Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic accent identification using Gaussian mixture models

It is well known that speaker variability caused by accent is an important factor io speech recognition. Some major accents in China are so different as to make this problem very severe. We propose a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) based Mandarin accent identitication method. In this method a number of GMMs are trained to identify the most likely accent given test utterances. The identified accent type can be used to select an accent-dependent model for speech recognition. A multi-accent Mandarin corpus was developed for the task, including 4 typical accents in China with 1,440 speakers (l,200 for training, 240 for testing). We explore experimentally the effect of the number of components in GMM on identification performance. We also investigate how many utterances per speaker are sufficient to reliably recognize his/her accent. Finally, we show the correlations among accents and provide some discussion.
A Review of Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterization Schemes and Their Sensitivity in Simulating Southeastern U.S. Cold Season Severe Weather Environments

AbstractThe representation of turbulent mixing within the lower troposphere is needed to accurately portray the vertical thermodynamic and kinematic profiles of the atmosphere in mesoscale model forecasts. For mesoscale models, turbulence is mostly a subgrid-scale process, but its presence in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) can directly modulate a simulation’s depiction of mass fields relevant for forecast problems. The primary goal of this work is to review the various parameterization schemes that the Weather Research and Forecasting Model employs in its depiction of turbulent mixing (PBL schemes) in general, and is followed by an application to a severe weather environment. Each scheme represents mixing on a local and/or nonlocal basis. Local schemes only consider immediately adjacent vertical levels in the model, whereas nonlocal schemes can consider a deeper layer covering multiple levels in representing the effects of vertical mixing through the PBL. As an application, a pair of cold season sever.
The Multidimensional Properties of Complex Network

The Multidimensional properties of Complex Network have not yet received adequate attention. Based on the theory of Link-Dimensions, the concept of Multidimensional Complex Network is proposed, and a detailed explanation is given on the significance, characteristics, theoretical basis and analytical method of the Multidimensional Complex Network. A number of experiments with citing network samples were performed to verify the new method of evaluating the node importance on the basis of multidimensional decomposition. The results show that multidimensional decomposition is both rational and effective. Further research on Multidimensional Complex Network will be carried out in the field of weights and directions of connections.
Heterogeneous and Hierarchical Cooperative Learning via Combining Decision Trees

Decision trees, being human readable and hierarchically structured, provide a suitable mean to derive state-space abstraction and simplify the inclusion of the available knowledge for a reinforcement learning (RL) agent. In this paper, we address two approaches to combine and purify the available knowledge in the abstraction trees, stored among different RL agents in a multi-agent system, or among the decision trees learned by the same agent using different methods. Simulation results in nondeterministic football learning task provide strong evidences for enhancement in convergence rate and policy performance
Ring-Based Triple-Push VCOs With Wide Continuous Tuning Ranges

This paper proposes a new ring-based triple-push voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) architecture to achieve a wide tuning range and high operating frequencies. Two ring-based triple-push VCOs, one with a continuous frequency tuning range of 0.2-34 GHz, fabricated in 0.13- mum CMOS, and the other with a range of 0.1-65.8 GHz, fabricated in 90-nm CMOS, are presented in this paper. These two VCOs demonstrate that the proposed VCO architecture can achieve a very wide continuous tuning range, up to millimeter-wave frequencies, without any device-switching operations. In addition to the wide tuning range, the chip area of the proposed VCO is very small, allowing integration into a phase-locked loop. The power consumptions of the 0.2-34- and 0.1-65.8-GHz VCOs are 2-70 mW from a 2-V supply voltage, and 1.2-26.4 mW from a 1.2-V supply voltage, respectively. The fundamental and second harmonic rejections are better than 15 dB for both VCOs.
Increased mRNA levels of ERG16, CDR, and MDR1 correlate with increases in azole resistance in Candida albicans isolates from a patient infected with human immunodeficiency virus

Resistance to antifungal drugs, specifically azoles such as fluconazole, in the opportunistic yeast Candida albicans has become an increasing problem in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this resistance have only recently become apparent and can include alterations in the target enzyme of the azole drugs (lanosterol 14alpha demethylase [14DM]), or in various efflux pumps from both the ABC transporter and major facilitator gene families. To determine which of these possible mechanisms was associated with the development of drug resistance in a particular case, mRNA levels have been studied in a series of 17 clinical isolates taken from a single HIV-infected patient over 2 years, during which time the levels of fluconazole resistance of the strain increased over 200-fold. Using Northern blot analysis of steady-state levels of total RNA from these isolates, we observed increased mRNA levels of ERG16 (the 14DM-encoding gene), CDR1 (an ABC transporter), and MDR1 (a major facilitator) in this series. The timing of the increase in mRNA levels of each of these genes correlated with increases in fluconazole resistance of the isolates. Increased mRNA levels were not observed for three other ABC transporters, two other genes in the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway, or the NADPH-cytochrome P-450 oxidoreductase gene that transfers electrons from NADPH to 14DM. Increases in mRNA levels of ERG16 and CDR1 correlated with increased cross-resistance to ketoconazole and itraconazole but not to amphotericin B. A compilation of the genetic alterations identified in this series suggests that resistance develops gradually and is the sum of several different changes, all of which contribute to the final resistant phenotype.
Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries Versus Joint Ventures: The Determinant Factors in the Catalan Multinational Manufacturing Case

