Various speech enhancement Algorithms (SEA) have been developed in the last few decades. Each algorithm has its advantages and disadvantages because the speech signal is affected by environmental situations. Distortion of speech results in the loss of important features that make this signal challenging to understand. SEA aims to improve the intelligibility and quality of speech that different types of noise have degraded. In most applications, quality improvement is highly desirable as it can reduce listener fatigue, especially when the listener is exposed to high noise levels for extended periods (e.g., manufacturing). SEA reduces or suppresses the background noise to some degree, sometimes called noise suppression algorithms. In this research, the design of SEA based on different speech models (Laplacian model or Gaussian model) has been implemented using two types of discrete transforms, which are Discrete Tchebichef Transform and Discrete Tchebichef-Krawtchouk Transforms. The proposed estimator consists of dual stages of a wiener filter that can effectively estimate the clean speech signal. The evaluation measures' results show the proposed SEA's ability to enhance the noisy speech signal based on a comparison with other types of speech models and a self-comparison based on different types and levels of noise. The presented algorithm's improvements ratio regarding the average SNRseq are 1.96, 2.12, and 2.03 for Buccaneer, White, and Pink noise, respectively.
In this paper, the characteristics of microstrip monopole antennas are studied firstly in free space. Secondly, the effects of the human body on the studied antenna's performance are investigated for wearable communications. Different patch shapes of microstrip monopole antenna are chosen to operate at two bands: industrial scientific and medical band (ISM) and ultra-wideband (UWB) for wearable applications. The studied antenna consists of a radiating element on one side of the substrate and a partial ground plane on the other side. The antenna is supposed to fabricate on cloth fabric whose relative dielectric constant is Ɛr =1.7. At the same time, the pure copper could be used as the conducting part representing both t
... Show MoreIn this study, the upgrading of Iraqi heavy crude oil was achieved utilizing the solvent deasphalting approach (SDA) and enhanced solvent deasphalting (e-SDA) by adding Nanosilica (NS). The NS was synthesized from local sand. The XRD result, referred to as the amorphous phase, has a wide peak at 2Θ= (22 - 23º) The inclusion of hydrogen-bonded silanol groups (Si–O–H) and siloxane groups (Si–O–Si) in the FTIR spectra. The SDA process was handled using n-pentane solvent at various solvent to oil ratios (SOR) (4-16/1ml/g), room and reflux temperature, and 0.5 h mixing time. In the e-SDA process, various fractions of the NS (1–7 wt.%) have been utilized with 61 nm particle size and 560.86 m²/g surface area in the presence of 12 m
... Show MoreA new pavement technology has been developed in Highway engineering: asphalt pavement production is less susceptible to oxidation and the consequent damages. The warm mix asphalt (WMA) is produced at a temperature of about (10-40) oC lower than the hot asphalt paving. This is done using one of the methods of producing a WMA. Although WMA's performance is rather good, according to previous studies, as it is less susceptible to oxidation, it is possible to modify some of its properties using different materials, including polymers. Waste tires of vehicles are one of the types of polymers because of their flexible properties. The production of HMA, WMA, and WMA modified with proportions of (1, 1.5, and 2%) of rub
... Show MoreThis research study examines the impact of information technology on firm profitability and stock returns. Using a comprehensive dataset of firms across various industries, this research employs rigorous statistical analysis techniques to investigate the relationship between IT investments, firm profitability metrics, and stock returns. The study focuses at how IT investments affect financial performance measures including return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE), with P-values of 0.34 and 0.12, respectively. Furthermore, the study investigates the influence of IT on stock returns, taking into account market capitalization, industry trends, and macroeconomic variables. This study's conclusions center on the beneficial assoc
... Show MoreContinuous escalation of the cost of generating energy is preceded by the fact of scary depletion of the energy reserve of the fossil fuels and pollution of the environment as developed and developing countries burn these fuels. To meet the challenge of the impending energy crisis, renewable energy has been growing rapidly in the last decade. Among the renewable energy sources, solar energy is the most extensively available energy, has the least effect on the environment, and is very efficient in terms of energy conversion. Thus, solar energy has become one of the preferred sources of renewable energy. Flat-plate solar collectors are one of the extensively-used and well-known types of solar collectors. However, the effectiveness of the coll
... Show MoreInterest in belowground plant growth is increasing, especially in relation to arguments that shallow‐rooted cultivars are efficient at exploiting soil phosphorus while deep‐rooted ones will access water at depth. However, methods for assessing roots in large numbers of plants are diverse and direct comparisons of methods are rare. Three methods for measuring root growth traits were evaluated for utility in discriminating rice cultivars: soil‐filled rhizotrons, hydroponics and soil‐filled pots whose bottom was sealed with a non‐woven fabric (a potential method for assessing root penetration ability). A set of 38 rice genotypes including the Oryza