Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial Speech Enhancement : Thrive in More Challenging Environments

Noisy environments present the hearing aid user with many challenges. Background noise amplified through a hearing aid may be perceived as excessively loud and even uncomfortable. Attending to a target talker in the presence of interfering talkers and babble noise can be difficult and cause cognitive fatigue. It is no surprise then that dissatisfaction with hearing aid performance in noise is a chief complaint amongst hearing aid users (Kochkin, 2000; Hickson, Clutterbuck, Khan 2010; Hong, Oh, Jung, Kim, Kang, & Yeo, 2014; Johnson, Xu, & Cox, 2016) and a strong determinant for reduced or discontinued use of hearing aids (McCormack & Fortnum, 2013; Hickson, Meyer, Lovelock, Lampert, & Khan, 2014; Aazh, Prasher, Nanchahal, & Moore, 2015; Bennett, LaplanteLévesque, Meyer, & Eikelboom, 2017).
Optimal allocation and sizing of distributed generation in a radial distribution system with multiple objectives by using artificial bee colony algorithm

Distributed generation (DG) application has received increasing attention during recent years. The impact of DG on various aspects of distribution system operation, such as reliability and energy loss, depend highly on DG location and size in a distribution feeder. This paper presents a new methodology using a new population based metaheuristic approach namely artificial bee colony (ABC) for the placement and size of distributed generators (DG) in the radial distribution systems to reduce the real power losses and to improve the voltage profile. At first , base case load flow of distribution system is carried out by using forward and backward sweep load flow solutions, loss sensitivity factors(LSF) indicating the candidate bus locations for DG placement are computed from LSF, the candidate buses are identified. By placing DG at suitable positions with proper sizing of DG i.e., candidate bus positions, losses minimized and overall cost reduced. The proposed method is tested on IEEE33 bus test system with multi – objectives by using ABC algorithm and the results are presented.
Agrégation de sac-de-sacs-de-mots pour la recherche d'information par modèles vectoriels

Cet article etudie l'interet de representer les documents textuels non plus comme des sacs-de-mots, mais comme des sacs-de-sacs-de-mots. Au cœur de l'utilisation de cette representation, le calcul de similarite entre deux objets necessite alors d'agreger toutes les similarites entre sacs de chacun des objets. Nous evaluons cette representation dans un cadre de recherche d'information, et etudions les proprietes attendues de ces fonctions d'agregation. Les experiences rapportees montrent l'interet de cette representation lorsque les operateurs d'agregation respectent certaines proprietes, avec des gains tres importants par rapport aux representations standard.
Innovation and adaptation in contemporary Taiwanese acupuncture : changes in needling insertion technique as an example

Pascale Schmied 1, , Yi-Chang Su 1, 3, 4, * 1 Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan 2 Institute for Humanities in Medicine, Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland 3 National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan 4 School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
Lasers in Manufacturing Conference 2015 Analysis of potentially hazardous substances emitted during laser processing of carbon fiber reinforced plastics

Lasers are promising tools to cut, ablate or even weld carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Nowadays, it is possible to achieve very good product qualities (especially relevant for lightweight constructions) using specific laser processing strategies such as multipass cutting or short-pulsed ablation. The intention of these processing strategies is to minimize laser energy deposition within the material, because excessive heat causes defects such as pores, blowholes or delamination. Nevertheless, CFRP laser processing is connected with the emission of potentially hazardous substances, i.e. particles and fiber segments as well as inorganic and organic gases. This work describes a generalized approach to investigate hazardous emissions released during laser processing of CFRP. Measurement methods to quantify the emitted particles and gases in the exhaust air as well as in the air at the workplace are presented. These methods are applied to determine emission rates of specific material process combinations. The obtained values are implemented into a specific database to enable a fast access to the comparison with existing limit threshold values, maximum permissible exposures and adequate protective measures. The thorough analysis of various processes will help to assess the risks related to laser processing of CFRP in general and thus to create the framework, including standardization, for a safe handling of the emitted hazardous substances.
Target structures for cochlear infrared neural stimulation

