Bayesian Speaker Adaptation Based on a New Hierarchical Probabilistic Model

In this paper, a new hierarchical Bayesian speaker adaptation method called HMAP is proposed that combines the advantages of three conventional algorithms, maximum a posteriori (MAP), maximum-likelihood linear regression (MLLR), and eigenvoice, resulting in excellent performance across a wide range of adaptation conditions. The new method efficiently utilizes intra-speaker and inter-speaker correlation information through modeling phone and speaker subspaces in a consistent hierarchical Bayesian way. The phone variations for a specific speaker are assumed to be located in a low-dimensional subspace. The phone coordinate, which is shared among different speakers, implicitly contains the intra-speaker correlation information. For a specific speaker, the phone variation, represented by speaker-dependent eigenphones, are concatenated into a supervector. The eigenphone supervector space is also a low dimensional speaker subspace, which contains inter-speaker correlation information. Using principal component analysis (PCA), a new hierarchical probabilistic model for the generation of the speech observations is obtained. Speaker adaptation based on the new hierarchical model is derived using the maximum a posteriori criterion in a top-down manner. Both batch adaptation and online adaptation schemes are proposed. With tuned parameters, the new method can handle varying amounts of adaptation data automatically and efficiently. Experimental results on a Mandarin Chinese continuous speech recognition task show good performance under all testing conditions

Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of asthmatic children seen at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria

Introduction: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder associated with variable air flow obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. It is characterised clinically by recurrent episodes of cough, difficulty in breathing and wheezing which resolves spontaneously or with treatment. Thesocio-demographic and clinical characteristics of asthmatic children in north western Nigeria have not been reported.Methods: This was a descriptive study in children with asthma aged 4-15 years carried out over a 3 month period Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano. The aim was to determine the socio-demographic and clinical parameters of asthmatic children. Asthmatic children whoseparents or guardian consented to the study were recruited consecutively. Their bio-data, sociodemographic and physical examination were documented.Results: Seventy asthmatic children were recruited of which 50(71.4%) were males and 20(28.6%) were females, giving a male: female ratio of 2.5:1. Insecticide was the commonest asthma trigger (64.3%) and 26(37.1%)patients belonged to socio economic class III. Mild persistent asthma was the commonest form of asthma severity encountered. There was positive correlation between PEFR and height (r = 0.577, p< 0.0001).Conclusion: Most of the asthmatics children seen at AKTH, Kano were males with mild persistent asthma, had positive family history of atopy and belonged to the middle socio economic class.Key words: Asthma, Children, Socioeconomic class, Asthma severit

The Networked Nitrous Node: A Low-Power Field-Deployable COTS-based N2O gas sensor platform

We present a wireless nitrous oxide (N 2 O) gas sensor system consisting of a commercial high-current infrared N 2 O sensor wrapped in a “smart” sensor framework to make it suitable for battery-powered deployment. This framework consists of wireless mesh networking, data storage, additional environmental sensors, and a gas sensor power control circuit managed by a central microcontroller. The N 2 O sensor is the first order consumer of power and sampling N 2 O at approximately ten minute intervals yields an estimated system lifetime of 63 days when using four 18650 Li-ion batteries. The node stores data locally on SD card and wirelessly reports to a root PC that also stores data and displays to users in a simple graphical user interface. The system is composed of majority off-the-shelf components and any custom components were designed or programmed with open-source software. We expect these features will lead to this system being more easily understood, copied, and modified by engineers wishing to design similar sensor system frameworks and thereby allow even more power-prohibitive devices to be wirelessly deployed

