Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Machine learning improves hearing aids

Auditory Neuroscience A key challenge in improving assistive hearing devices is isolating and separating different voices in noisy or crowded settings. This task is especially difficult without prior exposure to the voices of interest and without knowing which voice to amplify. Han et al. used deep attractor networks—a powerful machine-learning technique—to project unfamiliar mixed audio signals into a high-dimensional space to separate signals from independent speakers. Comparing these separated sources with auditory cortical responses of a user allowed the method to determine and amplify the attended voice. The approach was as accurate as methods trained with clean audio sources and may thus enable hearing-impaired users to communicate more naturally in complex social environments. Sci. Adv. 10.1126/sciadv.aav6134 (2019).
EFFECT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (WOMAN’S EXECUTIVE BOARD), COMPANY SIZE AND LEVERAGE ON PROFIT MANAGEMENT

The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of corporate governance (female membership), company size and leverage on profits in companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) in 2012-2016. The variables used in this study are size variables, and the variable used in this study is earnings management that uses discretionary accruals using the Dechow et. Al. (1995). Withdrawal of the research sample using purposive sampling method that gets 225 samples of manufacturing companies and data which are data panels. This study conducts multiple regression with multiple regression with Eviews version 10. The results of this study indicate that the female board of directors who are insightful with earnings management when the female board of commissioners, women's audit committee, company size, and leverage do not affect earnings management.
A Robust Feedback Path Tracking Control Algorithm for an Indoor Carrier Robot Considering Energy Optimization

This work develops an indoor carrier robot for people with disabilities, where the precise tracking of designated route is crucial. The parameter uncertainties and disturbances of the robot impose significant challenges for tracking. The present paper first investigates the dynamic of mechanical structure and modeling of actuator motors and constructs a new dynamic model by considering all main parameter uncertainties and disturbances. A novel robust feedback tracking controller considering both the optimization of path tracking and the minimization of the power consumption energy is proposed. It is proved that the tracking errors e and e ˙ satisfy a H∞ performance indicator while the energy consumption is minimum. A simulation example was performed and the results show that this novel algorithm can effectively reduce the tracking error from 0.2 m to 0.006 m while guaranteeing the minimum energy consumption. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed method was validated by experiment compared with the non-robust one.
Random Access Games With Cost of Waiting for Uplink NOMA Systems

In power domain non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) used for uplink random access (RA) systems, users need to control transmit power such that the received power at the base station can be one of the predetermined values. Thus, selecting one of the predetermined values incurs different transmission costs. Furthermore, users can often withdraw their (re)transmission, which involves a waiting (or regret) cost. This letter analyzes ${N}$ -user non-cooperative game of uplink NOMA RA systems, where waiting cost is taken into account. As results, we show the condition, under which a unique mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium (MNE) exists and its efficiency with respect to social welfare maximization (SWM).
Contactless Fingerprint Recognition Based on Global Minutia Topology and Loose Genetic Algorithm

Contactless fingerprint recognition is highly promising and an essential component in the automatic fingerprint identification system. However, due to the inherent characteristic of perspective distortions of contactless fingerprints, achieving a highly accurate contactless fingerprint recognition system is very challenging. In this paper, we propose a robust contactless fingerprint recognition method based on global minutia topology and loose genetic algorithm. In order to avoid the inaccurate minutiae alignment problem suffered in conventional transformation-based methods, the minutiae correspondence is established by optimizing an energy function of the similarity matrix. We define an innovative similarity matrix based on both minutiae and minutia-pairs, which takes the global minutia topology into account. By adopting a distortion-free feature of ridge count to define the similarity, the problem of perspective distortions is effectively overcome. To solve the optimization, we propose a new genetic algorithm (GA) named loose GA with new mutation and crossover operators. We also propose a strict minutia-pair expanding algorithm to enhance the reliability of the minutiae correspondence. For recognition, a metric for measuring comparison scores which takes advantage of both the global topological similarity and the number of corresponding minutiae is proposed. We evaluate our method using two contactless fingerprint benchmark databases and achieve competitive performances in comparison with the state-of-the-art methods.
Bacteriological Profile of ESBL Producing Bacteria With Their Antibiotic Resistance Pattern

