Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A pitch extraction algorithm based on LPC inverse filtering and AMDF

We present an efficient algorithm for determining fundamental frequency and voiced/unvoiced (V/UV) decision of speech. The pitch extractor utilizes the cross-correlation average magnitude difference function (AMDF) waveform that is obtained from the linear prediction residual signal. The decision logic used in pitch extraction is simple and reliable. The periodicity and null depth of AMDF waveforms, together with the average residual energy and the past pitch information, are used in the decision logic for fundamental frequency and V/UV decision. Computer simulation of the algorithm yielded accurate results, even for difficult phonemes for pitch extraction.
Total to Selective Extinction in the Dark Globule CB 107

We discuss optical (B, V, and I) and near-infrared (J, H, and Ks) imaging observations of the small dark cloud CB 107. The cloud is projected against a rich stellar background, making it possible to detect ~3900 stars in all six photometric bands. After an accurate choice of a reference region, we obtained the color excess Eλ-V maps and derived the distribution of the total to selective extinction RV across the cloud by adopting three different techniques. The RV map obtained closely follows the optical shape of CB 107 with the value RV ≃ 3.1, typical of the diffuse interstellar medium, corresponding to the optical limit of the globule. Larger values up to RV ~ 5 are found in the innermost regions, indicating an increase in the dust grain mean size. On the basis of our results, the three methods adopted have been found to be almost equivalent. We also estimated the RV values along the lines of sight of individual stars that, considered in a given spatial box, have been used to obtain both average value and dispersion, as a function of the position. A scatter plot of these two quantities shows that the dispersion σRV increases with RV similarly to the correlation between extinction dispersion σAV and AV already known in the literature. Finally, we discuss the RV versus AV scatter plot on the basis of a simple model that helps us to give a plausible physical interpretation of this correlation.
Brillouin optical correlation domain reflectometry with double frequency modulation and phase modulation

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a Brillouin optical correlation domain reflectometry system with double frequency modulation and phase modulation. Double frequency modulation onto the laser is used for expanding the measurement range, and phase modulation onto the reference lightwave is used for reducing background noise to enhance resolution and strain dynamic range. A section with 15 cm length and 7000 micro-strain was detected in 1250 m single mode fiber with 5.2 cm nominal spatial resolution.
Multipath in Automotive MIMO SAR Imaging

This article discusses the effect of multipath in automotive radar imaging under different sensor configurations. The study is motivated by the fact that radar technologies are becoming indispensable in the automotive scenario. Many applications such as collision avoidance systems, assisted parking, and driving assistance systems take advantage of radar technologies to accomplish their task. However, one of the main concerns about automotive radars is the possibility of detecting false targets due to multiple signal reflections. In this article, we show how different sensor layouts experience multipath differently. In particular, we demonstrate that with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radars, what really matters is the physical positions of the transmitting and receiving antennas. The monostatic/bistatic equivalent configurations cannot be used to design a system and to simulate an acquisition in the presence of a multipath. We also demonstrate how vehicle-based MIMO-synthetic aperture radar (MIMO-SAR) imaging can generate a bi-dimensional aperture which significantly reduces multipath effects in the focused image, avoiding the detection of false targets. All the theoretical analyses are supported by several simulations where different sensor layouts are tested, and the capability of MIMO-SAR to reject multipath is validated.
A Miniature Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna Based on Radiation Cancellation

In this paper, a miniature circularly polarized microstrip patch antenna has been designed for global positioning system (GPS) and beidou (BD) navigation applications. The proposed antenna consists of two stacked radiators fed by a Wilkinson power divider. By cancelling out the left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) fields in the backward direction and superposing right-handed circular polarization (RHCP) fields in the broadside direction, which are radiated by two radiators, the proposed antenna radiates a RHCP wave with a front-to-back ratio of 14 dB in the L1 GPS and B1 BD bands. With the radiation cancellation, the proposed GPS antenna has a compact size of 50mm×50mm×12mm. Good agreement between the measurement and the simulation are observed to demonstrate good radiation performance and miniature size of the proposed antenna.
Mechanosensitive Ion Channels and Their Role in Cancer Cells

