Developing phoneme-based lip-reading sentences system for silent speech recognition

Lip-reading is a process of interpreting speech by visually analysing lip movements.Recent research in this area has shifted from simple word recognition to lip-reading sentences in the wild.This paper attempts to use phonemes as a classification schema for lip-reading sentences to explore an alternative schema and to enhance system performance.Different classification schemas have been investigated,including characterbased and visemes-based schemas.The visual front-end model of the system consists of a Spatial-Temporal(3D)convolution followed by a 2D ResNet.Transformers utilise multi-headed attention for phoneme recognition models.For the language model,a Recurrent Neural Network is used.The performance of the proposed system has been testified with the BBC Lip Reading Sentences 2(LRS2)benchmark dataset.Compared with the state-of-the-art approaches in lip-reading sentences,the proposed system has demonstrated an improved performance by a 10%lower word error rate on average under varying illumination ratios.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A protects against thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats via suppressing proinflammatory/fibrogenic mediators and promoting hepatic stellate cell senescence and apoptosis

Objective:To evaluate the effect of hydroxysafflor yellow A(HSYA)on thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis.Methods:Thioacetamide was administered to rats intraperitoneally in doses of 200 mg/kg twice a week for 12 weeks.Thioacetamide-intoxicated rats were given silymarin(50 mg/kg)or HSYA(5 mg/kg)orally every day for 8 weeks.Liver enzymes,fibrosis markers,histological changes as well as immunohistochemistry of TNF-α,IL-6,p21,α-SMA,and caspase-3 were examined.The effect of HSYA on HSC-T6 activation/proliferation and apoptosis was also determined in vitro.Results:HSYA decreased liver enzymes,TNF-α,IL-6,and p21 expressions,hepatic PDGF-B,TIMP-1,TGF-β1,and hydroxyproline levels,as well as fibrosis score(S2 vs.S4)compared to the thioacetamide group.HSYA also downregulatedα-SMA while increasing caspase-3 expression.Surprisingly,at 500μg/mL,HSYA had only a slightly suppressive effect on HSC proliferation,with a 9.5%reduction.However,it significantly reduced TGF-β1,inhibitedα-SMA expression,induced caspase-3 expression,and promoted cell senescence.Conclusions:HSYA may be a potential therapeutic agent for delaying and reversing the progression of liver fibrosis.More research on HSYA at higher doses and for a longer period is warranted.

Electric Vehicles Lithium-Polymer Ion Battery Dynamic Behaviour Charging Identification and Modelling Scheme

Lithium-ion batteries are considered the substantial electrical storage element for electric vehicles(EVs). The battery model is the basis of battery monitoring, efficient charging, and safety management. Non-linearmodelling is the key to representing the battery and its dynamic internal parameters and performance. This paperproposes a smart scheme to model the lithium-polymer ion battery while monitoring its present charging currentand terminal voltage at various ambient conditions (temperature and relative humidity). Firstly, the suggestedframework investigated the impact of temperature and relative humidity on the charging process using the constantcurrent-constant voltage (CC-CV) charging protocol. This will be followed by monitoring the battery at thesurrounding operating temperature and relative humidity. Hence, efficient non-linear modelling of the EV batterydynamic behaviour using the Hammerstein-Wiener (H-W) model is implemented. The H-W model is considered ablack box model that can represent the battery without any mathematical equivalent circuit model which reducesthe computation complexity. Finally, the model beholds the boundaries of the charging process, not affecting onthe lifetime of the battery. Several dynamic models are applied and tested experimentally to ensure theeffectiveness of the proposed scheme under various ambient conditions where the temperature is fixed at40°C and the relative humidity (RH) at 35%, 52%, and 70%. The best fit using the H-W model reached 91.83% todescribe the dynamic behaviour of the battery with a maximum percentage of error 0.1 V which is in goodagreement with the literature survey. Besides, the model has been scaled up to represent a real EV and expressedthe significance of the proposed H-W model.

