Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous-Speaker Voice Activity Detection and Localization Using Mid-Fusion of SVM and HMMs

Humans can extract speech signals that they need to understand from a mixture of background noise, interfering sound sources, and reverberation for effective communication. Voice Activity Detection (VAD) and Sound Source Localization (SSL) are the key signal processing components that humans perform by processing sound signals received at both ears, sometimes with the help of visual cues by locating and observing the lip movements of the speaker. Both VAD and SSL serve as the crucial design elements for building applications involving human speech. For example, systems with microphone arrays can benefit from these for robust speech capture in video conferencing applications, or for speaker identification and speech recognition in Human Computer Interfaces (HCIs). The design and implementation of robust VAD and SSL algorithms in practical acoustic environments are still challenging problems, particularly when multiple simultaneous speakers exist in the same audiovisual scene. In this work we propose a multimodal approach that uses Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) for assessing the video and audio modalities through an RGB camera and a microphone array. By analyzing the individual speakers' spatio-temporal activities and mouth movements, we propose a mid-fusion approach to perform both VAD and SSL for multiple active and inactive speakers. We tested the proposed algorithm in scenarios with up to three simultaneous speakers, showing an average VAD accuracy of 95.06% with an average error of 10.9 cm when estimating the three-dimensional locations of the speakers.
Enabling intelligent B-to-B eCommerce supply chain management using RFID and the EPC network: a case study in the retail industry

This article provides some insights into RFID technology and the EPC Network and investigates their potential for B-to-B eCommerce supply chain management. Based on empirical data gathered from four tightly interrelated firms from three layers of a supply chain, several scenarios integrating RFID and the EPC Network have been tested and evaluated. In the context of warehousing activities in one specific retail supply chain, the results indicate that i) the business process approach seems quite appropriate to capture the real potential of RFID and the EPC Network; ii) RFID technology and the EPC Network can improve the "shipping" and the "receiving" processes; iii) they can automatically trigger some business processes; iv) they foster a higher level of information sharing between supply chain members; and v) they promote the emergence of new business processes such as "process-to-process," "process-to-machine," and "machine-to-machine. " The paper helps to improve our understanding of the real potential of RFID and the EPC Network for business processes.
Hierarchical Image-based Localisation for Mobile Robots with Monte-Carlo Localisation

This paper extends our previous works on image-based localisation for mobile robot. The image-based localisation consists in matching the current view experienced by the robot with the reference views stored in the visual memory of the robot. The original idea was to use the Fourier components as signatures for the omnidirectional images acquired by the robot. The extensions proposed in this paper are: the possibility to have a localisation with different accuracy while the robot navigates (called hierarchical localisation) and the introduction of a Monte-Carlo localisation technique to increase the robustness of the system in environments where the image-based localisation can be mislead. Experiments demonstrated the feasibility of the hierarchical localisation and the robustness of the implementation of our Monte-Carlo localisation.
Practising Highland Heterotopias: Automobility in the Interior of Iceland

The paper describes the history and current enactments of automobility in the highland interior of Iceland and interprets this phenomenon through the notion of spatial history. We elucidate how the currently widespread practices of automotive travel in the highlands are mediated through the technological assemblage of the ‘jeep’ and its user. We argue that the travelling is done in a double sense; through an ‘inner’ space of the vehicle and an ‘outer’ space of the highland terrain. A heterotopic spatial history emerges, which offers detailed insights into this specific form of automobility. In the final part of the paper, implications of these travel practices for the politics of nature are discussed.
More Efficient Algorithms for Closest String and Substring Problems

The closest string and substring problems find applications in PCR primer design, genetic probe design, motif finding, and antisense drug design. For their importance, the two problems have been extensively studied recently in computational biology. Unfortunately both problems are NP-complete. Researchers have developed both fixed-parameter algorithms and approximation algorithms for the two problems. In terms of fixed-parameter, when the radius d is the parameter, the best-known fixed-parameter algorithm for closest string has time complexity O(ndd+1), which is still superpolynomial even if d = O(log n). In this paper we provide an O(n|Σ|O(d)) algorithm where Σ is the alphabet. This gives a polynomial time algorithm when d = O(log n) and Σ has constant size. Using the same technique, we additionally provide a more efficient subexponential time algorithm for the closest substring problem. In terms of approximation, both closest string and closest substring problems admit polynomial time approximation schemes (PTAS). The best known time complexity of the PTAS is O(nO(Ɛ-2 log 1/Ɛ)). In this paper we present a PTAS with time complexity O(nO(Ɛ-2)). At last, we prove that a restricted version of the closest substring has the same parameterized complexity as closest substring, answering an open question in the literature.
Leisure-time and occupational physical activity in relation to cardiovascular risk factors and eating habits in French adults

