field mathematical structure in conjunction with error track pointers. The detection/correction scheme considered here can correct N-bit blocks, thereby correcting an error burst of arbitrary length in any single or pair of tracks. The error-correction (EC) scheme is shown to be applicable to two types of data formats or arrays. Additional error detection is provided to check the validity of error correction to enhance reliability above that of double error correction. Implementation methods pertaining to the above EC scheme are discussed. Examples of single and double error corrections for two types of data formats or arrays are included.
Role Conflict and Ambiguity:

A review of the nursing literature provides a number of hypotheses regarding levels among nurses of role ambiguity (uncertainty regarding others' expectations) and role conflict (incompatible demands from various role senders or from multiple roles held simultaneously). Questionnaire data collected from 504 registered staff nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurses aides and head nurses/supervisors in five hospitals failed to provide much support for these hypotheses. Although levels ofrole conflict and ambiguity were low for most nurses, they were significantly related to job stress, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and intentions to quit.
Abreast in a boat--a race against breast cancer.

Many patients trying to get back to “real life” after a serious illness are disheartened to find that the post-treatment phase of their care is sadly wanting. Survivors of breast cancer are no exception. Many women describe a period of uncertainty and depression, often of considerable length, after active treatment ends. Their anxieties and concerns about the illness remain, but they lose contact with the medical support network. There are no standardized guidelines for the management of survivors of breast cancer. Recommendations with regard to physical activity are generally conservative and direct patients as to what they cannot do rather than what they can or should do. The treatment of breast cancer commonly involves lumpectomy or mastectomy with axillary node dissection, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy as indicated. This treatment improves survival but can result in pulmonary fibrosis, restrictive lung disease and diminished exercise capacity. Physical activity affects the production, metabolism and excretion of the female hormones, as well as energy balance, and these factors may be linked to the lower risk of breast cancer in habitually active women. Formal exercise programs for women with breast cancer are few and limited to small groups of patients, although the general consensus is that exercise helps to maintain functional capacity in these patients. Current opinion suggests that avoidance of strenuous activity is necessary to prevent lymphedema after treatment for breast cancer, although some women with breast cancer have recently begun to challenge this taboo. In fact, there are many reasons to believe that upper body exercise has a role in recovery from breast cancer and lymphedema because it can improve range of motion and reverse muscle atrophy, activate skeletal muscle (which may help pump lymph), stimulate the immune system and reset the sympathetic tone of the lymphatic vessels.
Controlled-topology filtering

Many applications require the extraction of isolines and isosurfaces from scalar functions defined on regular grids. These scalar functions may have many different origins: from MRI and CT scan data to terrain data or results of a simulation. As a result of noise and other artifacts, curves and surfaces obtained by standard extraction algorithms often suffer from topological irregularities and geometric noise.While it is possible to remove topological and geometric noise as a post-processing step, in the case when a large number of isolines are of interest there is a considerable advantage in filtering the scalar function directly. While most smoothing filters result in gradual simplification of the topological structure of contours, new topological features typically emerge and disappear during the smoothing process.In this paper, we describe an algorithm for filtering functions defined on regular 2D grids with controlled topology changes, which ensures that the topological structure of the set of contour lines of the function is progressively simplified.
Modeling of a New SOI Bidirectional Bipolar Junction Transistor for Low-Loss Household Appliances

In this paper, a new monolithic bidirectional bipolar junction transistor with full turn-off control is studied due to technology computer-aided tools. The structure is built on a symmetrical transistor using silicon-on-insulator technology, which functionality relies on reduced surface field and base shielding effects. These concepts allow high drift doping concentrations and a thin and/or lowly doped base. Such a structure is suitable for bidirectional household appliances within a confined environment where power dissipation is a critical parameter.
Running head : TESTOSTERONE MEASUREMENT IMMUNOASSAYS 1 A comparison of salivary testosterone measurement using immunoassays and tandem mass spectrometry

Enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) are widely used to measure salivary testosterone. However, little is known about how accurately different EIAs assess testosterone, partially because estimates across various EIAs differ considerably. We compared testosterone concentrations across EIAs of three commonly used manufacturers (DRG International, Salimetrics, and IBL International) to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Relative to EIAs from Salimetrics and IBL International, EIAs supplied by DRG International provided the closest approximation to LC-MS/MS testosterone concentrations with the least measurement error. Additionally, EIAs largely overestimated testosterone in women’s saliva samples with higher testosterone concentrations, relative to men’s. Examining our results and comparing them to existing data revealed that testosterone EIAs had decreased linear correspondence with LC-MS/MS in comparison to cortisol EIAs. Overall, this paper provides researchers with information to better measure testosterone in their research and more accurately compare testosterone measurements across different methods.
Simulation study of the backward-motion for a aircraft towbarless tractor

The kinematic model of a towbarless tractor-aircraft system pushing a airplane on the flat ground was established, and based on Lyapunov stability theory, backing up the system was proved to be an open-loop unstable problem by kinematic analysis. In this paper, we investigate the effects of different kinematics and configuration parameters on backward operation, and the manoeuvring stability of the system is also evaluated using the virtual prototype model by simulations. In this study, a tractor driver's operation of correcting steering angle has been simulated with the STEP function according to the results of the experiment that researched on the stability of the reversing operation with a steering wheel angle step input. Theoretical verification and experimental results proved that it is referential for studying the handling and stability of the towbarless tractor-aircraft system in backward-motion.
Multi-Objective Monte-Carlo Tree Search based aerial maneuvering control

This paper studies the problem of aerial maneuvering control, which is formulated as a multi-objective sequential decision making problem, and is solved by the Multi-Objective Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MOMCTS) algorithm which requires little prior knowledge about the specific maneuvering procedure, and achieves the desired maneuvering trajectory through multi-objective optimization. The proposed method is validated by simulation based on the six degree of freedom aerodynamic model of a real trainer aircraft in the case of loop maneuvering. The performance of MOMCTS approach is compared with a traditional method combining trajectory generation and PID control. Experimental results show that MOMCTS outperforms the baseline method at the cost of a lightly decreased robustness.
Content and context effects in children's and adults' conditional reasoning

We have recently shown that children interpret conditional sentences with binary terms (e.g., male/female) in both the antecedent and the consequent as biconditionals (Barrouillet & Lecas, 1998). We hypothesized that the same effect can be obtained with conditionals that do not contain binary terms provided that they are embedded in a context that restricts to only two the possible values on both the antecedent and the consequent. In the present experiment, we asked 12-year-old children, 15-year-old children, and adults to draw conclusions from conditional syllogisms that involved three types of conditional sentence: (1) conditionals with binary terms (BB), (2) conditionals with non-binary terms (NN), and (3) conditionals with non-binary terms embedded in a restrictive context (NNR). As we predicted, BB conditionals elicited more biconditional response patterns than did NN conditionals in all age groups. On the other hand, manipulating the context had the same effect in children but not in adults. Content and context constraints on conditional reasoning along with developmental issues are discussed within the framework of the mental models theory.
Prevalence of and Risk Factors Associated With Symptoms of Depression in Competitive Collegiate Student Athletes

Objective:To describe the prevalence of symptoms of depression among competitive collegiate student athletes and examine the factors associated with symptoms of depression among this population. Design:A baseline survey of a prospective cohort study. Setting:The survey was administered at the preseason team meetings. Participants:The sample included 257 collegiate student athletes (167 males and 90 females) who participated in Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sponsored sports during the 2005-2006 academic year. Main Outcome Measurements:Symptoms of depression were measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Anxiety was measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) was used to assess the factors associated with symptoms of depression. Results:Twenty-one percent of participants reported experiencing symptoms of depression. Athletes who were female, freshmen, or with self-reported pain were associated with significantly increased odds of experiencing symptoms of depression after adjusting for sports and other covariates. In particular, female athletes had 1.32 greater odds (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.73) of experiencing symptoms of depression compared to male student athletes. Freshmen had 3.27 greater odds (95% CI, 1.63 to 6.59) of experiencing symptoms of depression than their more senior counterparts. Student athletes who reported symptoms of depression were associated with higher scores of State-Anxiety and Trait-Anxiety, respectively (P < 0.0001). Conclusions:Our findings provide empirical data for the future study on mental health among collegiate athletes. Further studies on why female and freshmen athletes are at increased risk of experiencing symptoms of depression are also warranted.
Indoor Intelligent Vehicle localization using WiFi received signal strength indicator

