Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Industry testing of voice quality output from mobile devices

In general, the commercial evaluation of speech for telecommunication is focused on what is called “speech quality” rather than intelligibility per se. This talk will discuss the current state-of-the-art in the context of the objective test model 3QUEST (3-fold Quality Evaluation of Speech in Telecommunications) developed by Head Acoustics. 3Quest is an objective evaluation of transmitted speech with background noise and we will discuss the new ETSI standard that it is based on. The particular improvement relative to previous objective methods (PESQ and POLQUA) is that influence of different background noises is taken into account and the calculation of three mean opinion score (MOS) values, one each for the speech-only regions of the signal (SMOS), the noise-only regions of the signal (NMOS), and the total signal (GMOS). These scores allow for a more meaningful statement regarding the causes for the impression of quality. Using examples, we will discuss how signal noise, intelligibility, and quality are interrelated as signals are affected by various parameters.
Hydrodynamic stability of a layer of viscous gravity-driven power-law fluid flow under rotating centrifugal force

This article investigates the stability of a thin power-law liquid film flowing down along the outside surface of a rotating vertical cylinder. The result is improved through the introduction of the flow index and the rotating centrifugal force into the governing equation. In contrast to most previous studies presented in the literature, the solution scheme employed in this study is based on a power series approximation approach rather than an analytical method. The growth rate of the amplitudes, the wave speeds, and the threshold conditions are obtained subsequently as the by-products of stability solutions. When the fluid film flows down the outside surface of a stationary vertical cylinder, the degree of instability in the film flow is further intensified by the lateral curvature of the cylinder. As the cylinder starts to rotate, the flow becomes relatively more unstable as the cylinder radius is increased at larger values of the Rossby and Reynolds numbers. Notably, this finding is the opposite of that observed for film flows along a stationary vertical cylinder. Furthermore, the size of the supercritical region increases significantly as the cylinder rotates. The analysis results also indicate that by increasing the flow index, the film flow can become relatively less unstable while traveling down along the rotating vertical cylinder.
The analysis of factors affecting the alloy yield of carbon structural steel Q235 in the smelting process

ABSTRACT Ferroalloy is essential for steelmaking, used for deoxidation and alloying of molten steel. However, each plant has different process flows and technical parameters, leading to varying yields for each alloy type. This study collected production records of Q235 carbon structural steel in Ningbo Iron and Steel Co. for nearly 8 months. Consumption of various ferroalloys was counted, and the use rules for silicon, manganese, and aluminum alloys were summarized. The correlation of silicon and manganese yield with other variables was analyzed using Spearman correlation and clustering. Factors affecting alloy yield were identified, and the important degree and action mode of each key factor were obtained through path analysis. This study resulted in increased yields of silicon and manganese by 2.88% and 3.43%, respectively. Despite these improvements, challenges remain, such as poor data collection accuracy and low transmission efficiency.
Optimal Stocker Production Strategies for Spring and Fall Calving Cow Herd

We determine optimal stocker strategies based on calving season, herd size, and the number of days of retention before marketing weaned calves. We estimate a hedonic pricing model for feeder cattle and incorporate this into a simulation model that considers the variability of cattle prices and feed costs. The profit and utility-maximizing decision for fall calving herd would be to retain weaned calves for 150-day postweaning. The producer marketing spring-born calves would prefer to sell these calves at weaning. The results are being utilized by extension to aid cattle producers in reducing their feed costs and increasing their profits.
Viscoelastic Analysis of Diametral Compression of Asphalt Concrete

The diametral compression of short cylinders is generally accepted as the convenient and accurate test method for evaluating the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete mixtures. In particular, the test serves to determine the relation between the stresses and strains, with the assumption that it can be quantified by the elastic (resilient) modulus and Poisson's ratio. These parameters are used for both the asphalt concrete quality assessment and in elastic multilayer analytic or numerical predictions of pavement deflections. The elasticity-based test analysis used in practice accounts for viscous effects that asphalt concrete displays at moderate and elevated temperatures in a simplified fashion. The methodology presented in this paper incorporates the effect of viscosity in a rigorous manner, by deriving a linear viscoelasticity-based solution. The solution makes use of the elastic-viscoelastic correspondence principle and Laplace and Fourier transforms; it is valid for any load history. Specifically,.
Non-fragile observer design for discrete-time genetic regulatory networks with randomly occurring uncertainties

This paper investigates the problem of non-fragile observer design for a class of discrete-time genetic regulatory networks (DGRNs) with time-varying delays and randomly occurring uncertainties. A non-fragile observer is designed, for estimating the true concentration of mRNAs and proteins from available measurement outputs. One important feature of the results obtained that are reported here is that the parameter uncertainties are assumed to be random and their probabilities of occurrence are known a priori. On the basis of the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional approach and using a convex combination technique, a delay-dependent estimation criterion is established for DGRNs in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) that can be efficiently solved using any available LMI solver. Finally numerical examples are provided to substantiate the theoretical results.
A Secondary-Side Phase-Shifted Bidirectional Soft-Switching DC–DC Converter Employing Step Voltage Switching for Eliminating Device Voltage Overshoot