The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the choice between establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary (WOS) or entering into a joint venture (JV) as made by Catalan manufacturing firms investing abroad. The validity of certain key transaction-cost hypotheses in this case is tested using binomial logistic regression. Results indicate that a Catalan manufacturing firm is more likely to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary if the firm is sufficiently large, has had substantial experience in the host country geographical region, but is young and possesses little general experience in the international sphere. On the other hand, a Catalan firm is more likely to invest via a WOS if the firm possesses intangible or tacit assets and operates within a technologically advanced sector. Finally, a joint venture is preferred by a Catalan firm if the potential host country is perceived to imply a high degree of instability and risk or has a high rate of growth.
An Efficient Method for Generating Kernels on Implicit Cube Set Representations

In the process of logic synthesis and optimization, it is an important operation to extract common logic parts among several logic functions. Most methods currently used are based on SOP (sum-of-products) expressions of logic functions. In such methods, special sub-expressions named kernels [1, 2] are generated, and attempts are made to find good intersections of kernels for common logic expressions. A SOP expression can be represented by a set of cubes. Although it is a straight-forward way to enumerate cubes explicitly, there is a case where the number of cubes becomes so large that we can hardly manipulate them explicitly. The typical case is the SOP expression of an adder, which contains many XOR operations. To handle larger cube sets, methods have been proposed [3], [4] that represent cube sets implicitly on BDDs [5] or similar data structures. There are few methods [6], however, for extracting common logic expressions using implicit cube set representations. In this paper, we propose a new method that efficiently generates all kernels for implicitly represented cube sets, and show how to apply it to the extraction of common logic expressions. The main feature is the memorization of the kernel generation process using a graph structure, which is called a kernel graph in this paper. Nodes of the graph are identified by the pair of a cube set and an integer value, and are easily accessible by a hash table. With this mechanism, we can skip the process of kernel generation that was processed before.
Solving Cryptograms with the Constrained Cyrpto-EM Algorithm

A cryptogram is a type of word puzzle containing a sentence that has been encrypted using an arbitrarily transposed version of the standard alphabet. The goal of a cryptogram solver is to learn the mapping between the transposed alphabet and the standard alphabet, known as a cipher, and then use the cipher to decode the encrypted text. In most cryptograms, the cipher is assumed to be a permutation of the standard alphabet; meaning that each letter of the standard alphabet is encoded (or replaced) by a single, di erent letter in the alphabet. So, for example, the letter 'a' can be used to encode the letter 'z', but cannot also be used to encode the letter 'q' in the same cryptogram. As an example of the encryption process, consider the following cipher:
THE COMPLETE INITIAL MASS FUNCTION DOWN TO THE SUBSOLAR REGIME IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD WITH HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE ACS OBSERVATIONS,

In this photometric study of the stellar association LH 95 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) we focus on the pre-main-sequence (PMS) population in order to construct, for the first time, the subsolar initial mass function (IMF) in the LMC. The basis for this investigation consists of the deepest photometry ever performed in the LMC with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. We improve our catalog of point sources obtained with ACS (Paper I). We carry out a Monte Carlo technique to subtract the contribution of the general field of LMC. We isolate the central region in the observed area of the association, as the part characterized by the highest concentration of PMS stars. We analyze the reddening distribution of the system in order to obtain the mean value of extinction and we study the mass function of its field-subtracted population. For this purpose, we introduce a new set of evolutionary models, derived from the calculations on the evolution of PMS stars by Siess and collaborators. We use these models with our observations of LH 95 to derive the IMF of the system. This mass function is reliably constructed for stars with masses down to ≃0.43 M☉, the lowest mass ever observed within reasonable completeness in the Magellanic Clouds. Consequently, its construction offers an outstanding improvement in our understanding of the low-mass star formation in the LMC. The system IMF of LH 95 shows a definite change in its slope for masses M ≲ 1 M☉, where it becomes more shallow. In general, the shape of this IMF agrees very well with a multiple power law, as the typical Galactic IMF, down to the subsolar regime. The change in the slope (“the knee”) of our IMF at ∼1 M☉ also agrees with the average Galactic IMF. As far as the slope of this system IMF is concerned, it is found to be somewhat more shallow than the corresponding “classical” Galactic IMF in the subsolar regime, probably due to unresolved binarity, while for stars with M ≳ 1 M☉ it becomes slightly steeper. We do not find significant differences in the shape of the overall IMF of LH 95 from that of each of the three individual subclusters of the association. This clearly suggests that the IMF of LH 95 is not subject to local variability.
Tool-based hairstyling metaphors

