Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Speech segmentation and clustering based on speaker features

The authors describe speech segmentation and clustering algorithms based on speaker features, where speakers, the number of speakers, and speech context are unknown. Several problems are formulated and their solutions are proposed. As in the simpler case, when speech segmentations are known, the output probability clustering algorithm is proposed. In the case of unknown segmentation, an ergodic HMM (hidden Markov model)-based technique is applicable. Both cases are evaluated using simulated multispeaker dialogue speech data. <<ETX>>
Word graphs: an efficient interface between continuous-speech recognition and language understanding

Word graphs are directed acyclic graphs where each edge is labeled with a word and a score, and each node is labeled with a point in time. Word graphs form an efficient feedforward interface between continuous-speech recognition and linguistic processors. Word graphs with high coverage and modest graph densities can be generated with a computational load comparable with bigram best-sentence recognition. Results on word graph error rates and word graph densities are presented for the ASL (Architecture Speech/Language) benchmark test. <<ETX>>
Recognition of environmental sounds

The author describes a preliminary study designed to answer the question, 'How well can familiar environmental sounds be identified? ' By familiar is meant sounds on which the recognition system has been previously trained. Environmental sounds are sounds generated by acoustic sources common in domestic, business, and out-of-doors environments. The results of this study indicate that well-isolated familiar sounds can be recognized with high accuracy by applying standard statistical classification procedures to feature vectors derived from two-dimensional cepstral coefficients. <<ETX>>
ATM transport and cell-loss concealment techniques for MPEG video

Robust video compression and transport approaches are essential for operation over emerging ATM-based broadband ISDN and gigabit networks characterized by packet (cell) losses due to congestion. The same techniques also apply to delivery of digital TV and HDTV over cable, satellite, or terrestrial media in which high bit-error rates may occasionally be experienced. A specific cell-based MPEG video transport approach applicable to a variety of media is described for both one-tier and two-tier transmission alternatives. Decoder cell-loss concealment techniques supported by this transport format are introduced, and typical design issues are discussed. Simulation results showing end-to-end MPEG video quality are given illustrating the performance of the transport and concealment schemes under consideration for example channel scenarios. <<ETX>>
A comparison of auditory models for speaker independent phoneme recognition

Neural networks that employ unsupervised learning were used on the output of two different models of the auditory periphery to perform phoneme recognition. Experiments which compared the performance of these two auditory model representations with that of mel-cepstral coefficients show that the auditory models perform significantly better (T-test, P<.05) in terms of phoneme recognition accuracy under the conditions tested (high signal-to-noise and 10 sentences from each of 10 speakers). However, the three representations make different types of broad class recognition errors. The Payton auditory model representation performs best, with the highest overall phoneme and broad class performance. It is possible to assign an acoustic segment to one of 39 phoneme categories with at least 38% recognition accuracy using the Payton auditory model representation. The resulting context-independent phoneme-recognition performance was better than that of the SPHINX System with the same number of speakers in the training set and no smoothing of parameters. <<ETX>>
A segmental HMM for speech pattern modelling

A simple segmental hidden Markov model (HMM) which addresses some of the limitations of conventional HMM-based methods is proposed. The important features of this approach are the use of an underlying semi-Markov process, in which state transitions are segment-synchronous rather than frame-synchronous and state duration is modeled explicitly, and a state segment model in which separate statistical processes are used to characterize extra-segmental and intra-segmental variability. A basic mathematical analysis of Gaussian segmental HMMs is presented, and model parameter reestimation equations are derived. The relationship between the new type of model and variable frame rate analysis and conventional Gaussian mixture based HMMs is explained. <<ETX>>
Analysis and modeling of word accent and sentence intonation in Swedish

In Swedish, the fundamental frequency contour (F/sub 0/ contour) is known to be the main acoustic feature for word accent and sentence intonation. The authors propose a model for the generation process of F/sub 0/ contours of Swedish, based on an extension of the model for Japanese. As the input to this model, two kinds of command are assumed: phrase commands, which are always positive impulses, and accent commands, which are stepwise functions of both polarities. Analysis-by-synthesis of F/sub 0/ contours of both isolated words and sentences, uttered by two native speakers from the Stockholm region, indicated that the model can always generate very close approximations to observed F/sub 0/ contours, and that the extracted parameters are systematically related to the underlying lexical word accent, syntactic structure, and focus. This demonstrates the basic validity of the model and its utility in speech synthesis. <<ETX>>
Efficient coding of LPC parameters using adaptive prefiltering and MSVQ with partially adaptive codebook

