Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variance reduction for optimization in speech recognition

Deep neural network (DNN) is trained according to a mini-batch optimization based on the stochastic gradient descent algorithm. Such a stochastic learning suffers from instability in parameter updating and may easily trap into local optimum. This study deals with the stability of stochastic learning by reducing the variance of gradients in optimization procedure. We upgrade the optimization from the stochastic dual coordinated ascent (SDCA) to the accelerated SDCA without duality (or dual-free ASDCA). This optimization incorporates the momentum method to accelerate the updating rule where the variance of gradients can be reduced. Using dual-free ASDCA, the optimization of dual function of SDCA in a form of convex loss is implemented by directly optimizing the primal function with respect to pseudo-dual parameters. The non-convex optimization in DNN training can be resolved and accelerated. Experimental results illustrate the reduction of training loss, variance of gradients and word error rate by using the proposed optimization for DNN speech recognition.
The Role of Mucosal Immunity in the Pathogenesis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most devastating gastrointestinal disease of prematurity. Although the precise cause is not well understood, the main risk factors thought to contribute to NEC include prematurity, formula feeding, and bacterial colonization. Recent evidence suggests that NEC develops as a consequence of intestinal hyper-responsiveness to microbial ligands upon bacterial colonization in the preterm infant, initiating a cascade of aberrant signaling events, and a robust pro-inflammatory mucosal immune response. We now have a greater understanding of important mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, such as the role of cytokines, immunoglobulins, and immune cells in NEC. In this review, we will provide an overview of the mucosal immunity of the intestine and the relationship between components of the mucosal immune system involved in the pathogenesis of NEC, while highlighting recent advances in the field that have promise as potential therapeutic targets. First, we will describe the cellular components of the intestinal epithelium and mucosal immune system and their relationship to NEC. We will then discuss the relationship between the gut microbiota and cell signaling that underpins disease pathogenesis. We will conclude our discussion by highlighting notable therapeutic advancements in NEC that target the intestinal mucosal immunity.
The relationships that matter: social network site use and social wellbeing among older adults in the United States of America

ABSTRACT An increasing number of middle-aged and older Americans are using social network sites (SNSs), but little research has addressed how SNS use is associated with social wellbeing outcomes in this population. Using a nationally representative sample of 1,620 Americans older than 50 from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we examine the relationship between older adults’ SNS use and social wellbeing associated with non-kin and kin relations and explore how these associations vary by age. Results of ordinary least-squares regression analyses suggest that SNS use is positively associated with non-kin-related social wellbeing outcomes, including perceived support from friends (β = 0.13; p < 0.001; N = 460) and feelings of connectedness (β = 0.10; p < 0.001; N = 463). Regression models employing interaction terms of age and SNS use further reveal that SNS use contributes to feelings of connectedness to a greater extent as people age (β = 0.10; p < 0.001; N = 463). Of all kin-related social wellbeing outcomes, SNS use only predicts increased perceived support from children (β = 0.08; p < 0.05; N = 410), and age negatively shapes this relationship (β = −0.14; p < 0.001; N = 410). As older people engage with an increasingly smaller and narrower network with a greater proportion of kin contacts, our results suggest that SNS use may help older adults access differential social benefits throughout later life.
Detection of critical points for shape metamorphosis animation

We apply topological analysis to functionally based shape metamorphosis. The time-dependent shape is defined using homotopy. The advantage of this method is the automatic generation of the intermediate shapes between the key shapes of different topology types. To complete the method, we have to find a way to automatically detect the critical points on the time axis while the shape undergoes topological changes. These critical points can be later used for generation of non-linear time steps distribution along the time axis, for example, for providing ease-in/ease-out effects in animation. We present a new method for analysis of shape metamorphosis based on the Morse theory, oriented to analysis of a height function. Although we analyze the shape in an N-dimensional space, the height function is defined in the N+2 dimensional space with N point coordinates and two additional coordinates of the defining function and time values. We can analyze how the critical points are changing in the given height level, which takes only zero value of the shape defining function. In this paper, we present this method in comparison with typical Morse theory analysis using simple objects in 2D and 3D spaces.
An introduction to program comprehension for computer science educators

The area of program comprehension comprises a vast body of literature, with numerous conflicting models having been proposed. Models are typically grounded in experimental studies mostly involving experienced programmers. The question of how to relate this material to the teaching and learning of programming for novices has proven challenging for many researchers. In this critical review from a computer science educational perspective, the authors compare and contrast the way in which different models conceptualize program comprehension. This provides new insights into learning issues such as content, sequence, learning obstacles, effective learning tasks and teaching methods, as well as into the assessment of learning
Modeling therapist empathy through prosody in drug addiction counseling

