Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online Speech Detection and Dual-Gender Speech Recognition for Captioning Broadcast News

This paper describes a new method to detect speech segments online with identifying gender attributes for efficient dual gender-dependent speech recognition and broadcast news captioning. The proposed online speech detection performs dual-gender phoneme recognition and detects a start-point and an end-point based on the ratio between the cumulative phoneme likelihood and the cumulative non-speech likelihood with a very small delay from the audio input. Obtaining the speech segments, the phoneme recognizer also identifies gender attributes with high discrimination in order to guide the subsequent dual-gender continuous speech recognizer efficiently. As soon as the start-point is detected, the continuous speech recognizer with paralleled gender-dependent acoustic models starts a search and allows search transitions between male and female in a speech segment based on the gender attributes. Speech recognition experiments on conversational commentaries and field reporting from Japanese broadcast news showed that the proposed speech detection method was effective in reducing the false rejection rate from 4.6% to 0.53% and also recognition errors in comparison with a conventional method using adaptive energy thresholds. It was also effective in identifying the gender attributes, whose correct rate was 99.7% of words. With the new speech detection and the gender identification, the proposed dual-gender speech recognition significantly reduced the word error rate by 11.2% relative to a conventional gender-independent system, while keeping the computational cost feasible for real-time operation.
The Role of College Counseling in Shaping College Opportunity: Variations across High Schools

This study draws on data from descriptive case studies of 15 high schools, three in each of five states. The findings highlight constraints in the availability of college counseling, differences in the availability of college counseling across schools, and the influence of schools, districts, higher education institutions, and states on the availability and nature of college counseling. The study suggests that, in the context of limited fiscal and other resources, changes in federal and state financial aid policies, district policies pertaining to counseling, and relationships with higher education institutions will help ensure that all students receive sufficient college counseling.
A \ Memetic " Approachfor the Traveling Salesman ProblemImplementation of a Computational Ecology forCombinatorial Optimizationon Message-Passing SystemsPablo

In this paper we present an approach for global combinatorial optimization applied to the TSP which combines local search heuristics with a population-based strategy. Due to its intrinsic parallelism and the inherent asynchronicity of the method it is specially appealing for MIMD message-passing parallel computers, such as those constructed from transputers. The approach is similar to that used by M uhlenbein 14] 15] 16], Brown et al. 1], Gorges-Schleuter 3] and work performed by the Dynamics of Computation Group at Xerox PARC 4]. We consider them as prototype examples of \memetic" algorithms in the sense described in Ref. 12] (see also Ref. 5]). A preliminary description of our work can also be found in Ref. 17].
Place, Power, and Medical Liability Insurance in the United States

Following the Western world's economic ‘crisis’ of the early 1970s and the related medical liability insurance calamity in the United States, new spatial and organizational arrangements emerged in the US medical malpractice insurance market. Reorganization gave a major London-based reinsurer—Lloyd's—a great deal of potential influence over the politically powerful US medical profession. At the same time as the prospects of control over medicine and law were being concentrated in London, Lloyd's was confronting immense financial difficulties arising from asbestos-related liability claims in the United States. Through the political influence derived from their economic connection with US physicians and malpractice insurers, Lloyd's seems to have been able to encourage US tort law reforms which minimize its profit-seeking underwriting members' exposure to asbestos-related and medical liability-related claims.
An Improved Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization Based on Cooperative Swarms

The discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO) is a kind of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to find optimal solutions for discrete problems. This paper proposes an improved DPSO based on cooperative swarms, which partition the search space into lower dimensional subspaces. The k-means split scheme and regular split scheme are applied to split the solution vector into swarms. Then the swarms optimize the different components of the solution vector cooperatively. Some strategies are further used to improve the accuracy and convergence. Application of the proposed cooperative swarms based DPSO (CDPSO) on the traveling salesman problem (TSP) shows a significant improvement over conventional DPSOs.
HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION:

