Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finite-precision design and implementation of all-pass polyphase networks for echo cancellation in sub-bands

All-pass polyphase networks (APN) are particularly attractive for acoustical echo cancellation (AEC) arranged in sub-bands. They provide lower inter-band aliasing, delay and computational complexity than their FIR counterparts. Moreover, APNs achieve higher echo return loss enhancement (ERLE) performance and faster convergence than full-band processing. In the paper, the finite precision implementation of APNs is addressed. A procedure is presented for re-optimising the all-pass coefficients of the prototype low-pass filter for finite precision operation. Robust finite precision implementation of a prototype low-pass filter is discussed. The results of a set of AEC experiments are reported with full and 16-bit precision implementation.
LVCSR log-likelihood ratio scoring for keyword spotting

A new scoring algorithm has been developed for generating wordspotting hypotheses and their associated scores. This technique uses a large-vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) system to generate the N-best answers along with their Viterbi alignments. The score for a putative hit is computed by summing the likelihoods for all hypotheses that contain the keyword normalized by dividing by the sum of all hypothesis likelihoods in the N-best list. Using a test set of conversational speech from Switchboard Credit Card conversations, we achieved an 81% figure of merit (FOM). Our word recognition error rate on this same test set is 54.7%.
Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 Prevents Atherosclerosis via Inhibition of Intestinal Cholesterol Absorption in Apolipoprotein E-Knockout Mice

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 on the development of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-knockout (ApoE−/−) mice. Eight-week-old ApoE−/− mice were fed a Western diet with or without L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 daily for 16 weeks. L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 protected ApoE−/− mice from atherosclerosis by reducing their plasma cholesterol levels from 923 ± 44 to 581 ± 18 mg/dl, likely via a marked decrease in cholesterol absorption caused by modulation of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1). In addition, suppression of cholesterol absorption induced reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) in macrophages through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor/liver X receptor (PPAR/LXR) pathway. Fecal lactobacillus and bifidobacterium counts were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 treatment groups than in the control groups. Furthermore, L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 was detected in the rat small intestine, colon, and feces during the feeding trial. The bacterial levels remained high even after the administration of lactic acid bacteria had been stopped for 2 weeks. These results suggest that administration of L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 can protect against atherosclerosis through the inhibition of intestinal cholesterol absorption. Therefore, L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 may be a potential therapeutic material for preventing the progression of atherosclerosis.
An upper bound to the capacity of the band-limited Gaussian autoregressive channel with noiseless feedback

Upper bounds to the capacity of band-limited Gaussian m th-order autoregressive channels with feedback and average energy constraint E are derived. These are the only known hounds on one- and two-way autoregressive channels of order greater than one. They are the tightest known for the first-order case. In this case let \alpha_1 be the regression coefficient, \sigma^2 the innovation variance, N the number of channel iterations per source symbol, and e = E/N ; then the first-order capacity C^1 is bounded by \begin{equation} C^1 \leq \begin{cases} \frac{1}{2} \ln [\frac{e}{\sigma^2}(1+ \mid \alpha_1 \mid ) ^ 2 +1], & \frac{e}{\sigma^2} \leq \frac{1}{1- \alpha_1^2} \\ \frac{1}{2} \ln [\frac{e}{\sigma^2} + \frac{2\mid \alpha_1 \mid}{\sqrt{1-\alpha_1^2}} \sqrt{\frac{e}{\simga^2}} + \frac{1}{1-\alpha_1^2}], & \text{elsewhere}. \\ \end{cases} \end{equation} This is equal to capacity without feedback for very low and very high e/\sigma^2 and is less than twice this one-way capacity everywhere.
Comparative Phenotypic and Molecular Genetic Profiling of Wild Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis Strains of the L. lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris Genotypes, Isolated from Starter-Free Cheeses Made of Raw Milk

ABSTRACT Twenty Lactococcus lactis strains with an L. lactis subsp. lactis phenotype isolated from five traditional cheeses made of raw milk with no added starters belonging to the L. lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris genotypes (lactis and cremoris genotypes, respectively; 10 strains each) were subjected to a series of phenotypic and genetic typing methods, with the aims of determining their phylogenetic relationships and suitability as starters. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of intact genomes digested with SalI and SmaI proved that all strains were different except for three isolates of the cremoris genotype, which showed identical PFGE profiles. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis using internal sequences of seven loci (namely, atpA, rpoA, pheS, pepN, bcaT, pepX, and 16S rRNA gene) revealed considerable intergenotype nucleotide polymorphism, although deduced amino acid changes were scarce. Analysis of the MLST data for the present strains and others from other dairy and nondairy sources showed that all of them clustered into the cremoris or lactis genotype group, by using both independent and combined gene sequences. These two groups of strains also showed distinctive carbohydrate fermentation and enzyme activity profiles, with the strains in the cremoris group showing broader profiles. However, the profiles of resistance/susceptibility to 16 antibiotics were very similar, showing no atypical resistance, except for tetracycline resistance in three identical cremoris genotype isolates. The numbers and concentrations of volatile compounds produced in milk by the strains belonging to these two groups were clearly different, with the cremoris genotype strains producing higher concentrations of more branched-chain, derived compounds. Together, the present results support the idea that the lactis and cremoris genotypes of phenotypic Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis actually represent true subspecies. Some strains of the two subspecies in this study appear to be good starter candidates.
Generalized harmonic analysis for distributions