Empathy measures the capacity of the therapist to experience the same cognitive and emotional dispositions as the patient, and is a key quality factor in counseling. In this work we build computational models to infer the empathy of therapist using prosodic cues. We extract pitch, energy, jitter, shimmer and utterance duration from the speech signal, and normalize and quantize these features in order to estimate the distribution of certain prosodic patterns during each interaction. We find significant correlation between empathy and the distribution of prosodic patterns, and achieve 75% accuracy in classifying therapist empathy levels using this distribution. Experiment results suggest high pitch and energy of the therapist are negatively correlated with empathy. These observations agree with domain literature and human intuition.
Pharmacological Relaxation of the Ureter When Using Ureteral Access Sheaths during Ureterorenoscopy: A Randomized Feasibility Study in a Porcine Model

Objective. High intraluminal pressure during ureterorenoscopy (URS) increases risk of infectious and haemorrhagic complications. Intrarenal pressure may be reduced by the use of ureteral access sheaths (UASs), which on the other hand may cause ureteral damage. We have previously shown that the β-agonist isoproterenol (ISO), when administered topically in the irrigation fluid, is able to inhibit ureteral muscle tone and lower intrarenal pressure during URS. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ISO on the success rate of UAS insertion in a porcine model. Materials and Methods. 22 pigs in which a UAS could not initially be placed were randomized to endoluminal irrigation with either ISO (0.1 μg/mL) or saline before a new insertion trial. Subsequently, it was registered whether the UAS could be passed without resistance. During extraction of the sheath, any ureteral lesions were characterized ureteroscopically using the PULS classification system. Surgeons were blinded to randomization. Results. In the ISO group, the observed effect of irrigation was 63% successful UAS insertions, compared to 27% in the saline group. No serious lesions (<PULS grade 2) were observed in the ISO group. Conclusions. Endoluminal irrigation with ISO may facilitate UAS insertion and potentially decrease UAS related ureteral lesions.
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Specific Enterohemolysin Induced IL-1β in Human Macrophages and EHEC-Induced IL-1β Required Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is a major foodborne pathogen causing hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The role of EHEC O157:H7-enterohemolysin (Ehx) in the pathogenesis of infections remains poorly defined. In this study, we used gene deletion and complement methods to confirm its putative functions. Results demonstrated that, in THP-1 cells, EHEC O157:H7-Ehx is associated with greater production of extracellular interleukin (IL)-1β than other cytokines. The data also showed that EHEC O157:H7-Ehx contributed to cytotoxicity in THP-1 cells, causing the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Although we observed a positive correlation between IL-1β production and cytotoxicity in THP-1 cells infected with different EHEC O157:H7 strains, our immunoblot results showed that the majority of IL-1β in the supernatant was mature IL-1β and not the pro-IL-1β that can be released after cell death. However, EHEC O157:H7-Ehx had no detectable effect on biologically inactive pro-IL-1β at the mRNA or protein synthesis levels. Neither did it affect the expression of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), caspase-1, or NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3). RNA interference experiments showed that EHEC O157:H7-induced IL-1β production required the involvement of ASC, caspase-1, and NLRP3 expression in THP-1 cells. Our results demonstrate that Ehx plays a crucial role in EHEC O157:H7-induced IL-1β production and its cytotoxicity to THP-1 cells. NLRP3 inflammasome activation is also involved in EHEC O157:H7-stimulated IL-1β release.
The Role of Ontology in Agent-Oriented Requirements Analysis

Goals identification is an open issue in the Requirement Analysis field for Multi-Agent System design. Stakeholders commonly don’t have full and exhaustive awareness about their real objectives in the domain problem. Goals are implicitly expressed during the inquiring phase. Thus, the goal identification task is commonly ascribed to the expertise of the analyst. In this work we propose a new methodological approach to formalize the problem domain in terms of its ontological representation. We also introduce a new heuristic for extraction and validation of goals from the problem description. In this approach the domain can provide evidences for the identification of unvoiced goals and for their validation according to the contextual data.
Objective physical activity of filipino youth stratified for commuting mode to school.

