Percepcijska utemeljenost kepstranih mjera udaljenosti za primjene u obradi govora

Currently, one of the most widely used distance measures in speech and speaker recognition is the Euclidean distance between mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC). MFCCs are based on filter bank algorithm whose filters are equally spaced on a perceptually motivated mel frequency scale. The value of mel cepstral vector, as well as the properties of the corresponding cepstral distance, are determined by several parameters used in mel cepstral analysis. The aim of this work is to examine compatibility of MFCC measure with human perception for different values of parameters in the analysis. By analysing mel filter bank parameters it is found that filter bank with 24 bands, 220 mels bandwidth and band overlap coefficient equal and higher than one gives optimal spectral distortion (SD) distance measures. For this kind of mel filter bank, the difference between vowels can be recognised for full-length mel cepstral SD RMS measure higher than 0.4 - 0.5 dB. Further on, we will show that usage of truncated mel cepstral vector (12 coefficients) is justified for speech recognition, but may be arguable for speaker recognition. We also analysed the impact of aliasing in cepstral domain on cepstral distortion measures. The results showed high correlation of SD distances calculated from aperiodic and periodic mel cepstrum, leading to the conclusion that the impact of aliasing is generally minor. There are rare exceptions where aliasing is present, and these were also analysed.Jedna od danas najčešće korištenih mjera u automatskom prepoznavanju govora i govornika je mjera euklidske udaljenosti MFCC vektora. Algoritam za izračunavanje mel frekvencijskih kepstralnih koeficijenata zasniva se na filtarskom slogu kod kojeg su pojasi ekvidistantno raspoređeni na percepcijski motiviranoj mel skali. Na vrijednost mel kepstralnog vektora, a samim time i na svojstva kepstralne mjere udaljenosti glasova, utječe veći broj parametara sustava za kepstralnu analizu. Tema ovog rada je ispitati usklađenost MFCC mjere sa stvarnim percepcijskim razlikama za različite vrijednosti parametara analize. Analizom parametara mel filtarskog sloga utvrdili smo da filtar sa 24 pojasa, širine 220 mel-a i faktorom preklapanja filtra većim ili jednakim jedan, daje optimalne SD mjere koje se najbolje slažu s percepcijom. Za takav mel filtarski slog granica čujnosti razlike između glasova je 0.4-0.5 dB, mjereno SD RMS razlikom potpunih mel kepstralnih vektora. Također, pokazat ćemo da je korištenje mel kepstralnog vektora odrezanog na konačnu dužinu (12 koeficijenata) opravdano za prepoznavanje govora, ali da bi moglo biti upitno u primjenama prepoznavanja govornika. Analizirali smo i utjecaj preklapanja spektara u kepstralnoj domeni na mjere udaljenosti glasova. Utvrđena je izrazita koreliranost SD razlika izračunatih iz aperiodskog i periodičkog mel kepstra iz čega zaključujemo da je utjecaj preklapanja spektara generalno zanemariv. Postoje rijetke iznimke kod kojih je utjecaj preklapanja spektara prisutan, te su one posebno analizirane

Chemical characterization, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of essential oil and post-distillation waste of juniper (Juniperus communis L.) and their combinations with conventional antibiotics and cytostatics