Mechanical forces are an inherent element in the world around us. The effects of their action can be observed both on the macro and molecular levels. They can also play a prominent role in the tissues and cells of animals due to the presence of mechanosensitive ion channels (MIChs) such as the Piezo and TRP families. They are essential in many physiological processes in the human body. However, their role in pathology has also been observed. Recent discoveries have highlighted the relationship between these channels and the development of malignant tumors. Multiple studies have shown that MIChs mediate the proliferation, migration, and invasion of various cancer cells via various mechanisms. This could show MIChs as new potential biomarkers in cancer detection and prognosis and interesting therapeutic targets in modern oncology. Our paper is a review of the latest literature on the role of the Piezo1 and TRP families in the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis in different types of cancer.
Dialogue Management and Language Generation for a Robust Conversational Virtual Coach: Validation and User Study

Designing human–machine interactive systems requires cooperation between different disciplines is required. In this work, we present a Dialogue Manager and a Language Generator that are the core modules of a Voice-based Spoken Dialogue System (SDS) capable of carrying out challenging, long and complex coaching conversations. We also develop an efficient integration procedure of the whole system that will act as an intelligent and robust Virtual Coach. The coaching task significantly differs from the classical applications of SDSs, resulting in a much higher degree of complexity and difficulty. The Virtual Coach has been successfully tested and validated in a user study with independent elderly, in three different countries with three different languages and cultures: Spain, France and Norway.
Influence of Molasses Residue on Treatment of Cow Manure in an Anaerobic Filter with Perforated Weed Membrane and a Conventional Reactor: Variations of Organic Loading and a Machine Learning Application

This study highlighted the influence of molasses residue (MR) on the anaerobic treatment of cow manure (CM) at various organic loading and mixing ratios of these two substrates. Further investigation was conducted on a model-fitting comparison between a kinetic study and an artificial neural network (ANN) using biomethane potential (BMP) test data. A continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and an anaerobic filter with a perforated membrane (AF) were fed with similar substrate at the organic loading rates of (OLR) 1 to OLR 7 g/L/day. Following the inhibition signs at OLR 7 (50:50 mixing ratio), 30:70 and 70:30 ratios were applied. Both the CSTR and the AF with the co-digestion substrate (CM + MR) successfully enhanced the performance, where the CSTR resulted in higher biogas production (29 L/d), SMP (1.24 LCH4/gVSadded), and VS removal (>80%) at the optimum OLR 5 g/L/day. Likewise, the AF showed an increment of 69% for biogas production at OLR 4 g/L/day. The modified Gompertz (MG), logistic (LG), and first order (FO) were the applied kinetic models. Meanwhile, two sets of ANN models were developed, using feedforward back propagation. The FO model provided the best fit with Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) (57.204) and correlation coefficient (R2) 0.94035. Moreover, implementing the ANN algorithms resulted in 0.164 and 0.97164 for RMSE and R2, respectively. This reveals that the ANN model exhibited higher predictive accuracy, and was proven as a more robust system to control the performance and to function as a precursor in commercial applications as compared to the kinetic models. The highest projection electrical energy produced from the on-farm scale (OFS) for the AF and the CSTR was 101 kWh and 425 kWh, respectively. This investigation indicates the high potential of MR as the most suitable co-substrate in CM treatment for the enhancement of energy production and the betterment of waste management in a large-scale application.
On the physics guidelines for a tokamak DEMO

The physics base for the ITER Physics Design Guidelines is reviewed in view of application to DEMO and areas are pointed out in which improvement is needed to arrive at a consistent set of DEMO Physics Design Guidelines. Amongst the proposed improvements, the area of power exhaust plays a crucial role since predictive capability of present-day models is low and this area is expected to play a major role in limiting DEMO designs due to the much larger value of Ptot/R in DEMO than in present-day devices and even ITER.
Shape Memory Alloys in Textile Platform: Smart Textile-Composite Actuator and Its Application to Soft Grippers