Background: Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) can cause infections, such as kidney infections, wound infections or in severe cases, blood infection. If a patient is prone to infection and the infection is caused by ESBLs, it can be more difficult to treat, because many of the commonly used antibiotics will not work against ESBLs. Materials and Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate samples submitted for culture and sensitivity at Clinical Laboratory of North Bengal Medical College Hospital, Sirajganj the general objective identify the causative organisms and their antimicrobial resistance pattern. Results: Majority of subjects (37.5%) were from 46-60 years age group. ESBL resistance was significantly related with age groups and educational status. Resistance was not related with gender distribution, occupation, family size and yearly family income. Detection rate of ESBL production among Pseudomonas spp were (91.67 %), followed by Klebsiella spp. (83.33 %), Proteus spp. (69.49%), Esch. Coli (64.42 %) and others (82.35 %). Aztreonam, Ampicillin, Amoxyclave and Piperacillin were more resistant antibiotics against ESBL producing organisms. Conclusion: ESBL antibiotic resistance pattern should be determined in chronic Gram negative infection for effective treatment. KYAMC Journal Vol. 10, No.-1, April 2019, Page 7-12
Teacher Longevity and Career Satisfaction in the Secondary Agricultural Education Classroom

This study investigated the characteristics and rationale for teacher longevity and success in the secondary agricultural education classroom. The population was 7,300 (N = 7,300) secondary agricultural education teachers in the United States instructing grades 6-12 during 2017-2018. The sample frame was obtained through the National Association of Agriculture Educators membership list and a random sample (n = 187) of the population was selected using the Cochran’s (1977) formula for continuous variables. The instrument used to collect data for this study was developed from a review of existing literature and consisted of 80 statements organized in four categories: influencers for career choice, employer characteristics, role of the FFA Advisor and FFA involvement, personal characteristics and professional growth, and personal characteristic questions. Participants who identified the overall characteristics which reflect their classroom longevity and success were feeling secure in their employment, developing their program, high satisfaction levels received from teaching and the variety of the lessons, and indicated former teachers having the greatest influence on their decision to pursue secondary agricultural education. The findings indicated that there are significant areas of success that should be investigated and revisited to determine the motivation for teachers to remain in the field. This study investigated the characteristics and rationale for teacher longevity and success in the secondary agricultural education classroom. The objectives of this study were: 1) personal influence for choosing a career in agricultural education; 2) describe the characteristics of the employer and school system which positively impact professional longevity; 3) determine teacher involvement with the FFA and the how those responsibilities positively affect teaching retention; and 4) identify how characteristics of teacher’s personal responsibilities to family and student success positively impact their career.
Towards Affective Chronometry: Exploring Smart Materials and Actuators for Real-time Representations of Changes in Arousal

Increasing HCI work on affective interfaces aimed to capture and communicate users' emotions in order to support self-understanding. While most such interfaces employ traditional screen-based displays, more novel approaches have started to investigate smart materials and actuators-based prototypes. In this paper, we describe our exploration of smart materials and actuators leveraging their temporal qualities as well as common metaphors for real-time representation of changes in arousal through visual and haptic modalities. This exploration provided rationale for the design and implementation of six novel wrist-worn prototypes evaluated with 12 users who wore them over 2 days. Our findings describe how people use them in daily life, and how their material-driven qualities such as responsiveness, duration, rhythm, inertia, aliveness and range shape people's emotion identification, attribution, and regulation. Our findings led to four design implications including support for affective chronometry for both raise and decay time of emotional response, design for slowness, and for expressiveness.
Effect of tramadol drug on some biochemical and immunological parameters in albino male rats; evaluation of possible reversal following its withdrawal

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of repeated tramadol drug administration on some biochemical and immunological parameters in rats. One hundred male albino rats were divided into three main groups. Group I (control): contains twenty rats administered saline solution. Group II (therapeutic dose group): forty rats received a daily oral dose of tramadol Hcl suspended in saline solution equal to 22.5 mg/kg/day for nine weeks. Ten rats of second group were left two weeks more without any additional treatment as a recovery period. Group III (over dose group): forty rats received oral dose of tramadol Hcl suspended in saline solution at doses of 30, 60 and 90 mg/kg/day on the first, second and third three weeks of the study, respectively for nine weeks. Ten rats of third group were left for two weeks more without any additional treatment as a recovery period. The obtained results showed significant increase in serum marker (Urea, creatinine, sialic acid, TNF-α and IL-1β) levels, and brain tissue (NF-KB and MPO) levels in both tramadol therapeutic and overdose groups towards its normal ranges. However, brain tissue antioxidant parameters (GPX and GSH) levels and liver tissue marker cyp2E1were markedly decreased. These results showed that, chronic tramadol administration induced kidney dysfunction, brain injury, oxidative and inflammatory stress in rats as well as degenerating endogenous antioxidant defense system mechanisms. These findings are of importance to be considered in the patients who use tramadol as a pain killer especially in the long term condition.
Poverty Reduction through Islamic Modes of Finance; the Way Forward