Repositioning of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and glucagon like peptide-1 agonists as potential neuroprotective agents

Repositioning of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists is a breakthrough in the field of neural regeneration research increasing glucagon like peptide-1 bioavailability, hence its neuroprotective activities. In this article, the authors suggest not only crossing blood-brain barrier and neurodegenerative disease as off target for dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists, but also for ophthalmic preparations for diabetic retinopathy, which may be the latest breakthrough in the field if prepared and used in an appropriate nano-formulation to target the retinal nerves. The relation of neurodegenerative diseases' different mechanisms to the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists should be further examined in preclinical and clinical settings. The repositioning of already marketed antidiabetic drugs for neurodegenerative diseases should save the high cost of the time-consuming normal drug development process. Drug repositioning is a hot topic as an alternative to molecular target based drug discovery or therapeutic switching. It is a relatively inexpensive pathway due to availability of previous pharmacological and safety data. The glucagon like peptide-1 produced in brain has been linked to enhanced learning and memory functions as a physiologic regulator in central nervous system by restoring insulin signaling. Intranasal administration of all marketed gliptins(or glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists) may show enhanced blood-brain barrier crossing and increased glucagon like peptide-1 levels in the brain after direct crossing of the drug for the olfactory region, targeting the cerebrospinal fluid. Further blood-brain barrier crossing tests may extend dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors' effects beyond the anti-hyperglycemic control to intranasal spray, intranasal powder, or drops targeting the blood-brain barrier and neurodegenerative diseases with the most suitable formula. Moreover, novel nano-formulation is encouraged either to obtain favorable pharmacokinetic parameters or to achieve promising blood-brain barrier penetration directly through the olfactory region. Many surfactants should be investigated either as a solubilizing agent for hydrophobic drugs or as penetration enhancers. Different formulae based on in vitro and in vivo characterizations, working on sister gliptins(or glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists), different routes of administration, pharmacokinetic studies, dose response relationship studies, monitoring of plasma/brain concentration ratio after single and multiple dose, and neurodegenerative disease animal models are required to prove the new method of use(utility) for dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors as potential neuroprotective agents. Furthermore, investigations of glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists' neuroprotective effects on animal models will be considered carefully because they crossed the blood-brain barrier in previous studies, enabling their direct action on the central nervous system. Combination therapy of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors or glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists with already marketed drugs for neurodegenerative disease should be considered, especially regarding the novel intranasal route of administration.

Natural antibacterial remedy for respiratory tract infections

Objective: To evaluate the antibacterial activity of Egyptian honey against bacteria causing respiratory tract infections.Methods: Sputum and throat swab specimens were used, from which five bacterial species were isolated, namely, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pneumonia were isolated,identified and grown on suitable media for further identification or confirmation. Different concentrations(100%, 75% and 25%) of honey and simulated honey solution were used for activity assay and estimation of minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration.Results: All the tested bacterial isolates were completely susceptible to the 75%concentrations of honey and to the 100% concentration of the simulated honey solution. This may be due to the high osmotic pressure exerted by the high sugar content in both honey samples. Moderate susceptibility of the isolated bacteria to honey at 100%v/v concentration, and resistance to honey at 25% concentration and the 75% and 25%concentrations of simulated honey solution, indicated the presence of other antimicrobial components responsible for the activity other than the osmotic pressure.Therefore, it was suggested that honey showed distinguished antibacterial activities against the most common bacteria causing respiratory infections with varied sensitivity.Conclusions: Honey, a non-toxic, nutritious, safe for human consumption and cheap natural antibacterial agent, should be globalized.

Simultaneous effects of magnetic field and space porosity on compressible Maxwell fluid transport induced by a surface acoustic wave in a microchannel

Peristaltic motion induced by a surface acoustic wave of a viscous, compressible and electrically conducting Maxwell fluid in a confined parallel-plane microchannel through a porous medium is investigated in the presence of a constant magnetic field. The slip velocity is considered and the problem is discussed only for the free pumping case. A perturbation technique is employed to analyze the problem in terms of a small amplitude ratio. The phenomenon of a “backward flow” is found to exist in the center and at the boundaries of the channel. In the second order approximation, the net axial velocity is calculated for various values of the fluid parameters. Finally, the effects of the parameters of interest on the mean axial velocity, the reversal flow, and the perturbation function are discussed and shown graphically. We find that in the non-Newtonian regime, there is a possibility of a fluid flow in the direction opposite to the propagation of the traveling wave. This work is the most general model of peristalsis created to date with wide-ranging applications in biological, geophysical and industrial fluid dynamics.