In recent years, many researchers have aimed to construct robotic soft grippers that can handle fragile or unusually shaped objects without causing damage. This study proposes a smart textile-composite actuator and its application to a soft robotic gripper. An active fiber and an inactive fiber are combined together using knitting techniques to manufacture a textile actuator. The active fiber is a shape memory alloy (SMA) that is wire-wrapped with conventional fibers, and the inactive fiber is a knitting yarn. A knitted textile structure is flexible, with an excellent structure retention ability and high compliance, which is suitable for developing soft grippers. A driving source of the actuator is the SMA wire, which deforms under heating due to the shape memory effect. Through experiments, the course-to-wale ratio, the number of bundling SMA wires, and the driving current value needed to achieve the maximum deformation of the actuator were investigated. Three actuators were stitched together to make up each finger of the gripper, and layer placement research was completed to find the fingers’ suitable bending angle for object grasping. Finally, the gripping performance was evaluated through a test of grasping various object shapes, which demonstrated that the gripper could successfully lift flat/spherical/uniquely shaped objects.
Wideband and Low-RCS Circularly Polarized Patch Antenna Based on Polarization Conversion Metasurface Using Characteristic Mode Analysis

A new method for wideband and low radar cross section (RCS) circularly polarized (CP) patch antenna is proposed. The proposed antenna is composed of a center patch antenna surrounding with a sequential-rotated polarization conversion metasurfaces (PCMs). A wide CP band (both $\vert \mathrm{S}11\vert < -10$ dB and $\text{AR} < 3$ dB) is obtained from 4.78GHz to 5.48 GHz (a relative bandwidth of 13.65%) by using characteristic mode analysis (CMA). An RCS reduction is achieved for both in-band and out-of-band due to the polarization conversion characteristic of the PCM. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones.
Micromachined piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers on dome-shaped-diaphragm in silicon substrate

We have successfully fabricated piezoelectric ultrasonic airborne transducers built on 1.5 /spl mu/m thick dome-shaped silicon-nitride diaphragm (2,000 /spl mu/m in radius, with a circular clamped boundary on a silicon substrate) with electrodes and a piezoelectric ZnO film. The key idea of fabricating such a large 3-D diaphragm ultrasonic transducer is in producing a large spherical etch front (2 mm in radius) in a 2 mm thick silicon substrate by an isotropic silicon etching with a 75 /spl mu/m thick tape as an etch mask. Also, we use a shadow mask during Al thermal evaporation in order to deposit (with a good step coverage) patterned electrodes over the sharp edge in the dome diaphragm. Flat-diaphragm transducers are also fabricated to demonstrate the effectiveness of a dome-shaped diaphragm for an ultrasonic transducer. Compared to the flat-diaphragm transducer, the dome transducer generates much higher sound output in 15-200 kHz range and this without distortion (unlike the flat-wrinkled-diaphragm transducer). The sound-pressure level at 50 mm away from the dome transducer is measured to be around 0.5 Pa at 145 kHz. The linearity of the dome transducer's response is also measured to be very good, as expected.
Circulating Tumor Cell Enumeration for Serial Monitoring of Treatment Outcomes for Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Simple Summary Esophageal cancer is an aggressive disease with dismal survival. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may provide useful information for the unmet needs of early predictive and prognostic biomarkers for therapeutic responses and disease progression. Our novel longitudinal CTC findings demonstrated the potential clinical utilities of real-time CTC monitoring for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients along with curative resection treatment at multiple timepoints for prediction of treatment efficacies, prognostication, and real-time tracking of minimal residual disease for earlier detection of relapse. The presence of pre-surgery CTC clusters is independently associated with relapse. The unfavorable CTC status at any pre-treatment time and 1-/3-month post-surgery are independent prognosticators of disease progression and survival. For patients receiving chemoradiation therapy (CTRT), unfavorable CTC status at pre-/post-CTRT may serve as potential predictive biomarkers for monitoring treatment efficacy and guiding treatment decisions. Longitudinal CTC monitoring may be taken repetitively as non-invasive liquid biopsies to provide supplementary information with clinical imaging. Abstract We aim to reveal the clinical significance and potential usefulness of dynamic monitoring of CTCs to track therapeutic responses and improve survival for advanced ESCC patients. Peripheral blood (PB) (n = 389) and azygos vein blood (AVB) (n = 13) samplings were recruited prospectively from 88 ESCC patients undergoing curative surgery from 2017 to 2022. Longitudinal CTC enumeration was performed with epithelial (EpCAM/pan-cytokeratins/MUC1) and mesenchymal (vimentin) markers at 12 serial timepoints at any of the pre-treatment, all of the post-treatments/pre-surgery, post-surgery follow-ups for 3-year, and relapse. Longitudinal real-time CTC analysis in PB and AVB suggests more CTCs are released early at pre-surgery and 3-month post-surgery into the circulation from the CTRT group compared to the up-front surgery group. High CTC levels at pre-treatments, 1-/3-month post-surgery, unfavorable changes of CTC levels between all post-treatment/pre-surgery and 1-month or 3-month post-surgery (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 6.662, p < 0.001), were independent prognosticators for curative treatment. The unfavorable pre-surgery CTC status was independent prognostic and predictive for neoadjuvant treatment efficacy (HR = 3.652, p = 0.035). The aggressive CTC clusters were more frequently observed in AVB compared to PB. Its role as an independent prognosticator with relapse was first reported in ESCC (HR = 2.539, p = 0.068). CTC clusters and longitudinal CTC monitoring provide useful prognostic information and potential predictive biomarkers to help guide clinicians in improving disease management.
Is Metabolic Syndrome Useful for Identifying Youths with Obesity at Risk for NAFLD?

