Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Politeness and voice quality - the alternative method to measure aspiration noise

This paper discusses some problems regarding the measurement of breathiness directly from the acoustic waveform, especially the estimation of aspiration noise found in the high frequency region, which is a prominent feature of breathiness. Klatt and Klatt (1990) suggested the noise rating method for this, which employed the subjective ratings of visual observation of the irregularity of waveforms after they were band-pass filtered around the third formant frequency (F3), so as to quantify the aspiration noise of higher frequency region. However this method heavily depends on individual raters’ subjective observation of the waveform. It is therefore questionable if the ratings are reliable. Since the interest of this study is to examine the correlation between breathiness and politeness, the technical problem of this noise rating method needs to be remedied. This paper proposes an improved technique of quantifying the aspiration noise in the framework of direct waveform measurement. First, jitter and shimmer of band-pass filtered waveforms around the F3 region were measured. Noise ratings, in which raters observe irregularity of the waveforms, were found to be highly correlated with aspiration noise. Therefore, it is natural to assume that either jitter, shimmer, or both, which are ratios of the irregularity of frequency and amplitude, also reflect aspiration noise. Second, in order to consider the interference of harmonics on the waveforms extracted above, the original waveform’s jitter and shimmer were measured as references.
SCAMPI: service platform for social aware mobile and pervasive computing

Allowing mobile users to find and access resources available in the surrounding environment opportunistically via their smart devices could enable them to create and use a rich set of services. Such services can go well beyond what is possible for a mobile phone acting alone. In essense, access to diverse resources such as raw computational power, social networking relationships, or sensor readings across a set of different devices calls for distributed task execution. In this paper, we discuss the SCAMPI architecture designed to support distributed task execution in opportunistic pervasive networks. The key elements of the architecture include leveraging human social behavior for efficient opportunistic interaction between a variety of sensors, personal communication devices and resources embedded in the local environment. The SCAMPI architecture abstracts resources as service components following a service-oriented model. This enables composing rich applications that utilize a collection of service components available in the environment.
Influences of Carbon and Nitrogen Content on the Precipitation of 18Cr18Mn Steel

The effect of carbon and nitrogen contents on microstructure and the mechanism of precipitation of 18Cr18Mn steels at as-cast and aging treatment state were investigated by thermodynamics calculation, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experimental results show that the increase in carbon and nitrogen contents promotes the precipitation of carbides and nitrides, respectively, inhibiting σ phase precipitation during solidification process. The rod-like σ phases present in 18Cr18Mn0.44N as-cast steel with 0.025%C. The coarse lamellar structure Cr23C6 phases with a space width of 0. 34μm exist in 18Cr18Mn0.44N as-cast steel with 0.16%C. However, Cr23C6 and σ phase disappear in the interior of the grains and a small amount of nitrides exist only in grain boundaries of 18Cr18Mn0.72N0. 020C as-cast steel. The precipitation of Cr23C6 and σ phases are greatly inhibited in high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels at 800°C aging treatment. Additionally, Cr2N, the main precipitation phase, nucleates at austenitic grain boundary and grows towards inner grains with a lamellar morphology. Moreover, the quantity of Cr2N increases and incubation time of it decreases as nitrogen or carbon content increasing.
Upper airway · 2: Bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis and sinusitis

The nose and paranasal sinuses are contiguous with the lower respiratory tract. Patients with bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis commonly have sinonasal disease, which is thought to have the same aetiology and pathophysiology as the chronic lung disease. Despite this, the conditions are rarely considered together and there is very little literature on the treatment of sinonasal disease in bronchiectasis. In addition to being a common cause of comorbidity, there is evidence suggesting that sinonasal disease may directly influence the bronchial condition. This article reviews sinonasal disease in bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis and addresses the possible interactions between the health and disease of the upper and lower airways.
Common Consensus : a web-based game for collecting commonsense goals

In our research on Commonsense reasoning, we have found that an especially important kind of knowledge is knowledge about human goals. Especially when applying Commonsense reasoning to interface agents, we need to recognize goals from user actions (plan recognition), and generate sequences of actions that implement goals (planning). We also often need to answer more general questions about the situations in which goals occur, such as when and where a particular goal might be likely, or how long it is likely to take to achieve. In past work on Commonsense knowledge acquisition, users have been directly asked for such information. Recently, however, another approach has emerged—to entice users into playing games where supplying the knowledge is the means to scoring well in the game, thus motivating the players. This approach has been pioneered by Luis von Ahn and his colleagues, who refer to it as Human Computation. Common Consensus is a fun, self-sustaining web-based game, that both collects and validates Commonsense knowledge about everyday goals. It is based on the structure of the TV game show Family Feud1. A small user study showed that users find the game fun, knowledge quality is very good, and the rate of knowledge collection is rapid. ACM Classification: H.3. 3 [INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL]: Information Search and Retrieval; I.2. 6 [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE]: Learning
Landscape epidemiology of plant diseases