Abstract. Infrared neural stimulation (INS) is a method to depolarize neurons with infrared light. While consensus exists that heating of the target structure is essential, subsequent steps that result in the generation of an action potential are controversially discussed in the literature. The question of whether cochlear INS is an acoustic event has not been clarified. Results have been published that could be explained solely by an acoustic event. However, data exist that do not support an acoustical stimulus as the dominant factor in cochlear INS. We review the different findings that have been suggested for the mechanism of INS. Furthermore, we present the data that clarify the role of an acoustical event in cochlear INS. Masking experiments have been performed in hearing, hearing impaired, and severely hearing impaired animals. In normal hearing animals, the laser response could be masked by the acoustic stimulus. Once thresholds to acoustic stimuli were elevated, the ability to acoustically mask the INS response gradually disappeared. Thresholds for acoustic stimuli were significantly elevated in animals with compromised cochlear function, while the thresholds for optical stimulation remained largely unchanged. The results suggest that the direct interaction between the radiation and the target structure dominates cochlear INS.
Nurses' attitudes and knowledge regarding organ and tissue donation and transplantation in a provincial hospital: A descriptive and multivariate analysis

The attitudes and knowledge of nursing personnel regarding organ and tissue donation can influence the decision to donate. This study aimed to determine these two factors among nurses at a district hospital in Barcelona, Spain. A survey was carried out using a 35 item questionnaire. Results were subjected to descriptive and comparative statistical analyses using bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the relation between demographic data and attitudes toward donation. The completion rate was 68.2%, with 98.6% of those responding stating that they were in favor of organ donation. The respondents were unsure as to whether the criteria for inclusion in transplant waiting lists were appropriate (57.5%), whereas 72.2% agreed that brain death is equivalent to death. The bivariate analysis revealed a significant association between a positive attitude toward donation and working on permanent night shift no religious beliefs. Attitudes toward donation among nurses were generally positive; a negative attitude, although attitudes towards donation among the nurses participating in the study were generally positive, it should be pointed out that when a negative attitude does exist this affects significant aspects such as belief in the diagnosis of brain death or the criteria for inclusion on the waiting list, amongst others, which reflects that specific training in donation focused on nurses continues to be needed.
ASPERGILLUS NIGER MEDIATED SYNTHESIS OF ZNO NANOPARTICLES AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL AND IN VITRO ANTICANCEROUS ACTIVITY

Nanoparticle metal oxides represent a new class of important materials that are increasingly used in research and health-related applications. Highly ionic metal oxides are interesting not only for their wide variety of physical and chemical properties but also for their antibacterial activity. The present study describes the synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial and anticancerous screening of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. The ZnO nanoparticles were prepared using the fungal filtrate and characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy, FTIR (Fourier-transform IR) spectroscopy, EDX and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) analysis. Agar-well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity. The sizes of the spherical ZnO nanoparticles were found to be in the range of 39.4-114.6 nm. The results revealed that ZnO nanoparticle is an effective broad spectrum antimicrobial agent and also it exhibit significant cytotoxic effect on HEp-2 cells.
Comparison of Modeling Target in LSTM-RNN Duration Model

Speech duration is an important component in statistical parameter speech synthesis(SPSS). In LSTM-RNN based SPSS system, the speech duration affects the quality of synthesized speech in two aspects, the prosody of speech and the position features in acoustic model. This paper investigated the effects of duration in LSTM-RNN based SPSS system. The performance of the acoustic models with position features at different levels are compared. Also, duration models with different network architectures are presented. A method to utilize the priori knowledge that the sum of state duration of a phoneme should be equal to the phone duration is proposed and proved to have better performance in both state duration and phone duration modeling. The result shows that acoustic model with state-level position features has better performance in acoustic modeling (especially in voice/unvoice classification), which means statelevel duration model still has its advantage and the duration models with the priori knowledge can result in better speech quality.
on the metabolic complications of mTOR inhibitors Avis d ’ experts sur les complications métaboliques des inhibiteurs de mTOR

