Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Putting Speech Recognition to Work in the Telephone Network

a speaker verification, speech encoding and decoding, and speech synthesis. These technologies provide a way for people to interact verbally with computers. Voice interaction is particularly useful over the telephone because it allows people to communicate directly with computers to perform simple tasks without the need for operators. Of all the interactive voice technologies, perhaps the most challenging is speech recognition, because of the inherent variability in the way we speak. Speaker-independent speech recognition, in which the computer interacts with people who have not previously “trained” it to their speech characteristics, is more difficult than speaker-dependent recognition, in which the system has been trained to a particular user’s speech. When the speech to be recognized is transmitted over the telephone network, further variability is imposed by the varying quality of network connections. On top of these difficulties, the telephone network removes potentially useful information for word discrimination by cutting out spectral energy in the speech signal above about 3,300 Hz and below about 300 Hz. The early success of an automated callhandling system using interactive voice technologies foreshadows huge savings for telephone companies and a wealth of new services for consumers.
Quantifying forest elephant social structure in Central African bai environments

Relatively little is known of social dynamics in forest elephants (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), although the fission-fusion model of sociality known in savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana africana) is used as a template. Until fission-fusion sociality or an alternative model is demonstrated, our understanding of how elephants use their environment remains incomplete. To date, there have been no published studies of associations between individuals in forest elephants. Direct observations of forest elephants made at forest clearings (bais) are used here as an approach to studying these questions. Bais represent a special environment, providing mineral and food resources, as well as potential social opportunities. We show that forest elephants at Mbeli Bai in Nouabale-Ndoki National Park have association patterns that are consistent over time, and that certain conspecifics are preferred as associates in the bai environment. Coupled with significant differences in the group size and composition across age-sex classes, and a high proportion of sightings of lone individuals, we argue that the fission-fusion model of elephant sociality appears to hold for the bai environment. The extent of this system and the importance of bais as social resources remain to be explored.
MPromDb: an integrated resource for annotation and visualization of mammalian gene promoters and ChIP-chip experimental data

We have developed Mammalian Promoter Database (MPromDb), a novel database that integrates gene promoters with experimentally supported annotation of transcription start sites, cis-regulatory elements, CpG islands and chromatin immunoprecipitation microarray (ChIP-chip) experimental results with intuitively designed presentation. Release 1.0 of MPromDb currently contains 36 407 promoters and first exons (19 170 from human, 15 953 from mouse and 1284 from rat), 3739 transcription factor (TF)-binding sites (2027 from human, 1181 mouse and 531 rat) and 224 TFs with links to PubMed and GenBank references. Target promoters of TFs that have been identified by ChIP-chip assay are integrated into the database. MPromDb serves as a portal for genome-wide promoter analysis of data generated by ChIP-chip experimental studies. MPromDb can be accessed from .
Comprehensive characterization of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells expanded in vitro

Adipose tissue seems to be a rich and safe source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The present study was aimed to investigate the biological and morphological characteristics of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ATSCs). Light and transmission electron microscopy were used. Course of proliferation was analyzed by growth curve. Expression of surface antigens was assessed by flow cytometry. Chondrogenic potential was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Obtained results showed morphology typical of fibroblastoid cells. TEM analysis proved ultrastructural morphology similar to MSCs from other sources. ATSCs reflected their proteosynthetic and metabolic activity. Each cell had irregular shape of nucleus with noticeable nucleoli. Abundant cisterns of rough endoplasmic reticulum were present in their cytoplasm. Karyotype mapping showed normal count of human chromosomes (46,XX). The growth curve revealed high capability for proliferation and population doubling time was 27.36 hours. ATSCs were positive for CD13, CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105 and CD106, but did not express CD14, CD34, CD45 and HLA-DR. It was also proved that ATSCs underwent chondrogenic differentiation in vitro. On the basis of obtained results it should be emphasized that ATSCs are typical MSCs and after further investigations they may be used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Maximum entropy property of discrete-time stable spline kernel

In this paper, the maximum entropy property of the discrete-time first-order stable spline kernel is studied. The advantages of studying this property in discrete-time domain instead of continuous-time domain are outlined. One of such advantages is that the differential entropy rate is well-defined for discrete-time stochastic processes. By formulating the maximum entropy problem for discrete-time stochastic processes we provide a simple and self-contained proof to show what maximum entropy property the discrete-time first-order stable spline kernel has.
Structured low-rank matrix approximation in Gaussian process regression for autonomous robot navigation