Many agricultural landscapes are characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity and fragmentation. Landscape ecology focuses on the influence of habitat heterogeneity in space and time on ecological processes. Landscape epidemiology aims at applying concepts and approaches originating from landscape ecology to the study of pathogen dynamics at the landscape scale. However, despite the strong influence that the landscape properties may have on the spread of plant diseases, landscape epidemiology has still received little attention from plant pathologists. Some recent methodological and technological progress provides new and powerful tools to describe and analyse the spatial patterns of host–pathogen interactions. Here, we review some important topics in plant pathology that may benefit from a landscape perspective. These include the influence of: landscape composition on the global inoculum pressure; landscape heterogeneity on pathogen dynamics; landscape structure on pathogen dispersal; and landscape properties on the emergence of pathogens and on their evolution.
Mesophyll conductance decreases in the wild type but not in an ABA-deficient mutant (aba1) of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia under drought conditions.

Under drought conditions, leaf photosynthesis is limited by the supply of CO2 . Drought induces production of abscisic acid (ABA), and ABA decreases stomatal conductance (gs ). Previous papers reported that the drought stress also causes the decrease in mesophyll conductance (gm ). However, the relationships between ABA content and gm are unclear. We investigated the responses of gm to the leaf ABA content [(ABA)L ] using an ABA-deficient mutant, aba1, and the wild type (WT) of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. We also measured leaf water potential (ΨL ) because leaf hydraulics may be related to gm . Under drought conditions, gm decreased with the increase in (ABA)L in WT, whereas both (ABA)L and gm were unchanged by the drought treatment in aba1. Exogenously applied ABA decreased gm in both WT and aba1 in a dose-dependent manner. ΨL in WT was decreased by the drought treatment to -0.7 MPa, whereas ΨL in aba1 was around -0.8 MPa even under the well-watered conditions and unchanged by the drought treatment. From these results, we conclude that the increase in (ABA)L is crucial for the decrease in gm under drought conditions. We discuss possible relationships between the decrease in gm and changes in the leaf hydraulics.
Mutational analysis of the PMS2 gene in sporadic endometrial cancers with microsatellite instability.

OBJECTIVE Approximately 20% of endometrial tumors have a defect in DNA mismatch repair and exhibit microsatellite instability (MSI). We assessed the role of the PMS2 DNA mismatch repair gene in MSI-positive sporadic endometrial tumors. METHODS We examined 40 sporadic endometrial tumor specimens with MSI. All 15 exons of the PMS2 gene were investigated for sequence alterations by single-strand conformational variant analysis. RESULTS Twelve polymorphisms were identified, 8 of which were in the coding sequence. Four specimens revealed mutations in intronic sequences that are not predicted to affect the PMS2 mRNA. No mutations were detected within the coding region of the PMS2 gene. CONCLUSION We conclude that structural mutations in the PMS2 gene are not responsible for defective DNA mismatch repair in sporadic endometrial cancers with MSI. The identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the PMS2 locus may aid in the mapping and characterization of genetic diseases.
Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of polytetrafluoroethylene/solid glass microsphere composites

The nonisothermal crystallization behavior and kinetics of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and PTFE/solid glass microsphere (SGM) composites were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry at various cooling rates (ϕ's). Three methods, namely, the Jeziorny, Ozawa and Mo methods, were used to describe the nonisothermal crystallization process. The results show that the peak temperature, crystallinity (Xc), and crystallization half-time were strongly dependent on the content of SGMs and ϕ. The SGMs in the PTFE/SGM composites exhibited a higher nucleation activity. The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PTFE and the PTFE/SGM composites was analyzed successfully with the Jeziorny and Mo methods; however, the Ozawa equation was invalid for the nonisothermal crystallization process. The crystallization activation energy determined with the Kissinger equation was remarkably lower when a small amount of SGMs (5%) was added and then gradually increased and finally became slightly lower than that of pure PTFE as the content of SGMs increased up to 25% in the composites. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Improving Precautionary Communication in the EMF Field? Effects of Making Messages Consistent and Explaining the Effectiveness of Precautions

