scholarly journals Extending automatic transcripts in a unified data representation towards a prosodic-based metadata annotation and evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-136
Author(s):  
F. Batista ◽  
H. Moniz ◽  
I. Trancoso ◽  
N. Mamede ◽  
A. I. Mata
Keyword(s):  
Speech Processing ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Data Representation ◽  
Speech Analysis ◽  
Metadata Annotation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Speech Data ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Speech Transcripts

This paper describes a framework that extends automatic speech transcripts in order to accommodate relevant information coming from manual transcripts, the speech signal itself, and other resources, like lexica. The proposed framework automatically collects, relates, computes, and stores all relevant information together in a self-contained data source, making it possible to easily provide a wide range of interconnected information suitable for speech analysis, training, and evaluating a number of automatic speech processing tasks. The main goal of this framework is to integrate different linguistic and paralinguistic layers of knowledge for a more complete view of their representation and interactions in several domains and languages. The processing chain is composed of two main stages, where the first consists of integrating the relevant manual annotations in the speech recognition data, and the second consists of further enriching the previous output in order to accommodate prosodic information. The described framework has been used for the identification and analysis of structural metadata in automatic speech transcripts. Initially put to use for automatic detection of punctuation marks and for capitalization recovery from speech data, it has also been recently used for studying the characterization of disfluencies in speech. It was already applied to several domains of Portuguese corpora, and also to English and Spanish Broadcast News corpora.

scholarly journals Characterization of Five New Monosporascus Species: Adaptation to Environmental Factors, Pathogenicity to Cucurbits and Sensitivity to Fungicides

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Allinny Luzia Alves Cavalcante ◽  
Andréia Mitsa Paiva Negreiros ◽  
Moisés Bento Tavares ◽  
Érica dos Santos Barreto ◽  
Josep Armengol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Mycelial Growth ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Great Variability ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Greenhouse Experiments ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pathogenicity Tests

In this study, five new recently described Monosporascus species, M. brasiliensis, M. caatinguensis, M. mossoroensis, M. nordestinus, and M. semiaridus, which were found on weeds collected from cucurbit cultivation fields in northeastern Brazil, are characterized regarding mycelial growth at different pH levels and salinity (NaCl) concentrations, their pathogenicity to selected cucurbit species, and their sensitivity to fungicides with different modes of action. Our results reveal great variability among the representative isolates of each Monosporascus spp. All of them showed a wide range of tolerance to different pH levels, and NaCl significantly reduced their in vitro mycelial growth, although no concentration was able to inhibit them completely. In pathogenicity tests, all seedlings of cucurbits evaluated, melon, watermelon, cucumber, and pumpkin, were susceptible to the five Monosporascus spp. in greenhouse experiments using artificial inoculation of roots. Moreover, all Monosporascus spp. were highly susceptible to the fungicides fludioxonil and fluazinam. Our findings provide relevant information about the response of these new Monosporascus spp. to environmental factors, plant genotypes and fungicides.

Polymer Chemistry

2004 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Conducting Polymers ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Polymer Chemistry ◽  
Chain Growth ◽  
Crystalline Polymers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cyclic Oligomers ◽  
Step Growth

Polymer Chemistry: A Practical Approach in Chemistry has been designed for both chemists working in and new to the area of polymer synthesis. It contains detailed instructions for preparation of a wide-range of polymers by a wide variety of different techniques, and describes how this synthetic methodology can be applied to the development of new materials. It includes details of well-established techniques, e.g. chain-growth or step-growth processes together with more up-to-date examples using methods such as atom-transfer radical polymerization. Less well-known procedures are also included, e.g. electrochemical synthesis of conducting polymers and the preparation of liquid crystalline elastomers with highly ordered structures. Other topics covered include general polymerization methodology, controlled/"living" polymerization methods, the formation of cyclic oligomers during step-growth polymerization, the synthesis of conducting polymers based on heterocyclic compounds, dendrimers, the preparation of imprinted polymers and liquid crystalline polymers. The main bulk of the text is preceded by an introductory chapter detailing some of the techniques available to the scientist for the characterization of polymers, both in terms of their chemical composition and in terms of their properties as materials. The book is intended not only for the specialist in polymer chemistry, but also for the organic chemist with little experience who requires a practical introduction to the field.