The authors propose an efficient vector quantization scheme and a novel linear predictive coding (LPC) analysis scheme, both of which exploit interframe correlation in the successive spectrum envelope of speech signals. The first quantization scheme proposed is a multistage vector quantization of line spectrum pair (LSP) parameters with a partially adaptive codebook (MSVQ-AC). The second algorithm is an LPC analysis scheme, with closed-loop adaptive prefiltering (LPC-PF), which realized temporary higher-order analysis than the standard LPC with a few additional transmission bits. A combined system of the LPC-PF and two-split, two-stage VQ with the adaptive codebook can quantize tenth-order LSP parameters at around 23 bits/frame, realizing sufficient quality and reasonable complexity. <<ETX>>
MMI training for continuous phoneme recognition on the TIMIT database

Experiences with a phoneme recognition system for the TIMIT database which uses multiple mixture continuous-density monophone HMMs (hidden Markov models) trained using MMI (maximum mutual information) is reported. A comprehensive set of results are presented comparing the ML (maximum likelihood) and MMI training criteria for both diagonal and full covariance models. These results using simple monophone HMMs show that clear performance gains are achieved by MMI training. These results are comparable with the best reported by others, including those which use context-dependent models. In addition, a number of performance and implementation issues which are crucial to successful MMI training are discussed. <<ETX>>
Ensembl variation resources

Abstract The major goal of sequencing humans and many other species is to understand the link between genomic variation, phenotype and disease. There are numerous valuable and well-established variation resources, but collating and making sense of non-homogeneous, often large-scale data sets from disparate sources remains a challenge. Without a systematic catalogue of these data and appropriate query and annotation tools, understanding the genome sequence of an individual and assessing their disease risk is impossible. In Ensembl, we substantially solve this problem: we develop methods to facilitate data integration and broad access; aggregate information in a consistent manner and make it available a variety of standard formats, both visually and programmatically; build analysis pipelines to compare variants to comprehensive genomic annotation sets; and make all tools and data publicly available.
Design and VLSI implementation of a novel concurrent 16-bit multiplier-accumulator for DSP applications

The authors propose an efficient carry-save algorithm based on the Baugh-Wooley transformation technique and map it onto a novel concurrent multiplier-accumulator (CMAC) architecture that can be configured on-the-fly for selecting multiply alone or multiply-add/subtract computations involving unsigned/signed 2's complement/mixed-mode data formats. The proposed CMAC does not require the use of a separate adder module, thereby achieving a reduction of 50% in the computation time along with 20% savings in the area when compared with the conventional MACs. The CMAC, while maintaining functional as well as near total pin compatibility with the industry standard MACs, such as the ADSP1010 and TDC 1010 series, provides additional features of mixed-mode data format, saturation arithmetic logic, and on-chip test logic for the measurement of the critical path delay. A 16*16 CMAC based on carry-save and carry look-ahead techniques is designed and was extensively simulated with a cycle time of 80 ms using 1 mu m CMOS gate array technology rules. <<ETX>>
Low bit rate transparent audio compression using a dynamic dictionary and optimized wavelets

The authors propose an audio synthesis/coding method which employs an optimized wavelet-transform (WT)-based adaptive transform coding to exploit perceptual masking. In addition, a dynamic dictionary is used to extract source redundancies. Experiments indicated that transparent coding of monophonic CD quality signals (sampled at 44.1 KHz) is possible at bit rates approaching 64 kbit/s when the WT-based method alone is used, and in the range of 48-64 kbit/s when the dynamic dictionary is also employed. <<ETX>>
Co-creation Model to Design Wearables for Emotional Wellness of Elderly

Ways to influence emotions have always been an area of interest within the scientific community. The objective of this research is to find the role of technology in order to improve emotional wellness for the elderly population. We conducted a qualitative and quantitative study with the help of interviews and a survey. A sample of 24 respondents is selected randomly from the elderly population. The results showed a strong correlation between emotional, psychological and social wellness dimensions and elders comfort with the use of technology. Based on our study, we present a co-creation model to design wearables for monitoring and improving emotional wellness for elderly. There is a need for focused efforts to develop digital interventions for emotional wellness for elderly. It is important to include elders as co-designers to form effective solutions for elderly through a co-creation process.
Enhancement of musical signals degraded by background noise, using long-term behavior of the short-term spectral components

The issue addressed is the restoration of musical recordings degraded by background noise. The author presents a new technique based on the observation that the mere knowledge of the short-time spectrum of the noisy signals is not sufficient to enhance correctly the unknown musical signal. A procedure that allows the detection of sinusoidal signal components too low to be detected on the short-time power spectrum is proposed. When a component is detected, the performance of the enhancement system can be improved by using a longer observation-time to estimate the corresponding frequency bin. This method makes it possible to estimate sound partials that would otherwise get distorted by the restoration process. <<ETX>>
Phonetic training and language modeling for word spotting