Avis d’experts sur les complications métaboliques des inhibiteurs de mTOR enjamin Bouillet a,b,∗, Perrine Buffier a, Sarra Smati c, Françoise Archambeaud d, Bertrand Cariou c, Bruno Vergès a,b a Service d’endocrinologie, diabétologie, maladies métaboliques, CHU de Dijon, 2, boulevard du Maréchal-de-Lattre, BP 77908, 21000 Dijon, France b Unité Inserm, LNC-UMR 1231, université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France c Clinique d’endocrinologie, Institut du Thorax, CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France d Service de médecine interne B, endocrinologie, 87042 Limoges cedex, France
Thermal and acoustic changes in bee colony due to exposure to microwave electromagnetic field – preliminary research

The paper presents the results of preliminary research on the influence of the electromagnetic field from microwave range on the population of honeybees, analysing changes in the sounds coming from the hive and temperature trends in the hive. Research was made using two mini-hives, where one was exposed to electromagnetic field and other was a control hive. During the experiment the temperature and acoustic pressure inside the hive was monitored to check if EMF exposure affects any of these factors. Streszczenie. W pracy przedstawiono wyniki badań wstępnych wpływu pola elektromagnetycznego z pasma mikrofal na populacje pszczół poddając analizie zmiany temperaturowe w ulu oraz dźwięki wydobywające się z ulów. Badania przeprowadzono na dwóch mini-ulach, z których jeden poddawano ekspozycji na pole elektromagnetyczne, a drugi był ulem kontrolnym. (Zmiany akustyczne i termiczne w kolonii pszczół pod wpływem ekspozycji na pole elektromagnetyczne – badania wstępne).
THE USE OF INTRAOPERATIVE ULTRASOUND IN ABDOMINAL SURGERY

Introduction Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS), introduced in abdominal surgery by Makuuchi is an important imaging tool in the operating room with standardized applications for diagnosis and ultrasound guided procedures during surgery. Material and Method The studied group consisted of 449 patients operated between January 2002 January 2009 for hepato biliary, splenic and renal pathology, of which 93 were treated and prospectively studied in the 2 Clinic of Surgery, Clinical Emergency Hospital (Constanta), and 356 patients with liver pathology were treated, and retrospectively and prospectively studied in the Department of Liver Surgery, Humanitas Clinical Institute (Milan). Results. In Constanta study group, IOUS was performed in 77 cases with liver pathology (82,8%) (48 cases with hydatid cyst, 9 with abscesses, 12 with metastasis, 7 with hemangiomas and 1 with hepatocellular carcinoma), 9 cases with biliary disease (9,7%) (8 cases with lithiasis, one with cholangiocarcinoma), and 6 cases with renal lithiasis (6,4%); there were no major complications and mortality. In the Milan group, IOUS with and without contrast detected a total number of 1068 lesions (average 3, 2; median 2; range 1 48). The postoperative morbidity rate was 23,2% (83 cases); major complications were recorded in 6,4% (23 cases) and minor complications in 16,8% cases (60 cases). The reintervention rate was of 1,4% (5 cases). The postoperative mortality rate was 1,1% (4 cases). Conclusions. IOUS is a method of diagnosis and guidance of surgical procedures, which has to be part of the modern abdominal surgery arsenal in generally, and of hepatic surgery in particular, being optimally exploited when performed by the surgeon.
Mapping the charge carrier density in semiconductors by THz-QCL based optical feedback interferometry

— A THz imaging system based on self-mixing (SM) interferometry in a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) is developed to map the distribution of free charges on a semiconductor surface. In the experiment, a free electron plasma is photo-generated in a high resistivity n-type silicon wafer using a near-infrared (NIR) continuous-wave (CW) pump laser. A model based on Drude theory correctly reproduces the experimental results and in prospective promises a quantitative evaluation of the free charges density.
Distribution of Risk Factors and Prophylactic Drug Usage in Turkish Patients with Angiographically Established Coronary Artery Disease

Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of adult deaths in our country. In clinical practice, an adequate level of secondary prevention towards CAD primarily requires full recognition of the distribution of risk factors. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of coronary risk factors and the use of prophylactic drugs among patients who have an angiographically proven CAD in our centre, and to compare it with those of the EUROASPIRE I and II studies. Design Cross-sectional, observational study. Methods Our patients comprise 617 subjects (516 male, mean age 57.2 ± 10.8 years) who underwent an angiography between January 2000 and May 2000 for the first time and in whom significant coronary lesions were detected. Age, gender, family history of premature CAD (FH), diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT), lipid profile, smoking, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference and physical activity data were recorded prior to angiography. The medical treatments received by these cases at discharge from hospital were investigated. Data thus obtained were compared with the results of the EUROASPIRE I and II trials, which studied the frequency of existing risk factors and prophylactic drug use among CAD patients in European countries. Results Hyperlipidaemia, FH, DM, HT, smoking, obesity, central obesity were found in 52, 26, 20, 41, 65, 18 and 29% of patients, respectively. The use of antiplatelets, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, statins and calcium antagonists were 99, 86, 40, 63 and 16%, respectively. Conclusion Upon comparison of the risk factors, prevalence of obesity and DM was found to be similar to the average of nine European countries among our subjects. Smoking was found to be considerably higher, whereas HT, hyperlipidaemia and family history of premature CAD were lower than the European average within our subjects. In our cases the frequency of prophylactic drug usage at discharge was higher than the European means.
Eccentric exercise decreases maximal insulin action in humans: muscle and systemic effects.

1. Unaccustomed eccentric exercise decreases whole‐body insulin action in humans. To study the effects of one‐legged eccentric exercise on insulin action in muscle and systemically, the euglycaemic clamp technique combined with arterial and bilateral femoral venous catheterization was used. Seven subjects participated in two euglycaemic clamps, performed in random order. One clamp was preceded 2 days earlier by one‐legged eccentric exercise (post‐eccentric exercise clamp (PEC)) and one was without the prior exercise (control clamp (CC)). 2. During PEC the maximal insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake over the eccentric thigh was marginally lower when compared with the control thigh, (11.9%, 64.6 +/‐ 10.3 vs. 73.3 +/‐ 10.2 mumol kg‐1 min‐1, P = 0.08), whereas no inter‐thigh difference was observed at a submaximal insulin concentration. The glycogen concentration was lower in the eccentric thigh for all three clamp steps used (P < 0.05). The glucose transporter GLUT4 protein content was on average 39% lower (P < 0.05) in the eccentric thigh in the basal state, whereas the maximal activity of glycogen synthase was identical in the two thighs for all clamp steps. 3. The glucose infusion rate (GIR) necessary to maintain euglycaemia during maximal insulin stimulation was lower during PEC compared with CC (15.7%, 81.3 +/‐ 3.2 vs. 96.4 +/‐ 8.8 mumol kg‐1 min‐1, P < 0.05). 4. Our data show that 2 days after unaccustomed eccentric exercise, muscle and whole‐body insulin action is impaired at maximal but not submaximal concentrations. The local effect cannot account for the whole‐body effect, suggesting the release of a factor which decreases insulin responsiveness systemically.
Learning to Program Mobile Robots in the ROS Summer School Series

The main objective of our ROS Summer School series is to introduce MA level students to program mobile robots with the Robot Operating System (ROS). ROS is a robot middleware that is used by many research institutions worldwide. Therefore, many state-of-the-art algorithms of mobile robotics are available in ROS and can be deployed very easily. As a basic robot platform we deploy a 1/10 RC cart that is equipped with an Arduino micro-controller to control the servo motors, and an embedded PC that runs ROS. In two weeks, participants get to learn the basics of mobile robotics hands-on. We describe our teaching concepts and our curriculum and report on the learning success of our students.
Mechanism of Action of Nalidixic Acid on Escherichia coli III. Conditions Required for Lethality

