Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single-channel speech dereverberation in acoustical environments

Reverberated speech signals in acoustical environments produces some problems such as reducing speech intelligibility, distinguishing speakers, locating source, quality for hands-free telephony, hearing aid, etc. Adaptive filters can be applied to reduce the reverberation effects or to dereverberate the received speech signals at microphone. In this paper a dereverberation method is proposed by applying an inverse filter to the received speech signals. Different values of the Room Impulse Response are used in the dereverberation procedure and the results are compared. The results show a significant improvement in the quality of the received signal for the desired reverberant environment. Furthermore, the mean opinion score (MOS) of subjective listening quality (LQ) and objective quality score from the perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ) of two different values of RIR coefficient are compared.
Variability of marine aerosol fine‐mode fraction and estimates of anthropogenic aerosol component over cloud‐free oceans from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)

[1]In this study, we examine seasonal and geographical variability of marine aerosol fine-mode fraction (f m ) and its impacts on deriving the anthropogenic component of aerosol optical depth (t a ) and direct radiative forcing from multispectral satellite measurements. A proxy off m , empirically derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 5 data, shows large seasonal and geographical variations that are consistent with the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation Transport (GOCART) and Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) model simulations. The so-derived seasonally and spatially varyingf m is then implemented into a method of estimatingt a and direct radiative forcing from the MODIS measurements. It is found that the use of a constant value forf m as in previous studies would have overestimatedt a by about 20% over global ocean, with the overestimation up to! 45% in some regions and seasons. The 7-year (2001‐2007) global ocean averaget a is 0.035, with yearly average ranging from 0.031 to 0.039. Future improvement in measurements is needed to better separate anthropogenic aerosol from natural ones and to narrow down the wide range of aerosol direct radiative forcing.
Staf, a promiscuous activator for enhanced transcription by RNA polymerases II and III

Staf is a zinc finger protein that we recently identified as the transcriptional activator of the RNA polymerase III‐transcribed selenocysteine tRNA gene. In this work we demonstrate that enhanced transcription of the majority of vertebrate snRNA and snRNA‐type genes, transcribed by RNA polymerases II and III, also requires Staf. DNA binding assays and microinjection of mutant genes into Xenopus oocytes showed the presence of Staf‐responsive elements in the genes for human U4C, U6, Y4 and 7SK, Xenopus U1b1, U2, U5 and MRP and mouse U6 RNAs. Using recombinant Staf, we established that it mediates the activating properties of Staf‐responsive elements on RNA polymerase II and III snRNA promoters in vivo. Lastly a 19 bp consensus sequence for the Staf binding site, YY(A/T)CCC(A/G)N(A/C)AT(G/C)C(A/C)YYRCR, was derived by binding site selection. It enabled us to identify 23 other snRNA and snRNA‐type genes carrying potential Staf binding sites. Altogether, our results emphasize the prime importance of Staf as a novel activator for enhanced transcription of snRNA and snRNA‐type genes.
Real-time traffic sign recognition system

Traffic sign recognition (TSR) is one of the most important background research topics for enabling autonomous vehicle driving systems. Autonomous driving systems require special handling of input data: there is no time for complex transformations or sophisticated image processing techniques, they need a solid and real-time analysis of a situation. This challenge get more difficult to meetin a city like environment where multiple traffic signs, ads, parking vehicles, pedestrians, and other moving or background objects make the recognition much more difficult. While numerous solutions have been published, solutions are tested on autoways, country-side, or at a very low speed. In this paper, we give a short overview on main problems and known strategies to solve these problems, and we give a general solution to tackle real-time issues in urban traffic sign recognition.
Determination of zearalenone in corn flour and a cheese snack product using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

