Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WordNet Based Sindhi Text to Speech Synthesis System

The text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis technology enables machine to convert text into audible speech and used throughout the world to enhance the accessibility of the information. The important component of any TTS synthesis system is the database of sounds. In this study, three types of sound units i.e., phonemes, diphones and syllables are concatenated to produce natural sound for good quality Sindhi text to speech (STTS) system. The object of this paper consists in treating the phonemes, diphones and syllables under the aspect of the lexicon. The methodology used in STTS is to exploit acoustic representations of speech for synthesis, together with linguistic analyses of text. Sindhi is highly homographic language, the text is written without diacritics in real life applications, that creates lexical and morphological ambiguity. The problem of understating non-diacritic words can be solved using semantic knowledge. This paper describes a Sindhi TTS synthesis system that relies on a WordNet to identify the analogical relations between words in the text. The proposed approach is focused on the use of WordNet structures for the task of synthesis. The architecture and novel algorithm for STTS is proposed. The experiments using WordNet that show promising results and the accuracy of our proposed approach is acceptable.
Incorporating Demographic Change in Multi-Country Macroeconomic Models: Some Preliminary Results

The Economics of an Ageing Population studies the effects of demographic transition on the economies of industrialised countries. The authors demonstrate that an ageing population does not necessarily lead to a reduction in growth, providing that the working population are more productive and save a greater percentage of their income. They look in detail at the examples of Italy and Japan, two countries which have the fastest ageing populations in Europe and the world respectively.
The Effect of the Combination of Different Methods of Stock Analysis on Portfolio Performance

Abstract The literature that examines the stock analysis is often faced with the same questions: Which stock analyses should be chosen and which indicators of individual stock analyses give the best information on whether a particular stock should be included in the portfolio? How many indicators and which combination of indicators should you choose to forecast future stock prices as accurately as possible? Can investors use stock analyses to create such a portfolio to meet the investment expectations? The main purpose of this article is to use theoretical methodology to determine whether the use of a combination of indicators from different stock analyses has a positive impact on the profitability of the portfolio.
DRAFT : Path-based Access Control for Enterprise Networks

Enterprise networks are ubiquitious and increasingly complex. The mechanisms for defining security policies in these networks have not kept up with the advancements in networking technology. In most cases, system administrators must define policies on a per-application basis, and subsequently, these policies do not interact. For example, there is no mechanism that allows a firewall to communicate decisions based on its ruleset to a web server behind it, even though decisions being made at the firewall may be relevant to decisions made at the web server. In this paper, we describe a path-based access control system which allows applications in a network to pass access-control-related information to neighboring applications, as the applications process requests from outsiders and from each other. This system defends networks against a class of attacks wherein individual applications may make correct access control decisions but the resulting network behavior is incorrect. We demonstrate the system on service-oriented architecture (SOA)-style networks, in two forms, using graph-based policies, and leveraging the KeyNote trust management system.
Cocaine use and cardiovascular complications

In Australia, the lifetime use of cocaine is rising, with 3% of the population aged over 14 using cocaine in 1991, increasing to 4.5% in 1998, and cocaine use accounting for 10% of all deaths secondary to illicit drug use in 1998. Cocaine is prepared from the leaves of the plant Erythroxylon coca, and is available as cocaine hydrochloride (a water‐soluble powder or granule which can be taken orally, intravenously or intranasally) and as “freebase” or “crack” cocaine (heat stable, melting at high temperatures, thus allowing it to be smoked). Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most commonly reported cardiac consequence of cocaine misuse, usually occurring in men who are young, fit and healthy and who have minimal, if any, risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The mechanism by which cocaine induces AMI is largely not understood. Cocaine effect should be seriously considered in any young patient with minimal risk factors for cardiac disease presenting with AMI, dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis or cardiac arrhythmias.
Kernel methods for HyMap imagery knowledge discovery

