Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acoustic observation context modeling in segment based speech recognition

This paper describes a novel method that models the correlation between acoustic observations in contiguous speech segments. The basic idea behind the method is that acoustic observations are conditioned not only on the phonetic context but also on the preceding acoustic segment observation. The correlation between consecutive acoustic observations is modeled by polynomial mean trajectory segment models. This method is an extension of conventional segment modeling approaches in that it not only describes the correlation of acoustic observations inside segments but also between contiguous segments. It is also a generalization of phonetic context (e.g.,triphone) modeling approaches because it can model acoustic context and phonetic context at the same time. In a speaker-independent phoneme classi(cid:12)cation test, using the proposed method resulted in a 7{9% reduction in error rate as compared to the traditional triphone segmental model system and a 31% reduction as compared to a similar triphone HMM (hidden Markov model) system.
The Size and Shape of Voids in Three-dimensional Galaxy Surveys

The sizes and shapes of voids in a galaxy survey depend not only on the physics of structure formation, but also on the sampling density of the survey and on the algorithm used to define voids. Using an N-body simulation with a τCDM power spectrum, we study the properties of voids in samples with different number densities of galaxies, in both redshift space and real space. When voids are defined as totally empty regions of space, their characteristic volume is strongly dependent on sampling density; when they are defined as regions whose density is 0.2 times the mean galaxy density, the dependence is less strong. We compare two void-finding algorithms, one in which voids are nonoverlapping spheres, and one, based on the algorithm of Aikio & Mähönen, that does not predefine the shape of a void. Regardless of the algorithm chosen, the characteristic void size is larger in redshift space than in real space, and is larger for low sampling densities than for high sampling densities. We define an elongation statistic Q that measures the tendency of voids to be stretched or squashed along the line of sight. Using this statistic, we find that at sufficiently high sampling densities (comparable to the number density of L > L* galaxies), large voids tend to be slightly elongated along the line of sight in redshift space.
The Business Gestation Process of Novice, Serial, and Parallel Business Founders

This article explores the new business gestation process among three types of entrepreneurs: novice founders, serial founders (i.e., those individuals who have previously owned a business but sold it or closed it down), and parallel founders (i.e., those individuals who own at least one business while trying to start another). Founders were identified from a random sample of 9,533 Norwegian adults. Data were collected during 1996. One hundred and sixty respondents were classified as nascent entrepreneurs (i.e., those individuals starting a new business from scratch). One year later, information was collected from this group of nascent entrepreneurs surrounding their current activities. Detailed analysis revealed several differences with regard to the activities carried out during the gestation process among the three types of founders. Most notably, parallel entrepreneurs where found to have a higher probability of venture implementation than novice and serial founders.
Detection of Helicobacter spp. in gastric, fecal and saliva samples from swine affected by gastric ulceration

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Helicobacter (H.) spp. in swine affected by gastric ulceration. Stomachs from 400 regularly slaughtered swine were subjected to gross pathological examination to evaluate the presence of gastric ulcers. Sixty-five samples collected from ulcerated pars esophagea and 15 samples from non-ulcerated pyloric portions were submitted to histopathological and molecular analyses, to detect Helicobacter spp. , H. suis and H. pylori by PCR. Feces and saliva swabs were also collected from 25 animals in order to detect in vivo the presence of Helicobacter spp. Gastric ulcers were detected in 373 cases (93%). The presence of ulcers in association with inflammatory processes was further confirmed by histological examination. Forty-nine percent (32/65) of the ulcerated esophageal portions as well as 53% (8/15) of the non-ulcerated pyloric portions were positive for Helicobacter spp. by PCR. The Helicobacter spp. positive samples were also positive for H. suis, while H. pylori was not detected. These results were confirmed by restriction enzyme analysis. With regard to feces and saliva samples, 15/25 (60%) and 16/25 (64%) were positive for Helicobacter spp. PCR, respectively but all were negative in H. suis and H. pylori specific PCR.
OX40:OX40L Axis: Emerging Targets for Immunotherapy of Human Disease

Recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms through which T cells are activated have led to new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of immunological disorders. An emerging target for selective immune intervention has been the manipulation of T cell costimulatory pathways. Impressive results in animal models have shown that the tumor-necrosis-factor receptor (TNFR) family member, OX40 (CD134), and its binding partner OX40L, are key costimulatory molecules involved in the regulation of many T cell mediated immune disorders. In this review we will highlight these new findings with a particular emphasis on their potential implications for immunotherapy of human
Current Account Adjustment in the Eurozone: Lessons from a Flexible Price Model