The definition of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in childhood is controversial. Recently, a modified version of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition was proposed using reference data from an international population for high waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP), while the fixed cutoffs for lipids and glucose were not changed. We analyzed MetS prevalence using this modified definition (MetS-IDFm) and its association with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in 1057 youths (age 6–17 years) with overweight/obesity (OW/OB). A comparison with another modified definition of MetS according to the Adult Treatment Panel III (MetS-ATPIIIm) was performed. The prevalence of MetS-IDFm was 27.8% and 28.9% by MetS-ATPIIIm. The Odds (95% Confidence Intervals) of NAFLD was 2.70 (1.30–5.60) (p = 0.008) for high WC, 1.68 (1.25–2.26)(p = 0.001) for MetS, 1.54 (1.12–2.11)(p = 0.007) for low HDL-Cholesterol, 1.49 (1.04–2.13)(p = 0.032) for high triglycerides and 1.37 (1.03–1.82)(p = 0.033) for high BP. No substantial difference was found in the prevalence of MetS-IDFm and frequency of NAFLD compared to Mets-ATPIIIm definition. Our data demonstrate that one third of youths with OW/OB have MetS, whichever was the criterion. Neither definition was superior to some of their components in identifying youths with OW/OB at risk for NAFLD.
Short-cutting the Phosphorus Cycle in Urban Ecosystems

This dissertation presents a methodology of short-cutting the phosphorus (P) cycle in urban ecosystems. In nature the P-cycle is a circular, closed loop system, but human activities use and dispose P in a linear, open-ended system leading to familiar environmental problems. Lake Chivero in Zimbabwe is used as a case study to illustrate the unsustainable practice of discharging valuable and finite P resource into water bodies used as drinking water sources. Short-cutting or closing the P-cycle in the urban environment is closely related to closing of water cycles. Closing the P-cycle is dependent on the adoption of ecological sanitation and eco-city concepts. These concepts bring forth solutions, which are source orientated (local and small scale), non-mixing, ecologically sound, closed loop systems. Recycling of P in urban ecological agriculture (without synthetic fertilisers) is used in this dissertation to test the feasibility of these concepts. A phosphorus calculator has been developed, based on studies of monthly P-fluxes and stocks in a high-density suburb extending over 6.5 Mm2 in Harare, Zimbabwe, where agriculture is already a major activity. The P-calculator is a model based on STELLA, a system's analysis software developed by High Performance Systems Inc. The mathematical formulations derived for P-fluxes and stocks are based on observations and literature. The calculator provides a means to simulate and evaluate different scenarios in linking household waste P-fluxes to agricultural P-requirements using environmental sustainability indicators.
Thickness and refractive index measurements of a thin-film using an artificial neural network algorithm

