A critical review on the study of threatening in English

Despite the fact that threatening in languages is common in ordinary verbal communication, it has not received much attention from academic studies because of its “negative” nature. Muschalik’s monograph Threatening in English: A Mixed Method Approach, mainly based on the theory of Face Threatening Speech Act by Brown and Levinson (1987), takes 301 categories of threatening expressions in judicial proceedings as the corpus with qualitative and quantitative methods, brings a new perspective for pragmatic research, especially speech act research, and deepens people’s understanding of relevant issues. Initiated by Muschalik’s book Threatening in English: A Mixed Method Approach, the paper is to make a critical review on the studies of threatening in English and propose some new directions for the study of threatening in languages

EmoFake: An Initial Dataset for Emotion Fake Audio Detection

Many datasets have been designed to further the development of fake audio detection, such as datasets of the ASVspoof and ADD challenges. However, these datasets do not consider a situation that the emotion of the audio has been changed from one to another, while other information (e.g. speaker identity and content) remains the same. Changing the emotion of an audio can lead to semantic changes. Speech with tampered semantics may pose threats to people's lives. Therefore, this paper reports our progress in developing such an emotion fake audio detection dataset involving changing emotion state of the origin audio named EmoFake. The fake audio in EmoFake is generated by open source emotion voice conversion models. Furthermore, we proposed a method named Graph Attention networks using Deep Emotion embedding (GADE) for the detection of emotion fake audio. Some benchmark experiments are conducted on this dataset. The results show that our designed dataset poses a challenge to the fake audio detection model trained with the LA dataset of ASVspoof 2019. The proposed GADE shows good performance in the face of emotion fake audio

Time Delayed Stage-Structured Predator-Prey Model with Birth Pulse and Pest Control Tactics

Normally, chemical pesticides kill not only pests but also their natural enemies. In order to better control the pests, two-time delayed stage-structured predator-prey models with birth pulse and pest control tactics are proposed and analyzed by using impulsive differential equations in present work. The stability threshold conditions for the mature prey-eradication periodic solutions of two models are derived, respectively. The effects of key parameters including killing efficiency rate, pulse period, the maximum birth effort per unit of time of natural enemy, and maturation time of prey on the threshold values are discussed in more detail. By comparing the two threshold values of mature prey-extinction, we provide the fact that the second control tactic is more effective than the first control method

User-Controllable Recommendation via Counterfactual Retrospective and Prospective Explanations

Modern recommender systems utilize users' historical behaviors to generate personalized recommendations. However, these systems often lack user controllability, leading to diminished user satisfaction and trust in the systems. Acknowledging the recent advancements in explainable recommender systems that enhance users' understanding of recommendation mechanisms, we propose leveraging these advancements to improve user controllability. In this paper, we present a user-controllable recommender system that seamlessly integrates explainability and controllability within a unified framework. By providing both retrospective and prospective explanations through counterfactual reasoning, users can customize their control over the system by interacting with these explanations. Furthermore, we introduce and assess two attributes of controllability in recommendation systems: the complexity of controllability and the accuracy of controllability. Experimental evaluations on MovieLens and Yelp datasets substantiate the effectiveness of our proposed framework. Additionally, our experiments demonstrate that offering users control options can potentially enhance recommendation accuracy in the future. Source code and data are available at \url{https://github.com/chrisjtan/ucr}.Comment: Accepted for presentation at 26th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI2023

Molecular Phylogenetic Diversity and Spatial Distribution of Bacterial Communities in Cooling Stage during Swine Manure Composting

Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and subsequent sub-cloning and sequencing were used in this study to analyze the molecular phylogenetic diversity and spatial distribution of bacterial communities in different spatial locations during the cooling stage of composted swine manure. Total microbial DNA was extracted, and bacterial near full-length 16S rRNA genes were subsequently amplified, cloned, RFLP-screened, and sequenced. A total of 420 positive clones were classified by RFLP and near-full-length 16S rDNA sequences. Approximately 48 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found among 139 positive clones from the superstratum sample; 26 among 149 were from the middle-level sample and 35 among 132 were from the substrate sample. Thermobifida fusca was common in the superstratum layer of the pile. Some Bacillus spp. were remarkable in the middle-level layer, and Clostridium sp. was dominant in the substrate layer. Among 109 OTUs, 99 displayed homology with those in the GenBank database. Ten OTUs were not closely related to any known species. The superstratum sample had the highest microbial diversity, and different and distinct bacterial communities were detected in the three different layers. This study demonstrated the spatial characteristics of the microbial community distribution in the cooling stage of swine manure compost