The presence of the mycotoxin zearalenone in corn flour and a cheese snack derived from this was determined. Thirty-eight samples (corn flour and cheese snacks) of different brands were analysed for zearalenone using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Zearalenone was detected in corn flour and cheese snack samples with average content of 0.377 ppm (maximum, 0.889 ppm) and 0.832 ppm (maximum, 1.471 ppm) respectively. The recovery from spiked corn flour and cheese snack samples ranged from 70–87%. The method had a limit of detection of 0.01 µg ml−1. The linearity of method was determined (y = 5.88 x + 0.25, r2 = 0.9999), and optimum assay range was 0.05–30 µg ml−1. The occurrence of zearalenone in the maize product confirms the need to assess the exposure of the Iranian population to this mycotoxin.
Three Amino Acid Substitutions in the L Protein of the Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 cp45 Live Attenuated Vaccine Candidate Contribute to Its Temperature-Sensitive and Attenuation Phenotypes

ABSTRACT Studies were initiated to define the genetic basis of the temperature-sensitive (ts), cold adaptation (ca), and attenuation (att) phenotypes of the human parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3) cp45 live attenuated vaccine candidate. Genetic data had previously suggested that the L polymerase protein of cp45, which contains three amino acid substitutions at positions 942, 992, and 1558, contributed to its temperature sensitivity (R. Ray, M. S. Galinski, B. R. Heminway, K. Meyer, F. K. Newman, and R. B. Belshe, J. Virol. 70:580–584, 1996; A. Stokes, E. L. Tierney, C. M. Sarris, B. R. Murphy, and S. L. Hall, Virus Res. 30:43–52, 1993). To study the individual and aggregate contributions that these amino acid substitutions make to the ts, att, and ca phenotypes of cp45, seven PIV3 recombinant viruses (three single, three double, and one triple mutant) representing all possible combinations of the three amino acid substitutions were recovered from full-length antigenomic cDNA and analyzed for their ts, att, and caphenotypes. None of the seven mutant recombinant PIVs was cold adapted. The substitutions at L protein amino acid positions 992 and 1558 each specified a 105-fold reduction in plaque formation in cell culture at 40°C, whereas the substitution at position 942 specified a 300-fold reduction. Thus, each of the three mutations contributes individually to the ts phenotype. The triple recombinant which possesses an L protein with all three mutations was almost as temperature sensitive as cp45, indicating that these mutations are the major contributors to the ts phenotype ofcp45. The three individual mutations in the L protein each contributed to restricted replication in the upper or lower respiratory tract of hamsters, and this likely contributes to the observed stability of the ts and att phenotypes ofcp45 during replication in vivo. Importantly, the recombinant virus possessing L protein with all three mutations was as restricted in replication as was the cp45 mutant in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts of hamsters, indicating that the L gene of the cp45 virus is a major attenuating component of this candidate vaccine.
Production of Experimental Congestive Heart Failure in the Guinea Pig.∗

Summary and conclusion An operative technic has been described which causes development of congestive heart failure in the guinea pig within 8 to 12 days. Essentially the technic involves intrathoracic incision and restriction of aortic blood flow by ligature surrounding the aorta. Tissues derived from this preparation may be subjected to biochemical and enzymologic studies because of feasibility of preparing slices, homogenates, cell free suspensions and isolated particles. Preliminary biochemical work has been accomplished with this preparation.
Physical interaction of Delta1, Jagged1, and Jagged2 with Notch1 and Notch3 receptors.

The Delta/Serrate/LAG-2 (DSL) domain-containing proteins, Delta1, Jagged1, and Jagged2, are considered to be ligands for Notch receptors. However, the physical interaction between the three DSL proteins and respective Notch receptors remained largely unknown. In this study, we investigated this issue through the targeting of Notch1 and Notch3 in two experimental systems using fusion proteins comprising their extracellular portions. Cell-binding assays showed that soluble forms of Notch1 and Notch3 proteins physically bound to the three DSL proteins on the cell surface. In solid-phase binding assays using immobilized soluble Notch1 and Notch3 proteins, it was revealed that each DSL protein directly bound to the soluble Notch proteins with different affinities. All interactions between the DSL proteins and soluble Notch proteins were dependent on Ca(2+). Taken together, these results suggest that Delta1, Jagged1, and Jagged2 are ligands for Notch1 and Notch3 receptors.
High adiposity and high body mass index-for-age in US children and adolescents overall and by race-ethnic group.