In this paper, we propose a kernel-based approach for hyperspectral knowledge discovery, which is defined as a process that involves three steps: pre-processing, modeling and analysis of the classifier. Firstly, we select the most representative bands analyzing the surrogate and main splits of a Classification And Regression Trees (CART) approach. This yields three datasets with different reduced input dimensionality (6, 3 and 2 bands, respectively) along with the original one (128 bands). Secondly, we develop several crop cover classifiers for each of them. We use Support Vector Machines (SVM) and analyze its performance in terms of efficiency and robustness, as compared to multilayer perceptrons (MLP) and radial basis functions (RBF) neural networks. Suitability to real-time working conditions, whenever a preprocessing stage is not possible, is evaluated by considering models with and without the CART-based feature selection stage. Finally, we analyze the support vectors distribution in the input space and through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in order to gain knowledge about the problem. Several conclusions are drawn: (1) SVM yield better outcomes than neural networks; (2) training neural models is unfeasible when working with high dimensional spaces; (3) SVM perform similarly in the four classification scenarios, which indicates that noisy bands are successfully detected and (4) relevant bands for the classification are identified.
Functional anatomy of the therapeutic effects of prism adaptation on left neglect

Objective: To investigate the anatomic substrates underlying the beneficial effect of prism adaptation in five patients with persistent left neglect following right stroke. Methods: In a functional imaging PET study, we used a covariation analysis to examine linear changes of regional cerebral blood flow over sessions as a function of left neglect improvement. Results: The network of significant brain regions associated with improvement of left neglect performance produced by prism adaptation involved the right cerebellum, the left thalamus, the left temporo-occipital cortex, the left medial temporal cortex, and the right posterior parietal cortex. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the realignment of visuomotor coordinates is processed by the cerebellum and that low level sensorimotor adaptation actively modulates cerebral areas, albeit now relying on intact cerebellocerebral connections. Hence, our data support the hypothesis that the beneficial effect of prism adaptation on the clinical presentation of left neglect derives from modulation of cortical regions implicated in spatial cognition.
Performance analysis of MIMO systems under multipath fading channels using linear equalization techniques

MIMO systems provides number of features like spatial diversity, multiplexing gain, and high spectral efficiency gain by keeping the bandwidth expansion or transmission power similar to other systems. The major concern in the system is inter symbol interference (ISI) caused by the channel. An equalizer is deployed on the receiver side to detract the effect of ISI. In this paper, simulation is done under the Rayleigh fading environment for linear equalization techniques for MIMO systems. Result shows that ISI occurred by the channel can effectively diminished with the help of Inter Equalization techniques. In the present article, a combined method is developed for canceling the interference with lower bit error rate and diminishing the effect of noise enhancement. The results show that, performance of this technique is comparatively better than conventional techniques.
Asynchronous router specification

We describe the application of three formal design tools to a case study in the design of a distributed system. The case study in question involves the specification of an asynchronous message router; the three design tools are process algebra (specifically Milner's Calculus of Communicating Systems CCS), the modal μ-calculus and the Edinburgh Concurrency Workbench (CWB). We demonstrate how an informally-presented specification can be formalised within the language of the modal μ-calculus, allowing for a rigorous mathematical analysis of the correctness of our proposed implementation. For modest-sized versions of the router, this correctness proof has been carried out using the CWB.
Why CSCW applications fail: problems in the design and evaluationof organizational interfaces

Many systems, applications, and features that support cooperative work share two characteristics: A significant investment has been made in their development, and their successes have consistently fallen far short of expectations. Examination of several application areas reveals a common dynamic: 1) A factor contributing to the application’s failure is the disparity between those who will benefit from an application and those who must do additional work to support it. 2) A factor contributing to the decision-making failure that leads to ill-fated development efforts is the unique lack of management intuition for CSCW applications. 3) A factor contributing to the failure to learn from experience is the extreme difficulty of evaluating these applications. These three problem areas escape adequate notice due to two natural but ultimately misleading analogies: the analogy between multi-user application programs and multi-user computer systems, and the analogy between multi-user applications and single-user applications. These analogies influence the way we think about cooperative work applications and designers and decision-makers fail to recognize their limits. Several CSCW application areas are examined in some detail. Introduction. An illustrative example: automatic meeting
Access to Mathematical Expressions in MathML for the Blind

For visually handicapped people virtual learning environments are a chance to participate in scientific education, because they can access the written content. However mathematical expressions rendered as raster graphics are not accessible to them. MathML, the web-standard for mathematical notation, provides the possibility to describe mathematical expressions in a textual form. However, it is not comfortable for this purpose because of its length and complexity. In this paper we present a transformation from MathML expressions into a compact mathematical notation for the blind (SMFB Stuttgart Mathematical Notation For the Blind). Finally, we show how we automate this transformation by integrating it into a virtual learning environment.
Non‐linear X‐ray variability in X‐ray binaries and active galaxies