scholarly journals Organelle Genetics in Plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 2104
Author(s):  
Pedro Robles ◽  
Víctor Quesada
Keyword(s):  
Rna Editing ◽  
Posttranscriptional Regulation ◽  
Genome Engineering ◽  
Plant Mitochondria ◽  
Plastid Dna ◽  
Chloroplast Genomes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Organelle Genetics ◽  
Selection Of

Eleven published articles (4 reviews, 7 research papers) are collected in the Special Issue entitled “Organelle Genetics in Plants.” This selection of papers covers a wide range of topics related to chloroplasts and plant mitochondria research: (i) organellar gene expression (OGE) and, more specifically, chloroplast RNA editing in soybean, mitochondria RNA editing, and intron splicing in soybean during nodulation, as well as the study of the roles of transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of OGE in plant adaptation to environmental stress; (ii) analysis of the nuclear integrants of mitochondrial DNA (NUMTs) or plastid DNA (NUPTs); (iii) sequencing and characterization of mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes; (iv) recent advances in plastid genome engineering. Here we summarize the main findings of these works, which represent the latest research on the genetics, genomics, and biotechnology of chloroplasts and mitochondria.

scholarly journals Composition of weighted finite transducers in MapReduce

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bilal Elghadyry ◽  
Faissal Ouardi ◽  
Sébastien Verel
Keyword(s):  
Speech Processing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Large Scale Data ◽  
Finite State Transducers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Finite State ◽  
Common Operation ◽  
Efficient Representation ◽  
Weighted Finite State Transducers ◽  
Np Hardness

AbstractWeighted finite-state transducers have been shown to be a general and efficient representation in many applications such as text and speech processing, computational biology, and machine learning. The composition of weighted finite-state transducers constitutes a fundamental and common operation between these applications. The NP-hardness of the composition computation problem presents a challenge that leads us to devise efficient algorithms on a large scale when considering more than two transducers. This paper describes a parallel computation of weighted finite transducers composition in MapReduce framework. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to tackle this task using MapReduce methods. First, we analyze the communication cost of this problem using Afrati et al. model. Then, we propose three MapReduce methods based respectively on input alphabet mapping, state mapping, and hybrid mapping. Finally, intensive experiments on a wide range of weighted finite-state transducers are conducted to compare the proposed methods and show their efficiency for large-scale data.

scholarly journals Cochlear Implant Research and Development in the Twenty-first Century: A Critical Update

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-508
Author(s):  
Robert P. Carlyon ◽  
Tobias Goehring
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
First Century ◽  
Directional Microphones ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Processing Algorithms ◽  
Improve Patient

AbstractCochlear implants (CIs) are the world’s most successful sensory prosthesis and have been the subject of intense research and development in recent decades. We critically review the progress in CI research, and its success in improving patient outcomes, from the turn of the century to the present day. The review focuses on the processing, stimulation, and audiological methods that have been used to try to improve speech perception by human CI listeners, and on fundamental new insights in the response of the auditory system to electrical stimulation. The introduction of directional microphones and of new noise reduction and pre-processing algorithms has produced robust and sometimes substantial improvements. Novel speech-processing algorithms, the use of current-focusing methods, and individualised (patient-by-patient) deactivation of subsets of electrodes have produced more modest improvements. We argue that incremental advances have and will continue to be made, that collectively these may substantially improve patient outcomes, but that the modest size of each individual advance will require greater attention to experimental design and power. We also briefly discuss the potential and limitations of promising technologies that are currently being developed in animal models, and suggest strategies for researchers to collectively maximise the potential of CIs to improve hearing in a wide range of listening situations.

scholarly journals Mineral Physicochemistry Underlying Feature-Based Extraction of Mineral Abundance and Composition from Shortwave, Mid and Thermal Infrared Reflectance Spectra