Abstract Objective To investigate the relationships of two main physical activity domains (during leisure and at work) with cardiovascular risk factors and eating habits. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Preventive medicine centre. Subjects In 5478 adults (32% women, aged 20–80 years) who consecutively underwent a standardised health examination, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA; i.e. non-sport leisure and sport activities), occupational physical activity (OPA) and eating habits were assessed by self-administered questionnaires. We analysed sex-specific relationships of LTPA and OPA (in quartiles) with (1) various cardiovascular risk factors and (2) eating habits using analysis of variance and logistic regression, respectively. Results In both genders, with and without adjustment for education in addition to age, LTPA was associated negatively with body mass index, body fat, waist circumference, resting heart rate, diastolic blood pressure and triglycerides, and positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (all P ≤ 0.005). OPA adjusted for age only was positively associated with most cardiovascular risk factors but these associations were not significant after further adjustment on education (except for waist circumference in women). Age- and education-adjusted LTPA was associated with increased frequency of consumption of fruits (odds ratio (OR) = 2.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.68–2.52 in men; OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.41–2.05 in women) and vegetables (OR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.48–2.21 in men; OR = 2.22, 95% CI 1.66–2.97 in women). Conclusions The data emphasise the favourable associations of LTPA, a modifiable behaviour, with various cardiovascular risk factors and healthy eating habits. The results also suggest that the relationships of OPA with cardiovascular risk factors depend, at least in part, on socio-economic status as reflected by educational level.
An examination of feedback bridging faults in digital CMOS circuits

A new model for feedback bridging faults at the transistor level is presented. The model particularly considers the external connections of the feedback loop. Criteria for the occurrence of oscillations and storage effects are calculated, and the parameters relevant for their occurrence are given. The similarity between oscillation and storage is shown. The results are evaluated using HSPICE (simulation program with IC emphasis) and a standard cell library. <<ETX>>
Pathogenesis of Chronic Cardiorenal Syndrome: Is There a Role for Oxidative Stress?

Cardiorenal syndrome is a frequently encountered clinical condition when the dysfunction of either the heart or kidneys amplifies the failure progression of the other organ. Complex biochemical, hormonal and hemodynamic mechanisms underlie the development of cardiorenal syndrome. Both in vitro and experimental studies have identified several dysregulated pathways in heart failure and in chronic kidney disease that lead to increased oxidative stress. A decrease in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism has been reported in cardiomyocytes during heart failure. This is balanced by a compensatory increase in glucose uptake and glycolysis with consequent decrease in myocardial ATP content. In the kidneys, both NADPH oxidase and mitochondrial metabolism are important sources of TGF-β1-induced cellular ROS. NOX-dependent oxidative activation of transcription factors such as NF-kB and c-jun leads to increased expression of renal target genes (phospholipaseA2, MCP-1 and CSF-1, COX-2), thus contributing to renal interstitial fibrosis and inflammation. In the present article, we postulate that, besides contributing to both cardiac and renal dysfunction, increased oxidative stress may also play a crucial role in cardiorenal syndrome development and progression. In particular, an imbalance between the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, the sympathetic nervous system, and inflammation may favour cardiorenal syndrome through an excessive oxidative stress production. This article also discusses novel therapeutic strategies for their potential use in the treatment of patients affected by cardiorenal syndrome.
Analytic modeling of detection latency in mobile sensor networks

An envisioned usage of sensor networks is in surveillance systems for detecting a target or monitoring a physical phenomenon in a region. Traditionally, stationary sensor networks are deployed to carry out the sensing operations. In many applications, if the monitored region is relatively large compared to the sensing range of a node, a large number of nodes are required in the region to achieve high coverage. Using mobile nodes in such situations can be an attractive alternative. Mobility of sensor nodes has been studied in sensor networks for many purposes such as power saving, data collection, and packet delivery. However, nearly all research literature for the target detection problem has focused on stationary sensor networks. This paper investigates the problem of detecting the presence/absence of a target using mobile sensor networks. It presents an analytic method to evaluate the detection latency based on a collaborative sensing approach using nodes with uncoordinated mobility. We verify the analytic model through simulations. The analytic method provides a simple way of analyzing the tradeoff between number of nodes and detection latency in a mobile sensor network. The analysis is also used to compare the performance of mobile and stationary sensor networks with respect to these measures. Results show that if the target is present at the worst possible location in a given deployment, then detection latency of mobile sensor networks is considerably less as compared to that of stationary networks with the same number of nodes
Is malnutrition declining? An analysis of changes in levels of child malnutrition since 1980.

