Advances in speech transcription at IBM under the DARPA EARS program

This paper describes the technical and system building advances made in IBM's speech recognition technology over the course of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Effective Affordable Reusable Speech-to-Text (EARS) program. At a technical level, these advances include the development of a new form of feature-based minimum phone error training (fMPE), the use of large-scale discriminatively trained full-covariance Gaussian models, the use of septaphone acoustic context in static decoding graphs, and improvements in basic decoding algorithms. At a system building level, the advances include a system architecture based on cross-adaptation and the incorporation of 2100 h of training data in every system component. We present results on English conversational telephony test data from the 2003 and 2004 NIST evaluations. The combination of technical advances and an order of magnitude more training data in 2004 reduced the error rate on the 2003 test set by approximately 21% relative-from 20.4% to 16.1%-over the most accurate system in the 2003 evaluation and produced the most accurate results on the 2004 test sets in every speed category.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In situ</Emphasis> monitoring of solid fat content by means of pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and ultrasonics

An ultrasonic technique was developed to study the crystallization process of edible fats on-line. A chirp wave was used instead of the conventional pulser signal, thus achieving a higher signal-to-noise ratio. This enabled measurements to be made in concentrated systems [≈20% solid fat content (SFC)] through a 8.11-cm thick sample without significant signal loss. Fat samples were crystallized at 20, 25, and 30°C at a constant agitation rate of 400 rpm for 90 min. The crystallization process was followed by ultrasonic spectroscopy and a low-resolution pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. Specific relationships were found between ultrasonic parameters [integrated response, time of flight (TF), and full width half maximum] and SFC. TF, which is an indirect measurement of the ultrasonic velocity (v), was highly correlated to SFC (r ²>0.9) in a linear fashion (v=2.601 SFC+1433.0).     

Co-Expression and Co-Localization of Cartilage Glycoproteins CHI3L1 and Lubricin in Osteoarthritic Cartilage: Morphological,Immunohistochemical and Gene Expression Profiles

Osteoarthritis is the most common human arthritis characterized by degeneration of articular cartilage. Several studies reported that levels of human cartilage glycoprotein chitinase 3-like-1 (CHI3L1) are known as a potential marker for the activation of chondrocytes and the progression of Osteoarthritis (OA), whereas lubricin appears to be chondroprotective. The aim of this study was to investigate the co-expression and co-localization of CHI3L1 and lubricin in normal and osteoarthritic rat articular cartilage to correlate their modified expression to a specific grade of OA. Samples of normal and osteoarthritic rat articular cartilage were analyzed by the Kellgren–Lawrence OA severity scores, the Kraus’ modified Mankin score and the Histopathology Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) system for histomorphometric evaluations, and through CHI3L1 and lubricin gene expression, immunohistochemistry and double immuno-staining analysis. The immunoexpression and the mRNA levels of lubricin increased in normal cartilage and decreased in OA cartilage (normal vs. OA, p < 0.01). By contrast, the immunoexpression and the mRNA levels of CHI3L1 increased in OA cartilage and decreased in normal cartilage (normal vs. OA, p < 0.01). Our findings are consistent with reports suggesting that these two glycoproteins are functionally associated with the development of OA and in particular with grade 2/3 of OA, suggesting that in the future they could be helpful to stage the severity and progression of the disease.     

Chemical Processes During Energy‐Saving Preparation of Lightweight Ceramics

Lightweight glass‐ceramic material similar to foam glass was obtained at 700°C–800°C directly from alkali‐activated silica clay and zeolitized tuff without preliminary glass preparation. It was characterized by low bulk density of 100–250 kg/m³ and high pore size homogeneity. Chemical processes occurring in alkali‐activated silica clay and zeolitized tuff were studied using X‐ray diffraction, thermal gravimetry, IR‐spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Pore formation in both compositions is caused by dehydration of hydrated sodium polysilicates (Na₂O·mSiO₂·nH₂O), formed during alkali activation. Additional pore‐forming gas source in alkali‐activated zeolitized tuff is trona, Na₃(CO₃)(HCO₃)·2H₂O, formed during interaction between unbound NaOH and CO₂ and H₂O from air. Influence of mechanical activation of raw materials on chemical processes occurring in alkaline compositions was also studied.     

Sewage sludge digestion at increased micropollutant content

Research was conducted, which aim was to evaluate quantitative and qualitative PCB changes in sewage sludge during mesophilic digestion, and the influence of those compound concentration above acceptable level (1.9 mg kg⁻¹ of sludge dry matter), also nickel and cadmium ions, on mesophilic digestion process. Before and after the digestion, concentration of seven PCB congeners, Ni and Cd in particular chemical fractions of the sludge was analyzed.     

Production and purification of a fused recombinant protein gp-36 (HIV-2) from Escherichia coli

A fragment of the gp-36 gene of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 2 (HIV-2) was fused to a stabilizer sequence, which encodes for the first N-terminal 58 amino acids of the human interleukin-2. The fused protein was expressed under the control of the tryptophan promoter in Escherichia coli, and expressed as 20% of the total cellular protein. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the fusion protein formed cytoplasmic insoluble inclusion bodies. Inclusion bodies were semipurified by a wash pellet cell procedure, rendering a material with a purity higher than 70% by SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. After solubilization with urea, this preparation was further purified by gel-filtration chromatography up to 95% purity.     

Determination of Iron Species in Samples of Iron-Fortified Food

The paper presents the determination of iron forms in food products. The procedure of sample extraction was developed and optimized, preserving the content of particular forms of iron. The colorimetric method using 2,2′-bipirydyl (measurements at 520 nm) was applied in Fe(II) determinations, while in Fe(III) determinations, the colorimetric method with potassium thiocyanate (measurements at 470 nm) was applied. The total content of iron was determined by the technique of atomic absorption spectrometry, which allowed for the determination of iron content in organic and inorganic complex compounds. Detection limits of 1 mg kg^?1 were obtained for all determined iron forms, with the precision ranging between 0.7 % and 1.5 % for 10 mg kg^?1 concentration. The optimized analytical procedure was applied in the determinations of iron forms in iron-fortified food products.     

Production of dihydroxyacetone from an aqueous solution of glycerol in the reaction catalyzed by an immobilized cell preparation of acetic acid bacteria Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC 621

Dihydroxyacetone (1,3-dihydroxy-2-propanone, DHA) is applied in the food and cosmetic industries as well as in pharmacy and medicine. It is produced as a result of incomplete oxidation of glycerol by acetic acid bacteria Gluconobacter oxydans. This reaction is catalyzed by PQQ-dependent membrane-bound glycerol dehydrogenase. The research developed a method of obtaining DHA by oxidation of a 3?% aqueous solution of glycerol (pH 7.5) at a temperature of 23?°C, with the only reaction biocatalyst being an immobilized cell preparation obtained from G. oxydans cells. After 5?days of the process, DHA concentration in the solution accounted for 27.2?g/L and the reaction efficiency for 94?%. After 4?days of the reaction run in culture media with pH 5.0, at a temperature of 28?°C, free or immobilized cells of G. oxydans produced on average 25?g of DHA/L at the reaction efficiency of 87?%.