This paper considers the problem of approximating a kernel matrix in an autoregressive Gaussian process regression (AR-GP) in the presence of measurement noises or natural errors for modeling complex motions of pedestrians in a crowded environment. While a number of methods have been proposed to robustly predict future motions of humans, it still remains as a difficult problem in the presence of measurement noises. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a structured low-rank matrix approximation method using nuclear-norm regularized l1-norm minimization in AR-GP for robust motion prediction of dynamic obstacles. The proposed method approximates a kernel matrix by finding an orthogonal basis using low-rank symmetric positive semi-definite matrix approximation assuming that a kernel matrix can be well represented by a small number of dominating basis vectors. The proposed method is suitable for predicting the motion of a pedestrian, such that it can be used for safe autonomous robot navigation in a crowded environment. The proposed method is applied to well-known regression and motion prediction problems to demonstrate its robustness and excellent performance compared to existing approaches.
A Self-Consistent Monte Carlo Particle Model to Analyze Semiconductor Microcomponents of any Geometry

A self-consistent Monte Carlo particle model to simulate semiconductor microcomponents of any geometry is presented. The model is aimed at a full understanding of the functioning of the device down to microscopic level. The simulation consists briefly of following the transport histories of individual carriers. The time of free flight, the frequencies of the various types of interaction between the lattice and the carriers and the scattering angles have distinct stochastic distributions. By choosing random numbers with the same distributions, it is possible to simulate carrier transport. After a review of semiconductor physics, the details of the method is explained. This is followed by examples, mainly from simulation of GaAs MESFET's, to demonstrate some of the abilities of the model. The distributions of the carriers and fields are used to explain physical phenomena such as substrate currents and negative differential resistivity. The only parameters that enter the calculations are those describing the geometry of the device and those fundamental to the semiconductor, such as material constants, the phonon spectra and the band structure. Any adjustable, geometry dependent parameters do not enter the model.
Exploiting Sequential Libraries on a Cluster of Computers

In this paper, a methodology to exploit legacy sequential libraries on a multicomputer is shown. The process of integrating such libraries is exposed as a slave pool design pattern. The proposed solution is implemented using the concurrent functional programming language Erlang, and it has been applied to extend a C++ sequential XSLT library to perform clustered XSLT processing on a Beowulf, which can be the supporting architecture for a heavy-loaded web server offering dynamic content creation from XML documents.
Comparative analysis of marine ecosystems: workshop on predator–prey interactions

Climate and human influences on marine ecosystems are largely manifested by changes in predator–prey interactions. It follows that ecosystem-based management of the world's oceans requires a better understanding of food web relationships. An international workshop on predator–prey interactions in marine ecosystems was held at the Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA on 16–18 March 2010. The meeting brought together scientists from diverse fields of expertise including theoretical ecology, animal behaviour, fish and seabird ecology, statistics, fisheries science and ecosystem modelling. The goals of the workshop were to critically examine the methods of scaling-up predator–prey interactions from local observations to systems, the role of shifting ecological processes with scale changes, and the complexity and organizational structure in trophic interactions.
Shocks and Nonthermal Processes in Clusters

Clusters of galaxies generally form by the gravitational merger of smaller clusters and groups. Major cluster mergers are the most energetic events in the Universe since the Big Bang. Mergers drive shocks into the intracluster gas, and these shocks heat the intracluster gas, and should also accelerate nonthermal relativistic particles. The X-ray signatures of the thermal effects of merger shocks will be discussed. X-ray observations of shocks can be used to determine the geometry and kinematics of the merger. As a result of particle acceleration in shocks, clusters of galaxies should contain very large populations of relativistic electrons and ions. Electrons with Lorentz factors gamma~300 (energies E = gamma m_e c^2 ~ 150 MeV) are expected to be particularly common. Observations and models for the radio, extreme ultraviolet, hard X-ray, and gamma-ray emission from nonthermal particles accelerated in these shocks will also be described. The predicted gamma-ray fluxes of clusters should make them easily observable with GLAST.
SilkMoth: An Efficient Method for Finding Related Sets with Maximum Matching Constraints