We show that the rms-flux relation recently discovered in the X-ray light curves of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and X-ray binaries (XRBs) implies that the light curves have a formally non-linear, exponential form, provided the rms-flux relation applies to variations on all time-scales (as it appears to). This phenomenological model implies that stationary data will have a log normal flux distribution. We confirm this result using an observation of Cyg X-1, and further demonstrate that our model predicts the existence of the powerful millisecond flares observed in Cyg X-1 in the low/hardstate, and explains the general shape and amplitude of the bicoherence spectrum in that source. Our model predicts that the most variable light curves will show the most extreme non-linearity. This result can naturally explain the apparent non-linear variability observed in some highly variable Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, as well as the low states observed on long time-scales in the NLS1 NGC 4051, as being nothing more than extreme manifestations of the same variability process that is observed in XRBs and less variable AGN. That variability process must be multiplicative (with variations coupled together on all time-scales) and cannot be additive (such as shot-noise), or related to self-organised criticality, or result from completely independent variations in many separate emitting regions. Successful models for variability must reproduce the observed rms-flux relation and non-linear behaviour, which are more fundamental characteristics of the variability process than the power spectrum or spectral-timing properties. Models where X-ray variability is driven by accretion rate variations produced at different radii remain the most promising.
Measuring and Explaining Liquidity on an Electronic Limit Order Book: Evidence from Reuters D2000-2

This paper is an empirical examination of liquidity determination on an electronic FX broking system. We focus on two facets of liquidity. First we study the dynamics of liquidity supply and demand via event-time order arrival probabilities and calendar-time order entry rates. We demonstrate that the order book is "dynamically illiquid" as subsequent to market order arrival further liquidity is removed from the system. We also show that the proportion of limit orders in order flow increases with volatility. Second we investigate determination of order book depth. We show that, after controlling for repetitive intra-day patterns, buy and sell side depth are uncorrelated. We also find that depth is negatively related to volatility and unexpected volume but positively related to expected volume. These results suggest that liquidity suppliers are risk-averse and are concerned with the possibility of informed trade.
The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in Europe

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and potentially highly disabling disorder with considerable social impact and economic consequences. It is the major cause of non‐traumatic disability in young adults. The social costs associated with MS are high because of its long duration, the early loss of productivity, the need for assistance in activities of daily living and the use of immunomodulatory treatments and multidisciplinary health care. Available MS epidemiological estimates are aimed at providing a measure of the disease burden in Europe. The total estimated prevalence rate of MS for the past three decades is 83 per 100 000 with higher rates in northern countries and a female:male ratio around 2.0. Prevalence rates are higher for women for all countries considered. The highest prevalence rates have been estimated for the age group 35–64 years for both sexes and for all countries. The estimated European mean annual MS incidence rate is 4.3 cases per 100 000. The mean distribution by disease course and by disability is also reported. Despite the wealth of epidemiological data on MS, comparing epidemiological indices among European countries is a hard task and often leads only to approximate estimates. This represents a major methodological concern when evaluating the MS burden in Europe and when implementing specific cost‐of‐illness studies.
A mechanism for speculative memory accesses following synchronizing operations

In order to reduce the overhead of synchronizing operations of shared memory multiprocessors, this paper proposes a mechanism, named specMEM, to execute memory accesses following a synchronizing operation speculatively before the completion of the synchronization is confirmed. A unique feature of our mechanism is that the detection of speculation failure and the restoration of computational state on the failure are implemented by a small extension of coherent cache. It is also remarkable that operations for speculation on its success and failure are performed in a constant time for each independent of the number of speculative accesses. This is realized by implementing a part of cache tag for cache line state with a simple functional memory. This paper also describes an evaluation result of specMEM applied to barrier synchronization. Performance data was obtained by simulation running benchmark programs in SPLASH-2. We found that the execution time of LU decomposition, in which the length of period between a pair of barriers significantly varies because of the fluctuation of computational load, is improved by 13%.
Genetic architecture of sex determination in fish: applications to sex ratio control in aquaculture