In this article, we present a modulation strategy for bidirectional power flow for the step voltage switched (SVS) secondary-side phase-shifted (SPS) dc–dc converter that eliminates the device voltage overshoot problem. The voltage overshoot problem arises due to the resonance between the transformer leakage inductance and the output capacitance of the current-fed side metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor of the converter. Many snubber/clamp circuits were discussed in the literature to suppress this voltage overshoot. However, the power loss in these clamp circuits will affect the converter's efficiency. The bidirectional SVS SPS dc–dc converter presented in this article eliminates the voltage overshoot problem instead of suppressing it and, therefore, nullifies the need for a voltage clamp circuit. And most of all switching devices undergo soft-switching (either zero voltage switching or zero current switching). These factors result in achieving a peak efficiency of 96%. The proposed topology is tested for 1.7 kW at 100 kHz switching frequency with voltage-fed side voltage being 72 V and current-fed side voltage of 400 V. The results obtained prove the feasibility of the proposed work.
Fragment recognition in molecular dynamics

We investigate the properties of three methods of fragment recognition in microscopic simulations of molecular dynamics. They are (a) the early cluster recognition algorithm (ECRA) which looks for the most bound partitions in phase space, (b) the minimum spanning tree in two particle energy space (MSTE) which looks for those simply connected partitions in which each particle is bound to, at least, one other member of the cluster to which it belongs, and (c) the standard minimum spanning tree (MST) in configuration space. It is found that, if the objective of a given calculation is to study the time evolution of properties related to the fragment distribution, the MST should be discarded, MSTE results will be valid for not too short times, and ECRA results will give the most complete description of such properties. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Gut Microbiota of Freshwater Gastropod (Bellamya aeruginosa) Assist the Adaptation of Host to Toxic Cyanobacterial Stress

Gut microbes play a critical role in helping hosts adapt to external environmental changes and are becoming an important phenotype for evaluating the response of aquatic animals to environmental stresses. However, few studies have reported the role that gut microbes play after the exposure of gastropods to bloom-forming cyanobacteria and toxins. In this study, we investigated the response pattern and potential role of intestinal flora in freshwater gastropod Bellamya aeruginosa when exposed to toxic and non-toxic strains of Microcystis aeruginosa, respectively. Results showed that the composition of the intestinal flora of the toxin-producing cyanobacteria group (T group) changed significantly over time. The concentration of microcystins (MCs) in hepatopancreas tissue decreased from 2.41 ± 0.12 on day 7 to 1.43 ± 0.10 μg·g−1 dry weight on day 14 in the T group. The abundance of cellulase-producing bacteria (Acinetobacter) was significantly higher in the non-toxic cyanobacteria group (NT group) than that in the T group on day 14, whereas the relative abundance of MC-degrading bacteria (Pseudomonas and Ralstonia) was significantly higher in the T group than that in the NT group on day 14. In addition, the co-occurrence networks in the T group were more complex than that in the NT group at day 7 and day 14. Some genera identified as key nodes, such as Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Ralstonia, showed different patterns of variation in the co-occurrence network. Network nodes clustered to Acinetobacter increased in the NT group from day 7 to day 14, whereas the interactions between Pseudomonas and Ralstonia and other bacteria almost changed from positive correlations in the D7T group to negative correlations in the D14T group. These results suggested that these bacteria not only have the ability to improve host resistance to toxic cyanobacterial stress by themselves, but they can also further assist host adaptation to environmental stress by regulating the interaction patterns within the community. This study provides useful information for understanding the role of freshwater gastropod gut flora in response to toxic cyanobacteria and reveals the underlying tolerance mechanisms of B. aeruginosa to toxic cyanobacteria.
Relationship Between Biological Rhythm and Food Addiction in Obesity