This paper discusses the desired size of the internal devaluation in the Eurozone for a scenario of current account adjustment induced by shifts in relative demand. Based on Obstfeld and Rogoff, I develop a four‐region model of the world economy consisting of the Eurozone‐core, Eurozone‐periphery, United States and Asia. In contrast to most of the existing literature, this model structure enables studying the impact of global current account adjustment on the rebalancing process in the Eurozone. In addition, the model allows for movements of factors of production between tradable and non‐tradable sectors. The results point to the important impact of sectoral reallocation and increases in Asian demand on the size of the internal devaluation as well as on the implied length of the adjustment period.
NURBS-based free-form deformations

Since the advent of computer-based geometric modeling, designers have tried to develop modeling and deformation tools that allow users to emulate the ease with which sculptors work with clay. T.W. Sederberg and S.R. Parry (1986) demonstrated the application of free-form deformations. FFDs let the user conceptually embed an object in a clear pliable solid and apply deformations to the solid, which then carry through to the encased object. We describe a technique that logically extends current FFDs by basing them on nonuniform rational B-splines. The resulting NURBS-based FFDs (NFFDs) offer flexibility and control not achieved in prior implementations. We conclude by describing a straightforward combination of this technique with global and local deformations of solid primitives used to animate a lifelike surface model of the human leg. <<ETX>>
Rule Learning in Symmetric Normal-Form Games: Theory and Evidence

We improve Stahl's (1996b) model of boundedly rational behavioral rules and rule learning for symmetric normal-form games with unique symmetric Nash equilibria. A player begins with initial propensities on a class of evidence-based behavioral rules, and given experience over time adjusts his/her propensities in proportion to the past performance of the rules. An experiment consisting of two 15 period runs with 5x5 games was designed to test this model. The experimental data provide significant support for rule learning and heterogeneity among individuals. We also strongly reject "Nash learning" and "Cournot dynamics" in favor of rule learning.
Escherichia coli swimming is robust against variations in flagellar number

Bacterial chemotaxis is a paradigm for how environmental signals modulate cellular behavior. Although the network underlying this process has been studied extensively, we do not yet have an end-to-end understanding of chemotaxis. Specifically, how the rotational states of a cell’s flagella cooperatively determine whether the cell ‘runs’ or ‘tumbles’ remains poorly characterized. Here, we measure the swimming behavior of individual E. coli cells while simultaneously detecting the rotational states of each flagellum. We find that a simple mathematical expression relates the cell’s run/tumble bias to the number and average rotational state of its flagella. However, due to inter-flagellar correlations, an ‘effective number’ of flagella—smaller than the actual number—enters into this relation. Data from a chemotaxis mutant and stochastic modeling suggest that fluctuations of the regulator CheY-P are the source of flagellar correlations. A consequence of inter-flagellar correlations is that run/tumble behavior is only weakly dependent on number of flagella. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.01916. 001
Water Demand Under Alternative Price Structures

We estimate the price elasticity of water demand with household-level data, structurally modeling the piecewise-linear budget constraints imposed by increasing block pricing. We develop a mathematical expression for the unconditional price elasticity of demand under increasing block prices and compare conditional and unconditional elasticities analytically and empirically. We test the hypothesis that price elasticity may depend on price structure, beyond technical differences in elasticity concepts. Due to the possibility of endogenous utility price structure choice, observed differences in elasticity across price structures may be due either to a behavioral response to price structure, or to underlying heterogeneity among water utility service areas.
Compact RF Model for Transient Characteristics of MEMS Capacitive Switches

A compact model is proposed to facilitate the design and simulation of the control waveform of RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) capacitive switches with electrostatically actuated membranes. Following conventional approaches, the pull-in motion of a membrane is simulated by an L-R-C network. However, the present model deviates from conventional approaches by adding another capacitor and a diode to simulate the gradual contact of the membrane with the stationary electrode. After contact, variable mass, spring constant, and damping factor are used to simulate the release process of the membrane. By smoothly bridging the model between pull-in, contact, and release processes, the model can efficiently simulate static and transient S-parameters of the switches up to 50 GHz. The model can be readily installed in popular computer-aided circuit design environments to analyze in the time domain the behavior of the switches and the operation of MEMS-based circuits.
ASSESSMENT OF REPRODUCTIVE PROBLEMS IN SOME RUMINANTS UNDER SMALLHOLDER HUSBANDRY SYSTEM IN BAUCHI , NIGERIA