The authors present a view of HMM (hidden Markov model)-based word spotting systems as described by three main components: the HMM acoustic model; the overall HMM structure, including nonkeyword modeling; and the keyword scoring method. They investigate and present comparative results for various approaches to each of these components and show that design choices for these components can be addressed separately. They also present a novel approach to word spotting that combines phonetic training, large vocabulary modeling, and statistical language modeling with a posterior probability approach to keyword scoring. They perform word spotting experiments using telephone quality conversational speech from the Switchboard corpus to examine the effect of different design choices for the three components and demonstrate that the proposed approach provides superior performance to previously used techniques. <<ETX>>
Adaptive source generator compensation and enhancement for speech recognition in noisy stressful environments

The author describes a low-vocabulary speech recognition algorithm which provides robust performance in noisy environments with particular emphasis on characteristics due to stress. A stressed speech source generator framework is formulated to achieve robust speech parameter characterization using a morphological constrained enhancement algorithm and stressed source compensation which is unique for each source generator across a stressed speaking class. An estimated source generator class sequence allows noise parameter enhancement and stress compensation schemes to adapt to changing speech generator types. A phonetic consistency rule is also employed based on input source generator partitioning. Average recognition rates for noisy stressful speech are shown to increase from an average 36.7% for a baseline recognizer to 74.7% for the new recognition algorithm. The new algorithm is also more consistent under varying noisy conditions as demonstrated by a decrease in standard deviation of recognition from 21.1 to 11.9, and a reduction in confusable word-pairs under noisy, stressed speaking conditions. <<ETX>>
Fundamental frequency estimation and tracking using maximum likelihood harmonic matching and HMMs

A new approach is presented for the estimation and tracking of the fundamental frequency (f0) of pseudoperiodic signals. It is based on a probabilistic model of pseudoperiodic signals that makes it possible to take prior knowledge into account and to include constraints on the evolution of the signal. The resulting method can operate on a large interval of f0 values (typically from 50 to 4000 Hz) and on a great variety of sound signals (speech and music signals). <<ETX>>
Statistical language modeling combining N-gram and context-free grammars

Linguistic structure in the form of a partial-coverage phrase structure grammar is combined with statistical N-gram techniques. The result is a robust statistical grammar which explicitly incorporates linguistic and semantic structure. This approach makes it possible to model carefully those parts of the input that are important for an application and to use robust techniques that provide a full-coverage statistical language model. This approach is being applied to the recognition of air-traffic-control transmissions, and it has already been shown that a simpler hybrid approach is useful. <<ETX>>
Comment on “The Memory of the Heart”, J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis. 2018, 5, 55

In his recent review for the Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, Cirillo offers a concept for “cardiac memory” based on the notion that the ventricular cone can be unwrapped to show a myocardial band extending from the pulmonary to the aortic root. The concept of the myocardial band was itself developed by Torrent Guasp, and has subsequently been championed by Buckberg. Neither Torrent Guasp, when formulating his initial concept, nor Buckberg in his subsequent endorsements, have validated the results of dissection using histological or other techniques that would reveal the boundaries of the alleged band. In contrast, there is a wealth of evidence showing that such boundaries do not exist and that the cardiomyocytes are packed together within the walls of the ventricular cone in the form of a three-dimensional mesh. The evidence demonstrating the manner of packing of the cardiomyocytes within the ventricular walls was summarised in another recent review published in the journal. It is disappointing that Cirillo chose to ignore the wealth of evidence disproving the concept on which he bases his entire review. Only by recognising the existence of this evidence can we truly understand ventricular function correctly, as envisaged by Cirillo.
Normes de fabrication et barrières à l’entrée

Les entreprises ne sont pas totalement libres du choix des caracteristiques techniques de leurs produits. Pour diverses raisons (sante publique, securite des consommateurs, compatibilite), elles doivent s’adapter a des normes, lesquelles peuvent faire l’objet de manipulations strategiques soit par des entreprises dominant le marche, soit par les pouvoirs publics qui protegent leurs industries nationales. L’article a pour but de proposer une typologie simple des normes industrielles et de definir un cadre d’analyse des problemes strategiques qu’elles soulevent. Mots-cles : norme, barriere a l’entree, reseau.
Interfacial Contact is Required for Metal-Assisted Plasma Etching of Silicon