Objective: Obesity is a common, multifactorial, and epigenetic disease. Emotional eating and food addiction are common eating behaviors in obese people. Biological rhythm helps the body adapt to the light-dark cycle and relates to eating behavior, including obesity. Thus, the study aims to reveal whether food addiction, an important factor in obesity, is affected by biological rhythm.Methods: A total of 130 participants (obese=76, nonobese=54) participated in the study. All participant’s anthropometrics were recorded. Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories (BDI and BAI) were obtained. Afterward, the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) form was filled out to evaluate food addiction. Finally, they were asked to fill in the Biological Rhythms Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN) form to assess biological rhythm.Results: Obese and nonobese subjects had a significant positive correlation with body mass index (BMI), fat mass, fat-free mass, body fat percentage, and YFAS between weight (p<0.001). BRIAN chronotype score and BMI were negatively correlated between obese subjects (p<0.05) but not in nonobese subjects. BDI and BAI were significantly positively correlated (p<0.05, p<0.001) with BRIAN subscales except for chronotype in obese patients. Thus, higher scores in BRIAN imply greater disturbances in biological rhythms. YFAS results were positively correlated with weight, BDI, BAI, and BRIAN subtype parameters in the obese group. In the nonobese group, there was a positive correlation between YFAS and BDI and no correlation between the YFAS and BRIAN subtype parameters.Conclusion: As a result, if the person is both obese and has been diagnosed with food addiction, obesity may have emerged as a continuation of depression, anxiety, and biological rhythm disruptions.
A printed quasi-Yagi antenna with a coupled slotline feed

In this study, a printed quasi-Yagi antenna with a coupled slotline feed is proposed and designed. In this design, a driven dipole is excited by a slotline mode with 1 × 2 CPW-slotline divider output instead of the coplanar strip mode used in conventional quasi-Yagi antennas. A prototype antenna with dimensions of 17 mm × 34.5 mm was fabricated to demonstrate the performance of the proposed feeding scheme. Measurements show that the proposed antenna has a wide −10 dB reflection bandwidth of 41.5% (7.32–11.15 GHz) and a gain ranging from 2.0 to 8.6 dBi. The measured radiation patterns of the antenna are also presented.
A Continuous Aerobic Resistance Exercise Protocol for Concussion Rehabilitation Delivered Remotely via a Mobile App: Feasibility Study

Background In recent years, several studies have consistently reported the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise in alleviating symptoms following concussion. However, exercise modality recommendations by practitioners are often limited to traditional exercise equipment (eg, treadmills and stationary bikes). Advances in digital technologies may help to overcome this limitation, as mobile apps can now provide users with high-quality instructional videos, programs, and monitoring capabilities using alternative modalities such as resistance exercises. Mobile technologies are also rapidly expanding to deliver and complement in-person clinical care. Thus, it is imperative to evaluate this emerging technology on its feasibility, safety, and clinical utility for concussion care. Objective The objective of the study was to determine the feasibility of a mobile app to deliver a resistance exercise protocol with minimal equipment to individuals following concussion. Feasibility was defined by retention, adverse events, and achievement of a target heart rate (HR) of 60%±5% (age-adjusted percentage of max: 220 – age). HR data were collected using an Apple Watch, Series 6. Symptoms were evaluated before and after 3 exercise sessions. Methods A 2-week, prospective, single-arm pilot study was conducted on 21 adults diagnosed with a concussion. Users were provided a continuous aerobic resistance exercise (CARE) protocol through a mobile app. Results A total of 18 participants (14 female and 4 male) completed a 3-session exercise plan. The median age-adjusted percent of HR max for session 1 was 55.5% (IQR 49%-63%), 58.1% (IQR 50.8%-65.2%) for session 2, and 57.4% (IQR 49.5%-64.7%) for session 3. Individual median HR% across all sessions ranged from 46.9% to 67.4%; furthermore, 10 participants (55.5%) had a total mean HR% within the target HR%, 7 participants had a mean HR% below 55%, and 1 participant had a mean HR% above 65%. In addition, adherence to the plan resulted in a decrease in reported symptom burden with 94% posterior probability. Conclusions Following concussion, a CARE protocol delivered through a mobile app resulted in no adverse effects with 14% (n=3/21) attrition over 3 sessions. CARE was successful in achieving an aerobic exercise intensity of 55%-65% of age-adjusted maximum HR in the majority of participants and resulted in a decrease in reported symptom burden. The potential for this platform in concussion rehabilitation warrants further investigation. Future studies are needed to assess the use of this technology throughout concussion recovery in both individuals with acute concussion, and those with persistent symptoms.
Nose to Brain Delivery of Astaxanthin–Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers in Rat Model of Alzheimer’s Disease: Preparation, in vitro and in vivo Evaluation