Preparation of Hydrogel Based on Acryl Amide and Investigation of Different Factors Affecting Rate and Amount of Absorbed Water

Hydrogel is considered as an important material in our world nowadays as it is used in many important and significant applications such as in tissue engineering and agriculture. There are hundreds of types of such materials, where most of them can be easily prepared. The main objective of this work is to prepare one of the hydrogel types which could be very useful in the agriculture of deserts where plants in dry places require water in order to grow up. There are many places around the world where raining occurs only once or twice a year. There are also places where it does not rain at all. Therefore, hydrogels are required in order to absorb water in large quantities either during raining or irrigation instead of escaping to underground and then eject them to the roots of plants over time as the plants require watering. In this research a hydrogel based on acryl amide, Poly 2-Acrylamide-2-Methyl-1-Propane Sulphonic Acid, (PAMPS) was prepared by using different percentages of a suitable cross-linking agent, Methylene-bis-Acrylamide. The cross-linker content is very important factor affects the rate and amount of absorbed water. The highest amount of absorbed water at 25°C was observed by using 0.6% cross-linking agent based on monomer mass. The temperature of absorbed water and its pH value are also essential factors that affect the rate and the amount of absorbed water and were investigated in this work. The highest amount of absorbed water was recorded at pH = 12 and at 60°C. The amount and the rate of water absorbed by Sodium Polyacrylate Hydrogel were also investigated at 25°C. The agriculture applications of hydrogel based on Sodium Polyacrylate were examined using Fenugreek seeds implanting.

Interaction between compressibility and particulate suspension on peristaltically driven flow in planar channel

The peristaltic pumping of a viscous compressible liquid mixed with rigid spherical particles of the same size in a channel is theoretically investigated. The momentum equations for the compressible flow are solved with a perturbation analysis. The analysis is carried out by duly accounting for the nonlinear convective acceleration terms for the fluid part on the wavy wall. The zeroth-order terms yield the Poiseuille flow, and the first-order terms give the Orr-Sommerfeld equation. The explicit expression for the net axial velocity is derived. The effects of the embedded parameters on the axial fluid velocity are studied through different engineering applications. The features of the flow characteristics are analyzed and discussed in detail. The obtained results are evaluated for various parameters associated with the blood flow in the blood vessels with diameters less than 5 500 μm, whereas the particle diameter has been taken to be 8 μm. This study provides a scope to evaluate the effect of the theory of two-phase flow characteristics with compressible fluid problems, and is helpful for understanding the role of engineering applications of pumping solid-fluid mixture by peristaltically driven motion.

Cylindrically Symmetric Solution in Teleparallel Theory

引力和电磁的领域的 teleparallel 理论的一个特殊的类的领域方程被用于与光线的并列 r 和方位角角度 th 的四个未知函数有圆柱的对称的四个空格。有有关它的特定的表格的一个假设的真空压力精力动量张肌产生一个重要准确分析答案。这个答案被经常的磁场参数 B0 描绘。如果 B0 = 0，那么，答案将归结为扁平的 spacetime。精力内容用 Moller 在 teleparallel 几何学的框架给的 superpotential 被计算。在一个范围包含的精力被发现与能接受的结果不同。[从作者抽象]

Energy and momentum of general spherically symmetric frames on the regularizing teleparallelism

In the context of the covariant teleparallel framework, we use the 2-form translational momentum to compute the total energy of two general spherically symmetric frames. The first one is characterized by an arbitrary function H（r）, which preserves the spherical symmetry and reproduces all the previous solutions, while the other one is characterized by a parameter ξ which ensures the vanishing of the axial of trace of the torsion. We calculate the total energy by using two procedures, i.e., when the WeitzenbSck connection Гα^β is trivial, and show how H（r） and ξ play the role of an inertia that leads the total energy to be unphysical. Therefore, we take into account Гα^β and show that although the spacetimes we use contain an arbitrary function and one parameter, they have no effect on the form of the total energy and momentum as it should be.

Energy,momentum and angular momentum in the dyadosphere of a charged spacetime in teleparallel equivalent of general relativity

We apply the energy momentum and angular momentum tensor to a tetrad field, with two unknown functions of radial coordinate, in the framework of a teleparallel equivalent of general relativity （TEGR）. The definition of the gravitational energy is used to investigate the energy within the external event horizon of the dyadosphere region for the Reissner-NordstrSm black hole. We also calculate the spatial momentum and angular momentum.