Nutritional status is the best global indicator of well-being in children. Although many surveys of children have been conducted since the 1970s, lack of comparability between them has made it difficult to monitor trends in child malnutrition. Cross-sectional data from 241 nationally representative surveys were analysed in a standard way to produce comparable results of low height-for-age (stunting). Multilevel modelling was applied to estimate regional and global trends from 1980 to 2005. The prevalence of stunting has fallen in developing countries from 47% in 1980 to 33% in 2000 (i.e. by 40 million), although progress has been uneven according to regions. Stunting has increased in Eastern Africa, but decreased in South-eastern Asia, South-central Asia and South America; Northern Africa and the Caribbean show modest improvement; and Western Africa and Central America present very little progress. Despite an overall decrease of stunting in developing countries, child malnutrition still remains a major public health problem in these countries. In some countries rates of stunting are rising, while in many others they remain disturbingly high. The data we have presented provide a baseline for assessing progress and help identify countries and regions in need of populationwide interventions. Approaches to lower child malnutrition should be based on successful nutrition programmes and policies.
A Method of Extracting Product Trend Keywords from Press Releases to Analyze Product Strategy of Competitors

When a product planner develops new products it is important to analyze competitors' existing products. In this research, we proposed a method of extracting product trend keywords from press releases to support product strategy analysis. In order to extract keywords from press releases, we utilize common phrases, which we call description patterns. A description pattern enables the extraction of keywords that describe those characteristics of a product that cannot be extracted simply by using word frequency. Additionally, we use derivation patterns, which are common phrases derived from a description pattern, to extract keywords more flexibly. By applying the proposed method to the press releases of two companies, we can extract keywords characterizing
Adaptive Referring Expression Generation in Spoken Dialogue Systems: Evaluation with Real Users

We present new results from a real-user evaluation of a data-driven approach to learning user-adaptive referring expression generation (REG) policies for spoken dialogue systems. Referring expressions can be difficult to understand in technical domains where users may not know the technical 'jargon' names of the domain entities. In such cases, dialogue systems must be able to model the user's (lexical) domain knowledge and use appropriate referring expressions. We present a reinforcement learning (RL) framework in which the system learns REG policies which can adapt to unknown users online. For real users of such a system, we show that in comparison to an adaptive hand-coded baseline policy, the learned policy performs significantly better, with a 20.8% average increase in adaptation accuracy, 12.6% decrease in time taken, and a 15.1% increase in task completion rate. The learned policy also has a significantly better subjective rating from users. This is because the learned policies adapt online to changing evidence about the user's domain expertise. We also discuss the issue of evaluation in simulation versus evaluation with real users.
Imagining the Other? Ethical Challenges of Researching and Writing Women's Embodied Lives

Feminists influenced by post-conventional and critical perspectives confront a significant challenge when researching women's embodiments: the dilemma of representation. For researchers from positions of bodily privilege, issues of interpretation intensify when researching and writing across physical differences distorted by colonial and other hegemonic histories and legacies. In this article, I draw from interviews with diversely embodied women to discuss difficulties encountered in interpreting their narratives of embodiment. I reflect on strategies of embodied engagement, including de-centring my bodily self, re-visiting my body story, and imagining the other's embodied experiences in the creation of provisional meanings about participants' bodies and lives. To shed light on risks and rewards of researcher-embodied reflexivity to study sensitive subjects such as appearance and difference, I show how analysing my `body secrets' invites deeper exploration into dynamics of bodily privilege and abjection underpinning women's accounts. I conclude by questioning the ethics of my `imaginative leap' into other/ed women's lives and by considering more broadly the perils and possibilities of traversing the space between self and other, and other in the self, within feminist research.
Differential contribution of natural killer cells to corneal graft rejection in 3-week-old versus mature rats1