Deitz, William H. (Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute, Rensselaer, N.Y.), Thomas M. Cook, and William A. Goss. Mechanism of action of nalidixic acid on Escherichia coli. III. Conditions required for lethality. J. Bacteriol. 91:768–773. 1966. —Nalidixic acid selectively inhibited deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis in cultures of Escherichia coli 15TAU. Protein and ribonucleic acid synthesis were shown to be a prerequisite for the bactericidal action of the drug. This action can be prevented by means of inhibitors at bacteriostatic concentrations. Both chloramphenicol, which inhibits protein synthesis, and dinitrophenol, which uncouples oxidative phosphorylation, effectively prevented the bactericidal action of nalidixic acid on E. coli. The lethal action of nalidixic acid also was controlled by transfer of treated cells to drug-free medium. DNA synthesis resumed immediately upon removal of the drug and was halted immediately by retreatment. These studies indicate that nalidixic acid acts directly on the replication of DNA rather than on the “initiator” of DNA synthesis. The entry of nalidixic acid into cells of E. coli was not dependent upon protein synthesis. Even in the presence of an inhibiting concentration of chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid prevented DNA synthesis by E. coli 15TAU.
Vertex Odd Divisor Cordial Labeling for Vertex Switching of Special Graphs

A vertex odd divisor cordial labeling of a graph G with vertex set V is a bijection f : V (G) → {1, 3, . , 2n − 1} such that an edge e = uv is assigned label 1 if f (u)|f (v) or f (v)|f (u) and label 0 otherwise, then |ef (0) − ef (1)| ≤ 1. A graph which admits vertex odd divisor cordial labeling is called vertex odd divisor cordial graph. In this paper we prove that vertex switching of cycle Cn(n ≥ 4) with one chord, cycle Cn(n ≥ 5) with twin chords, cycle Cn(n ≥ 6) with triangle, gear graph, shell graph, flower graph are vertex odd divisor cordial. AMS subject classification: 05C78.
Laminin and other basement membrane components.

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. • . ••. • . •••. 57 STRUCTURE 58 INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER BASEMENT MEMBRANE PROTEINS . •• 65 BIOSYNTHESIS AND REGULATION •. •. • • • 69 CELL BINDING AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF LAMININ 71 MOLECULAR MODELS OF BASEMENT MEMBRANE STRUCTURE •. 76
Prospective Outbreak Detection in Pets as a Sentinel Indicator for Outbreaks in Humans

Sixty-one percent of known disease-causing agents that infect humans can also infect animals [1]. While humans are the primary reservoir for only 3% of zoonoses, detection of zoonotic disease outbreaks remains mostly dependant on the identification of human cases [2]. Very few of the diseases that are a threat to humans are reportable in pets. Over onethird of American households include at least one pet [3]. Pets can present with clinical signs of disease earlier than people after becoming infected at the same time [4]. Pets can also become infected first and act as a source of infection for humans [5]. Detection of an outbreak in pets may then provide for warning of an outbreak that could affect humans.
Evaluation of anti-oxidant and cytotoxic properties of tropical ginger , Zingiber montanum ( J . König ) A . Dietr

many members belonging to the family Zingiberaceae are well known for their uses in traditional medicine for curing various ailments since times immemorial. The rhizomes of some medicinal Zingiberaceae are widely used in the dietary intakes. Curcumin present in turmeric and gingerol in ginger have been known to possess anti-oxidant properties. The northeast india, which lies within the indo-Burmese mega-biodiversity ‘hotspot’ region, is a genetic treasure house of biological resources with good representation of Zingiberaceous species. The present studies were conducted to assess the free radical scavenging antioxidant properties of rhizome extract of Zingiber montanum (J. König) a. dietr [=Z. cassumunar roxb. ] using various chemical assay systems like diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (dPPh), superoxide (O2 ) and hydroxyl (Oh . ) radical scavenging methods. increased percent of dPPh decoloration from 50-500 μg/ml indicated concentration dependent scavenging activity of dPPh radicals by the crude extract of this species. Even at a low concentration of 1 μg/ml, the rhizome extract showed strong (~75%) Oh scavenging activity. Similarly, the crude extract showed a concentration dependent inhibition of O2 radical production where a concentration of 50 μg/ml almost showed 100% inhibition. Cytotoxicity was assessed by mTT assay using nih 3T3 fibroblast cell line. Only 28% cytotoxicity was observed up to a concentration of 100 μg/ml. The results strongly support the therapeutic use of crude rhizome extract of Z. montanum for its dietary intake and use as traditional medicine, thereby suggesting its potential as promising radioprotective agent.