Success of Intelligent Vehicle navigation largely depends on the ability to localize precisely the vehicle in the environment. In general, all intelligent vehicle seemed to agree on a combination of non-cumulative error localization method like GPS with more precise localization method but suffered from cumulative errors like Laser-SLAM with an odometer. However, as GPS is only available for outdoor environment and since the indoor environment is also an important scenario for intelligent vehicles, a replacement of GPS for indoor localization is required. Successfully replacing GPS will not only provide a reliable indoor localization method for vehicles but also keep the architecture of vehicle localizing system consistent and achieve a smooth transition from outdoor to indoor and vice versa. Often, movement speed for indoor vehicles will be as low as 10–12km/h [1] but still, it surpasses the movement speed of human walking (3–5km/h) and presents a challenge for a tight and complex environment. This paper proposes an improved WiFi-fingerprinting method to replace GPS behavior for the indoor environment. The key contribution is to use a raw data smoothing technique with an ensemble classification neural network method to deal with noisy WiFi signal strength. Also, environment constraints are applied to improve localization result. Experiments show this method is capable of replacing GPS for the indoor environment.
Silicon nitride ARC thin films by new plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition source technology

Hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiN:H) is prized for its ability to anti-reflect incident sun light on crystalline silicon and provide defect passivating hydrogen. An innovative new plasma source, the Plasma Beam Source™ (PBS™) [1] is used to deposit these SiN:H thin films to meet - and exceed - the throughput and quality requirements of this application. This new PECVD technology is capable of depositing SiN:H thin films at rates in excess of 150 nm-m/min with an optical index that is controlled between 1.75 and 2.4. The advantages of this new PECVD technology for solar cell fabrication include exceptional deposition rates, high precursor utilization, dense high quality films with extended production campaigns. In this paper we discuss the results of our process development for hydrogenated silicon nitride thin films. We present bond densities, refractive index, extinction coefficients and hydrogen concentration of deposited films.
Semantic rule modelling for intelligent supplier discovery

Formal representation of manufacturing capabilities is a critical requirement for autonomous deployment of agile supply chains in distributed environments. In this context, manufacturing ontologies play a key role by providing the required means for explicit knowledge representation. Manufacturing Service Description Language (MSDL) is an OWL (Web Ontology Language)-based ontology developed with the purpose of modelling manufacturing capability in a service-oriented framework. This paper presents the rule-based extension of MSDL that enhances the ontology semantically and enables advanced ontological reasoning. The particular focus of this paper is on analysing the reasoning and inference patterns used by human experts during the supplier discovery process and formally representing them, to the possible extent, using Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL). Two categories of rules, namely, property inference and classification rules are introduced and implemented in this research. In order to capture the rules and evaluate the effects of the encoded rules on the performance of the MSDL search engine, an experimental approach is followed in this work. The obtained results support the hypothesis that semantic enrichment of the ontology through introducing semantic SWRL rules enhances the performance of the semantic search process.
Left/right asymmetry of atrophy in semantic dementia

Objective: To characterize presenting symptomatology in patients with semantic dementia (SD) and to investigate whether left and right temporal variants of the disease have distinct behavioral and cognitive profiles. Methods: Retrospective examination of case notes was performed in 47 consecutive referrals of patients with a clinical diagnosis of SD. Patients (and informants) were interviewed and underwent neuropsychological testing within 6 months of assessment. Patients were designated as having predominantly left (L > R; n = 36) or right (R > L; n = 11) temporal lobe atrophy based on MRI or CT of the brain. Results: R > L and L > R SD groups did not differ in terms of presenting age (mean 63.4 ± 7.4 years), symptom duration (3.6 ± 2.3 years), or Mini-Mental State Examination scores (22.1 ± 6.7). The most frequently reported behavioral symptoms were food fads, irritability, depression, and preoccupation with puzzles; cognitive deficits included word-finding difficulties, reduced comprehension, difficulty with person identification, and reduced conversation. The frequency of several symptoms differed significantly between groups. The following aspects were more likely to be associated with major right temporal atrophy: social awkwardness, job loss, loss of insight, and difficulty with person identification. Word-finding difficulties and reduced comprehension were more salient features of L > R patients. Both groups showed deficits on semantic memory tests, as expected for this syndrome, but several items yielded greater impairment for L > R than R > L. Conclusions: Patients with left and right predominant SD present with distinct behavioral–cognitive profiles. Characterization of these features may assist in the early and accurate diagnosis of SD.
Effect of outer wing separation on lift and thrust generation in a flapping wing system