For decades, fabrication of semiconductor devices has utilized well‐established etching techniques to create complex nanostructures in silicon. The most common dry process is reactive ion etching which fabricates nanostructures through the selective removal of unmasked silicon. Generalized enhancements of etching have been reported with mask‐enhanced etching with Al, Cr, Cu, and Ag masks, but there is a lack of reports exploring the ability of metallic films to catalytically enhance the local etching of silicon in plasmas. Here, metal‐assisted plasma etching (MAPE) is performed using patterned nanometers‐thick gold films to catalyze the etching of silicon in an SF6/O2 mixed plasma, selectively increasing the rate of etching by over 1000%. The catalytic enhancement of etching requires direct Si‐metal interfacial contact, similar to metal‐assisted chemical etching (MACE), but is different in terms of the etching mechanism. The mechanism of MAPE is explored by characterizing the degree of enhancement as a function of Au catalyst configuration and relative oxygen feed concentration, along with the catalytic activities of other common MACE metals including Ag, Pt, and Cu.
Dynamic multifactor hubs interact transiently with sites of active transcription in Drosophila embryos

The regulation of transcription requires the coordination of numerous activities on DNA, yet it remains poorly understood how transcription factors facilitate these multiple functions. Here we use lattice light-sheet microscopy to integrate single-molecule and high-speed 4D imaging in developing Drosophila embryos to study the nuclear organization and interactions of the key patterning factors Zelda and Bicoid. In contrast to previous studies suggesting stable, cooperative binding, we show that both factors interact with DNA with surprisingly high off-rates. We find that both factors form dynamic subnuclear hubs, and that Bicoid binding is enriched within Zelda hubs. Remarkably, these hubs are both short lived and interact only transiently with sites of active Bicoid dependent transcription. Based on our observations we hypothesize that, beyond simply forming bridges between DNA and the transcription machinery, transcription factors can organize other proteins into hubs that transiently drive multiple activities at their gene targets.
Gender-related differences in men and women with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and incomplete infarct-related artery flow restoration: a multicenter national registry

Introduction Little is known about gender-related differences in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and incomplete infarct-related artery (IRA) reperfusion after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). Aim To evaluate gender-related differences in clinical characteristics and prognosis in patients with STEMI and incomplete IRA reperfusion after pPCI. Material and methods From 42,752 STEMI patients hospitalized between 2009 and 2011 in Poland we analyzed a group of 984 (36%) females and 1,746 (64%) males with less than Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 3 flow following pPCI. Results Women were older than men (72.0 ±11.3 vs. 64.0 ±11.7 years; p < 0.0001) and in age-adjusted analysis they were more likely to present with hypertension (73.7% vs. 67%; p = 0.0003), diabetes (33% vs. 22.6%; p < 0.0001) and obesity (28.1% vs. 22.6%; p = 0.0016). Heart rate > 100 beats/min was more common in women, while men were more often smokers and presented with sudden cardiac arrest. The most common IRA in women was the left anterior descending artery, and the right coronary artery in men. After adjusting for age statistically significant differences in pharmacotherapy concerned only the use of insulin (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.02–1.68). High risk of death, rehospitalization due to heart failure or cardiac causes, were observed in all patients during the 6-month and 12-month follow-up periods. The risk of heart failure was significantly higher in women than in men. The most significant decrease in survival rates was observed in the in-hospital period. Conclusions Among patients with STEMI and post-interventional TIMI flow grade < 3 women have unfavorable baseline characteristics and an adverse short- and long-term prognosis when compared to men.
Impact of technical innovation on surgical outcome of laparoscopic major liver resection: 10 years' experience at a large-volume center

Purpose Laparoscopic major liver resection (major LLR) remains a challenging procedure because of the technical difficulty. Several significant technical innovations have been applied in our center since 2012. They include routine application of bipolar electrocautery, initiation of temporary increase of intra-abdominal pressure during bleeding events from veins to balance the central venous pressure, and use of temporary inflow control of the Glissonean pedicle. This study evaluated the impact of these technique modifications in patients with major LLR. Methods Between January 2004 and February 2015, a total of 606 patients underwent LLR at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea. Major LLR was employed in 233 cases. All major LLR procedures were anatomical resections performed with a totally laparoscopic approach. We compared surgical parameters of right hepatectomy (RH), left hepatectomy (LH), and right posterior sectionectomy (RPS) before and after 2012. Results Open conversion rates of RH and LH and estimated blood loss in RPS significantly decreased after 2012. The postoperative complication rate of major LLR was 12.7% and was similar before and after 2012. Bile leakage was the most common complication (3.2%). Conclusion The modifications of surgical techniques resulted in good outcomes for laparoscopic major LLR. We recommend routine application of these techniques to improve outcomes, especially in patients requiring major liver resection.