Background. The aim of this study was to compare immunologic graft rejection in adult and 3-week-old immature recipients in the rat keratoplasty model. Methods. Forty orthotopic penetrating keratoplasties were performed in four different donor-recipient combinations. Group 1 consisted of adult Fisher donors and adult Lewis recipients, group 2 consisted of adult Fisher donors and immature Lewis recipients, group 3 consisted of adult Lewis donors and recipients, and group 4 consisted of adult Lewis donors and immature Lewis recipients. An immunohistologic evaluation of the grafts was performed on day 14. Results. Grafts in both allogeneic groups (groups 1 and 2) showed infiltration with CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, natural killer (NK) cells, interleukin-2-receptor+ cells, macrophages, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1+ cells. The density of infiltrating CD4+, CD8+, interleukin-2-receptor+, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1+ cells in the graft stroma, however, was statistically significantly lower in the immature group (group 2) than in the adult group (group 1). The density of CD161+ NK cells, in contrast, was statistically significantly higher in the immature group than in the adult group. There were no or only a few infiltrating inflammatory cells in grafts of both syngeneic groups (groups 3 and 4). Conclusions. We were able to establish for the first time an animal model for keratoplasty in infants that showed that the mechanism of graft rejection in young recipients seems to be different from that in mature rats. In adult recipients, alloreactive T cells are the main mediators of rejection, whereas NK cells seem to play a more dominant role in immature recipients.
Authors' redefinition is better but not perfect

EDITOR,—Although David L Sackett and colleagues have attempted to redefine evidence based medicine, they still argue that not everyone can be using it as striking variations in the uptake of treatments remain.1 This look at outcome data raises a further question about outcomes: are cohort mortalities strikingly different in the various regions where uptake is different? We are given data to say whether people are using evidence based medicine but not whether treatment, according to …
Pleurodesis practice for malignant pleural effusions in five English-speaking countries: survey of pulmonologists.

BACKGROUND Pleurodesis is important in the management of malignant pleural effusions, but no consensus exists on the optimal agent or methods of pleurodesis. How pleurodesis is practiced worldwide has not been studied. OBJECTIVES To identify variations in the clinical practice of pleurodesis in major English-speaking countries, and to quantify the experience of pulmonologists on the effectiveness and adverse effects of different pleurodesis agents worldwide. METHODS Eight hundred fifty-nine pulmonologists practicing in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand participated in a Web-based survey. RESULTS The respondents collectively perform > 8,300 pleurodesis annually. Talc was the preferred agent by most respondents (slurry, 56%; poudrage, 12%), followed by tetracycline derivatives (26%), and bleomycin (7%). Differences were seen in pleurodesis practice patterns among practitioners among and within the surveyed countries. Physicians' overall satisfaction with the available pleurodesis agents was modest (5.0 out of 8), and the reported success rate averaged only 66%. Talc (both poudrage and slurry) was perceived as significantly more effective, but was associated with significantly more pain, nausea, and fever (p < 0.05). Respiratory failure occurred more commonly with talc poudrage than with other agents (p < 0.05), and had been observed by 70% and 54% of physicians who used talc poudrage and slurry, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Significant variations exist in how pleurodesis is performed worldwide. Pleurodesis agents currently available are perceived as suboptimal. Talc poudrage and slurry were perceived to be more effective, but were associated with more complications, including respiratory failure.
Diversifying web search results

Result diversity is a topic of great importance as more facets of queries are discovered and users expect to find their desired facets in the first page of the results. However, the underlying questions of how 'diversity' interplays with 'quality' and when preference should be given to one or both are not well-understood. In this work, we model the problem as expectation maximization and study the challenges of estimating the model parameters and reaching an equilibrium. One model parameter, for example, is correlations between pages which we estimate using textual contents of pages and click data (when available). We conduct experiments on diversifying randomly selected queries from a query log and the queries chosen from the disambiguation topics of Wikipedia. Our algorithm improves upon Google in terms of the diversity of random queries, retrieving 14% to 38% more aspects of queries in top 5, while maintaining a precision very close to Google. On a more selective set of queries that are expected to benefit from diversification, our algorithm improves upon Google in terms of precision and diversity of the results, and significantly outperforms another baseline system for result diversification.
Goal Attribution toward Behavior of Artifacts in Humans

The paper investigates the effect of environmental context and attention on how humans attribute goals to the behavior of man-made objects. We presented participants with moving chair’s motion along a B-spline trajectory. We manipulated the context by whether an table was placed in the environement or not. We also investigated the effect of chair’s attention toward an object on goal attribution. The results indicates that existence of objects per se did not affect inferred goals. However, directing attention toward objects contributed to control the attributed goals which related to the object. These results also suggested that not only taking the intentional stance but also taking the design stance is effective to construe artifacts’ intention.