PURPOSE The Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey included self-report measures and objective measures (Caltrac accelerometer) of Filipino adolescent (ages 14-16) physical activity (PA) in 1998-99. The purpose of this subanalysis was to compare objectively monitored PA of adolescents who differed by their self-reported habitual commuting mode to school, specifically commuting by walking, motorized transport, or a combination of the two. METHODS Descriptive analysis included the proportion of adolescents who reported commuting to school by the different modes, participating in sport/exercise during or after school, or currently working. ANCOVA was used to estimate and compare adjusted mean Caltrac-derived energy expenditure (kcal.d ) by commuting mode for each gender. Covariates were age, weight, and height. RESULTS The analysis sample of 1518 Filipino adolescents included 691 male (BMI = 18.5 +/- 2.5) and 827 female subjects (BMI = 18.7 +/- 2.3). A total of 323 male subjects (46.8% of all male subjects) walked to school, 160 (23.2%) took motorized transport, and 208 (30.0%) used a combination of the two modes. The corresponding values for female subjects were 303 (36.6%), 177 (21.4%), and 347 (42.0%). The absolute difference in Caltrac-derived energy expenditure that appeared to be due to active commuting was 44.2 kcal.d for Filipino male adolescents and 33.2 kcal.d for female adolescents. These differences between commuting modes could not be explained by participation in sport/exercise or by current employment. CONCLUSIONS Assuming 200 school days in a year, the difference in energy expended due to active commuting translates to a 8840 kcal and 6640 kcal in male and female subjects, respectively. For those youth who commute to school by motorized transport a yearly positive energy balance (i.e., weight gain) of 2-3 lb would be anticipated, all other things being held constant.
Long-term recurrence-free survival in a patient with stage IVB uterine carcinosarcoma

Uterine carcinosarcomas are rare and highly aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis. Due to early metastasis and disease progression, it is known to be far more aggressive than matched grade 3 endometroid endometrial carcinomas. Five-year survival for stage IV is reported to be 10% and overall survival for stage IVB is expected to be very poor. The authors report one case after experiencing long-term survival (over 5 years) for stage IVB carcinosarcoma of uterus. Total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed to 56 year old patient for uterine myoma. On pathology report, uterine carcinosarcoma was diagnosed and image studies were performed. With the impression of stage IVB uterine carcinosarcoma, 6 cycles of chemotherapy (ifosfamide and cisplatin) was conducted as adjuvant. Up to recently (over 5 years), she maintains good performance scale without evidence of tumor recurrence or disease progression.
A Novel Biometric-Based Authentication Scheme with Privacy Protection

Since biometric data are unique and permanent characteristics of individuals, the privacy protection of biometric authentication schemes has become a common concern of the public. Recently, Tang et al. proposed a biometric-based authentication scheme in an attempt to solve the privacy concerns. However, their scheme cannot resist the attack of tamper. Motivated by these concerns, in this paper, we proposed a new biometric-based authentication scheme, which achieves identity privacy and transaction untraceability. Its security is based on the semantic security of the ElGamal algorithm. Analysis results show that our scheme is higher in efficiency than Tang et al. scheme does, and meanwhile, it can resist the tamper attack. It is concluded that the proposed scheme is more secure and more practical than the existing ones.
Fusion system based on belief functions theory and approximated belief functions for tree species recognition

In this paper, an information fusion system for tree species recognition through leaves is proposed. This approach consists in training sub-classifiers (Random forests) with attributes extracted from leaf photos. The database is incomplete, partial and some data is conflicting. A hierarchical fusion system based on Belief functions theory allows the fusion of data provided by different sub-classifiers. Different procedures for reducing computational complexity are tested.
Design and evaluation of a haptic interface for interactive simulation of minimally-invasive surgeries

This paper deals with the design and control of a haptic device to be used in a minimally invasive surgery simulator. Replicating haptic cues is of special interest since it is used in gesture motor control and important decision-making scenarios such as the discrimination of healthy versus abnormal tissues, identification of organs, etc. The structure of this new device is based on real motions of the tool during practical use in real procedures. The device is designed to provide high force and torque capability. For a better touch feedback part of the surgical tool is kept to be the grasper (i.e. the handle) of the haptic interface. The motorized part provides force-feedback and consists of a hybrid configuration (parallel-serial) which allows combining a relatively high stiffness and large workspace. The design and dimensioning procedure of the actuators and the workspace are performed using a database of measurement recorded during in-vivo minimally invasive surgeries. The kinematics -forward and inverse- model is formulated explicitly by using analytical methods. The resulted device is evaluated experimentally and compared with some commercially available devices.
Eine osteopathische Herangehensweise an reflexives Schreiben

Als praktizierende Osteopathen haben wir alle unsere eigenen Strategien, wenn es um Reflexion geht, sowohl während der Behandlung als auch danach. Bei der Ausbildung zum Osteopathen und z.T. auch in der Weiterbildung gibt es Zeit für bewusste Reflexion sowohl verbal als auch in geschriebener Form, um Fragen nachzugehen und das Gelernte mit neuen und anspruchsvollen Erfahrungen zu vertiefen. Bei diesen Gelegenheiten trainieren wir auch unsere Reflexionsfähigkeit, sodass begonnene verbale oder niedergeschriebene Prozesse zu einer schnellen und effizienten mentalen Aktivität werden. Trotzdem ist das Niederschreiben immer noch wertvoll für uns. Es verlangsamt unser Denken, sodass wir mögliche Ideen, Gefühle, Fragen (und Antworten), Beziehungen und Einsichten, die direkt unter der Oberfläche unseres Bewusstseins liegen, bemerken können. Wie ich später erläutern werde, wird vermutet, dass professionelles Wissen mit einem Eisberg zu vergleichen ist: 90% davon sind unterbewusst.
Investigating Interscholastic Equity on the Sports Page: A Content Analysis of High School Athletics Newspaper Articles