This study collated four-year data (2005 – 2008) on the incidence of some reproductive problems in some farm ruminants (cattl e, sheep and goats) as influenced by species, season, age and year. The da ta were subjected to simple descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. The reproductive problems studied were dystocia, retained placenta, vaginal prolapse, orchitis, abortion, pregnancy toxaemia, uterine prolapse and hypocalcaemia. The r esults showed that there was a significant (P<0.01) species effect on the incide nce of these problems. For instance, the incidence of dystocia was 0.0, 23.8 a nd 20.7 % in cattle, sheep and goats, respectively. Incidence of retained placenta was highest in cattle (61.9%) followed by goats (34.0%) and lowest in sheep (15.1 %) Vaginal prolapse recorded the highest incidence in sheep followed by goats and lowest in cattle. Orchitis was highest in goats followed by sheep wit h the least incidence in cattle. Similarly, there were more cases of abortion in goa ts (26.0%) as compared to cattle (19.0%) and sheep (7.6%). The results on inc ide e of pregnancy toxaemia and hypocalcaemia revealed that the sheep had highe r cas s than goats and cattle. The results showed that incidence of these problems as affected by season did not differ significantly in the three species. Similarl y, there was no significant effect on these problems with respect to year (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) of occurrence. Age had significant (P<0.05) effect on the incidence these problems. For instance, the young animals were more prone to vaginal prolapse, abortion and dystocia then followed by adults, and the old h aving the lowest incidence. Cases of orchitis, pregnancy toxaemia, hypocalcaemi , uterine prolapse and retained placenta were more common in adults than i n young and old animals. However, the frequency of vaginal prolapse, abortio n and uterine prolapse were very low in the old as compared to other animals (y oung and adults). This study concludes that these ruminants (cattle, sheep and g oats) managed under the smallholder husbandry system experienced colossal o ccurrence of these problems which relegated them to reduced reproductive status . It is suggested that improved management practices in terms of good nutr ition, provision of adequate housing and prompt control of pests and diseases wo uld go a long way towards addressing the incidence of these problems in small holder flocks.
Detection of Warm and Cold Phases of the Neutral ISM in a Damped Lyα Absorber

We present a detailed study of the H I 21 cm absorption system at z = 0.0912 toward the radio quasar B0738+313. The uncommonly narrow main absorption line and weak secondary line are resolved for the first time and have FWHM velocities of Δv1 = 3.7 and Δv2 = 2.2 km s-1 (main and secondary components, respectively). In addition, we find it necessary to add a third, broader shallow component to obtain a good fit to the spectrum. Although the harmonic mean spin temperature calculated by comparison of the 21 cm lines to the damped Lyα line is = 775 ± 100 K, the thermal kinetic temperatures of the two narrow components, calculated from their widths, are much lower: Tk ≤ 297 ± 3 and ≤103 ± 10 K, respectively. This is the first case of a redshifted absorption system for which Tk is measured to be less than . We discuss this result in the context of a two-phase gas model, in which the damped Lyα gas is sensitive to a significant neutral column density of warm-phase gas as well as the cold-phase gas of the narrow 21 cm lines. The third component is interpreted as representing the warm-phase gas with Tk ≤ 5050 ± 950 K. The combined column density of the three 21 cm components is approximately equal to that derived from fits to the damped Lyα line.
High voltage level shifter for RF-MEMS control matrix with very low DC current leakage

A level shifter with minimum static power consumption for a high side operation up to 42V was designed. Due to a current leakage below 500 nA the high side voltage can be provided by a on-chip charge pump. The level shifter core has a high side output signal rise and fall time of 200 ps. The level shifter core circuit was extended with an output buffer to drive the parasitic impedance of the measurement setup that consists of a 65 pF capacitor in parallel with a 1MΩ resistor. An output signal rise and fall time of 15 ns was measured. The measured current was mainly caused by the resistive load. Multiple level shifters can be combined creating a compact and area efficient array. The circuit was designed in a triple well 0. 25µm SiGe:C BiCMOS process which includes a LDMOS- and a RF-MEMS module.
Goal-Directed Knowledge Acquisition

Agents with incomplete knowledge of their actions can either plan around the incompleteness, ask questions of a domain expert, or learn through trial and error. We present and evaluate several approaches to formulating plans under incomplete information, using the plans to identify relevant (goaldirected) questions, and interleaving acting, planning, and question asking. We show that goal-directed knowledge acquisition leads to fewer questions and lower overall planning and re-planning time than naive approaches that ask many questions, or learn by trial and error. Moreover, we show that prioritizing questions based on plan failure diagnoses requires less questions on average.
Determinants of Collective Bargaining Centralization