U ovom radu ispitivana su etarska ulja i postdestilacioni ostatak (PDO) Juniperus communis L. GC-MS analiza ulja je pokazala dominantno učešće α-pinena, a LC-MS/MS je identifikovala hinsku kiselinu i rutin kao najzastupljenije u PDO. Bolja antioksidativna aktivnost PDO utvrđena je u TBA i naročito DPPH eseju (IC50 4,4 μg/mL), što potvrđuju i rezultati FRAP testa. Citotoksičnost je bila veća u slučaju ulja: IC50 vrednosti na ćelijskim linijama HT-29, HCT 116, A549 i MRC-5 bile su u opsegu 69-120 μg/mL. Efekat kombinacija oba derivata sa doksorubicinom na kancerskim A549 i normalnim MRC-5 ćelijama bio je sinergistički, naročito u slučaju A549. Citometrijska analiza i alkalni komet test su pokazali da PDO indukuje apoptozu, zaustavlja ćelijski ciklus i ima genotoksični efekat. MIK testom je utvrđeno da su Listeria monocytogenes i Aspergillus versicolor najosetljivije, posebno prema PDO (MIK 0,39 i 0,12 mg/mL). Sinergizam je uočen u slučaju tretmana listerije kombinacijama ulja/PDO i streptomicina/ampicilina/azitromicina, kao i Candida albicans kombinacijom PDO i bifonazola. Adhezija patogena na ćelije kolona u kulturi bila je inhibirana dejstvom PDO ili ulja, u slučaju listerije ili kandide. Etarska ulja kleke i čubra, primenjena u mikrodilucionim testovima odvojeno ili u kombinacijama, pokazala su dobar potencijal i postojanje sinergizma u slučaju primoizolata L. monocytogenes. Time kill test je potvrdio sinergizam i ukazao na veću osetljivost listerije u aerobnim nego hipoksičnim uslovima. Ulja primenjena na mariniranom mesu inhibirala su rast ukupnih aerobnih heterotrofa, enterobakterija, bakterija mlečne kiseline i inokulisane listerije. Uočeni citotoksični i antimikrobni efekat preporučuju derivate kleke za adjuvante koji pojačavaju aktivnost konvencionalnih lekova.In this work essential oils and post-distillation waste (PDW) of Juniperus communis L. were screened. GC-MS analysis pointed at α-pinene as dominant constituent of oils; LC-MS/MS identified quinic acid and rutin as the most prevalent in PDW. Higher antioxidativity of PDW was shown in TBA and especially DPPH assay (IC50 4.4 μg/mL), which is additionally confirmed by FRAP test. Oil induced higher cytotoxicity against HT-29, HCT 116, A549 and MRC-5 cells, with IC50 values ranging 69-120 μg/mL. Combinations of each derivative with doxorubicin, applied on cancer A549 and normal MRC-5 cells induced synergism especially pronounced in A549. Cytometric analysis and alkaline comet test showed that PDW induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, and was genotoxic. Microdilution assay pointed at Listeria monocytogenes and Aspergillus versicolor as the most sensitive, especially to PDW (MIC 0.39 and 0.12 mg/mL). Synergism was observed in the case of listeria treated with combinations of oil/PDW and streptomycin/ampicillin/azithromycin, as well as Candida albicans with a combination of PDW and bifonazole. In vitro adhesion of L. monocytogenes/C. albicans to colon cells was inhibited by PDW and oil, respectively. Additionaly, juniper and savory essential oils, applied in microdilution tests separately or in combinations, showed notable potential and synergism in the case of primoisolates of listeria. Time kill assay confirmed synergism and indicated a higher bacterial sensitivity under aerobic than hypoxic conditions. Oils applied to marinated meat inhibited the growth of total aerobic heterotrophs, enterobacteria, lactic acid bacteria and inoculated listeria. Observed cytotoxic and antimicrobial effect recommends juniper derivatives as adjuvants that enhance conventional drugs activity

Assessment of the effect of panretinal photocoagulation by measuring the quality of life and treatment satisfaction in patients with diabetic retinopathy