Mutations in an Atypical TIR-NB-LRR-LIM Resistance Protein Confer Autoimmunity

In order to defend against microbial infection, plants employ a complex immune system that relies partly on resistance (R) proteins that initiate intricate signaling cascades upon pathogen detection. The resistance signaling network utilized by plants is only partially characterized. A genetic screen conducted to identify novel defense regulators involved in this network resulted in the isolation of the snc6-1D mutant. Positional cloning revealed that this mutant contained a molecular lesion in the chilling sensitive 3 (CHS3) gene, thus the allele was renamed chs3-2D. CHS3 encodes a TIR-NB-LRR R protein that contains a C-terminal zinc-binding LIM (Lin-11, Isl-1, Mec-3) domain. Although this protein has been previously implicated in cold stress and defense response, the role of the LIM domain in modulating protein activity is unclear. The chs3-2D allele contains a G to A point mutation causing a C1340 to Y1340 substitution close to the LIM domain. It encodes a dominant gain-of-function mutation. The chs3-2D mutant is severely stunted and displays curled leaf morphology. Additionally, it constitutively expresses PATHOGENESIS-RELATED (PR) genes, accumulates salicylic acid, and shows enhanced resistance to the virulent oomycete isolate Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (H.a.) Noco2. Subcellular localization assays using GFP fusion constructs indicate that both CHS3 and chs3-2D localize to the nucleus. A third chs3 mutant allele, chs3-3D, was identified in an unrelated genetic screen in our lab. This allele contains a C to T point mutation resulting in an M1017 to V1017 substitution in the LRR–LIM linker region. Additionally, a chs3-2D suppressor screen identified two revertant alleles containing secondary mutations that abolish the mutant morphology. Analysis of the locations of these molecular lesions provides support for the hypothesis that the LIM domain represses CHS3 R-like protein activity. This repression may occur through either autoinhibition or binding of a negative defense regulator

SpikingLab: modelling agents controlled by Spiking Neural Networks in Netlogo

The scientific interest attracted by Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) has lead to the development of tools for the simulation and study of neuronal dynamics ranging from phenomenological models to the more sophisticated and biologically accurate Hodgkin-and-Huxley-based and multi-compartmental models. However, despite the multiple features offered by neural modelling tools, their integration with environments for the simulation of robots and agents can be challenging and time consuming. The implementation of artificial neural circuits to control robots generally involves the following tasks: (1) understanding the simulation tools, (2) creating the neural circuit in the neural simulator, (3) linking the simulated neural circuit with the environment of the agent and (4) programming the appropriate interface in the robot or agent to use the neural controller. The accomplishment of the above-mentioned tasks can be challenging, especially for undergraduate students or novice researchers. This paper presents an alternative tool which facilitates the simulation of simple SNN circuits using the multi-agent simulation and the programming environment Netlogo (educational software that simplifies the study and experimentation of complex systems). The engine proposed and implemented in Netlogo for the simulation of a functional model of SNN is a simplification of integrate and fire (I&F) models. The characteristics of the engine (including neuronal dynamics, STDP learning and synaptic delay) are demonstrated through the implementation of an agent representing an artificial insect controlled by a simple neural circuit. The setup of the experiment and its outcomes are described in this work

INSECTS IN THE COMMODITIES STORED IN THE ABIDJAN PORT AUTHORITY AND THE RISKS OF ACCIDENTAL INTRODUCTION OF NEW SPECIES IN COTE D’IVOIRE

The inventory and the identification of the insects in the commodities stocked at the abidjan port authority (apa), one of the most popular in west africa, have been carried out in order to know the flow of insect fauna in the inbound and outbound farm products. Three (3) kilogramme samples have been selected and kept in polypropylene bags and labelled. In order to identify the insects, the selected sample has been poured into a sieve exposed to a 100 watt lamp to incite the insect to come out of the grains. The insects have been selected and examined by means of a magnifying glass in the insectary of the laboratory of zoology and animal biology of félix houphouët-boigny university. Overall, 924 insects were inventoried. They were of three natures (coleoptera, lepidoptera and heteroptera). The coleoptera were 985 individuals; they are predominant with 11 families encompassing 15 species. The lepidoptera that have been listed represent 18 individuals and grouped into 2 families and consist of 3 species. Then, the heteroptera composed of 33 individuals within the same family and represented by only one species. At the export, a total of 924 have been recorded with a slight predominance of coleoptera (95.1%), followed by the heteroptera (3.1%) then the lepidoptera (1.7%). By the time of export, the proportion of coleoptera recorded was 91.04%. The insects in all the inbound commodities such as s. Ozyzae (linné) curculionidae, s. Zeamais (motchulsky) curculionidae, s. Cerealella (oliver) gelechiidae, p. Flavipes (review) anthocoridae, have been noted, thus confirming the potential risks of introducing new species in the commercial exchanges