Despite decades of research, digital hairstyling is still a difficult, long and tedious task. One reason for the absence of efficient and simple, yet accurate hair modeling interfaces is the lack of appropriate interaction metaphors enabling efficient styling functionalities. This paper discusses tool-based interaction metaphors for digital hairstyling applications with a specific focus on haptic modeling methods. We define users tasks, ergonomic aspects, as well as haptics-based styling and fine-tuning tools, concluding with a validation of selected interactions on an experimental prototype.
Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Critical Language Awareness: The Importance of Valuing Student Knowledge

Approaches to teaching critical language awareness are gaining traction in urban schools with culturally and linguistically complex student populations; however, what teachers need to know to enact these pedagogies is not well understood. Using a lens of pedagogical content knowledge for critical language teaching, this study examines what happens when a teacher implements a critical language pedagogy without attention to student understandings of language variation. The findings suggest that when student knowledge is not valued, students may be resistant to linguistic terms and concepts, despite teachers’ linguistic content knowledge and pedagogical approach.
Implementing a no-loss state in the game of Tic-Tac-Toe using a customized Decision Tree Algorithm

The game of Tic-Tac-Toe is one of the most commonly known games. This game doesn't allow one to win all the time and a significant proportion of games played results in a draw. This study is aimed at evolving of no-loss strategies in the game using Decision Tree Algorithm and comparing them with existing methodologies, mainly focused on the implementation of the game using the Minimax algorithm. The Minimax algorithm does provide an optimal No-Loss Strategy by assuming that both players play optimally. So the question that comes out is what happens when the opponent plays un-optimally, in these cases the minimax proved to play non optimal moves, even though it wins at the next state rather than the expected state. Thus this paper provides a clear study of those trivial states and provides an optimal game play using an decision tree algorithm independent of the opponent's game strategy.
Adaptive Garbage Collection for Battery-Operated Environments

Energy is an important constraint for battery-operated embedded Java environments. In this work, we show how the garbage collector (GC) can be tuned to reduce the energy consumption of Java applications. In particular, we show the importance of tuning the frequency of invoking GC based on object allocation and garbage creation rates to optimize leakage energy consumption. We reduce the leakage energy by exploiting the supplygated leakage power optimization that is controlled by the GC. In this mechanism, power supply to memory banks that do not hold any useful data can be shut down. We implement a new adaptive GC mechanism within Sun’s KVM that optimizes the ability to shut down more banks. An evaluation of our approach using various embedded applications shows that the adaptive garbage collection scheme is effective in reducing the system energy consumption across different hardware configurations.
The role of specific antibody in alternative complement pathway- mediated opsonophagocytosis of type III, group B Streptococcus

The native capsular polysaccharide antigen of type III, group B Streptococcus contains a terminal sialic acid residue on each repeating unit that masks all end-group galactopyranose residues and prevents alternative pathway complement activation by adult human sera in the absence of type-specific antibody. The critical role of the sialic acid residues in allowing the organism to evade activating the alternative complement pathway was shown when neuraminidase treatment of the organism converted the bacteria to activators of the alternative pathway as assessed in agammaglobulinemic serum. The requirement for specific antibody in permitting alternative pathway activation by the fully sialated bacteria was shown when sera that contained low levels of specific antibody failed to activate this pathway, and when prior absorption of serum that contained higher type-specific antibody levels with the capsular antigen failed to activate this pathway. The use of C2-deficient sera showed that the calssical pathway was not required for antibody-dependent alternative pathway activation. The use of isotonic, pH 7.5, veronal-NaCl buffer that contained 1% gelatin and that was supplemented to 4 mM Mg++ and 16 mM EGTA and adjusted to pH 7.5 (MgEGTA) ruled out the participation of the C1-bypass pathway. The presence of sialic acid on the bacterial surface is one means of evading an important mechanism of natural immunity, namely activation of complement by the alternative pathway. Only specific antibody, i.e., acquired immunity, can overcome this virulence factor.
T cell regulation of IgG subclass antibody production in response to T- independent antigens