BACKGROUND Body mass index (BMI)-for-age has been recommended as a screening test for excess adiposity in children and adolescents. OBJECTIVE We quantified the performance of standard categories of BMI-for-age relative to the population prevalence of high adiposity in children and adolescents overall and by race-ethnic group in a nationally representative US population sample by using definitions of high adiposity that are consistent with expert committee recommendations. DESIGN Percentage body fat in 8821 children and adolescents aged 8-19 y was measured by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 1999-2004 as part of a health examination survey. RESULTS With the use of several different cutoffs for percentage fat to define high adiposity, most children with high BMI-for-age (> or = 95th percentile of the growth charts) had high adiposity, and few children with normal BMI-for-age (<85th percentile) had high adiposity. The prevalence of high adiposity in intermediate BMI categories varied from 45% to 15% depending on the cutoff. The prevalence of a high BMI was significantly higher in non-Hispanic black girls than in non-Hispanic white girls, but the prevalence of high adiposity was not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS Current BMI cutoffs can identify a high prevalence of high adiposity in children with high BMI-for-age and a low prevalence of high adiposity in children with normal BMI-for-age. By these adiposity measures, less than one-half of children with intermediate BMIs-for-age (85th to <95th percentile) have high adiposity. Differences in high BMI ranges between race-ethnic groups do not necessarily indicate differences in high adiposity.
Evaluation of ophthalmoscopic changes of hypertension and arteriolar sclerosis.

FOR THE subject of this lecture, I have selected the ophthalmoscopic changes associated with hypertension and arteriolar sclerosis. I shall emphasize certain concepts which are of value in interpreting the ophthalmoscopic signs of these diseases and describe a system of grading these changes which has proved useful to me. 1 Although exhaustive descriptions of these changes are available, the literature on their significance is at times confusing and in many instances contradictory. The three most important reasons for this state of our knowledge are the following: (1) failure to realize that most of the retinal arterial tree is arteriolar in nature, a point emphasized repeatedly by Wagener and associates 2 and Friedenwald 3 ; (2) failure to utilize knowledge made available by the pathologist and the physiologist of the changes occurring in vessels of similar size elsewhere in the body; (3) inaccurate use of the term "arteriosclerosis. " Arteriosclerosis is a general
Piezoelectric Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As longitudinal mode bar resonators

This paper reports the modeling, fabrication, and experimental characterization of piezoelectric longitudinal mode bar resonators based on thin film single crystal Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/ As. Fabricated resonators with lengths ranging from 1000 /spl mu/m to 100 /spl mu/m have been characterized for operation in their first five odd longitudinal modes. Resonance frequencies range from 2.5 to 75 MHz, with quality factors up to 25 390 at 21.8 MHz in vacuum. Power handling capacity as high as -2.6 dBm is demonstrated at 18.8 MHz. Motional resistance and temperature stability of the resonators are also evaluated.
Expert opinion on available options treating pulmonary arterial hypertension

Until in the early nineties, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was a uniformly fatal disease, with a median life expectancy of ∼ 2.5 years. Uncontrolled studies showed that a small proportion of patients responded to high-dose calcium channel blockers, retrospective studies supported the use of anticoagulant therapy and heart–lung or lung transplantation remained the only option. In 1996, a 3-month randomised, placebo-controlled trial showed that chronic intravenous epoprostenol (synthetic prostacyclin) improved functional state, exercise capacity, haemodynamics, and even survival in patients with idiopathic PAH. Similar benefits were subsequently reported and extended to all PAH categories, and confirmed with more stable prostacyclin analogues administered subcutaneously (treprostinil), by inhalation (iloprost), or even orally (beraprost). In the early 2000s, two randomised controlled trials showed efficacy of the oral intake of the dual endothelin A/B receptor antagonist bosentan. Two selective endothelin-A receptor antagonists, sitaxsentan and ambrisentan, are being developed. Finally, a randomised controlled trial has established the therapeutic efficacy of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition with sildenafil, introducing a third signalling pathway to be targeted by the pharmacological treatment of PAH. Another phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, tadalafil, is already being evaluated. While all these treatments have markedly improved the lives of PAH patients, they have not offered yet a cure of the disease. Multi-drug approaches are now under evaluation, with more ambitious therapeutic goals. Alternative approaches with stem cells, RhoA-Rho-kinase inhibitors, platelet derived growth factor inhibitors and vasoactive intestinal peptides are being considered.
Scheduling and call admission control for burst-error wireless channels