Many radiation health agencies communicate precautionary measures regarding the use of mobile communication devices, e.g. the use of a headset while talking on the phone. These precautionary messages have, however, been shown to unintentionally increase risk perceptions about radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs). The current study tested two potential ways of amending precautionary messages in order to minimise this unintentional effect. Firstly, the messages’ potential to be perceived as inconsistent and thereby raise suspicions was addressed; secondly, the effectiveness of the precautions was explained. An experimental design was applied in which a quota sample of 1717 Australian residents was randomly assigned to one of six message conditions. Three different risk perception measures served as dependent variables, two of them are conditional measures. The original effect of precautionary messages to amplify risk perceptions could not be replicated. Furthermore, amending precautionary messages in favour of more consistency had no effect, while explaining the effectiveness of the precautions increased conditional risk perception under the condition that no precautions are taken. This was contrary to our assumptions. We infer from these results that changing precautionary messages in terms of consistency and effectiveness in order to reduce risk perception is hardly possible. The use of conditional risk perception measures seems fruitful for studies looking at the effects of precautionary or protective messages, given that previous studies have only investigated effects on unconditional risk perception. However, the present results should not be over-interpreted as the measures’ validity in the EMF context still needs further investigation.
Treatment of atypical neurocytomas

The majority of central neurocytomas are benign. Approximately 25% of these rare central nervous system tumors are more aggressive, with an MIB‐1 labeling index > 2% or atypical histologic features, and are classified as atypical neurocytomas. The objective of this analysis was to define the optimal treatment for patients with these atypical tumors.
Anisotropic enhancement of mammographic images

Filters for mammography based on anisotropic diffusion are introduced and evaluated with respect to well known filters adopted within this field. Results reported concern with images including microcalcifications. The performances of anisotropic filters are assessed both on the basis of figures of merit, allowing a preliminary quantitative enhancement evaluation, and according to goal-directed evaluation relying upon a simple segmentation module. Results indicate that proposed filters exhibit an effective and appealing behavior but they are subject to a more complex tuning, if compared to traditional filters.
Automatic, tensor-guided illustrative vector field visualization

This paper proposes a vector field visualization, which mimics a sketch-like representation. The visualization combines two major perspectives: Large scale trends based on a strongly simplified field as background visualization and a local visualization highlighting strongly expressed features at their exact position. Each component considers the vector field itself and its spatial derivatives. The derivate is an asymmetric tensor field, which allows the deduction of scalar quantities reflecting distinctive field properties like strength of rotation or shear. The basis of the background visualization is a vector and scalar clustering approach. The local features are defined as the extrema of the respective scalar fields. Applying scalar field topology provides a profound mathematical basis for the feature extraction. All design decisions are guided by the goal of generating a simple to read visualization. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, we show results for three different data sets with different complexity and characteristics.
Hierarchical modeling of OPV-based crossbar architectures

Recently, molecular devices with interesting behaviour like conductance, switching, rectification, gate modulation and negative differential resistance were realized. In this paper we propose a method to model hierachical logic circuits based on Oligo-Phenylene Vinylene (OPV) molecular field effect transistor (MOLFET). The modeling is based on a device level spice equivalent model and on a versatile language (VHDLAMS) assuring a hierarchical description and a successive approximation approach. Elementary logic blocks as well as a more complex circuit (RCA) were designed and simulated with a crossbar organization, both in a NMOS-like and in a CMOS-like configuration.
Changes in miniature endplate potential frequency during repetitive nerve stimulation in the presence of Ca2+, Ba2+, and Sr2+ at the frog neuromuscular junction

Miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs) were recorded from frog sartorious neuromuscular junctions under conditions of reduced quantal contents to study the effect of repetitive nerve stimulation on asynchronous (tonic) quantal transmitter release. MEPP frequency increased during repetitive stimulation and then decayed back to the control level after the conditioning trains. The decay of the increased MEPP frequency after 100-to 200-impulse conditioning trains can be described by four components that decayed exponentially with time constants of about 50 ms, 500 ms, 7 s, and 80 s. These time constants are similar to those for the decay of stimulation-induced changes in synchronous (phasic) transmitter release, as measured by endplate potential (EPP) amplitudes, corresponding, respectively, to the first and second components of facilitation, augmentation, and potentiation. The addition of small amounts of Ca2+ or Ba2+ to the Ca2+-containing bathing solution, or the replacement of Ca2+ with Sr2+, led to a greater increase in the stimulation-induced increases in MEPP frequency. The Sr-induced increase in MEPP frequency was associated with an increase in the second component of facilitation of MEPP frequency; the Ba-induced increase with an increase in augmentation. These effects of Sr2+ and Ba2+ on stimulation-induced changes in MEPP frequency are similar to the effects of these ions on stimulation- induced changes in EPP amplitude. These ionic similarities and the similar kinetics of decay suggest that stimulation induced changes in MEPP frequency and EPP amplitude have some similar underlying mechanisms. Calculations are presented which show that a fourth power residual calcium model for stimulation-induced changes in transmitter release cannot readily account for the observation that stimulation- induced changes in MEPP frequency and EPP amplitude have similar time- courses.
“Mulberry-like” CdSe Nanoclusters Anchored on TiO2 Nanotube Arrays: A Novel Architecture with Remarkable Photoelectrochemical Performance