We explore the implementation of wing feather separation and lead-lagging motion to a flapping wing. A biomimetic flapping wing system with separated outer wings is designed and demonstrated. The artificial wing feather separation is implemented in the biomimetic wing by dividing the wing into inner and outer wings. The features of flapping, lead-lagging, and outer wing separation of the flapping wing system are captured by a high-speed camera for evaluation. The performance of the flapping wing system with separated outer wings is compared to that of a flapping wing system with closed outer wings in terms of forward force and downward force production. For a low flapping frequency ranging from 2.47 to 3.90 Hz, the proposed biomimetic flapping wing system shows a higher thrust and lift generation capability as demonstrated by a series of experiments. For 1.6 V application (lower frequency operation), the flapping wing system with separated wings could generate about 56% higher forward force and about 61% less downward force compared to that with closed wings, which is enough to demonstrate larger thrust and lift production capability of the separated outer wings. The experiments show that the outer parts of the separated wings are able to deform, resulting in a smaller amount of drag production during the upstroke, while still producing relatively greater lift and thrust during the downstroke.
THE ACQUISITION OF SYNTAX.

them to go beyond the speech they have actually heard and practiced to the creation of lawful novelties. If new monosyllables are created, speakers of English will agree that stug is "better English" than ftug. Probably this is because they have a shared implicit knowledge of the initial consonant clusters that are acceptable in English. If this new word is to be pluralized, they will agree that stug/-z/ is better than stug/-s/. Probably this is because they have shared knowledge of a rule of regular English inflection. If the new word is first heard in the sentence: "Here is some stug" they will agree that a second sentence: "The stug is there" is more likely to be grammatical than a second sentence: "A stug is there. " Probably this is because they have shared knowledge of the syntactic rules for the employment of mass nouns. The construction rules of which speakers have implicit knowledge are, in their explicit form, the grammar of a language. As these rules have been written down in traditional grammars, they constitute a collection of largely unrelated statements about such matters as the parts-of-speech, paradigms of conjugation and declension, the marking of gender, and the agreement of adjectives and nouns. Chomsky (I957) has shown that it may be possible to systematize traditional grammar into a mechanism for the generation of all the sentences of a language that are grammatical and none that are ungrammatical. Grammar becomes a theory for a range of phenomenathe sentences of a language-and also a program for generating sentencesa program that might be followed by an electronic device (Yngve, I96I).
Inhalation of alpha(1)-protease inhibitor in cystic fibrosis does not affect surfactant convertase and surface activity.

The inhalation of alpha(1)-protease inhibitor (alpha(1)-PI) was assessed in a pilot study to restore the protease-antiprotease balance in the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. In addition, the effect of this treatment on the surface active properties of lung surfactant and the metabolic conversion of aggregate forms was studied. Eight young adults with CF inhaled 100 mg of alpha(1)-PI twice daily over 8 weeks and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) were obtained before and 12 h after the last inhalation. Large aggregate (LA) forms of surfactant were isolated from the in vivo material by ultracentrifugation and their conversion into small aggregates (SA) was assessed by an in vitro surface area cycling assay. Although alpha(1)-PI partially restored the protease-anti-protease imbalance and reduced BAL protein content, no effects were noted on the impaired minimal surface tension and on the in vivo and in vitro conversion of LA to SA. Antiserum against the specific carboxyl esterase ES-2, previously identified in mice and rats as the putative surfactant convertase, did not detect a protein of the appropriate size in CF BAL. Whereas short-term inhalation of alpha(1)-PI was beneficial for the proteolytic aspects of CF lung injury, this appeared not to be the case for surfactant conversion and surface activity.