Kros-kulturalni prevod i validacija srpske verzije upitnika “Retinopathy Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire” (RetTSQ). Da se izvrši procena zadovoljstva lečenjem pacijenata sa proliferativnom dijabetičnom retinopatijom panretinalnom fotokoagulacijom, kao i procena uticaja stepena dijabetične retinopatije i lečenje panretinalnom fotokoagulacijom na kvalitet života. METODE: Srpska verzija RetTSQs upitnika je prevedena u skladu sa međunarodno prihvaćenim standardima. U cilju da se proceni pouzdanost i validnost prevedene verzije RetTSQs, koristili smo studiju preseka koja je obuhvatala uzorak od 101 pacijenta sa dijabetičnom retinopatijom. Kronbah alfa koeficijent je korišćen za procenu unutrašnje konzistentnosti svake subskale, dok je za procenu test-retest pouzdanosti korišćen koeficijent interklasne korelacije u razmaku od dve nedelje. Takođe smo procenjivali konkurentnu, konvergentnu i konstruktivnu validnost. Nakon toga, u cilju procene kvaliteta života i zadovoljstva lečenjem obolelih od proliferativne dijabetične retinopatije urađena je panel studija koja je obuhvatila pacijente sa dijagnozom proliferativne dijabetične retinopatije (PDR) a koji su tretirani panretinalnom fotokoagulacijom (PRP). Svakom subjektu uključenom u studijsku grupu primenjeni su upitnici: srpska verzija upitnika National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire 25 (NEI VFQ-25) i srpska verzija upitnika Retinopathy Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (RetTSQ) pre započinjanja PRP. Bolesnici koji su završili kompletnu lasersku intervenciju bez ikakvih komplikacija, ponovljeni su upitnici NEI VFQ-25 i RetTSQ, tri meseca nakon završetka tretmana. REZULTATI: Kronbah alfa koeficijent se kretao od 0,783 (pozitivna skala) do 0,811 (negativna skala), dok je za sve domene bio odličan α=0,829. Koeficijent unutrašnje konzistentnosti je bio veći od 0,8 za sve subskale. Univarijantna analiza je otkrila da godine života, pol, obrazovanje, bračni i radni status nisu uticali na RetTSQs rezultate, dok su pacijenti sa neproliferativnom dijabetičnom retinopatijom (DR) pokazali statistički značajno veće zadovoljstvo lečenjem u odnosu na one pacijente sa proliferativnom oblikom DR (p =0,001). Grupa pacijenata koje je primila laserski tretman je postigla statistički značajno manje rezultate nego grupa koja nije primila laserski tretman (p=0,004), bez obzira na tip sprovedenog lasera. Pozitivna i statistički značajna korelacija je nađena između RetTSQs rezultata i većine NEI-VFQ podskala...Cross-cultural translation and validation of the Serbian version of the Retinopathy treatment satisfaction questionnaire status version (RetTSQs). METHODS: The Serbian version of RetTSQs was translated in accordance with standard methods that have been adopted internationally. In order to assess the reliability and validity of the translated RetTSQs, we used a sample of 101 patients with diabetic retinopathy. The internal consistency of the questionnaire items was assessed via Cronbach's alpha, whereas the interclass correlation coefficient was used to calculate test-retest reliability, in surveys performed 2 weeks apart. We also evaluated concurrent, convergent and construct validity. Subsequently, in order to assess the quality of life and satisfaction with the treatment of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a panel study was conducted that included patients diagnosed with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) treated with panretinal laser coagulation. Each subject included in the study group was administered the Serbian version of the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire 25 (NEI VFQ-25) and the Serbian version of the RetTSQ prior to initiating the PRP. Patients who completed the laser intervention without any complications were retested with the NEI VFQ-25 and RetTSQ questionnaires, at least three months after the end of treatment. RESULTS: Cronbach α coefficient of the subscales ranged from 0.783 (positive scale) to 0.811 (negative scale) and for all domains it was excellent at α =0.829. The intraclass correlation coefficient was greater than 0.8 for all of the subscales. Univariate analyses revealed that age, gender, education, marital status and working status did not affect the RetTSQ scores, whereas participants with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy reported significantly higher treatment satisfaction than those with proliferative retinopathy (p =0.001). The group who received laser treatment scored significantly lower than the group without it (p=0.004) regardless of type of performed laser. Positive and statistically significant correlations were found between the RetTSQ score and most of the NEI-VFQ subscales. The mean NEI VFQ-25 composite score for the whole study sample was 65.4±17.4 before laser treatment and 63.3±19.5 after treatment (P = 0.045, paired t-test)..

Speech-language therapy and cognitive rehabilitation in the treatment of vascular dementia

Vaskularna demencija nastaje nakon cerebrovaskularnih oboljenja, tj. infarkta mozga. Karakteriše se padom i progresijom kognitivnih funkcija, uključujući i jezik. Po učestalosti nalazi se odmah iza Alchajmerove demencije. U tretmanu pacijenata sa vaskularnom demencijom koriste se farmakološki i nefarmakološki oblici terapije. Pored drugih, nefarmakološke oblike terapije čine govorno-jezička terapija i kognitivna rehabilitacija. Budući da pacijenti s vaskularnom demencijom ispoljavaju različite simptome poremećaja jezičkih funkcija, govorno- jezička terapija zauzima važno mesto u tretmanu ovih pacijenata. Pokazuje se da ovaj metod terapije doprinosi usporavanju progresije jezičkog poremećaja i održavanju komunikativnih sposobnosti u dužem vremenskom intervalu. Takođe je pokazano da se mnogi terapijski zadaci koji se koriste tokom govorno-jezičke terapije mogu koristiti i u postupku kognitivne rehabilitacije. Takav pristup tretmanu doprinosi boljem kognitivnom funkcionisanju osobe u svakodnevnim životnim aktivnostima.Vascular dementia arises after cerebrovascular diseases, i.e. stroke. It is characterized by the decline and progression of cognitive functions, including language. In terms of frequency, it is right behind Alzheimer's dementia. In the treatment of patients with vascular dementia, pharmacological and non-pharmacological forms of therapy are used. Among others, non- pharmacological forms of treatment include speech-language therapy and cognitive rehabilitation. Speech-language therapy is essential in the treatment of patients with vascular dementia since they demonstrate various symptoms of language function disorders. It has been shown that this treatment method contributes to slowing the progression of language disorder and maintaining communicative abilities over a more extended period. Many therapeutic tasks used in speech-language therapy have also been shown to be useful in the cognitive rehabilitation process. Such an approach to treatment contributes to a person's better cognitive functioning in everyday life activities