The purpose of this paper is to share the conceptual overview of the role that Islamic modes of finance can play in the reduction of poverty. The underpinning principles of Islamic finance modes is the adherence of Islamic values and to promote economic and social justice in the society. Â This study is aimed at providing insights on the prevailing poverty reduction strategies and their respective impact on poverty eradicate alongside proposing an alternative Islamic model of poverty reduction. For this purpose, the present study overviews the existing literature and textual analysis of the subject to emphasize the significance of poverty as an issue around the globe along with the critical review of the strategies currently considered to eradicate poverty. Poverty has now been emerged as a global phenomenon, which is common across many nations and, perhaps, not surprisingly, a tough challenge to governments and community development-oriented organizations which have been striving to eradicate. Â The present paper is, therefore, an effort to propose a possible alternative approach for poverty reduction. Subsequently, some discussion has been made on the application of Islamic approaches of welfare and poverty reduction. Islam, as a religion, encourages healthy competition, private ownership, and allows demand and supply rule of working independently. Islamic approach to poverty reduction has multiple facets and it is aimed at reducing the gap between haves and have notâ€™s through optimum circulation of wealth in the economy and by restricting capital to generate capital and allowing other factors of production along with the risk of loss to play their due role. Keeping in view the prevailing models of poverty reduction and critical evaluation of these models, the study has proposed Islamic modes of finance as a workable plan to reduce poverty and spread social justice in the society.
Investigação da Toxicidade Aguda (Lactuca sativa) e da Degradação do Corante Índigo Carmim pelo Processo de Oxidação Foto-Fenton

Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a degradação do corante Índigo Carmim via processo foto-Fenton. A partir de uma metodologia de superfície de resposta foram investigadas as melhores condições experimentais de pH inicial (2,5 - 3,5), [H2O2] inicial (29,5 - 130,5 mg L-1) e [Fe2+] inicial (13,2 - 40 mg L-1). Para verificar a eficiência do processo foram analisadas as reduções da absorvância nos comprimentos de onda correspondentes aos picos de absorção do corante Índigo Carmim. A melhor performance do processo foto-Fenton foi observada em pH inicial 2,8, [H2O2] inicial de 29,5 mg L-1 e [Fe2+] inicial de 13,2 mg L-1, obtendo uma redução de absorvância de 74, 98, 85 e 100%, em 120 minutos para os comprimentos de 254 nm, 284 nm, 310 nm e 610 nm, respectivamente. Estes resultados indicaram uma significativa degradação do corante, observada especialmente na região de absorção do seu grupo cromóforo (610 nm). No entanto, bioensaios utilizando Lactuca sativa mostraram um aumento da toxicidade da solução tratada, sugerindo a formação de subprodutos intermediários mais tóxicos. Desta forma, se faz necessária a integração de um processo complementar ao foto-Fenton para a redução da toxicidade do corante Índigo Carmim, minimizando os impactos ambientais ocasionados pelo descarte inadequado destes compostos em corpos hídricos.
Chewing jockey: augmented food texture by using sound based on the cross-modal effect

We focus on the dining and show how to improve dining experience. We use sound effects to augment food texture, creating a cross-modal illusion. Our system is composed of a bone-conduction speaker, a microphone, a photoreflector to measure the motion of jaw, and a computer to design the sound effect or filtering. We focus on the texture of food, an important component of deliciousness, to enhance the eating experience without modifying the physical or chemical feature of the food. We use prevailing technologies to detect chewing action, feedback and process the chewing sound. In addition, we design some chewing augmentation filter for each foods. These combinations create the cross-modality effect for food texture. We have developed three elements. First is a bite-detection sensor, utilizing a photoreflector, to measure the movement of the lower jaw. Second is a sound filter for each type of food that will be used to control food texture. Third is a self-feedback system to enhance the chewing action that records the chewing sound and the jaw motion, and delivers it to the user using bone-conduction speakers. Our aim is to redesign the experience of eating. We believe this technology is useful for following situations. For a start, it is a challenge to improve the eating QoL for dentures users. As they cannot bite strongly, they get a reduced sensation of food. Chewing Jockey helps to restore that sensation. Another application is to moderate the chewing speed. Chewing too fast is not good for digestion and also leads to over-eating. With our technology, we can provide the most suitable chewing speed to alter such habits. Lastly, chewing can be a form of interaction for a novel game design, in which you could role-play a monster chewing on "living" things.
Purinergic cotransmission

Adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) is a cotransmitter with classical transmitters in most nerves in the peripheral and central nervous systems, although the proportions vary between tissues and species and in different developmental and pathophysiological circumstances. There was early evidence that ATP was released together with acetylcholine (ACh) from motor nerves supplying skeletal muscle, although it was considered at the time as a molecule involved in the vesicular uptake and storage of ACh. Later it was shown that in the developing neuromuscular junction, released ATP acted on P2X receptor ion channels as a genuine cotransmitter with ACh. Adenosine triphosphate was shown to be released from sympathetic nerves supplying the guinea‐pig taenia coli in 1971. Soon after, the possibility was raised that ATP was coreleased with noradrenaline from sympathetic nerves to guinea‐pig seminal vesicle, cat nictitating membrane and guinea‐pig vas deferens. Sympathetic purinergic cotransmission has also been demonstrated in many blood vessels. Parasympathetic nerves supplying the urinary bladder use ACh and ATP as cotransmitters; ATP acts through P2X ionotropic receptors, whereas the slower component of the response is mediated by the metabotropic muscarinic receptor. Adenosine triphosphate and glutamate appear to be cotransmitters in primary afferent sensory neurons. Adenosine triphosphate, calcitonin gene‐related peptide and substance P coexist in some sensory‐motor nerves. A subpopulation of intramural enteric nerves provides non‐adrenergic, non‐cholinergic inhibitory innervation of gut smooth muscle. Three cotransmitters are involved, namely ATP, nitric oxide and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. In recent years, studies have shown that ATP is released with ACh, noradrenaline, glutamate, γ‐aminobutyric acid, 5‐hyroxytryptamine and dopamine in different subpopulations of neurons in the central nervous system.
The sources reconstruction method for amplitude-only field measurements

The detection of antenna manufacturing errors from the analysis of the extremely near-field (NF) close to the antenna-under-test (AUT) supposes a powerful non-invasive technique. In the last years, several algorithms for antenna diagnostics have been proposed: some of them are based on wave expansion techniques [1], while others make use of an equivalent currents distribution placed on a surface enclosing the AUT [2].
Topology Optimization Method for Asymmetrical Rotor Using Cluster and Cleaning Procedure

Topology optimization techniques are very promising methods, because they allow one to obtain an initial conceptual structure starting with minimal information on the design object. This paper proposes a novel topology optimization method that takes into account an asymmetrical rotor structure. The phase angle of stator current is not considered in the topology optimization process, thanks to an asymmetrical rotor. This paper designs the rotor topology of a permanent magnet synchronous generator. The obtained rotors have several topologies by considering permanent magnets with different magnetized directions, and have a better performance than that of Prius generator.
Adaptation Procedure of Level of Emotional Intelligence (LEI) Test and its Methodology Problems

Research background and hypothesis. There are only few original psychological methodologies developed in Lithuania, therefore most often foreign test procedure adaptation is undertaken. In Lithuania the iniative of psychologists to develop original methodologies is met with hostility though it is universally agreed that tests developed abroad are marked with strong “cultural charge”. Furthermore, some other problematic aspects of foreign test development become obvious, e. g. free treatment of survey construct, etc. Therefore, while adapting new methodology, in addition to correct implementation of all psychometric procedures, detection of problematic areas of the adapted methodology is relevant. Research aim was to present new adapted methodology of Level of Emotional Intelligence (LEI) test and to demonstrate major problems that arise in the adaptation procedure. Research methods. The survey involved 590 students from seven Lithuanian universities. In the five-step survey LEI test validity and reliability were examined using different statistical analysis methods (authors S. Beliayev, S. Yanovitch and A. Mazurov, 2009). Research results. The authors of the methodology maintain that the psychometric parameters of LEI test are sufficient. However, the authors of the present article have uncovered a number of disputable aspects of the said methodology. All required adaptation procedures of LEI methodology were performed: new scale structure was developed and tested using multi-factor analysis, test internal consistence and resolution were checked, test construct validity and re-test reliability were verified, test construction mistakes were spotlighted. Discussion and conclusions. LEI test adaptation procedure has disclosed important methodological problems that have to be addressed while adapting instruments of psychological research: 1) theoretical concept of methodology suggested by the authors and essential conformity of the said methodology to the universally accepted definition of construct in the science of psychology must be evaluated; 2) statement assessment logic proposed by the authors of methodology must be analyzed; 3) validation methods used by the authors must be critically assessed.Keywords: emotional intelligence, psychometry, validity, reliability.
Round robin scheduling for fair flow control in data communication networks

Abstract : Round robin link scheduling, in conjunction with conventional window flow control, can be used to achieve throughput fairness in point-to-point packet networks with virtual circuit routing. Consider a data communication network consisting of store-and-forward nodes joined by point-to-point links. Each user session is assigned a fixed path (often called a virtual circuit) through the network, and data for the session are sent in packets along this path. In such a network it is possible for the incoming traffic rate at a node to exceed the outgoing rate, causing a data queue to build up a at that node. This queue may eventually overflow the node's storage space, or the delay of acknowledgements may cause transmitters to assume that data were lost. These problems result in wasteful retransmission that effectively reduce the capacity of the network. Flow control procedures attempt to prevent or alleviate this degradation by regulating the appropriate traffic sources.