3,535 research outputs found
A Bayesian predictive classification approach to robust speech recognition
We introduce a new decision strategy called Bayesian predictive classification (BPC) for robust speech recognition where an unknown mismatch between the training and testing conditions exists. We then propose and focus on one of the approximate BPC approaches called quasi-Bayes predictive classification (QBPC). In a series of comparative experiments where the mismatch is caused by additive white Gaussian noise, we show that the proposed QBPC approach achieves a considerable improvement over the conventional plug-in MAP decision rule.published_or_final_versio
Corrigendum to "Assessment of China's virtual air pollution transport embodied in trade by using a consumption-based emission inventory" published in Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5443-5456, 2015
No abstract available
Assessment of China's virtual air pollution transport embodied in trade by using a consumption-based emission inventory
Substantial anthropogenic emissions from China have resulted in serious air pollution, and this has generated considerable academic and public concern. The physical transport of air pollutants in the atmosphere has been extensively investigated; however, understanding the mechanisms how the pollutant was transferred through economic and trade activities remains a challenge. For the first time, we quantified and tracked China's air pollutant emission flows embodied in interprovincial trade, using a multiregional input - output model framework. Trade relative emissions for four key air pollutants (primary fine particle matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and non-methane volatile organic compounds) were assessed for 2007 in each Chinese province. We found that emissions were significantly redistributed among provinces owing to interprovincial trade. Large amounts of emissions were embodied in the imports of eastern regions from northern and central regions, and these were determined by differences in regional economic status and environmental policy. It is suggested that measures should be introduced to reduce air pollution by integrating cross-regional consumers and producers within national agreements to encourage efficiency improvement in the supply chain and optimize consumption structure internationally. The consumption-based air pollutant emission inventory developed in this work can be further used to attribute pollution to various economic activities and final demand types with the aid of air quality models
The evolution of stellar metallicity gradients of the Milky Way disk from LSS-GAC main sequence turn-off stars: a two-phase disk formation history?
We use 297 042 main sequence turn-off stars selected from the LSS-GAC to
determine the radial and vertical gradients of stellar metallicity of the
Galactic disk in the anti-center direction. We determine ages of those turn-off
stars by isochrone fitting and measure the temporal variations of metallicity
gradients. Our results show that the gradients, both in the radial and vertical
directions, exhibit significant spatial and temporal variations. The radial
gradients yielded by stars of oldest ages (>11 Gyr) are essentially zero at all
heights from the disk midplane, while those given by younger stars are always
negative. The vertical gradients deduced from stars of oldest ages (>11Gyr) are
negative and show only very weak variations with the Galactocentric distance in
the disk plane, , while those yielded by younger stars show strong
variations with . After being essentially flat at the earliest epochs of
disk formation, the radial gradients steepen as age decreases, reaching a
maxima (steepest) at age 7-8 Gyr, and then they flatten again. Similar temporal
trends are also found for the vertical gradients. We infer that the assemblage
of the Milky Way disk may have experienced at least two distinct phases. The
earlier phase is probably related to a slow, pressure-supported collapse of
gas, when the gas settles down to the disk mainly in the vertical direction. In
the later phase, there are significant radial flows of gas in the disk, and the
rate of gas inflow near the solar neighborhood reaches a maximum around a
lookback time of 7-8 Gyr. The transition of the two phases occurs around a
lookback time between 8 and 11 Gyr. The two phases may be responsible for the
formation of the Milky Way thick and thin disks, respectively. And, as a
consequence, we recommend that stellar age is a natural, physical criterion to
distinguish thin and thick disk stars. ... (abridged)Comment: 31 pages, 17 figures, Accepted for publication in a special issue of
Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics on LAMOST science
Assessing environmental services and disservices of urban street trees. an application of the emergy accounting
The urban green infrastructure (UGI), with special focus on street trees, is a very complex engineered ecosystem which plays an important role in generating ecosystem services and, if improperly managed, a number of dis-services to be prevented. This study applies the Emergy Accounting method to the cost and benefit evaluation, in order to establish a non-monetary “supply-side” assessment framework capable to assign an environmental value to each kind of services provided by urban forests and other green infrastructures. Further, the study classifies urban street tree integrated valuation framework into ecosystem services, avoided cost for human health and biodiversity damage, growing/maintenance cost and ecosystem dis-services. In a like manner, the interaction among the three different component flows in street tree ecosystems (costs, benefits and associated dis-services) are compared by means of a ternary diagram. Taking the case of the street ecosystem in Beijing, China, eleven typical urban tree species, including oak, maple, Chinese ash and linden, are selected for services and dis-services evaluation. Results show that, in general, UGI provides a large number of services to urban population, but it may also generate dis-services affecting human health, well-being and biodiversity when tree selection, location and management is not accurate. Results may help improve management practices which enhance the overall ecosystem service provision by urban forests not only in Beijing as case study but also in other cities by means of appropriate management
Weak Field Phase Diagram for an Integer Quantum Hall Liquid
We study the localization properties in the transition from a two-dimensional
electron gas at zero magnetic field into an integer quantum Hall (QH) liquid.
By carrying out a direct calculation of the localization length for a finite
size sample using a transfer matrix technique, we systematically investigate
the field and disorder dependences of the metal-insulator transition in the
weak field QH regime. We obtain a different phase diagram from the one
conjectured in previous theoretical studies. In particular, we find that: (1)
the extended state energy for each Landau level (LL) is {\it always}
linear in magnetic field; (2) for a given Landau level and disorder
configuration there exists a critical magnetic field below which the
extended state disappears; (3) the lower LLs are more robust to the
metal-insulator transition with smaller . We attribute the above results
to strong LL coupling effect. Experimental implications of our work are
discussed.Comment: 4 pages, ReVTeX 3.0, 4 figures (available upon request
Disappearance of integer quantum Hall effect
The disappearance of integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE) at strong disorder
and weak magnetic field is studied in a lattice model. A generic sequence by
which the IQHE plateaus disappear is revealed: higher IQHE plateaus always
vanish earlier than lower ones, and extended levels between those plateaus do
not float up in energy but keep merging together after the destruction of
plateaus. All of these features remain to be true in the weak-field limit as
shown by the thermodynamic-localization-length calculation. Topological
characterization in terms of Chern integers provides a simple physical
explanation and suggests a qualitative difference between the lattice and
continuum models.Comment: Revtex, four pages; four figures, postscript fil
Remodeling the fibrotic tumor microenvironment of desmoplastic melanoma to facilitate vaccine immunotherapy
Highly fibrotic and collagen-rich properties in desmoplastic melanoma (DM) result in an immune-suppressive fibrotic tumor microenvironment (TME) that resists clinical therapies. The different clinical and pathological properties, as compared to conventional melanoma, lead to delayed diagnosis and it is difficult to deliver drugs effectively due to fibrosis. Herein, we designed a chemo-immuno strategy focused on combining vaccination immunotherapy with multi-targeting sunitinib (SUN) nano-therapy to remodel TME and generate a robust immune response and a stronger synergistic anti-cancer effect. This strategy was evaluated side-by-side with non-desmoplastic melanoma and achieved significant improvement in therapeutic efficacy. The combination treatment was also synergistically assessed with the desmoplastic melanoma model. This strategy can remodel the fibrotic immunosuppressive TME and result in a robust cytotoxic T-cell response by reducing the collagen content, normalizing blood vessels, inhibiting tumor-associated fibroblasts and reducing high levels of suppressor immune cells. The modification of fibrotic immunosuppressive TME may serve as a good approach to further enhance immunotherapy for desmoplastic tumors
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