The effect of T lymphocytes on the IgM, IgG3, IgG1, IgG2b, and IgG2a responses of B lymphocytes to the type-2 T-independent antigens, trinitrophenylated (TNP)-Ficoll, and TNP-Levan, was investigated. T cell-bearing nu/+ mice were found to produce substantially higher IgG2 serum anti-TNP antibody than their athymic counterparts, and nu/nu and nu/+ IgG2a titers exhibiting more disparity than nu/nu and nu/+ IgG2b titers. The Igm, IgG3, and IgG1 anti-TNP levels in nu/nu and nu/+ mice were indistinguishable. By cell transfer experiments, it was determined that this variance in nude and heterozygote IgG2 responses could not be explained by B cell differences between the two strains or by suppressive effects on IgG2 production within nu/nu mice. Rather, the difference was shown to be the result of the absence of T cells at the time B cells were responding to antigen. In the absence of T cells, the strength of the nu/nu anti-TNP antibody response was found to be in the following order: IgM > IgG3 > IgG1 > IgG2b > IgG2a, a heirarchy identical with the recently proposed heavy chain gene order. The possibilities that T cells influence IgG2 production via their specific recognition of IgG2-bearing B cells or via signals to increase heavy chain switching of responding B cell clones are discussed.
FPGA Implementations of Piecewise Affine Functions Based on Multi-Resolution Hyperrectangular Partitions

In this paper we propose a digital architecture suited for fast, low-power and small-size electronic implementation of PieceWise Affine (PWA) functions defined over n-dimensional domains partitioned into multi-resolution hyperrectangles. The point location problem, which requires most of the computational effort, is solved through an orthogonal search tree, which is easily and efficiently implementable. In the case of domains partitioned into single-resolution hyperrectangles, a simpler and even faster architecture is proposed. After introducing the new architectures, their key features are discussed and compared to previous architectures implementing PWA functions with domains partitioned into different types of polytopes. Case studies concerning the FPGA implementation of so-called explicit Model Predictive Control (MPC) laws for constrained linear systems are used as benchmarks to compare the different architectures.
Blue noise sampling using an SPH-based method

We propose a novel algorithm for blue noise sampling inspired by the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. SPH is a well-known method in fluid simulation -- it computes particle distributions to minimize the internal pressure variance. We found that this results in sample points (i.e., particles) with a high quality blue-noise spectrum. Inspired by this, we tailor the SPH method for blue noise sampling. Our method achieves fast sampling in general dimensions for both surfaces and volumes. By varying a single parameter our method can generate a variety of blue noise samples with different distribution properties, ranging from Lloyd's relaxation to Capacity Constrained Voronoi Tessellations (CCVT). Our method is fast and supports adaptive sampling and multi-class sampling. We have also performed experimental studies of the SPH kernel and its influence on the distribution properties of samples. We demonstrate with examples that our method can generate a variety of controllable blue noise sample patterns, suitable for applications such as image stippling and re-meshing.
Reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (Ret He) and assessment of iron-deficient states

Direct measurement of the reticulocyte hemoglobin content provides useful information for the diagnosis and treatment of iron-deficient states. We have examined direct measurements of reticulocyte and red cell hemoglobin content on the Sysmex XE 2100 (Ret He and RBC He respectively) and the Bayer ADVIA 2120 (CHr and CH respectively) analyzers. Good agreement was found between Ret He and CHr (Y = 1.04X − 1.06; r2 = 0.88) and between the RBC He and CH parameters (Y = 0.93X + 1; r2 = 0.84 n = 200) in pediatric patients and in normal adults (Ret He and CHr; Y = 1.06X − 0.43; r2 = 0.83; n = 126; RBC He and CH; Y = 0.94X + 1; r2 = 0.87; n = 126). In 1500 blood samples from patients on chronic dialysis, Ret He was compared with traditional parameters for iron deficiency (serum iron <40 μg/dl, Tsat <20%, ferritin <100 ng/ml, hemoglobin <11 g/dl) for identifying iron-deficient states. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed values of the area under the curve for Ret He of 0.913 (P < 0.0001). With a Ret He cutoff level of 27.2 pg, iron deficiency could be diagnosed with a sensitivity of 93.3%, and a specificity of 83.2%. Ret He is a reliable marker of cellular hemoglobin content and can be used to identify the presence of iron-deficient states.
The road to feature modularity?

Modularity of feature representations has been a long standing goal of feature-oriented software development. While some researchers regard feature modules and corresponding composition mechanisms as a modular solution, other researchers have challenged the notion of feature modularity and pointed out that most feature-oriented implementation mechanisms lack proper interfaces and support neither modular type checking nor separate compilation. We step back and reflect on the feature-modularity discussion. We distinguish two notions of modularity, cohesion without interfaces and information hiding with interfaces, and point out the different expectations that, we believe, are the root of many heated discussions. We discuss whether feature interfaces should be desired and weigh their potential benefits and costs, specifically regarding crosscutting, granularity, feature interactions, and the distinction between closed-world and open-world reasoning. Because existing evidence for and against feature modularity and feature interfaces is shaky and inconclusive, more research is needed, for which we outline possible directions.