Nacionalni identitet u metodičkom instrumentariju udžbenika iz prirode i društva u nižim razredima osnovne škole

This paper presents the results of the research conducted with the aim of examining the frequency and development of the components of national identity in the methodological instrumentation of Science & Social Studies textbooks in the first cycle of primary education in Serbia. Starting from the assumptions of the integrative developmental-contextual theory of Bar-Tal and Teichmann, Barrett’s societal-social-cognitive-motivational theory, as well as previous research, national identity is operationalized within 12 categories: family, religion, tradition and customs, national sentiment, language, symbols and emblems, solidarity and comradeship, cultural heritage, distinguished individuals, historical topics, geographical concepts, and general information. We used the methods of theoretical analysis and content analysis to observe the basic units of analysis: a) sentences with additional informative content; b) questions and tasks; and c) pictorial content. The study comprised approved textbooks for 2020/21 of three renowned Serbian publishers (N=12). The results indicate that the methodological instrumentation insufficiently contribute to the formation and strengthening of junior students’ national identity, especially in the domain of didactic apparatus and pictorial content. There is a noticeable developmental trend of the content aimed at strengthening students’ national identity in junior grades of primary school, but the intensity and extent of this content, as well as the dynamics and continuity of its representation are problematic.U ovom radu prezentirani su rezultati istraživanja provedenoga s ciljem ispitivanja učestalosti i razvojnosti komponenti nacionalnoga identiteta u metodičkom instrumentariju udžbenika iz prirode i društva u prvom ciklusu osnovnoga obrazovanja u Srbiji. Polazeći od pretpostavki integrativno–razvojno-kontekstualne teorije Bar-Tala i Taichmanove (Bar-Tal & Teichman, 2005; Teichman, Bar-Tal & Abdolrazeq, 2007), društveno-socijalno-kognitivno-motivacijske teorije Barretta (Barrett, 2007; Barrett & Oppenheimer, 2011), kao i prethodnih istraživanja, nacionalni identitet je operacionaliziran u 12 kategorija: obitelj, religija, običaji i tradicija, nacionalni osjećaji, jezik, simboli i znamenitosti, solidarnost i zajedništvo, kulturna baština, znamenite osobe, povijesne teme, geografski pojmovi i općenite informacije. Metodom teorijske analize i metodom analize sadržaja opservirane su osnovne jedinice metodičkoga instrumentarija: a) rečenice dodatnoga informativnog sadržaja, b) pitanja i zadatci i c) slikovni sadržaji. Istraživanje uključuje licencirane udžbenike za školsku godinu 2020./21 tri renomirana izdavača u Republici Srbiji (N = 12). Rezultati istraživanja ukazali su na to da metodički instrumentarij udžbenika u nedovoljnoj mjeri doprinosi formiranju i jačanju nacionalnoga identiteta učenika mlađe školske dobi. Primjetna je razvojna linija zastupljenosti sadržaja koja jača nacionalni identitet učenika mlađih razreda osnovne škole, no sporni su opseg i intenzitet tih sadržaja, kao i dinamika i kontinuitet njihove zastupljenosti