While research has documented the mass media’s biased coverage of sportswomen in most levels of athletic participation, no study has yet determined if under-representation and trivialization of females occur at the interscholastic level. This content analysis, in investigating the amount and type of newspaper coverage given to female and male high school athletics, sought to fill this void. Over a 1-year timeframe, 602 issues were randomly selected from 43 daily newspapers. This sample produced 1792 articles that fit the study’s codebook. The articles revealed that female athletics, even when compared to three independent standards (gender breakdowns of school enrollment, participation rates, and number of sports offered), was significantly under-represented in both number of articles and total column inches. Male athletics not only received significantly more written coverage, but its articles were also more likely to be better positioned and have photographic accompaniment than those about female athletics.
Antimicrobial Efficacy of Alpinia galanga (Linn.) Swartz Flower Extract Against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in a Ready-to-Eat Turkey Ham Product

The pH, objective color and antimicrobial efficacy of Alpinia galanga (Linn.) Swartz Flower Extract (GFE) in a ready-to-eat turkey ham product inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated. Ham treatments included positive control (inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus cocktail only), 0.5% GFE incorporated into meat batter prior to cooking, 1.0% GFE incorporated into meat batter prior to cooking, 0.5% GFE applied to surface of cooked ham after cooled and 1.0% GFE applied to surface of cooked ham after cooled. All samples were inoculated after cooking, then vacuum packaged, stored at 4±1°C for 28 days and analyzed at 1-week intervals. Galangal flower extract exhibited antimicrobial properties and resulted in reductions (p>0.05) of up to 1.00 log cfu/g in S. aureus and L. monocytogenes when compared to the inoculated control. Galangal extract had no adverse effects on objective color and pH.
The Movement Estimation of Target and Background by Fourier Phase Spectrum Difference

An algorithm for estimating displacement of the moving target and background by shift theory of Fourier transform is presented. According to the relation between the change and the Fourier transform of image sequence, the method employs the displacement value of the moving target and background by the difference of Fourier phase spectrum. The algorithm estimates the movements from the whole field of the image with excellent global property. This paper provides the calculus and experiments of the algorithm which show the accuracy of 1 pixel.
Benchmarking Sentiment Analysis Approaches on the Cloud

Social media resources such as Twitter provide global services for citizens to express opinions on people, products, events or even themselves. Often this data captures the mood (sentiment) of the tweeter. Accurate and timely extraction of sentiment from such big data can be used for many population-wide business and research scenarios. Whilst a range of sentiment analysis approaches has been taken, little systematic comparison of these approaches has been undertaken. The motivation of this paper is to investigate various sentiment analysis approaches and evaluate their accuracy and performance for Twitter-based sentiment analysis on major Cloud facilities across Australia. We consider especially the impact of training data on performance and accuracy of sentiment analysis. To support this, we present a Cloud-based architecture and its realization through an elastic, distributed, data processing system used for harvesting, analyzing and storing large-scale Twitter data sets.
Roles of HTLV-1 basic Zip Factor (HBZ) in Viral Chronicity and Leukemic Transformation. Potential New Therapeutic Approaches to Prevent and Treat HTLV-1-Related Diseases

More than thirty years have passed since human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) was described as the first retrovirus to be the causative agent of a human cancer, adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), but the precise mechanism behind HTLV-1 pathogenesis still remains elusive. For more than two decades, the transforming ability of HTLV-1 has been exclusively associated to the viral transactivator Tax. Thirteen year ago, we first reported that the minus strand of HTLV-1 encoded for a basic Zip factor factor (HBZ), and since then several teams have underscored the importance of this antisense viral protein for the maintenance of a chronic infection and the proliferation of infected cells. More recently, we as well as others have demonstrated that HBZ has the potential to transform cells both in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we focus on the latest progress in our understanding of HBZ functions in chronicity and cellular transformation. We will discuss the involvement of this paradigm shift of HTLV-1 research on new therapeutic approaches to treat HTLV-1-related human diseases.
Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Internal Network Link Delay Distributions Using Multicast Measurements

There is increased interest among network administrators and service providers to estimate quality of service parameters associated with their network operations. Two a pproaches are currently used for collecting and modeling net work data: passive monitoring of link-level data or active probing to obtain path-level measurements. In this paper, we investig ate the estimation of link delay distributions based on active network tomography based on information gathered from end-to-end mul ticast measurements. We derive the maximum likelihood esti mator, establish its asymptotic properties, and investigateits finitesample performance. Comparisons with a heuristic estimati on scheme proposed in the literature are also made.