Various factors influence the development of collective bargaining structures. Based on cross-sectional and pooled cross-sectional data from the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey series, this article discusses and empirically analyses the establishment-level determinants of collective bargaining centralization, i.e. whether an establishment is covered by single-employer collective bargaining or multi-employer collective bargaining. It argues that the employers' and trade unions' preferences for a particular bargaining structure depend on the outcome of cost—benefit analyses of different available institutional alternatives. The actual choice of a collective bargaining structure then reflects the interaction of the actors' preferences, moderated by an institutionally determined decision-making process. Estimation of a probit model with pooled cross-sectional data shows that the number of unions present at the establishment, membership of an employers' association, and public sector affiliation are positively associated with collective bargaining centralization. In contrast to this, establishment size, trade union density, foreign ownership and control, and international product markets are negatively associated with centralization. Neither establishment age nor foreign ownership appeared to be significant.
Trusting Claims from Trusted Sources : Trust Network Based Filtering of Aggregated Claims

On the semantic web, assertions may be aggregated from many sources, those aggregations filtered, reasoned over, aggregated with other aggregators, displayed, scraped, extracted, recombined, and otherwise processed without significant human oversight. To preserve the connection between assertions and their source, various provenance schemes for semantic web data have been explored. However, the primary focus has been on authenticating the author of a particular statement, e.g., using digital signatures, but there is no provision for relating the authenticity of the source of the assertion and the trustworthiness of the assertion itself. This paper presents a method for using semantic web based trust networks to infer the reputation of sources for a statement and compose the reputation of several sources. By calculating a trust rating for each statement based on the ratings of its sources, the set of statements can be filtered based on the rating.
From the warm magnetized atomic medium to molecular clouds

Context. It has been proposed that giant molecular complexes form at the sites of streams of diffuse warm atomic gas that collide at transonic velocities. Aims. We study the global statistics of molecular clouds formed by large scale colliding flows of warm neutral atomic interstellar gas under pure hydrodynamic and ideal MHD conditions. The flows deliver material as well as kinetic energy and trigger thermal instability leading eventually to gravitational collapse. Methods. We perform adaptive mesh refinement MHD simulations that, for the first time in this context, treat cooling and self-gravity self-consistently. Results. The clouds formed in the simulations develop a highly inhomogeneous density and temperature structure, with cold dense filaments and clumps condensing from converging flows of warm atomic gas. In the clouds, the column density probability density distribution (PDF) peaks at ~ 2 $\times$ 10 21 cm -2 and decays rapidly at higher values; the magnetic intensity correlates weakly with density between n ~ 0.1 and 10 4 cm -3 , and then varies roughly as $n^{1/2}$ for higher densities. Conclusions. The global statistical properties of such molecular clouds are reasonably consistent with observational measurements. Our numerical simulations suggest that molecular clouds form by the moderately supersonic collision of warm atomic gas streams.
Income Inequality in the World - Looking Back and Ahead

Before I shall make six forecasts about the future let me briefly recapitulate the past until now, acknowledging that the data are far from perfect. For thousands of years during the evolution of human societies material inequality has been on the rise. A turning point in this history occured only recently – two centuries ago – when average income levels between societies started to diverge, see Figure 1. Still between 1750 and 1800 the inequality comparing broad regions like Europe and China was mainly due to class differences in income and regional difference in fertility of the soil. From then onward diverging average income levels between societies increasingly became the main source of differences in income. Will this continue in the future? First back to past trends.
Study of the credit risk of the listed communication company based on the KMV model

The credit risk of the communication industry from mid-2008 to mid-2010 is analyzed by using KMV model as the basic model to evaluate the credit risk. In addition, the application range of the KMV model is investigated. In the study, it is found that this model is suitable for evaluating the credit risk of Chinese listed communication companies, and it is concluded that the credit risk of the listed companies is becoming better gradually.
The Role of Conserved Waters in Conformational Transitions of Q61H K-ras

To investigate the stability and functional role of long-residence water molecules in the Q61H variant of the signaling protein K-ras, we analyzed all available Ras crystal structures and conformers derived from a series of independent explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations totaling 1.76 µs. We show that the protein samples a different region of phase space in the presence and absence of several crystallographically conserved and buried water molecules. The dynamics of these waters is coupled with the local as well as the global motions of the protein, in contrast to less buried waters whose exchange with bulk is only loosely coupled with the motion of loops in their vicinity. Aided by two novel reaction coordinates involving the distance (d) between the Cα atoms of G60 at switch 2 and G10 at the P-loop and the N-Cα-C-O dihedral (ξ) of G60, we further show that three water molecules located in lobe1, at the interface between the lobes and at lobe2, are involved in the relative motion of residues at the two lobes of Q61H K-ras. Moreover, a d/ξ plot classifies the available Ras x-ray structures and MD-derived K-ras conformers into active GTP-, intermediate GTP-, inactive GDP-bound, and nucleotide-free conformational states. The population of these states and the transition between them is modulated by water-mediated correlated motions involving the functionally critical switch 2, P-loop and helix 3. These results suggest that water molecules act as allosteric ligands to induce a population shift among distinct switch 2 conformations that differ in effector recognition.