Generalized harmonic analysis in the sense of Wiener is extended to the framework of Schwartz distributions. The approach seems mathematically and physically more transparent than the classical scheme, since every distribution possesses a Fourier transform so that the use of integrated Fourier transforms is avoided. A generalized Wiener-Khintchine representation is given which agrees well with the intuitive concept of the power spectrum. The latter is shown to be a tempered measure, in general, whose support is contained in the support of the Fourier transform of the signal. The correlation functional and power spectrum of filtered distributional signals is derived for a class of generalized filter impulse responses, which includes those that have bounded support or correspond to stable rational transfer functions. As an illustration, the form of the correlation functional and power spectrum for periodic and almost-periodic distributions and for delta-pulse trains occurring in sampled-data systems is given, and a deterministic white noise signal is constructed.
Interview with Dr Ronald Petersen, 7 February 2013

Dr Ronald Petersen is a Professor of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is also the Director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, which is part of a network of clinics around the US that is funded by the National Institute on Aging. Dr Petersen is an internationally renowned researcher on ageing, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. In 1999, he was the primary author on a seminal and tremendously influential paper on MCI in the Archives of Neurology. In fact, at the time of this publication, this paper has been cited over 3300 times, according to Web of Science. Dr Petersen has close to 600 publications, has received numerous awards and distinctions, and has been one of the most vocal advocates of establishing MCI as a formally recognised diagnosis.
THYROID DYSFUNCTION IN HEMOCHROMATOSIS

In the peculiar condition of hemochromatosis the deposit of iron containing pigment is widespread and is known to involve many structures including, among others, several of the glands of internal secretion. Altho its effect on the anatomy and function of the liver and pancreas has been much emphasized, the results of its presence in other glandular structures has been less studied. Our interest in the subject was stimulated by observation on the following case in which, in addition to involvement of the pancreas and the liver, there were many evidences of disturbance in the function of the thyroid gland. The patient was a 44 year old white male, a private patient of Dr. Oliver Campbell, who first entered Barnes Hospital on May 15, 1933. He had been a traveling salesman up to a year before admission when, because of his complaints, he changed to an office position. The family history was irrelevant. The past history was negative except for a Neisserian infection 10 years before. For the past year he had b.
A new characterization of canonical convolutional encoders (Corresp.)

A realization of a linear sequential circuit is called a canonical convolutional encoder if its state space has the smallest dimension among all realizations generating the same code. We give conditions for a realization to be a canonical oncoder and for two canonical encoders to generate the same code. The techniques used provide an enumeration of canonical encoders whose realizations are not isomorphic.
Five-Year Cohort Study of Nosema spp. in Germany: Does Climate Shape Virulence and Assertiveness of Nosema ceranae?

ABSTRACT Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis are two fungal pathogens belonging to the phylum Microsporidia and infecting the European honeybee, Apis mellifera. Recent studies have suggested that N. ceranae is more virulent than N. apis both at the individual insect level and at the colony level. Severe colony losses could be attributed to N. ceranae infections, and an unusual form of nosemosis is caused by this pathogen. In the present study, data from a 5-year cohort study of the prevalence of Nosema spp. in Germany, involving about 220 honeybee colonies and a total of 1,997 samples collected from these colonies each spring and autumn and analyzed via species-specific PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), are described. Statistical analysis of the data revealed no relation between colony mortality and detectable levels of infection with N. ceranae or N. apis. In addition, N. apis is still more prevalent than N. ceranae in the cohort of the German bee population that was analyzed. A possible explanation for these findings could be the marked decrease in spore germination that was observed after even a short exposure to low temperatures (+4°C) for N. ceranae only. Reduced or inhibited N. ceranae spore germination at low temperatures should hamper the infectivity and spread of this pathogen in climatic regions characterized by a rather cold winter season.
Gene Cloning and Characterization of Two NADH-Dependent 3-Quinuclidinone Reductases from Microbacterium luteolum JCM 9174