Lineament Length and Density Analyses Based on the Segment Tracing Algorithm: A Case Study of the Gaosong Field in Gejiu Tin Mine, China

This study used the Segment Tracing Algorithm (STA) to extract lineaments from remotely sensed images. A computer program was then written to calculate the lineament densities and lengths. In Gaosong field, 3,233 lineaments were extracted based on a 200 m × 200 m grid size. The results indicate that most lineaments lengths are between 30 m and 50 m, and the number of lineaments within each cell ranges from 1 to 6. Areas with high distributions exist on both sides of the central region. According to the contour map of lineament length, the maximum lineament length is 380 m, and the minimum length is 30 m. The contours mainly extend in two directions, including NE and NW trends. This is consistent with the prominent NE and NW strike faults that prevail in the mining area. The results are similar to those obtained in the Machishui ore block, which has become a mine production area. High values of lineament length and density in the contour map of Gaosong field may be associated with hydrothermal tin mineralization in the study area. The results of this study potentially provide a new approach to mineral exploration in the early stage of geological prospecting

Solute Carrier Family 1 (SLC1A1) Contributes to Susceptibility and Psychopathology Symptoms of Schizophrenia in the Han Chinese Population

Objective: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a common and complex psychiatric disorder that has a significant genetic component. The glutamate hypothesis describes one possible pathogenesis of SZ. The solute carrier family 1 gene (SLC1A1) is one of several genes thought to play a critical role in regulating the glutamatergic system and is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of SZ. In this study, we identify polymorphisms of the SLC1A1 gene that may confer susceptibility to SZ in the Han Chinese population. Methods: We genotyped 36 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using Illumina GoldenGate assays on a BeadStation 500G Genotyping System in 528 paranoid SZ patients and 528 healthy controls. Psychopathology was rated by the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. Results: Significant associations were found in genotype and allele frequencies for SNPs rs10815017 (p = 0.002, 0.030, respectively) and rs2026828 (p = 0.020, 0.005, respectively) between SZ and healthy controls. There were significant associations in genotype frequency at rs6476875 (p = 0.020) and rs7024664 (p = 0.021) and allele frequency at rs3780412 (p = 0.026) and rs10974573 (p = 0.047) between SZ and healthy controls. Meanwhile, significant differences were found in genotype frequency at rs10815017 (p = 0.015), rs2026828 (p = 0.011), and rs3780411 (p = 0.040) in males, and rs7021569 in females (p = 0.020) between cases and controls when subdivided by gender. Also, significant differences were found in allele frequency at rs2026828 (p = 0.003), and rs7021569 (p = 0.045) in males, and rs10974619 in females (p = 0.044). However, those associations disappeared after Bonferroni\u27s correction (p\u27s \u3e 0.05). Significant associations were found in the frequencies of four haplotypes (AA, CA, AGA, and GG) between SZ and healthy controls (chi (2) = 3.974, 7.433, 4.699, 4.526, p = 0.046, 0.006, 0.030, 0.033, respectively). There were significant associations between rs7032326 genotypes and PANSS total, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology in SZ (p = 0.002, 0.011, 0.028, 0.008, respectively). Conclusion: The present study provides further evidence that SLC1A1 may be not a susceptibility gene for SZ. However, the genetic variations of SLC1A1 may affect psychopathology symptoms

Recent developments of metamaterials/metasurfaces for RCS reduction

In this paper, recent developments of metamaterials and metasurfaces for RCS reduction are reviewed, including basic theory, working principle, design formula, and experimental verification. Super-thin cloaks mediated by metasurfaces can cloak objects with minor impacts on the original electromagnetic field distribution. RCS reduction can be achieved by reconfiguring scattering patterns using coding metasurfaces. Novel radar absorbing materials can be devised based on field enhancements of metamaterials. When combined with conventional radar absorbing materials, metamaterials can expand the bandwidth, enlarge the angular range, or reduce the weight. Future tendency and major challenges are also summarized