Controlling the sex ratio is essential in finfish farming. A balanced sex ratio is usually good for broodstock management, since it enables to develop appropriate breeding schemes. However, in some species the production of monosex populations is desirable because the existence of sexual dimorphism, primarily in growth or first time of sexual maturation, but also in color or shape, can render one sex more valuable. The knowledge of the genetic architecture of sex determination (SD) is convenient for controlling sex ratio and for the implementation of breeding programs. Unlike mammals and birds, which show highly conserved master genes that control a conserved genetic network responsible for gonad differentiation (GD), a huge diversity of SD mechanisms has been reported in fish. Despite theory predictions, more than one gene is in many cases involved in fish SD and genetic differences have been observed in the GD network. Environmental factors also play a relevant role and epigenetic mechanisms are becoming increasingly recognized for the establishment and maintenance of the GD pathways. Although major genetic factors are frequently involved in fish SD, these observations strongly suggest that SD in this group resembles a complex trait. Accordingly, the application of quantitative genetics combined with genomic tools is desirable to address its study and in fact, when applied, it has frequently demonstrated a multigene trait interacting with environmental factors in model and cultured fish species. This scenario has notable implications for aquaculture and, depending upon the species, from chromosome manipulation or environmental control techniques up to classical selection or marker assisted selection programs, are being applied. In this review, we selected four relevant species or fish groups to illustrate this diversity and hence the technologies that can be used by the industry for the control of sex ratio: turbot and European sea bass, two reference species of the European aquaculture, and salmonids and tilapia, representing the fish for which there are well established breeding programs.
Ideas and Institutions in the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreements: A Study of EU Policy Evolution and the SADC-Minus Negotiations

In the mid 1990s, the European Union (EU) abandoned its legal defence of the Lome Convention, which had governed EU relations with European former colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (the ACP countries) since 1975. In its place, the EU proposed a series of comprehensive regional free trade agreements – the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) – which went far beyond the requirements of WTO rules in their scope. In this thesis, I aim to add to existing understandings of the EPAs by explaining (a) why the EU sought to recast the EU-ACP relationship in the form of ambitious interregional free trade agreements; and (b) why the EU was able to achieve only limited and uneven success in reaching agreements that matched these aims. In order to address these questions, I develop a theoretical approach that combines insights from constructivist and historical institutionalisms. I aim to contribute to existing constructivist approaches by (a) investigating the emergence of complexity and contradiction within policy outputs over time; and (b) exploring the role of strategic appeals to institutional constraints in persuasive discourse. I use this theoretical approach to draw analytical linkages between the internal processes through which EU external economic projections are formed and their external reach. Specifically, I highlight the emergence of a range of contradictions within the EU’s approach to the EPA negotiations and explore the role of these contradictions in facilitating the contestation of the EPAs by actors from across the ACP regions and particularly from the case study region, SADC-minus. Overall, I argue that the EU’s external economic policy aims and tools are the product of the strategic actions of purposive actors working within the context of path-dependent institutional structures and patterns of past relations with the outside world. In this context, the reach and limitations of EU external economic actions are contingent upon the historical processes through which they are constructed and the understandings, strategies and alternatives that external partners bring to the table.
Assessing Disclosure Risk in Anonymized Datasets

—Sharing of log data is a valuable step towards the improvement of network security. However, logs often contain sensitive information and organizations are hesitant to share them. Anonymization methods are used for increasing protection, lowering the disclosure risk to a level considered safe. Accordingly, a metric for anonymity is necessary to quantitatively assess the risk before releasing log data. In this paper, we propose a general framework for estimating disclosure risk using conditional entropy between the original and the anonymized datasets. We demonstrate our approach using network log ﬁles.
Online recognition of Malayalam handwritten scripts — A comparison using KNN, MLP and SVM

This paper experiments writer independent OHCR for Malayalam script using KNN, MLP and SVM classifiers. The key aspect of the work is to identify the best classifier based on recognition accuracy for a set of features. The system is trained using a database of 44 character classes with 100 samples per class. Accurate Dominant Points, Aspect Ratio, Start-End Octants and Intersections are used as features. The feature vector has been reduced to minimize training and testing time. The system reported an average recognition rate of 95.12 for SVM with RBF kernel, 93.17 for ANN with MLP and 90.39 for KNN. And the results interprets that, SVM with RBF is the best classifier for the features selected in the work.