INSECTS IN THE COMMODITIES STORED IN THE ABIDJAN PORT AUTHORITY AND THE RISKS OF ACCIDENTAL INTRODUCTION OF NEW SPECIES IN COTE D’IVOIRE

The inventory and the identification of the insects in the commodities stocked at the abidjan port authority (apa), one of the most popular in west africa, have been carried out in order to know the flow of insect fauna in the inbound and outbound farm products. Three (3) kilogramme samples have been selected and kept in polypropylene bags and labelled. In order to identify the insects, the selected sample has been poured into a sieve exposed to a 100 watt lamp to incite the insect to come out of the grains. The insects have been selected and examined by means of a magnifying glass in the insectary of the laboratory of zoology and animal biology of félix houphouët-boigny university. Overall, 924 insects were inventoried. They were of three natures (coleoptera, lepidoptera and heteroptera). The coleoptera were 985 individuals; they are predominant with 11 families encompassing 15 species. The lepidoptera that have been listed represent 18 individuals and grouped into 2 families and consist of 3 species. Then, the heteroptera composed of 33 individuals within the same family and represented by only one species. At the export, a total of 924 have been recorded with a slight predominance of coleoptera (95.1%), followed by the heteroptera (3.1%) then the lepidoptera (1.7%). By the time of export, the proportion of coleoptera recorded was 91.04%. The insects in all the inbound commodities such as s. Ozyzae (linné) curculionidae, s. Zeamais (motchulsky) curculionidae, s. Cerealella (oliver) gelechiidae, p. Flavipes (review) anthocoridae, have been noted, thus confirming the potential risks of introducing new species in the commercial exchanges

Changes in global ocean bottom properties and volume transports in CMIP5 models under climate change scenarios

Changes in bottom temperature, salinity and density in the global ocean by 2100 for CMIP5 climate models are investigated for the climate change scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The mean of 24 models shows a decrease in density in all deep basins except the North Atlantic which becomes denser. The individual model responses to climate change forcing are more complex: regarding temperature, the 24 models predict a warming of the bottom layer of the global ocean; in salinity, there is less agreement regarding the sign of the change, especially in the Southern Ocean. The magnitude and equatorward extent of these changes also vary strongly among models. The changes in properties can be linked with changes in the mean transport of key water masses. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakens in most models and is directly linked to changes in bottom density in the North Atlantic. These changes are due to the intrusion of modified Antarctic Bottom Water, made possible by the decrease in North Atlantic Deep Water formation. In the Indian, Pacific and South Atlantic, changes in bottom density are congruent with the weakening in Antarctic Bottom Water transport through these basins. We argue that the greater the 1986-2005 meridional transports, the more changes have propagated equatorwards by 2100. However, strong decreases in density over 100 years of climate change cause a weakening of the transports. The speed at which these property changes reach the deep basins is critical for a correct assessment of the heat storage capacity of the oceans as well as for predictions of future sea level rise

A study to understand the acceptance of DICOM Structured Reports on Breast Imaging

Purpose: To create a Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine Structured Reports (DICOM-SR) Repository and compare the acceptance of Free Text (FT) versus Structured Reports (SR) in communication of Breast Imaging findings. Materials and Methods: It was conceptualized the MamoCatalogue to the structuring of the Reports and the SR were converted into DICOM-SR and integrated with Dicoogle. After that, seven representative Breast Imaging Reports were selected and evaluated by a group of 25 Physicians. Each Physician evaluated the seven Reports, in FT and SR with a 3 months timelag, about their, Structure, Clarity and assertiveness, Diagnostic/Recommendations, Easiness of reading, Full reading, Partially reading with Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) focus and Ambiguity. Results: A DICOM-SR Repository was created and the assessment of the acceptance of the FT vs. SR revealed that there is a global trend favoring FT. Nevertheless, a group wise analysis revealed that for Gynaecologists and General Practitioners (GP) the differences between FT and SR weren't significant, unlike what happens with Radiologists. Conclusion: The DICOM-SR Repository allows the query/retrieve data for Reports and the communication with Gynaecologists and GP by SR was satisfactory. Although, Radiologists acceptance must be reinforced upon global communication and management strategy