Thin-film thickness and refractive index measurements are important for quality control in many high-tech industrial manufacturing processes, such as the semiconductor, display, and battery. Many studies have been carried out to measure the thickness and refractive index of thin-films, and recently studies using an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm have also been conducted. However, strict evaluations of ANNs were not reported in all previous studies. In this study, a multilayer perceptron type of ANN algorithm for simultaneously analyzing the thickness and refractive index of a thin-film is designed and verified by using four thin-film certified reference materials (CRMs) being traceable to the length standard. According to the number of hidden layers and the number of nodes for each hidden layer, 12 multilayer perceptron type ANN algorithms were designed and trained with a theoretical dataset generated through optics theory based on multiple interferences. Subsequently, the interference spectra measured by the four CRMs were put into the 12 trained ANNs as input, and it was checked whether or not the output values were in good agreement with the corresponding certified values of both the thickness and refractive index. As a result, an ANN algorithm having two hidden layers with 100 nodes was selected as the final algorithm and an uncertainty evaluation was performed. Finally, the combined uncertainties for the thickness and refractive index were estimated to be 2.0 nm and 0.025 at a wavelength of 632.8 nm, respectively, as measured using a spectral reflectometer with the well-trained ANN algorithm.
Fibre structure of a model manifold of classical configuration space in Bethe ansatz

Within Bethe ansatz approach, the system of r Bethe pseudoparticles on a magnetic ring of N nodes is characterised by a finite set of magnetic configurations which can be interpreted as a classical configuration space. This space can be embedded into r ‐dimensional manifold. Here we present the fibre bundle structure of this model manifold. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Exposure to Polypropylene Microplastics via Oral Ingestion Induces Colonic Apoptosis and Intestinal Barrier Damage through Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Mice

Extensive environmental pollution by microplastics has increased the risk of human exposure to plastics. However, the biosafety of polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs), especially of PP particles < 10 μm, in mammals has not been studied. Thus, here, we explored the mechanism of action and effect of exposure to small and large PP-MPs, via oral ingestion, on the mouse intestinal tract. Male C57BL/6 mice were administered PP suspensions (8 and 70 μm; 0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg/mL) for 28 days. PP-MP treatment resulted in inflammatory pathological damage, ultrastructural changes in intestinal epithelial cells, imbalance of the redox system, and inflammatory reactions in the colon. Additionally, we observed damage to the tight junctions of the colon and decreased intestinal mucus secretion and ion transporter expression. Further, the apoptotic rate of colonic cells significantly increased after PP-MP treatment. The expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptosis proteins significantly increased in colon tissue, while the expression of anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptosis proteins significantly decreased. In summary, this study demonstrates that PP-MPs induce colonic apoptosis and intestinal barrier damage through oxidative stress and activation of the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory signal pathway in mice, which provides new insights into the toxicity of MPs in mammals.
Assessing Budget Risk with Monte Carlo and Time Series Bootstrap

Budgets are important management tools recognized for their help in planning, communication, monitoring the expense performance, and even motivating collaborators. However, recently there has been criticism of the traditional Budgeting Process due to its cumbersomeness, long duration, and eventual diversion of the focus from the day-to-day activities. Thus, improving the Budgeting Process by incorporating Expense component uncertainties is of uttermost importance to accelerate its approval. This paper presents a methodology for companies to assess their budget risk based on their historical Expense data by applying Monte Carlo Simulation and Time Series Bootstrapping Techniques. Besides, some state-of-the-art sensitivity Importance Measures are also implemented to help evaluate the relative importance of the Expense components. The methodology proposed, based on a real case study with data from a major Portuguese retailer, has the advantage of being objective and supported by data, thus not being subject to bias from the management.