Spoken content retrieval: A survey of techniques and technologies

Speech media, that is, digital audio and video containing spoken content, has blossomed in recent years. Large collections are accruing on the Internet as well as in private and enterprise settings. This growth has motivated extensive research on techniques and technologies that facilitate reliable indexing and retrieval. Spoken content retrieval (SCR) requires the combination of audio and speech processing technologies with methods from information retrieval (IR). SCR research initially investigated planned speech structured in document-like units, but has subsequently shifted focus to more informal spoken content produced spontaneously, outside of the studio and in conversational settings. This survey provides an overview of the field of SCR encompassing component technologies, the relationship of SCR to text IR and automatic speech recognition and user interaction issues. It is aimed at researchers with backgrounds in speech technology or IR who are seeking deeper insight on how these fields are integrated to support research and development, thus addressing the core challenges of SCR

An investor loss function for earnings forecasts with an empirical application / BEBR No 694

Includes bibliographical references (p. 20-21)

ELISA detection of phenazepam, etizolam, pyrazolam, flubromazepam, diclazepam and delorazepam in blood using Immunalysis® benzodiazepine kit

Phenazepam and etizolam were the first uncontrolled benzodiazepines available for sale in the UK. Pyrazolam, flubromazepam and diclazepam are not used medicinally anywhere in the world; they are produced exclusively for the uncontrolled, recreational market. It is important to know whether potentially abused drugs like these can be detected in routine toxicological screening tests. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Immunalysis® Benzodiazepines ELISA kit could detect phenazepam, etizolam, pyrazolam, flubromazepam, diclazepam and its metabolite delorazepam. Their cross-reactivity was assessed by comparing the absorbance of the drug with that of oxazepam, the reference standard. This study found that these uncontrolled benzodiazepines cross-react sufficiently to produce a positive result with the Immunalysis® Benzodiazepine ELISA kit. Cross-reactivity ranged from 79 to 107% for phenazepam, etizolam, pyrazolam, flubromazepam, diclazepam and delorazepam fortified into blood. The results show that it is possible to detect these newer benzodiazepines with traditional forensic toxicology laboratory tools and it is important to include these benzodiazepines in the confirmation tests

Search for the Invisible Decay of Neutrons with KamLAND

The Kamioka Liquid scintillator Anti-Neutrino Detector is used in a search for single neutron or two-neutron intranuclear disappearance that would produce holes in the s-shell energy level of ^(12)C nuclei. Such holes could be created as a result of nucleon decay into invisible modes (inv), e.g., n→3ν or nn→2ν. The deexcitation of the corresponding daughter nucleus results in a sequence of space and time-correlated events observable in the liquid scintillator detector. We report on new limits for one- and two-neutron disappearance: τ(n→inv) > 5.8 × 10^(29) years and τ(nn→inv) > 1.4 × 10^(30) years at 90% C.L. These results represent an improvement of factors of ~3 and > 10^4 over previous experiments

Constraints on θ_(13) from a three-flavor oscillation analysis of reactor antineutrinos at KamLAND

We present new constraints on the neutrino oscillation parameters Δm^2_(21), θ_(12), and θ_(13) from a three flavor analysis of solar and KamLAND data. The KamLAND data set includes data acquired following a radiopurity upgrade and amounts to a total exposure of 3.49 x 10^(32) target-proton-year. Under the assumption of CPT invariance, a two-flavor analysis (θ_(13) = 0) of the KamLAND and solar data yields the best-fit values tan^2θ_(12) = 0.444^(+0.036)_(-0.030) and Δm^2_(21) = 7.50^(+0.19)_(-0.20) x 10^(-5) eV^2; a three-flavor analysis with θ13 as a free parameter yields the best-fit values tan^2θ_(12) = 0.452^(+0.035)_(-0.033), Δm^2_(21) = 7.50^(+0.19)_(-0.20) x 10^(-5) eV^2, and sin^2θ_(13) = 0.020^(+0.016)_(-0.016). This θ_(13) interval is consistent with other recent work combining the CHOOZ, atmospheric and long-baseline accelerator experiments. We also present a new global θ_(13) analysis, incorporating the CHOOZ, atmospheric, and accelerator data, which indicates sin^2θ_(13) = 0.009^(+0.013)-_(0.007). A nonzero value is suggested, but only at the 79% C.L

Measurement of the ^8B solar neutrino flux with the KamLAND liquid scintillator detector

We report a measurement of the neutrino-electron elastic scattering rate from ^8B solar neutrinos based on a 123 kton-day exposure of KamLAND. The background-subtracted electron recoil rate, above a 5.5-MeV analysis threshold is 1.49 ± 0.14(stat) ± 0.17(syst) events per kton-day. Interpreted as due to a pure electron flavor flux with a ^8B neutrino spectrum, this corresponds to a spectrum integrated flux of 2.77 ± 0.26(stat) ± 0.32(syst) ×10^6 cm^(−2_s^(−1). The analysis threshold is driven by ^(208)Tl present in the liquid scintillator, and the main source of systematic uncertainty is due to background from cosmogenic ^(11)Be. The measured rate is consistent with existing measurements and with standard solar model predictions which include matter-enhanced neutrino oscillation

Partial radiogenic heat model for Earth revealed by geoneutrino measurements

The Earth has cooled since its formation, yet the decay of radiogenic isotopes, and in particular uranium, thorium and potassium, in the planet’s interior provides a continuing heat source. The current total heat flux from the Earth to space is 44:2±1.0 TW, but the relative contributions from residual primordial heat and radiogenic decay remain uncertain. However, radiogenic decay can be estimated from the flux of geoneutrinos, electrically neutral particles that are emitted during radioactive decay and can pass through the Earth virtually unaffected. Here we combine precise measurements of the geoneutrino flux from the Kamioka Liquid-Scintillator Antineutrino Detector, Japan, with existing measurements from the Borexino detector, Italy.We find that decay of uranium-238 and thorium-232 together contribute 20.0^(+8.8)_(-8.6)TW to Earth’s heat flux. The neutrinos emitted from the decay of potassium-40 are below the limits of detection in our experiments, but are known to contribute 4TW. Taken together, our observations indicate that heat from radioactive decay contributes about half of Earth’s total heat flux. We therefore conclude that Earth’s primordial heat supply has not yet been exhausted