“Mulberry-like” CdSe nanoclusters with well-defined crystallinity have been assembled into vertically aligned TiO2 nanotubes by photo-assisted electrodeposition method to form new architecture for fabricating semiconductor nanocrystal sensitized photovoltaic cell. The multiple staked “mulberry-like” CdSe nanoclusters, caused by the synergistic effect of photoetching and electrodeposition, broaden the absorption spectra to entire visible region with a promising behavior of photoinduced charge separation. A photocurrent density of 16 mA cm−2 was achieved under 100 mW cm−2 visible light illumination with 0 V bias potential (vs SCE). The remarkable photoresponse should be ascribed to the high-quality of 3-D multijunction structure and the driving force for electron transfer in “mulberry-like” nanoclusters. The experimental demonstration provides a strategy for integrating novel “mulberry-like” nanoclusters to fabricate semiconductor nanocrystal sensitized photovoltaic cells.
Patterning of SU-8 resist structures using CF4

Carbon Tetraflouride (CF4) plasma etching condition for SU-8 negative photoresist is characterized for its potential applications in photonics and bioMEMS. The effects of main plasma etching parameters such as rf power, gas flow rate, chamber pressure and time were systematically studied and the parameters were optimized by a three-level, L9 orthogonal array of the Taguchi method. By optimization, the optimal parameter range and the weighted percent of each parameter on the final results i.e. depth, surface roughness and wall angle were determined. Photoresist & metal were used and compared as masks for plasma etching. The minimum feature size was 1µm in both cases. Results indicated that with the increase of rf power, etch rate and roughness increases almost linearly. With increase in gas flow rate, etch rate increases while roughness decreases non-linearly. Etch rate is linear with time but roughness is significantly dependent on time initially. The side-wall angle of the samples with metal mask was found to be nearly 90° whereas samples with photoresist as the mask showed poor side-wall angle and surface roughness mainly due to poor mask-resist selectivity. Optimized values of rf power, gas flow rate, time and pressure were found to be 200W, 240sccm, 20minutes and 1Torr respectively, which yielded high etch rate (80nm/min), low surface roughness (5nm) and nearly vertical side-walls (89°).
Towards a viable autonomous driving research platform

We present an autonomous driving research vehicle with minimal appearance modifications that is capable of a wide range of autonomous and intelligent behaviors, including smooth and comfortable trajectory generation and following; lane keeping and lane changing; intersection handling with or without V2I and V2V; and pedestrian, bicyclist, and workzone detection. Safety and reliability features include a fault-tolerant computing system; smooth and intuitive autonomous-manual switching; and the ability to fully disengage and power down the drive-by-wire and computing system upon E-stop. The vehicle has been tested extensively on both a closed test field and public roads.
Antiviral Immunity following Smallpox Virus Infection: a Case-Control Study

ABSTRACT Outbreaks of smallpox (i.e., caused by variola virus) resulted in up to 30% mortality, but those who survived smallpox infection were regarded as immune for life. Early studies described the levels of neutralizing antibodies induced after infection, but smallpox was eradicated before contemporary methods for quantifying T-cell memory were developed. To better understand the levels and duration of immunity after smallpox infection, we performed a case-control study comparing antiviral CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses and neutralizing antibody levels of 24 smallpox survivors with the antiviral immunity observed in 60 smallpox-vaccinated (i.e., vaccinia virus-immune) control subjects. We found that the duration of immunity following smallpox infection was remarkably similar to that observed after smallpox vaccination, with antiviral T-cell responses that declined slowly over time and antiviral antibody responses that remained stable for decades after recovery from infection. These results indicate that severe, potentially life-threatening disease is not required for the development of sustainable long-term immunity. This study shows that the levels of immunity induced following smallpox vaccination are comparable in magnitude to that achieved through natural variola virus infection, and this may explain the notable success of vaccination in eradicating smallpox, one of the world's most lethal diseases.
Optimizing Training-Based MIMO Systems: How Much Time is Needed for Actual Transmission?

We study the design of training-based multiple-input multiple-output systems in two block-wise transmission schemes. The conventional transmission scheme has a fixed amount of energy to be used in each block, hence transmission takes place in every block. For this scheme, we study the optimality of using all available time in each block for transmission and provide bounds to significantly reduce the ranges of the possible values of the optimal training and data lengths. The second scheme, called the flashy transmission scheme, is constrained by an average amount of energy per block, and uses some but not necessarily all blocks for transmission. For this scheme, we find the optimal fraction of blocks to be used for transmission. When this optimal fraction is less than one, we show that the optimal training and data lengths are independent of the energy constraint.