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 347
Author(s):  
Carsten Laukamp ◽  
Andrew Rodger ◽  
Monica LeGras ◽  
Heta Lampinen ◽  
Ian C. Lau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Reflectance Spectra ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Vibrational Modes ◽  
Diagnostic Features ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mineral Assemblages

Reflectance spectroscopy allows cost-effective and rapid mineral characterisation, addressing mineral exploration and mining challenges. Shortwave (SWIR), mid (MIR) and thermal (TIR) infrared reflectance spectra are collected in a wide range of environments and scales, with instrumentation ranging from spaceborne, airborne, field and drill core sensors to IR microscopy. However, interpretation of reflectance spectra is, due to the abundance of potential vibrational modes in mineral assemblages, non-trivial and requires a thorough understanding of the potential factors contributing to the reflectance spectra. In order to close the gap between understanding mineral-diagnostic absorption features and efficient interpretation of reflectance spectra, an up-to-date overview of major vibrational modes of rock-forming minerals in the SWIR, MIR and TIR is provided. A series of scripts are proposed that allow the extraction of the relative intensity or wavelength position of single absorption and other mineral-diagnostic features. Binary discrimination diagrams can assist in rapidly evaluating mineral assemblages, and relative abundance and chemical composition of key vector minerals, in hydrothermal ore deposits. The aim of this contribution is to make geologically relevant information more easily extractable from reflectance spectra, enabling the mineral resources and geoscience communities to realise the full potential of hyperspectral sensing technologies.

scholarly journals Recent Advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Forest Remote Sensing—A Systematic Review. Part I: A General Framework

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Dainelli ◽  
Piero Toscano ◽  
Salvatore Filippo Di Gennaro ◽  
Alessandro Matese
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Planted Forests ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Aerial Photogrammetry ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

Natural, semi-natural, and planted forests are a key asset worldwide, providing a broad range of positive externalities. For sustainable forest planning and management, remote sensing (RS) platforms are rapidly going mainstream. In a framework where scientific production is growing exponentially, a systematic analysis of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based forestry research papers is of paramount importance to understand trends, overlaps and gaps. The present review is organized into two parts (Part I and Part II). Part II inspects specific technical issues regarding the application of UAV-RS in forestry, together with the pros and cons of different UAV solutions and activities where additional effort is needed, such as the technology transfer. Part I systematically analyzes and discusses general aspects of applying UAV in natural, semi-natural and artificial forestry ecosystems in the recent peer-reviewed literature (2018–mid-2020). The specific goals are threefold: (i) create a carefully selected bibliographic dataset that other researchers can draw on for their scientific works; (ii) analyze general and recent trends in RS forest monitoring (iii) reveal gaps in the general research framework where an additional activity is needed. Through double-step filtering of research items found in the Web of Science search engine, the study gathers and analyzes a comprehensive dataset (226 articles). Papers have been categorized into six main topics, and the relevant information has been subsequently extracted. The strong points emerging from this study concern the wide range of topics in the forestry sector and in particular the retrieval of tree inventory parameters often through Digital Aerial Photogrammetry (DAP), RGB sensors, and machine learning techniques. Nevertheless, challenges still exist regarding the promotion of UAV-RS in specific parts of the world, mostly in the tropical and equatorial forests. Much additional research is required for the full exploitation of hyperspectral sensors and for planning long-term monitoring.

scholarly journals Characterization of a Novel CaCO3-Forming Alkali-Tolerant Rhodococcus erythreus S26 as a Filling Agent for Repairing Concrete Cracks

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 2967
Author(s):  
Seunghoon Choi ◽  
Sungjin Park ◽  
Minjoo Park ◽  
Yerin Kim ◽  
Kwang Min Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Culture Fluid ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Filling Agent ◽  
Calcium Source ◽  
Alkali Tolerance ◽  
High Alkali

