9,625 research outputs found
Verification of feature regions for stops and fricatives in natural speech
The presence of acoustic cues and their importance in speech perception have
long remained debatable topics. In spite of several studies that exist in this
eld, very little is known about what exactly humans perceive in speech. This
research takes a novel approach towards understanding speech perception. A
new method, named three-dimensional deep search (3DDS), was developed
to explore the perceptual cues of 16 consonant-vowel (CV) syllables, namely
/pa/, /ta/, /ka/, /ba/, /da/, /ga/, /fa/, /Ta/, /sa/, /Sa/, /va/, /Da/, /za/,
/Za/, from naturally produced speech. A veri cation experiment was then
conducted to further verify the ndings of the 3DDS method. For this pur-
pose, the time-frequency coordinate that de nes each CV was ltered out
using the short-time Fourier transform (STFT), and perceptual tests were
then conducted. A comparison between unmodi ed speech sounds and those
without the acoustic cues was made. In most of the cases, the scores dropped
from 100% to chance levels even at 12 dB SNR. This clearly emphasizes the
importance of features in identifying each CV. The results con rm earlier
ndings that stops are characterized by a short-duration burst preceding the
vowel by 10 cs in the unvoiced case, and appearing almost coincident
with the vowel in the voiced case. As has been previously hypothesized,
we con rmed that the F2 transition plays no signi cant role in consonant
identi cation. 3DDS analysis labels the /sa/ and /za/ perceptual features
as an intense frication noise around 4 kHz, preceding the vowel by 15{20
cs, with the /za/ feature being around 5 cs shorter in duration than that
of /sa/; the /Sa/ and /Za/ events are found to be frication energy near 2
kHz, preceding the vowel by 17{20 cs. /fa/ has a relatively weak burst and
frication energy over a wide-band including 2{6 kHz, while /va/ has a cue
in the 1.5 kHz mid-frequency region preceding the vowel by 7{10 cs. New
information is established regarding /Da/ and /Ta/, especially with regards
to the nature of their signi cant confusions
The public sector's role in infertility management in India.
This objective of this paper is to explore the public sector's role in infertility management in India. It focuses on services available in the public sector, problems faced by and critiques of public sector providers. A postal survey was conducted with a sample of 6000 gynaecologists and in-depth interviews were conducted with 39 gynaecologists in four cities. The role of the public sector in infertility management is weak as even basic investigations and services were limited or incomplete. Inadequate infrastructure, inappropriate management including time management, lack of information and training, absence of clear protocols at all levels, private practice by public health doctors, pre-occupation with other health issues and lack of regulation were the main problems mentioned by providers. Amongst key recommendations are realistic and low-cost management, streamlining and regulating services, counselling of couples, providing information and raising awareness of patients, health personnel and policy makers
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Multiplexed in-gel microfluidic immunoassays: characterizing protein target loss during reprobing of benzophenone-modified hydrogels.
From whole tissues to single-cell lysate, heterogeneous immunoassays are widely utilized for analysis of protein targets in complex biospecimens. Recently, benzophenone-functionalized hydrogel scaffolds have been used to immobilize target protein for immunoassay detection with fluorescent antibody probes. In benzophenone-functionalized hydrogels, multiplex target detection occurs via serial rounds of chemical stripping (incubation with sodium-dodecyl-sulfate (SDS) and β-mercaptoethanol at 50-60 °C for ≥1 h), followed by reprobing (interrogation with additional antibody probes). Although benzophenone facilitates covalent immobilization of proteins to the hydrogel, we observe 50% immunoassay signal loss of immobilized protein targets during stripping rounds. Here, we identify and characterize signal loss mechanisms during stripping and reprobing. We posit that loss of immobilized target is responsible for ≥50% of immunoassay signal loss, and that target loss is attributable to disruption of protein immobilization by denaturing detergents (SDS) and incubation at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, our study suggests that protein losses under non-denaturing conditions are more sensitive to protein structure (i.e., hydrodynamic radius), than to molecular mass (size). We formulate design guidance for multiplexed in-gel immunoassays, including that low-abundance proteins be immunoprobed first, even when targets are covalently immobilized to the gel. We also recommend careful scrutiny of the order of proteins targets detected via multiple immunoprobing cycles, based on the protein immobilization buffer composition
Export quotas and policy constraints in the Indian textile and garment industries
The Agreement on Textiles and Clothing will abolish all quota restrictions in trade in textiles and clothing by the year 2005. Dismantling the quota regime represents both an opportunity (for developing countries to expand exports) and a threat (because quotas will no longer guarantee markets and even the domestic market will be open to competition). Data about the real burden imposed by distorting but nontransparent policies under the quota regime are inadequate, so the authors interviewed traders in Delhi and Bombay about quota rents. They provide comprehensive estimates of the magnitude of the implicit export taxes resulting from the labyrinth of quotas imposed under the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing. Using the concept of an export tax equivalent (or ETE), they assess how much exports are restricted. The international trade regime in textiles and clothing imposes a substantial tax equivalent on Indian exports. Between 1993 and 1997, ETEs for garment exports to the United States were roughly double those for the European Union. The ETEs for the United States declined 1996, which could be a warning signal that India faces increasing competition from NAFTA-empowered Mexico. From India's viewpoint, the European Union is ahead of the United States in dismantling the quota regime - and in not restricting India cotton (garment) exports (where India has a comparative advantage) more than synthetics. India's strengths in this sector lie in natural resources and factor endowments - raw cotton and cheap labor. The Indian garment industry's decentralized production structure - subcontracting, which is low risk and low capital - has served the industry well but has executed Indian products from the mass market for clothing which demands consistent quality for large volumes of a single item. Growth in Indian exports may require a shift to an assembly-line, factory-type system. This would probably require: a) No longer restricting garment production to the small-scale sector (and ending other anachronistic policies). b) Making labor policy more flexible. c) Ending the policy bias against synthetic fibers. d) Reducing transaction costs for exports.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Water and Industry,Labor Policies,Markets and Market Access,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Water and Industry,Access to Markets
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