Some aspects of acquired aphasia in children

Stečena dečja afazija može nastati kao posledica dejstva niza etioloških faktora koji dovode do oštećenja centralnog nervnog sistema. Manifestuje se gubitkom, tj. poremećajem već stečenih jezičkih sposobnosti. Kod dece se uočavaju artikulaciono-fonološki, sintaksički, leksički, semantički i pragmatski deficiti. Takođe se uočavaju specifični afazički simptomi, kao što su parafazije, perseveracije, anomija i dr. U ovom radu su prikazane neke karakteristike stečenih jezičkih poremećaja kod dece s ciljem bližeg određivanja kliničke slike afazije i adekvatnijeg pristupa tretmanu.Acquired childhood aphasia can occur as a result of a number of etiological factors that lead to damage to the central nervous system. It is manifested by loss, i.e. disruption of already acquired language skills. In children, articulatory-phonological, syntactic, lexical, semantic and pragmatic deficits are observed. Specific aphasic symptoms, such as paraphasia, perseveration, anomia, etc., are also observed. This paper presents some features of acquired language disorders in children with the aim of more closely determining the clinical picture of aphasia and more appropriate treatment.XI International scientific conference Improving the quality of life of children and yout

Speech-language therapy and cognitive rehabilitation in the treatment of vascular dementia

Vaskularna demencija nastaje nakon cerebrovaskularnih oboljenja, tj. infarkta mozga. Karakteriše se padom i progresijom kognitivnih funkcija, uključujući i jezik. Po učestalosti nalazi se odmah iza Alchajmerove demencije. U tretmanu pacijenata sa vaskularnom demencijom koriste se farmakološki i nefarmakološki oblici terapije. Pored drugih, nefarmakološke oblike terapije čine govorno-jezička terapija i kognitivna rehabilitacija. Budući da pacijenti s vaskularnom demencijom ispoljavaju različite simptome poremećaja jezičkih funkcija, govorno- jezička terapija zauzima važno mesto u tretmanu ovih pacijenata. Pokazuje se da ovaj metod terapije doprinosi usporavanju progresije jezičkog poremećaja i održavanju komunikativnih sposobnosti u dužem vremenskom intervalu. Takođe je pokazano da se mnogi terapijski zadaci koji se koriste tokom govorno-jezičke terapije mogu koristiti i u postupku kognitivne rehabilitacije. Takav pristup tretmanu doprinosi boljem kognitivnom funkcionisanju osobe u svakodnevnim životnim aktivnostima.Vascular dementia arises after cerebrovascular diseases, i.e. stroke. It is characterized by the decline and progression of cognitive functions, including language. In terms of frequency, it is right behind Alzheimer's dementia. In the treatment of patients with vascular dementia, pharmacological and non-pharmacological forms of therapy are used. Among others, non- pharmacological forms of treatment include speech-language therapy and cognitive rehabilitation. Speech-language therapy is essential in the treatment of patients with vascular dementia since they demonstrate various symptoms of language function disorders. It has been shown that this treatment method contributes to slowing the progression of language disorder and maintaining communicative abilities over a more extended period. Many therapeutic tasks used in speech-language therapy have also been shown to be useful in the cognitive rehabilitation process. Such an approach to treatment contributes to a person's better cognitive functioning in everyday life activities

Application of Heterogeneous Robotic System for Underwater Oil Spill Scenario

The tragic Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 as well as the increase in deepwater offshore activity have increased public interest in counter-measures available for subsurface releases of hydrocarbons. To arrive at proper contingency planning, response managers urge for a system for instant detection and characterization of accidental releases. Along these lines, this paper describes the application of a heterogeneous robotic system of unmanned vehicles: autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) extended with the oil spill numerical modeling, visualisation and decision support capabilities. A first set of field experiments simulating oil spill scenarios with Rhodamine WT was held in Croatia during the early autumn 2014. and the second set of experiments were held in Spain during the summer 2015. The objectives of this experiment were to test: effectiveness of the system for underwater detection of hydrocarbons, heterogeneous multi-vehicle collaborative navigation and communication as well as decision support system, visualisation of the system components and detected spill

Standardization in the field of machine elements and design

This paper presents a study of machine elements and design standardization. The primary objective of the standards is to eliminate discrepancies between subjects and concepts that serve the same function. This paper aims to catalogue the ISO technical committees that operate in these fields. There are 12 technical committees, with 256 published standards, 68 under development, 587 withdrawn projects, and 7 projects that have been deleted as of the publication of this report. In addition to the committee's review, the most essential and widely used standards for general-purpose machine elements, including screw threads, rolling bearings, plain bearings, and gears, are provided