Biomineralization, a well-known natural phenomenon associated with various microbial species, is being studied to protect and strengthen building materials such as concrete. We characterized Rhodococcus erythreus S26, a novel urease-producing bacterium exhibiting CaCO3-forming activity, and investigated its ability in repairing concrete cracks for the development of environment-friendly sealants. Strain S26 grown in solid medium formed spherical and polygonal CaCO3 crystals. The S26 cells grown in a urea-containing liquid medium caused culture fluid alkalinization and increased CaCO3 levels, indicating that ureolysis was responsible for CaCO3 formation. Urease activity and CaCO3 formation increased with incubation time, reaching a maximum of 2054 U/min/mL and 3.83 g/L, respectively, at day four. The maximum CaCO3 formation was achieved when calcium lactate was used as the calcium source, followed by calcium gluconate. Although cell growth was observed after the induction period at pH 10.5, strain S26 could grow at a wide range of pH 4–10.5, showing its high alkali tolerance. FESEM showed rhombohedral crystals of 20–60 µm in size. EDX analysis indicated the presence of calcium, carbon, and oxygen in the crystals. XRD confirmed these crystals as CaCO3 containing calcite and vaterite. Furthermore, R. erythreus S26 successfully repaired the artificially induced large cracks of 0.4–0.6 mm width.

scholarly journals A Little Something Goes a Long Way: Little in the Old Bailey Corpus

2021 ◽  
pp. 007542422098206
Author(s):  
Claudia Claridge ◽  
Ewa Jonsson ◽  
Merja Kytö
Keyword(s):  
Good Deal ◽  
Functional Profile ◽  
Prepositional Phrases ◽  
Related Data ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Old Bailey ◽  
Version 2.0 ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Late Modern

Even though intensifiers have received a good deal of attention over the past few decades, downtoners, comprising diminishers and minimizers, have remained by and large a neglected category (but cf. Brinton, this issue). Among downtoners, the adverb little or a little stands out as the most frequent item. It is multifunctional and serves as a diminishing and minimizing intensifier and also in non-degree uses as a quantifier, frequentative, and durative. Therefore, the present paper is devoted to the structural and functional profile of ( a) little in Late Modern English speech-related data. The data source is the socio-pragmatically annotated Old Bailey Corpus (OBC, version 2.0), which allows, among other things, the investigation of the usage of the item among different speaker groups. Our research charts the semantic and formal uses of adverbial little. Downtoner uses outnumber non-degree uses in the data, and diminishing uses are more common than minimizing uses. The formal realization is predominantly a little, with very rare determinerless or modified instances, such as very little. Little modifies a wide range of “targets,” but most frequently adjectives and prepositional phrases, focusing on human states and circumstantial detail. With regard to variation and change, adverbial little declines in use over the 200 years and is used more commonly by speakers from the lower social ranks and by the lay, non-professional participants in the courtroom.

scholarly journals Isolation and Characterization of Strain Exiguobacterium sp. KRL4, a Producer of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from a Tibetan Glacier

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 890
Author(s):  
Pietro Tedesco ◽  
Fortunato Palma Esposito ◽  
Antonio Masino ◽  
Giovanni Andrea Vitale ◽  
Emiliana Tortorella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Analysis ◽  
Biological Assays ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Protein Encoding ◽  
Nematocidal Activity ◽  
Extremophilic Microorganisms ◽  
Unique Source

Extremophilic microorganisms represent a unique source of novel natural products. Among them, cold adapted bacteria and particularly alpine microorganisms are still underexplored. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of a novel Gram-positive, aerobic rod-shaped alpine bacterium (KRL4), isolated from sediments from the Karuola glacier in Tibet, China. Complete phenotypic analysis was performed revealing the great adaptability of the strain to a wide range of temperatures (5–40 °C), pHs (5.5–8.5), and salinities (0–15% w/v NaCl). Genome sequencing identified KRL4 as a member of the placeholder genus Exiguobacterium_A and annotation revealed that only half of the protein-encoding genes (1522 of 3079) could be assigned a putative function. An analysis of the secondary metabolite clusters revealed the presence of two uncharacterized phytoene synthase containing pathways and a novel siderophore pathway. Biological assays confirmed that the strain produces molecules with antioxidant and siderophore activities. Furthermore, intracellular extracts showed nematocidal activity towards C. elegans, suggesting that strain KRL4 is a source of anthelmintic compounds.

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