Background Astaxanthin (AST) is a second-generation antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties and could be a promising candidate for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) therapy, but is shows poor oral bioavailability due to its high lipophilicity. Purpose This study aimed to prepare and evaluate AST–loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), for enhanced nose-to-brain drug delivery to improve its therapeutic efficacy in rat model of AD. Methods AST–NLCs were prepared using hot high-pressure homogenization technique, and processing parameters such as total lipid-to-drug ratio, solid lipid-to-liquid lipid ratio, and concentration of surfactant were optimized. Results The optimized AST–NLCs had a mean particle size of 142.8 ± 5.02 nm, polydispersity index of 0.247 ± 0.016, zeta potential of –32.2 ± 7.88 mV, entrapment efficiency of 94.1 ± 2.46%, drug loading of 23.5 ± 1.48%, and spherical morphology as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that AST was molecularly dispersed in the NLC matrix in an amorphous state, whereas Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that there is no interaction between AST and lipids. AST displayed a biphasic release pattern from NLCs; an initial burst release followed by sustained release for 24 h. AST-NLCs were stable at 4–8 ±2°C for six months. Intranasal treatment of AD-like rats with the optimized AST–NLCs significantly decreased oxidative stress, amyloidogenic pathway, neuroinflammation and apoptosis, and significantly improved the cholinergic neurotransmission compared to AST-solution. This was observed by the significant decline in the levels of malondialdehyde, nuclear factor-kappa B, amyloid beta (Aβ1‑42), caspase-3, acetylcholinesterase, and β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme-1 expression, and significant increase in the contents of acetylcholine and glutathione after treatment with AST-NLCs. Conclusion NLCs enhanced the intranasal delivery of AST and significantly improved its therapeutic properties.
The Influencing Factors of Recoil Acceleration of Fuze Simulated by Impact and Deceleration Method

In view of the problem that the recoil acceleration-time curve can not be regulated easily and the recoil acceleration duration is not enough by the impact and deceleration method.In order to find the influencing factors of the recoil acceleration-time curve,the foamed aluminum block was adopted as the buffer.After simulating the impact and deceleration process based on ANSYS/LY-DYNA program,it is realized that the foamed aluminum block has good buffer quality,and the recoil acceleration duration is longer when the density is the less.The initial impact velocity,thickness of the foamed aluminum block,density of the foamed aluminum block and quality of the momentum exchange mass are all important influencing factors of the recoil acceleration-time curve.
Plane wave, pattern subtraction, range compensation

Plane wave, pattern subtraction (PWPS) range compensation improves the performance of far field and compact, antenna pattern measurement systems by compensating errors introduced by antenna measurement facility (range) imperfections. The range-field model consists of a plane wave that represents an ideal range field plus a selectable number of plane waves representing range field imperfections. The error patterns introduced by the undesired range-field plane waves are estimated and subtracted from the measured pattern to produce a compensated pattern. This compensated pattern is used to obtain an improved estimate of the error patterns. This iterative procedure is continued until the compensation algorithm converges. The antenna measurement range field is measured on the surface of a sphere enclosing the test zone, and a plane-wave model of this range field is constructed.
A finite strain Eulerian formulation for compressible and nearly incompressible hyperelasticity using high‐order B‐spline finite elements

We present a numerical formulation aimed at modeling the nonlinear response of elastic materials using large deformation continuum mechanics in three dimensions. This finite element formulation is based on the Eulerian description of motion and the transport of the deformation gradient. When modeling a nearly incompressible solid, the transport of the deformation gradient is decomposed into its isochoric part and the Jacobian determinant as independent fields. A homogeneous isotropic hyperelastic solid is assumed and B‐splines‐based finite elements are used for the spatial discretization. A variational multiscale residual‐based approach is employed to stabilize the transport equations. The performance of the scheme is explored for both compressible and nearly incompressible applications. The numerical results are in good agreement with theory illustrating the viability of the computational scheme. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Error-resilient zerotree wavelet video coding

We extend our previous paper, where the focus was on error- resilient zerotree wavelet image coding on noisy channels. This concept is extended to video coding using a 3-D wavelet transform. The proposed video coding system consists primarily of a 3-D wavelet transform, coding via the 3-D set-partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT) algorithm, and bit partitioning followed by bit reorganization procedure. Simulation results show that the proposed coders outperform the existing error-resilient coders from the standpoint of both noise-free channels and noisy channels. In addition, we confirm that the proposed algorithm is more error-resilient than the conventional 3-D zerotree wavelet video coding techniques for various channel-error conditions as evidenced by both objective and subjective evaluations.
Asymptomatic and Mild SARS-CoV-2 Infections in a Hungarian Outpatient Cohort in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

We aimed to estimate the proportion of the population infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the first year of the pandemic. The study population consisted of outpatient adults with mild or no COVID-19 symptoms and was divided into subpopulations with different levels of exposure. Among the subpopulation without known previous COVID-19 contacts, 4143 patients were investigated. Of the subpopulation with known COVID-19 contacts, 594 patients were investigated. IgG- and IgA-seroprevalence and RT-PCR positivity were determined in context with COVID-19 symptoms. Our results suggested no significant age-related differences between participants for IgG positivity but indicated that COVID-19 symptoms occurred most frequently in people aged between 20 and 29 years. Depending on the study population, 23.4–74.0% PCR-positive people (who were symptomless SARS-CoV-2 carriers at the time of the investigation) were identified. It was also observed that 72.7% of the patients remained seronegative for 30 days or more after their first PCR-positive results. This study hoped to contribute to the scientific understanding of the significance of asymptomatic and mild infections in the long persistence of the pandemic.