We design and evaluate ,the performance of a new unified mechanism for downlink scheduling and call admission control (CAC) of multimedia traffic in a high-capacity TDMA wireless channel. In our scheme, the base station interacts with the call admission controller and incorporates predictions on the channel condition in its decision making. Our results show that, with the use of the "intelligent" scheduler-admission controller mechanism, system performance is significantly enhanced compared to two other schemes without prediction on the channel condition.
Synthesis of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in vitro: effects of phosphonoacetic acid, N-ethylmaleimide, and ATP

Nuclei from superinfected Raji cells synthesized Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) DNA in vitro in the absence of cell DNA synthesis. The synthesis of EBV DNA in vitro was inhibited by phosphonoacetic acid and N-ethylmaleimide, and maximum synthesis was achieved in the absence of an ATP-regenerating system. Nuclei from mock-infected cells required an ATP-regenerating system for maximum DNA synthesis.
Choline kinase as a precision medicine target for therapy in cancer, autoimmune diseases and malaria

Cancer cells have an altered metabolism that provides advantages to support unregulated growth and higher duplication rates. Among these critical changes, energy generation through aerobic glycolysis as well as increased glutamine catabolism, are essential components associated with altered levels of specific metabolites. Up-regulation of lipid metabolism also occurs frequently in cancer cells. Increased fatty-acid biosynthesis as well as their elongation are among recognized events that define cancer cells. Not surprisingly, the CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine pathways responsible for the generation of membrane phospholipids is a major alteration frequently found in human tumours. Choline kinase α (ChoKα) plays a critical role in this latter metabolic route and is the focus of a targeted therapeutic strategy. Small molecule inhibitors of this enzyme are effective and selective anticancer drugs that have recently entered clinical trials. More recently, ChoKα inhibitors have been proposed as a novel therapeutic approach against malaria and rheumatoid arthritis. Here, the evidence that support the use of ChoKα as a novel drug target for precision medicine approaches is discussed.
Performance of preprocessed turbo space time block codes in fading channel

Space-time block codes (STBC) is a technique for transmission over fading channel using multiple transmit and receive antennas. Turbo space-time block codes provide an additional coding gain over the conventional diversity gain. In this paper, the performance of preprocessed turbo space-time block codes is examined. The signals are preprocessed before transmission, at the base station, so that the mobile station can employ a simple receiver and save in power consumption. The performance of the proposed preprocessed turbo space-time block codes is investigated for different geometries and different coding rate.
Influence of the Method in Root C a n a

the influence of different lateral compaction methods for the obturation quality, as well as the time spent for the procedure. Thirty root canals of freshly extracted single-rooted human teeth were prepared with the ProTaper system up to F5 instrument and filled with gutta-percha and AH Plus sealer by the lateral compaction technique. The teeth were divided into 3 groups (n=10) in accordance with the method used for the lateral compaction, as follows: Manual, Mechanical and Ultrasonic. The sealers were stained with rhodamine B dye in a proportion of 0.1% per gram in weight to allow for the analysis under a confocal microscope. During the root filling procedure, the time spent was recorded with a stopwatch. The specimens were stored at 37 °C for 48 h, and then sectioned at 2, 4 and 6 mm from the apex. The percentage of gutta-percha, sealer and void areas were evaluated using a stereomicroscope and sealer penetration perimeter by confocal laser microscope. Statistical analyses were performed using the Kruskall-Wallis and Dunn tests (p<0.05). The mechanical method required a shorter time for the lateral compaction than the manual method (p<0.05). There were no significant differences (p>0.05) for the perimeter of the dentin with sealer penetration among all groups. The mechanical method showed a higher (p<0.05) percentage of gutta-percha and less sealer at the 4 mm section in comparison with the manual method. The ultrasonic group showed intermediate values. The void areas found in the root filling were similar (p>0.05) between the three methods. In conclusion, the fastest lateral compaction was achieved with the mechanical method, and all the methods showed void areas in the root filling. Influence of the Method in Root C a n a l F i l l i n g U s i n g Ac t i v e Lateral Compaction Techniques
Airborne DLSLA 3-D SAR Image Reconstruction by Combination of Polar Formatting and  $L_1$ Regularization