In the post-Cold War era, the discussion on human rights and its promotion at the international level has proliferated, and this has coincided with a growing tendency to see a linkage between violations of human rights and international security. Drastic changes in international relations since the end of the Cold War have increased the probability of intervention with or without UN Security Council authorisation. Thus, the debate about humanitarian intervention has been reheated, generating a considerable literature, besides the increasing state practice. This article is an attempt to comprehend and illuminate this controversial issue.
Perceived Stress among Graduate Students: Development and Validation of the Graduate Stress Inventory

This article presents evidence from three samples, one of graduate students at both doctoral and master's level, another entirely of first-year doctoral students, and the other solely of master's students, to assess the psychometric characteristics of a theory-driven measure of perceived stress for graduate students, the Graduate Stress Inventory-Revised (GSI-R). Results of the first study allowed for the evaluation of the original scale, the Graduate Stress Inventory (GSI), and led to a few deletions and improvements in the wording of a significant number of items. It also indicated that the GSI-R possessed moderate to high internal-consistency reliability. Three-factor structures were identified. Results of the second study determined the concurrent validity of the GSI-R using Spielberger's Trait Anxiety scale. The third study showed adequate retest reliability of the GSI-R. The GSI-R is suggested for examining the role of appraised stress in the lives of graduate students.
Compartmentalisation of the sperm plasma membrane: a FRAP, FLIP and SPFI analysis of putative diffusion barriers on the sperm head

Spermatozoa are highly polarised cells with a compartmentalised distribution of lipids and proteins in their plasma membrane. It is not known how these compartments are stably maintained in what is essentially a fluid environment. In this investigation we have examined the hypothesis that intramembranous diffusion barriers selectively retain some components within compartments, while allowing free passage of others. A fluorescence loss in photobleaching analysis of the behaviour of the lipid reporter probe 1,1′-dihexadecyl-3,3,3′3′-tetramethyindocarbocyanine (DiIC16) on the head of boar spermatozoa revealed that it was freely diffusing between all three compartments (anterior acrosome, equatorial segment and postacrosome). Spermatozoa also contained rapidly diffusing particles of DiIC16 over the anterior acrosome and equatorial segment. These particles, ∼200 nm in diameter, were tracked in real time and their trajectories analysed by mean square displacement. Particle diffusion was essentially random over the anterior acrosome and equatorial segment but showed a periodicity in jump sizes and diffusion coefficients suggestive of microheterogeneities. Particles did not exchange between the equatorial segment and postacrosome, indicating a barrier at the junction between these two compartments. No barrier was detected between the equatorial segment and anterior acrosome. A model is proposed in which a molecular `filter' is present at the equatorial segment-postacrosomal boundary that allows free passage of single molecules but not molecular complexes. Passage of heterogeneous complexes, such as lipid rafts, requires disassembly and reassembly on either side of the filter.
Acid phosphatase activity in Coxiella burnetii: a possible virulence factor

High-speed supernatant fluids derived from sonicated Coxiella burnetii contained considerable acid phosphatase activity when assayed by using 4-methylumbelliferylphosphate; they also contained a factor that blocked superoxide anion production by human neutrophils stimulated with formyl-Met-Leu-Phe. The pH optimum of the enzyme was approximately 5.0. The level of phosphatase activity detected in several isolates of C. burnetii implicated in acute (Nine Mile) and chronic (S Q217, PRS Q177, K Q154) Q fever was 25 to 60 times greater than that reported in other microorganisms, including Leishmania and Legionella spp. The enzyme was found in rickettsiae grown in different hosts (L929 cells and embryonated eggs) and, in the case of L929 cells, for both short periods (less than a month) and the long term (years). Cytochemical techniques coupled with electron microscopy localized the phosphatase activity to the periplasmic gap in the parasite. Ion-exchange chromatography revealed a major species of the enzyme and showed that the enzyme of the parasite was distinct from that of the host cell (L929 fibroblasts); its apparent molecular weight was 74,000. Phosphatase inhibitors (i.e., molybdate heteropolyanions) had differential effects on the phosphatases of the parasite and host cell. C. burnetii supernatant fluid inhibited superoxide anion production by formyl-Met-Leu-Phe-stimulated human neutrophils; molybdate inhibitors reversed the inhibition. Treatment of C. burnetii-infected L929 cells with one of the molybdate compounds (complex B') significantly reduced the level of infection and did not affect the viability or growth of the host cell. These data suggest that the acid phosphatase of the parasite may be a major virulence determinant, allowing the agent to avoid being killed during uptake by phagocytes and subsequently in the phagolysosome.
Completely phased genome sequencing through chromosome sorting