Determining if two sets are related - that is, if they have similar values or if one set contains the other -- is an important problem with many applications in data cleaning, data integration, and information retrieval. For example, set relatedness can be a useful tool to discover whether columns from two different databases are joinable; if enough of the values in the columns match, it may make sense to join them. A common metric is to measure the relatedness of two sets by treating the elements as vertices of a bipartite graph and calculating the score of the maximum matching pairing between elements. Compared to other metrics which require exact matchings between elements, this metric uses a similarity function to compare elements between the two sets, making it robust to small dissimilarities in elements and more useful for real-world, dirty data. Unfortunately, the metric suffers from expensive computational cost, taking O ( n 3 ) time, where n is the number of elements in the sets, for each set-to-set comparison. Thus for applications that try to search for all pairings of related sets in a brute-force manner, the runtime becomes unacceptably large. To address this challenge, we developed S ilk M oth , a system capable of rapidly discovering related set pairs in collections of sets. Internally, S ilk M oth creates a signature for each set, with the property that any other set which is related must match the signature. S ilk M oth then uses these signatures to prune the search space, so only sets that match the signatures are left as candidates. Finally, S ilk M oth applies the maximum matching metric on remaining candidates to verify which of these candidates are truly related sets. An important property of S ilk M oth is that it is guaranteed to output exactly the same related set pairings as the brute-force method, unlike approximate techniques. Thus, a contribution of this paper is the characterization of the space of signatures which enable this property. We show that selecting the optimal signature in this space is NP-complete, and based on insights from the characterization of the space, we propose two novel filters which help to prune the candidates further before verification. In addition, we introduce a simple optimization to the calculation of the maximum matching metric itself based on the triangle inequality. Compared to related approaches, S ilk M oth is much more general, handling a larger space of similarity functions and relatedness metrics, and is an order of magnitude more efficient on real datasets.
Comparing Document Object Model (DOM) and simple API for XML (SAX) in processing XML document in leave application system

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) consists of two Application Programming Inregace (API) i.e. Document Object Model (DOM) and Simple Application of XML(SAX). Previous research hns ued the DOM API in the Leave Application prototype. In this research, the DOM API based code that developed in the prototype will be changed to SAX API based code. The performance measurement then is carried out to evaluate the used of DOM API and SAX API in the prototype. The evaluation process took place within in each API and also combination of both APIs. From the evaluation process,it was concluded that the use of combination of SAX based code in Domino Workflow environment and DOM based code in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server produces the lowest processing time that will increase the performance of the leave Application system.
Design of High-Performance Millimeter Wave and Sub-Millimeter Wave Quasi-Optical Isolators and Circulators

Faraday rotators using permanently magnetized ferrite materials are used to make quasi-optical isolators and circulators at millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave frequencies that have far higher performance than their waveguide equivalents. This paper demonstrates state-of-the-art performance for four-port quasi-optical circulators with 60-dB isolation, 0.2-dB insertion loss, and better than 80-dB return loss for devices centered at 94 GHz. A method is presented for the accurate characterization of the complex permeability and permittivity of permanently magnetized ferrites via a series of frequency and polarization dependent transmission and reflection measurements. The dielectric and magnetic parameters for the sample are determined by fitting theoretical curves to the measured data. These fitted parameters are then used in a model for a complete quasi-optical Faraday rotator, including matching layers, allowing the accurate design and fabrication of these devices for any specific operational frequency band in the millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave regime. Examples are given showing typical results and demonstrating how temperature cycling can significantly improve the temperature stability of these devices, while allowing fine tuning of the center frequency. We also indicate the performance possible at higher frequencies to above 1 THz and outline performance of truly planar isolators where lossy polarizer material is built into the Faraday rotator matching structure
Increased H+ efflux is sufficient to induce dysplasia and necessary for viability with oncogene expression

Intracellular pH (pHi) dynamics is increasingly recognized as an important regulator of a range of normal and pathological cell behaviors. Notably, increased pHi is now acknowledged as a conserved characteristic of cancers and in cell models is confirmed to increase proliferation and migration as well as limit apoptosis. However, the significance of increased pHi for cancer in vivo remains unresolved. Using Drosophila melanogaster, we show that increased pHi is sufficient to induce dysplasia in the absence of other transforming cues and potentiates growth and invasion with oncogenic Ras. Using a genetically encoded biosensor we also confirm increased pHi in situ. Moreover, in Drosophila models and clonal human mammary cells we show that limiting H+ efflux with oncogenic Raf or Ras induces acidosis and synthetic lethality. Further, we show lethality in invasive primary tumor cell lines with inhibiting H+ efflux. Synthetic lethality with reduced H+ efflux and activated oncogene expression could be exploited therapeutically to restrain cancer progression while limiting off-target effects. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.03270. 001
TO KR-96 A computational model of metaphoric reasoning about action and event descriptions

This abstract describes a novel computational model that is capable of reasoning about descriptions of abstract events and actions appearing in newspaper stories. The computational model exploits the fact that the structure of abstract actions (such as states, causes, purposes, means, etc.) are characterized cognitively by metaphoric mappings to embodied concepts from the domains of force, motion, and space. By explicitly representing and reasoning with metaphors, the system is able to interpret simple newspaper stories in the domains of Politics and Economics. When presented with a pre-parsed version of these narratives, the system described is able to generate commonsense inferences consistent with the input.
Report on the impact of European alcohol marketing exposure on youth alcohol expectancies and youth drinking.