Gravitational radiation fields in teleparallel equivalent of general relativity and their energies

We derive two new retarded solutions in the teleparallel theory equivalent to general relativity （TEGR）. One of these solutions gives a divergent energy. Therefore, we use the regularized expression of the gravitational energymomentum tensor, which is a coordinate dependent. A detailed analysis of the loss of the mass of Bondi space-time is carried out using the flux of the gravitational energy-momentum.

Erratum to“Simultaneous effects of magnetic field and space porosity on compressible Maxwell fluid transport induced by a surface acoustic wave in a microchannel”

We would like to acknowledge the misprinted terms in our published paper“Simultaneous effects of magnetic field and space porosity on compressible Maxwell fluid transport induced by a surface acoustic wave in a microchannel”[Chin.Phys.B 22124702(2013)].Since only two misprints exist and the main results of the published paper are correct,we present the correct equations in this erratum.

Implementing Effective Learning with Ubiquitous Learning Technology During Coronavirus Pandemic

Ubiquitous computing supports U-learning to develop and implement a new educational environment that provides effective and interactive learning to students wherever they are.This study aims to present a qualitative evaluation for using U-learning instead of traditional education to avoid the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.The authors introduce a UTAUT(Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology)model to assess the capability of the given factors that are expected to affect the learners’intention and behavior for accepting the U-learning technology for full E-learning.The research study shows a promising impact on the use of U-learning apps for implementing their learning activities in both the present and coming stage.The study also presents the descriptive statistics that affect the students’answers by using U-learning while implementing learning assignments including exams,projects,forums,essays,presentations,and laboratories.The research experiments demonstrate both the composite reliability(CR)and the average variance extracted(AVE)of the presented paradigm.The experimental results have shown that(1)the factor loadings≥0.75,CR≥0.9,and AVE≥0.75,which present appropriate proof for the validity and reliability of the proposed model,and(2)the total average of students that accept the U-learning is 82.99%,and who disagree is 8.13%,while who neither agree nor disagree is 6.44%.

Bianchi type I in f(T) gravitational theories

A tetrad field that is homogeneous and anisotropic which contains two unknown functions A（t） and B（t） of cosmic time is applied to the field equations of f（T）, where T is the torsion scalar, T = T~μ_（νρ）S_μ^（νρ）. We calculate the equation of continuity and rewrite it as a product of two brackets, the first is a function of f（T） and the second is a function of the two unknowns A（t） and B（t）. We use two different relations between the two unknown functions A（t） and B（t） in the second bracket to solve it. Both of these relations give constant scalar torsion and solutions coincide with the de Sitter one. So,another assumption related to the contents of the matter fields is postulated. This assumption enables us to drive a solution with a non-constant value of the scalar torsion and a form of f（T） which represents ΛCDM.

Concircular π-Vector Fields and Special Finsler Spaces

The aim of the present paper is to investigate intrinsically the notion of a concircular π-vector field in Finsler geometry. This generalizes the concept of a concircular vector field in Riemannian geometry and the concept of concurrent vector field in Finsler geometry. Some properties of concircular π-vector fields are obtained. Different types of recurrence are discussed. The effect of the existence of a concircular π-vector field on some important special Finsler spaces is investigated. Almost all results obtained in this work are formulated in a coordinate-free form.

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Potential Inhibitory Activities of Some Natural Antiviral Compounds Via Molecular Docking and Dynamics Approaches