The two haploid genome sequences that a person inherits from the two parents represent the most fundamentally useful type of genetic information for the study of heritable diseases and the development of personalized medicine. Because of the difficulty in obtaining long-range phase information, current sequencing methods are unable to provide this information. Here, we introduce and show feasibility of a scalable approach capable of generating genomic sequences completely phased across the entire chromosome.
An Aligned Stream of Low-Metallicity Clusters in the Halo of the Milky Way

One of the long-standing problems in modern astronomy is the curious division of Galactic globular clusters, the “Oosterhoff dichotomy,” according to the properties of their RR Lyrae stars. Here, we find that most of the lowest metallicity ([Fe/H] < –2.0) clusters, which are essential to an understanding of this phenomenon, display a planar alignment in the outer halo. This alignment, combined with evidence from kinematics and stellar population, indicates a captured origin from a satellite galaxy. We show that, together with the horizontal-branch evolutionary effect, the factor producing the dichotomy could be a small time gap between the cluster-formation epochs in the Milky Way and the satellite. The results oppose the traditional view that the metal-poorest clusters represent the indigenous and oldest population of the Galaxy.
Deceptive Advertising: A Practical Approach to Measurement

Abstract This paper presents a simple methodology for detecting and measuring deception. Actual impressions of subjects exposed to advertising rather than the opinions of “experts” are used. Newspaper advertising is used as a stimulus and substantial evidence of deception regarding price is found. Further, the results indicate that simple “one price” advertising themes may cause greater deception than complicated pricing structures.
Brain Circuitries Involved in Semantic Interference by Demands of Emotional and Non-Emotional Distractors

Background Previous studies have indicated that the processes leading to the resolution of emotional and non-emotional interference conflicts are unrelated, involving separate networks. It is also known that conflict resolution itself suggests a considerable overlap of the networks. Our study is an attempt to examine how these findings may be related. Methodology/Principal Findings We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study neural responses of 24 healthy subjects to emotional and non-emotional conflict paradigms involving the presentation of congruent and incongruent word-face pairs based on semantic incompatibility between targets and distractors. In the emotional task, the behavioral interference conflict was greater (compared to the non-emotional task) and was paralleled by involvement of the extrastriate visual and posterodorsal medial frontal cortices. In both tasks, we also observed a common network including the dorsal anterior cingulate, the supplemental motor area, the anterior insula and the inferior prefrontal cortex, indicating that these brain structures are markers of experienced conflict. However, the emotional task involved conflict-triggered networks to a considerably higher degree. Conclusions/Significance Our findings indicate that responses to emotional and non-emotional distractors involve the same systems, which are capable of flexible adjustments based on conflict demands. The function of systems related to conflict resolution is likely to be adjusted on the basis of an evaluation process that primarily involves the extrastriate visual cortex, with target playing a significant role.
Teaching alphabetic knowledge to pre-school children with developmental language delay and with typical language development

Alphabetic knowledge is a strong predictor of academic success. This multiple baseline across subjects study examined the effect of an intensive intervention on the alphabetic knowledge offourpre-school children ages 3;7 to 4;10. Two children with developmental language delay (DLD) and two with typical language development (TL) participated in a seven-week intervention target-ing recognition and production of letter names and sounds. Learning varied considerably among children. Higher accuracy was noted in name recognition than production. Teacher and parent reports suggested that this intervention increased children s interest in learning letter names at home and school.
Persistent Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