ABSTRACT We used the resting-cell reaction to screen approximately 200 microorganisms for biocatalysts which reduce 3-quinuclidinone to optically pure (R)-(−)-3-quinuclidinol. Microbacterium luteolum JCM 9174 was selected as the most suitable organism. The genes encoding the protein products that reduced 3-quinuclidinone were isolated from M. luteolum JCM 9174. The bacC gene, which consists of 768 nucleotides corresponding to 255 amino acid residues and is a constituent of the bacilysin synthetic gene cluster, was amplified by PCR based on homology to known genes. The qnr gene consisted of 759 nucleotides corresponding to 252 amino acid residues. Both enzymes belong to the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family. The genes were expressed in Escherichia coli as proteins which were His tagged at the N terminus, and the recombinant enzymes were purified and characterized. Both enzymes showed narrow substrate specificity and high stereoselectivity for the reduction of 3-quinuclidinone to (R)-(−)-3-quinuclidinol.
Speaker recognition in reverberant enclosures

This paper evaluates the effects of room reverberation on two automatic speaker verification (ASV) applications. Reverberation is simulated using an image method. AV is conducted with a multiple binary classifier model. Results are strongly dependent on speaker location, room size and reverberation time. ASV is poor given anechoic training but reverberant test speech. In voice activated security access, speaker locations can be identical for ASV training and testing, eliminating differences between respective impulse responses. Reverberation does not affect ASV even when it renders speech unintelligible. In covert speaker verification, speakers are uncooperative and mobile, thus test room responses unknown. By subjecting training speech to an impulse response corresponding to the centre of the room, ASV is degraded by 5.45 instead of 13.7 percent should anechoic training speech be used. Subjecting training speech to responses corresponding to two room locations does not further improve ASV performance.
Interactive and iterative visual clustering

This article proposes a semi-interactive system for visual data exploration using an iterative clustering that combines an automatic approach with an interactive one. We propose a framework to improve the interactivity between the user and the data analysis process, allowing him or her to participate actively in the iterative clustering tasks using a two-dimensional projection. Defining a cluster by its seed (center) and its limit, the proposed approach allows the user to modify the automated values or to define new seeds and the associated cluster limit himself or herself. The user can perform the clustering according to his or her visual perception manually and can also choose to let the automated approach find optimal seeds and then interact with the process to iterate the clustering process according to his or her visual perception and domain knowledge. Most of the evaluation criteria for clustering evaluate the complete clustering and not each cluster separately. In this article, we propose to adapt evaluation criteria to single clusters, allowing the users to evaluate their own clusters and perform the clustering iteratively until satisfaction. To evaluate our proposed approach, we conduct a user evaluation, where the users are asked to perform clustering interactively according to their visual perception and with the semi-interactive one. We also compare the obtained results with those of automated clustering. The quantitative results have shown that the cooperative approach can improve the clustering results in terms of accuracy.
Genetically Engineered Immunomodulatory Streptococcus thermophilus Strains Producing Antioxidant Enzymes Exhibit Enhanced Anti-Inflammatory Activities

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to develop strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) having both immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties and to evaluate their anti-inflammatory effects both in vitro, in different cellular models, and in vivo, in a mouse model of colitis. Different Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus strains were cocultured with primary cultures of mononuclear cells. Analysis of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines secreted by these cells after coincubation with candidate bacteria revealed that L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL 864 and S. thermophilus CRL 807 display the highest anti-inflammatory profiles in vitro. Moreover, these results were confirmed in vivo by the determination of the cytokine profiles in large intestine samples of mice fed with these strains. S. thermophilus CRL 807 was then transformed with two different plasmids harboring the genes encoding catalase (CAT) or superoxide dismutase (SOD) antioxidant enzymes, and the anti-inflammatory effects of recombinant streptococci were evaluated in a mouse model of colitis induced by trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS). Our results showed a decrease in weight loss, lower liver microbial translocation, lower macroscopic and microscopic damage scores, and modulation of the cytokine production in the large intestines of mice treated with either CAT- or SOD-producing streptococci compared to those in mice treated with the wild-type strain or control mice without any treatment. Furthermore, the greatest anti-inflammatory activity was observed in mice receiving a mixture of both CAT- and SOD-producing streptococci. The addition of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL 864 to this mixture did not improve their beneficial effects. These findings show that genetically engineering a candidate bacterium (e.g., S. thermophilus CRL 807) with intrinsic immunomodulatory properties by introducing a gene expressing an antioxidant enzyme enhances its anti-inflammatory activities.
Enjoying death among gamers, viewers, and users: A network visualization of Dark Souls 3’s trends on Twitch.tv and Steam platforms