Coronaviruses caused an outbreak pandemic disease characterized by a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome leading to the infection of more than 200 million patients and the death of more than 4 million individuals.The primary treatment is either supportive or symptomatic.Natural products have an important role in the development of various drugs.Thus,screening of natural compounds with reported antiviral activities can lead to the discovery of potential inhibitory entities against coronaviruses.In the current study,an in-silico molecular docking experiment was conducted on the effects of some of these natural antiviral phytoconstituents,(e.g.,procyanidin B2,theaflavin,quercetin,ellagic acid,caffeoylquinic acid derivatives,berginin,eudesm-1β,6α,11-triol and arbutin),on the crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 main protease(PDB ID:6w63)using AutoDock-Vina software.Many of the docked compounds revealed good binding affinity,with procyanidin B2(–8.6 Kcal/mol)and theaflavin(–8.5 Kcal/mol)showing a better or similar binding score as the ligand(–8.5 Kcal/mol).Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out at 100 ns and revealed that procyanidin B2 forms a more stable complex with SARS-CoV-2 main protease than theaflavin.Procyanidin B2,theaflavin,and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were evaluated for toxicity by ProTox-II webserver and were non-toxic according to the predicted LD50 values and safe on different organs and pathways.Additionally,these phytoconstituents showed good ADME properties and acceptable lipophilicity,as evaluated using WLOGP.Amongst the tested compounds,procyanidin B2 showed the highest lipophilic value.It is worth mentioning that these natural inhibitiors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease are components of green and black tea that can be used as a supporting supplement for COVID patients or as potential nuclei for further drug design and development campaigns.

Code Smell Detection Using Whale Optimization Algorithm

Software systems have been employed in many fields as a means to reduce human efforts;consequently,stakeholders are interested in more updates of their capabilities.Code smells arise as one of the obstacles in the software industry.They are characteristics of software source code that indicate a deeper problem in design.These smells appear not only in the design but also in software implementation.Code smells introduce bugs,affect software maintainability,and lead to higher maintenance costs.Uncovering code smells can be formulated as an optimization problem of finding the best detection rules.Although researchers have recommended different techniques to improve the accuracy of code smell detection,these methods are still unstable and need to be improved.Previous research has sought only to discover a few at a time(three or five types)and did not set rules for detecting their types.Our research improves code smell detection by applying a search-based technique;we use the Whale Optimization Algorithm as a classifier to find ideal detection rules.Applying this algorithm,the Fisher criterion is utilized as a fitness function to maximize the between-class distance over the withinclass variance.The proposed framework adopts if-then detection rules during the software development life cycle.Those rules identify the types for both medium and large projects.Experiments are conducted on five open-source software projects to discover nine smell types that mostly appear in codes.The proposed detection framework has an average of 94.24%precision and 93.4%recall.These accurate values are better than other search-based algorithms of the same field.The proposed framework improves code smell detection,which increases software quality while minimizing maintenance effort,time,and cost.Additionally,the resulting classification rules are analyzed to find the software metrics that differentiate the nine code smells.

Performance enhancement of a DC-operated micropump with electroosmosis in a hybrid nanofluid:fractional Cattaneo heat flux problem

The purpose of this investigation is to theoretically shed some light on the effect of the unsteady electroosmotic flow(EOF)of an incompressible fractional secondgrade fluid with low-dense mixtures of two spherical nanoparticles,copper,and titanium.The flow of the hybrid nanofluid takes place through a vertical micro-channel.A fractional Cattaneo model with heat conduction is considered.For the DC-operated micropump,the Lorentz force is responsible for the pressure difference through the microchannel.The Debye-H¨ukel approximation is utilized to linearize the charge density.The semianalytical solutions for the velocity and heat equations are obtained with the Laplace and finite Fourier sine transforms and their numerical inverses.In addition to the analytical procedures,a numerical algorithm based on the finite difference method is introduced for the given domain.A comparison between the two solutions is presented.The variations of the velocity heat transfer against the enhancements in the pertinent parameters are thoroughly investigated graphically.It is noticed that the fractional-order parameter provides a crucial memory effect on the fluid and temperature fields.The present work has theoretical implications for biofluid-based microfluidic transport systems.

A Developed Material as a Nuclear Radiation Shield for Personal Wearing

A new composite of silicone rubber and boric acid was developed to be used as a personal wearing for protection from nuclear radiation. The capability of this material for absorbing thermal neutrons of different intensities followed by a detonation of nuclear weapon has been investigated. This investigation was performed by using californium-252 neutron source of like fission spectrum. The thermal neutron flux was measured behind different thicknesses of the developed material using a BF3 detector. Two positions of measurements were performed;at position near the detonation where the intensity of thermal neutron flux is low and at position far from the detonation where the intensity of thermal neutron is high. For both cases, the contribution of total thermal, initial incident and new produced thermal neutron fluxes are measured. The obtained results indicated that, addition of boron with concentration of about 17% to the silicon rubber tends to decrease the flux by more than 70%.