A 92-year-old man undergoing hemodialysis was admitted with a fever. A physical examination showed multiple scratched skin wounds, and blood cultures yielded methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Therapy with vancomycin was therefore initiated. Meanwhile, a transthoracic echocardiogram revealed no vegetation, and, after four weeks of therapy, the patient’s symptoms were relieved. However, despite this initial improvement, he was readmitted one week later for MRSA bacteremia, at which time computed tomography (CT) angiography showed a small aneurysm over the subclavian artery (Picture A). The patient subsequently experienced a recurrent fever and was readmitted twice with MRSA bacteremia. CT studies disclosed a protruding aneurysm in the proximal subclavian artery (Picture B), and a diagnosis of a mycotic aneurysm was confirmed on serial CT images (1). Unfortunately, the patient died suddenly due to hypovolemic shock. This case illustrates that elderly patients undergoing hemodialysis are
When Cognitive Control Is Not Adaptive

In order to engage in goal-directed behavior, cognitive agents have to control the processing of task-relevant features in their environments. Although cognitive control is critical for performance in unpredictable task environments, it is currently unknown how it affects performance in highly structured and predictable environments. In the present study, we showed that, counterintuitively, top-down control can impair and interfere with the otherwise automatic integration of statistical information in a predictable task environment, and it can render behavior less efficient than it would have been without the attempt to control the flow of information. In other words, less can sometimes be more (in terms of cognitive control), especially if the environment provides sufficient information for the cognitive system to behave on autopilot based on automatic processes alone.
An investigation of dynamic sub-carrier allocation in OFDMA systems

Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems commonly operate with a pseudo-random allocation of active sub-carriers to users. However, dynamic (multi-user) sub-carrier allocation (DSA) in an OFDMA system with a SISO channel has been investigated previously in Y. Wong Cheong et al. (1999), W. Rhee et al. (2000-2001). In this paper, an alternative algorithm is proposed and evaluated. Simulation results identify gains of up to 10 dB and show that near identical gain is achieved for all users.
Epistasis in a Model of Molecular Signal Transduction

Biological functions typically involve complex interacting molecular networks, with numerous feedback and regulation loops. How the properties of the system are affected when one, or several of its parts are modified is a question of fundamental interest, with numerous implications for the way we study and understand biological processes and treat diseases. This question can be rephrased in terms of relating genotypes to phenotypes: to what extent does the effect of a genetic variation at one locus depend on genetic variation at all other loci? Systematic quantitative measurements of epistasis – the deviation from additivity in the effect of alleles at different loci – on a given quantitative trait remain a major challenge. Here, we take a complementary approach of studying theoretically the effect of varying multiple parameters in a validated model of molecular signal transduction. To connect with the genotype/phenotype mapping we interpret parameters of the model as different loci with discrete choices of these parameters as alleles, which allows us to systematically examine the dependence of the signaling output – a quantitative trait – on the set of possible allelic combinations. We show quite generally that quantitative traits behave approximately additively (weak epistasis) when alleles correspond to small changes of parameters; epistasis appears as a result of large differences between alleles. When epistasis is relatively strong, it is concentrated in a sparse subset of loci and in low order (e.g. pair-wise) interactions. We find that focusing on interaction between loci that exhibit strong additive effects is an efficient way of identifying most of the epistasis. Our model study defines a theoretical framework for interpretation of experimental data and provides statistical predictions for the structure of genetic interaction expected for moderately complex biological circuits.
Lazy Calibration for Wireless Sensor Networks

Sensor networks are designed to monitor an area but their sensors notoriously suffer from poor accuracy. Although these sensors could be manually calibrated or replaced with precise alternatives, the time, manpower, and monetary costs may be prohibitive. Further, environmental changes may require regular re-calibration, adding to the expenses previously mentioned. We propose a method for lazily calibrating mote sensors to reduce sensor network deployment costs. Our approach uses the entire sensor network to calibrate motes dynamically and does not require explicit routing schemes or maintained links. As a result, our approach does not depend on any specific nodes and packet collisions, wireless networking irregularities and mote failures will cause minimal impact in the sensor network. In this paper, we demonstrate up to 4x reductions in sensor error by using a computationally inexpensive algorithm for low power mote processors while requiring only a small fraction of pre-calibrated motes.
Active Attack on User Load Achieving Pilot Design in Massive MIMO Networks