In current Game Research, gaming service platforms such as PlayStation Network, Steam, and Twitch.tv represent a still poorly investigated topic. Despite the millions of monthly viewers and members, little efforts have been done to shed light on their dynamics and trends. This article aims to address such a lack by presenting the findings of an empirical inquiry guided by the key concepts of “platform” and “actor–network theory” with the support of a novel network visualization technique. Specifically, the role-playing game Dark Souls 3–related activity on Steam and Twitch.tv was collected for the first 20 days from the release (12 April–1 May 2016). Targeted data concerned several variables among which: most viewed streamers, streaming types, debating topics and reviews’ highlights on Steam (etc.) through screenshots, user-generated content, and text gathering. Data were processed and then visualized with the network-oriented software Gephi for uncovering associations and patterns in the targeted online environments. The action game The Division worked as an exploratory case study and counter-example for stressing the proposal. Although with some limitations, the visualization strategy adopted (four networks for each platform) proved to be effective in framing and communicating the results in a straightforward way. Finally, findings enlightened a phenomenon (i.e. gaming service platforms), that is, getting increasingly central in digital entertainment, and might inform further investigations with alternative designs and focuses.
Long-Term Enrichment on Cellulose or Xylan Causes Functional and Taxonomic Convergence of Microbial Communities from Anaerobic Digesters

ABSTRACT Cellulose and xylan are two major components of lignocellulosic biomass, which represents a potentially important energy source, as it is abundant and can be converted to methane by microbial action. However, it is recalcitrant to hydrolysis, and the establishment of a complete anaerobic digestion system requires a specific repertoire of microbial functions. In this study, we maintained 2-year enrichment cultures of anaerobic digestion sludge amended with cellulose or xylan to investigate whether a cellulose- or xylan-digesting microbial system could be assembled from sludge previously used to treat neither of them. While efficient methane-producing communities developed under mesophilic (35°C) incubation, they did not under thermophilic (55°C) conditions. Illumina amplicon sequencing results of the archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA genes revealed that the mature cultures were much lower in richness than the inocula and were dominated by single archaeal (genus Methanobacterium) and bacterial (order Clostridiales) groups, although at finer taxonomic levels the bacteria were differentiated by substrates. Methanogenesis was primarily via the hydrogenotrophic pathway under all conditions, although the identity and growth requirements of syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacteria were unclear. Incubation conditions (substrate and temperature) had a much greater effect than inoculum source in shaping the mature microbial community, although analysis based on unweighted UniFrac distance found that the inoculum still determined the pool from which microbes could be enriched. Overall, this study confirmed that anaerobic digestion sludge treating nonlignocellulosic material is a potential source of microbial cellulose- and xylan-digesting functions given appropriate enrichment conditions.
Health-related quality of life and social support among Chinese patients with coronary heart disease in mainland China

Aim: This study aimed to explore and identify the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and perceived social support among Chinese patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in mainland China. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted with a convenience sample of 200 Chinese patients with CHD recruited from the cardiac outpatient departments of two university-affiliated hospitals in Xi’an, China. The Chinese Mandarin versions of the Short-form 36-item health survey (CM:SF-36) and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (CM:MOS-SSS) were administered to assess HRQoL and perceived social support. Results: The results indicated that Chinese patients with CHD reported a poorer HRQoL and lower social support compared with their Western and Hong Kong counterparts. Multiple regression analyses identified four significant predictors of deteriorated physical health (increasing age, co-morbidity with heart failure or hypertension, and smoking status) and two significant predictors of poor mental health (co-morbidity with heart failure and perceived social support). Conclusions: Health status and social support in Chinese people with CHD should be routinely assessed and, where feasible, addressed through appropriate individually tailored interventions.
The Clinical Utility of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Suspected or Confirmed Myocardial Ischemia

Heart disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, with coronary artery disease (CAD) representing more than half of all cardiovascular events. Stable patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of CAD are likely to undergo an exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) and/ or imaging study as a first-line diagnostic assessment. A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) is an ECG stress test plus ventilatory gas analysis. Recently, CPX has been used to detect exercise-induced myocardial ischemia (EIMI) suggestive of underlying CAD. Two CPX variables, oxygen pulse (VO2/HR) and the slope of oxygen consumption versus work rate (ΔVO2/ ΔWR), have been identified to be especially indicative of EIMI. Currently, there are a number of diagnostic tests available for the identification of CAD, with the most widely used being stress ECG, stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization. Exercise ECG, although inexpensive, has a number of well-recognized limitations, including low sensitivity resulting in false-negative results. Stress (exercise or pharmaceutically induced) MPI and catheterization are more accurate but also more invasive and expensive. It appears that CPX may improve the diagnostic accuracy of exercise ECG. This review will address the potential utility of CPX in patients with suspected or confirmed myocardial ischemia.