A makro-TSH diagnosztikus és terápiás jelentősége Hashimoto-thyreoiditises betegekben | Diagnostic and therapeutical significance of macro-TSH in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

Absztrakt: Bevezetés: A makro-TSH szerkezete, incidenciája és klinikai szerepe pajzsmirigybetegekben nem tisztázott. Célkitűzés: A makro-TSH előfordulási gyakoriságának, tulajdonságainak meghatározása Hashimoto-thyreoiditises betegek savójában. Módszer: A Hashimoto-thyreoiditises betegek vérmintáiban a makro-TSH-t meghatározták polietilén-glikol precipitációs módszerrel és protein G agaróz abszorpciós, illetve gélfiltrációs kromatográfiával. A makro-TSH biológiai aktivitását TSH-receptorral transzfektált CHO bioassay módszerével mérték. A betegek L-tiroxin-kezelésben részesültek (átlagosan 66,5 µg/nap), a betegek fele pedig szelént is kapott (átlagosan 60 µg/nap). Eredmények: 880 Hashimoto-thyreoiditises beteget (728 nő, átlagéletkor 44,8 év) vontak be a vizsgálatba. A makro-TSH-t 41 betegben (4,6%) mutatták ki, az átlagos TSH-szint a PEG-precipitáció előtt 185,4 ± 35 IU/l volt, a precipitáció után pedig 5,55 ± 1,8 IU/l. Az anti-TPO-szint 445 ± 51 IU/l volt és fokozatosan csökkent 212 ± 51 IU/l-re egyéves tiroxin- és szelénkezelés után. Mind a PEG-precipitációs, mind a protein G abszorpciós módszerrel, illetve gélkromatográfiás eljárással a TSH elleni antitest jelenlétét mutatták ki a makro-TSH-immunkomplexben. A makro-TSH biológialag inaktívnak bizonyult, mivel a CHO-sejteket nem stimulálta. A makro-TSH a szelénnel nem kezelt csoportban 18 ± 3,2 hónapig, a szelénnel kezeltben 12 ± 1,9 hónapig volt kimutatható. Következtetés: A TSH elleni antitestek fő komponensei a makro-TSH-nak és diagnosztikus, illetve terápiás nehézségeket okozhatnak. A PEG-precipitációs eljárás alkalmas szűrőmódszer a makro-TSH bizonyítására. A szelén képes nemcsak az anti-TPO-, hanem a makro-TSH-szint csökkentésére egyaránt. Amikor a TSH-szint 40,0 IU/l feletti a hypothyreosis jelei nélkül, gondolnunk kell a makro-TSH jelenlétére. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(34): 1346–1350. | Abstract: Introduction: Structure, importance and incidence and clinical role of macro-TSH not clarified in thyroid diseases. Aim: This study was undertaken to determine the incidence and biological role of macro-TSH in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Method: Blood samples taken from patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis were screened for the presence of macro-TSH with the polyethylene glycol method and confirmed with protein G agarose absorption test and gel filtration chromatography. Stimulatory capacity of macro-TSH was measured by CHO cells bio-assay. Patients were treated with L-thyroxine (mean 66.5 µg/day) and half of them with selenium (mean 60 µg/day), respectively. Results: 880 patients (728 female, aged 44.8 yr) with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was involved in the study. Macro-TSH was found in the serum of 41 patients (4.6%), the mean TSH 185.4 ± 35 IU/l was before PEG precipitations and after 5.55 ± 1.8 IU/l. Titre of anti-TPO proved to be 445 ± 51 IU/l and gradulally decreased to 212 ± 51 IU/l after one year therapy. Both the precipitation, protein G absorption and gel chromatography supported the presence of anti-TSH antibody in the macro-TSH complex. Stimulatory capacity of macro-TSH on CHO bio-assay was not proved. The macro-TSH was detected in the selenium not treated group for 18 ± 3.2 months, selenium-treated for 12 ± 1.9 months. Conclusion: It is concluded that anti-human TSH autoantibodies are a major components of macro-TSH and may cause diagnostic and therapeutical difficulties. The PEG precipitation is a suitable screening method for detection of macro-TSH. Selenium is able to decrease of anti-TPO antibodies and macro-TSH, respectively. When the TSH level is greater than 40.0 IU/l, without the signs of hypothyroidism, the presence of macro-TSH is to be considered. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(34): 1346–1350