In this paper, we propose an active attacking strategy on a massive multiple-input multiple- output (MIMO) network, where the pilot sequences are obtained using the user load-achieving pilot sequence design. The user load-achieving design ensures that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) requirements of all the users in the massive MIMO networks are guaranteed even in the presence of pilot contamination. However, this design has some vulnerabilities, such as one known pilot sequence and the correlation among the pilot sequences, that may be exploited by active attackers. In this work, we first identify the potential vulnerabilities in the user load- achieving pilot sequence design and then, accordingly, develop an active attacking strategy on the network. In the proposed attacking strategy, the active attackers transmit known pilot sequences in the uplink training and artificial noise in the downlink data transmission. Our examination demonstrates that the per-cell user load region is significantly reduced by the proposed attacking strategy. As a result of the reduced per-cell user load region, the SINR requirements of all the users are no longer guaranteed in the presence of the active attackers. Specifically, for the worst affected users the SINR requirements may not be ensured even with infinite antennas at the base station.
Unconventional approaches for facial animation and tracking

In recent years, depth cameras have become commodity hardware already in many households. That trend allows for an action-driven facial animator system to become commonly available. In this paper, we layout the methods involved in driving high quality CG facial animations by capturing and matching human actions at real-time speeds. We explore two important sub-problems for this issue: (i) head motion tracking and (ii) animation creation for virtual characters. For head motion tracking, we present a 3D template matching framework, achieving real-time performance and yielding results more accurate than current state-of-the-art motion tracking methods. For animation creation, we provide a 3D animation retrieval system that allows artists to easily retrieve and reuse desired animations from an existing database of already rigged facial animations.
Passing, Protesting, and the Arts of Resistance: Infiltrating the Ritual Space of Blood Donation

This essay critically engages challenges made against the federally mandated deferral policies which prohibit “men who have sex with other men” from donating blood. I argue that “passing” and “protest” are dialogically dependent on one another as two separate but related tactics of resistance. Drawing on interview materials from men who have both “passed” and “protested,” the essay explores the implications of this dialogical tension for understanding stranger-relationality, enacting civic identity, and disciplining queer bodies.
The Effects of Social Capital in Family on Adolescents’ Depression

이 연구의 목적은 가정내 사회적 자본이 청소년 우울에 미치는 영향을 밝히는 것이다. 또한 청소년의 자아존중감이 가정내 사회적 자본과 우울간의 관계를 매개하는지를 밝히고자 하였다. 한국청소년패널조 사 (KYPS) 초등학교 4학년 3차-5차 패널자료를 이용하여 2,306명의 청소년을 대상으로 분석하였다. 분 석 결과, 첫째, 가정내 사회적 자본이 높을수록 청소년의 우울은 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 가정내 사회 적 자본이 높을수록 청소년의 자아존중감이 높은 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 자아존중감이 높을수록 우울이 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 넷째, 자아존중감은 가정내 사회적 자본이 우울에 미치는 영향을 매개하는 효과를 나타냈다. 이러한 결과는 청소년의 우울을 완화시키기 위해 부모-자녀 간의 긴밀한 상호작용을 통한 가정 내 사회적 자본을 증진시키는 것이 필요함을 시사한다. 가정내 사회적 자본을 구성하는 부모-자녀 관계의 친밀감과 신뢰, 가족기능의 강화를 위한 개입의 중요성을 시사한다. 또한 자아존중감을 향상시킬 수 있는 상담프로그램과 서비스를 통해 청소년의 우울을 예방하거나 완화시킬 수 있음을 보여준다.