Airborne downward-looking sparse linear array 3-D synthetic aperture radar (DLSLA 3-D SAR) operates downward-looking observation and obtains the 3-D microwave scattering information of the observed scene. The cross-track physical sparse linear array is often configured to obtain uniform virtual phase centers in order to adopt the frequency-domain algorithm. However, the virtual phase centers usually have to be nonuniformly and sparsely distributed due to the array elements' installation locations restricted by the airborne platform and the airborne wing tremor effect. In this state, the frequency-domain algorithm cannot be directly used. In this paper, a DLSLA 3-D SAR image reconstruction algorithm that combines polar formatting and L1 regularization is presented. Wave propagation and along-track dimensional imaging are first finished after polar formatting and wavefront curvature phase error compensation; then, cross-track dimensional imaging is completed with the L1 regularization technique. The proposed algorithm is applicable to airborne DLSLA 3-D SAR imaging under nonuniformly and sparsely distributed virtual phase centers condition. The proposed algorithm was verified by 3-D distributed scene simulation experiment (P-band circular SAR image was selected as radar cross-section input, and X-band digital elevation model of the same area was selected as the coordinate positions of the scene) and the field experiment. Image reconstruction results and image reconstruction performances, such as normalized radar cross section, height errors, and orthographic projection image grayscale distribution, are demonstrated and analyzed with different signal-to-noise ratios, different array sparsity, and the incomplete compensated residual oscillation error 3-D distributed scene simulation experiments. Simulation and field experimental results show the good performance in focusing and the robustness of the proposed algorithm.
Vitamins C and E inhibit O2- production in the pig coronary artery.

BACKGROUND We previously found in a pig coronary balloon injury model that vitamins C and E as well as probucol had beneficial effects on the vessel response to injury measured by morphometry These effects correlated with an inhibition in the ability to oxidize LDLs ex vivo, suggesting that the morphological response was due to the antioxidant effect of the treatments. METHODS AND RESULTS In the present study, the production of O2- by vessels 14 days after balloon injury was determined and correlated with circulating and tissue levels of vitamins C and E. Twenty-five domestic pigs were divided into four groups: control (n=7), vitamin C (500 mg/d, group C, n=6), vitamin E (1000 IU/d, group E, n=6), and vitamins C and E (500 mg/d and 1000 IU/d, group C+E, n=6). Vitamins were administered 7 days before oversized balloon injury of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and continued for 14 days after injury. Vitamin C and E concentrations were determined in plasma and lymphocytes as an index for tissue levels. Vessels were harvested after animals were killed, and O2- production was measured by lucigenin chemiluminescence. O2- production by the injured LAD was 2.5-fold greater than O2- production by the uninjured LAD or right coronary artery (RCA). The increase in O2- was caused primarily by cells present in the media and neointima. All vitamin-treated groups showed significantly decreased O2- production in both the RCA and LAD (approximately 45% inhibition) relative to vessels in the control, untreated group. There was a significant correlation between LAD O2- production and lymphocyte vitamin E levels. CONCLUSIONS The present study is the first to show increased O2- production in injured vessels and to demonstrate that antioxidant vitamins reduce O2- production. These results suggest that beneficial effects of antioxidant vitamins in coronary artery disease are related, in part, to alterations in vessel redox state.