This deliverable reports on two possible outcomes of alcohol marketing exposure among youth: its impact on expectancies on alcohol as well as the drinking behavior. By including both outcomes in one analysis it was not only studied whether alcohol marketing exposure affects youth drinking behavior, but also whether the possible effect is mediated by expectancies on drinking alcohol. In this way, the authors attempt to provide a deeper understanding into the mechanisms behind the hypothesised impact of alcohol marketing exposure. In order to study the impact of alcohol marketing exposure, two studies have been conducted: one study on online alcohol marketing (Study A) and a second study on alcohol-branded sport sponsorship (Study B). Focus groups held within the AMPHORA study revealed the possible importance of digital media and sport sponsorship according to European youth. Although alcohol marketing expenditures of these types of alcohol marketing are growing steadily, there is still a gap within the scientific literature on the impact of these types of alcohol marketing. This report concludes with take home messages which give a summary of the most important findings.
JAK-STAT and the renin-angiotensin system

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays important roles in blood pressure control and tissue disease. An inappropriate local angiotensin II elevation in the kidneys leads to the development of hypertension, tissue damage and chronic injury. Studies have demonstrated that the JAK-STAT pathway mediates angiotensin II-triggered gene transcription. The JAK-STAT pathway in turn, acting as an amplifying system, contributes to further intrarenal RAS activation. These observations prompt the suggestion that the JAK-STAT pathway may be of importance in elucidating the mechanisms RAS-associated tissue injury. Accordingly, this review provides a brief overview of the interactions between the JAK-STAT pathway and the RAS, specifically the RAS expressed in the kidneys.
Efficient Ternary Galois Field Circuit Design Through Carbon Nanotube Technology

Into an era of nanotechnology, molecular devices are becoming promising alternatives to the existing silicon technology. Carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNFETs) are being extensively studied as possible successors to Silicon MOSFETs. Research has started in the earnest to understand the device physics of CNFETs as well as to explore possible circuit applications. Implementable CNTFET circuits have operational characteristics to approach the advantage of using MVL in voltage mode. In this paper through using of CNTFET characteristics, we present new CNTFET circuit design to implement Efficient ternary Galois Field.
The synthesis telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory

We describe an aperture synthesis radio tele- scope optimized for studies of the Galactic interstellar medium (ISM), providing the ability to image extended structures with high angular resolution over wide elds. The telescope produces images of atomic hydrogen emis- sion using the 21-cm H i spectral line, and, simultaneously, continuum emission in two bands centred at 1420 MHz and 408 MHz, including linearly polarized emission at 1420 MHz, with synthesized beams of 1 0 and 3:4 0 at the respective frequencies. A full synthesis can achieve a con- tinuum sensitivity (rms) of 0.28 mJy/beam at 1420 MHz and 3.8 mJy/beam at 408 MHz, and the 256-channel H i spectrometer has an rms sensitivity of 3.5B 0:5 sin K per channel, for total spectrometer bandwidth B MHz and declination . The tuning range of the telescope permits studies of Galactic and nearby extragalactic objects. The array uses 9 m antennas, which provide very wide elds of view of 3.1 and 9.6 (at the 10% level), at the two frequencies, and also allow data to be gathered on short baselines, yielding extremely good sensitivity to extended structure. Single-antenna data are also routinely incorpo- rated into images to ensure complete coverage of emission on all angular scales down to the resolution limit. In this paper we describe the telescope and its receiver and corre- lator systems in detail, together with calibration and ob- serving strategies that make this instrument an ecient survey machine.
Long‐term patterns of urinary pyroglutamic acid in healthy humans

An investigation of human biological variation in urinary organic acids, including pyroglutamic acid along with 39 other compounds, was previously reported in which levels were determined for 8 weeks in healthy adult subjects. Here, unique, 4‐week‐long physiological trends for one of those compounds, pyroglutamic acid (PGA), are reported. When PGA levels for an individual rose above 40 μg/mg creatinine, 4‐week downward progressions occurred until levels reached values near 15 μg/mg creatinine and the pattern was reversed when levels for an individual were below that level in the early weeks of the study. The pattern was especially prominent among 8 of the 13 menstruating female subjects suggesting a possible association with metabolic stress of the menstrual cycle. However, it also appeared in 3 of the 8 male subjects where other sources of metabolic stress may be present. The menstrual association is consistent with estrogen‐mediated increase in oxidative stress. Since PGA is linked to glutathione turnover, the consistency of extreme values across all individuals displaying the pattern indicates that 15 and 40 μg/mg creatinine may represent limits that trigger shifts in sulfur amino acid metabolism. This is the first observation of approximate month‐long cyclic responses in a glutathione‐related urinary marker in humans.