Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structured Prediction of 3D Human Pose with Deep Neural Networks

Most recent approaches to monocular 3D pose estimation rely on Deep Learning. They either train a Convolutional Neural Network to directly regress from image to 3D pose, which ignores the dependencies between human joints, or model these dependencies via a max-margin structured learning framework, which involves a high computational cost at inference time. In this paper, we introduce a Deep Learning regression architecture for structured prediction of 3D human pose from monocular images that relies on an overcomplete autoencoder to learn a high-dimensional latent pose representation and account for joint dependencies. We demonstrate that our approach outperforms state-of-the-art ones both in terms of structure preservation and prediction accuracy.
‘Death... more desirable than life’? The human skeletal record and toxicological implications of ancient copper mining and smelting in Wadi Faynan, southwestern Jordan

Skeletal material from 36 people, dating from the early Christian era, who lived by or worked in the notorious Roman copper mines of Phaeno, were analysed to determine their exposure to copper and lead. We demonstrate that many of the bones analysed had a substantially higher concentration of these cations than modern individuals exposed to metals through industrial processes. Health, toxicological and environmental implications of these data are reviewed.
On Relaxing Metric Information in Linear Temporal Logic

Metric LTL formulas rely on the next operator to encode time distances, whereas qualitative LTL formulas use only the until operator. This paper shows how to transform any metric LTL formula M into a qualitative formula Q, such that Q is satisfiable if and only if M is satisfiable over words with variability bounded with respect to the largest distances used in M (i.e., occurrences of next), but the size of Q is independent of such distances. Besides the theoretical interest, this result can help simplify the verification of systems with time-granularity heterogeneity, where large distances are required to express the coarse-grain dynamics in terms of fine-grain time units.
A Spectral Pitch Class Model of the Probe Tone Data and Scalic Tonality

In this paper, we introduce a small family of novel bottom-up (sensory) models of the Krumhansl and Kessler (1982) probe tone data. The models are based on the spectral pitch class similarities between all twelve pitch classes and the tonic degree and tonic triad. Cross-validation tests of a wide selection of models show ours to have amongst the highest fits to the data. We then extend one of our models to predict the tonics of a variety of different scales such as the harmonic minor, melodic minor, and harmonic major. The model produces sensible predictions for these scales. Furthermore, we also predict the tonics of a small selection of microtonal scales—scales that do not form part of any musical culture. These latter predictions may be tested when suitable empirical data have been collected.
Characteristics of the Aragonitic Layer in Adult Oyster Shells, Crassostrea gigas: Structural Study of Myostracum including the Adductor Muscle Scar

Myostracum, which is connected from the umbo to the edge of a scar, is not a single layer composed of prismatic layers, but a hierarchically complex multilayered shape composed of minerals and an organic matrix. Through the analysis of the secondary structure, the results revealed that a β-antiparallel structure was predominant in the mineral phase interface between the myostracum (aragonite) and bottom folia (calcite). After the complete decalcification and deproteinization, the membrane obtained from the interface between the myostracum buried in upper folia, and the bottom folia was identified as chitin. The transitional zone in the interface between the adductor muscle scar and folia are verified. The myostracum disappeared at the edge of the scar of the posterior side. From this study, the entire structure of the myostracum from the adult oyster shell of Crassostrea gigas could be proposed.
Intensive care unit length of stay: Benchmarking based on Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IV*

Objective:To revise and update the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) model for predicting intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. Design:Observational cohort study. Setting:One hundred and four ICUs in 45 U.S. hospitals. Patients:Patients included 131,618 consecutive ICU admissions during 2002 and 2003, of which 116,209 met inclusion criteria. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:The APACHE IV model for predicting ICU length of stay was developed using ICU day 1 patient data and a multivariate linear regression procedure to estimate the precise ICU stay for randomly selected patients who comprised 60% of the database. New variables were added to the previous APACHE III model, and advanced statistical modeling techniques were used. Accuracy was assessed by comparing mean observed and mean predicted ICU stay for the excluded 40% of patients. Aggregate mean observed ICU stay was 3.86 days and mean predicted 3.78 days (p < .001), a difference of 1.9 hrs. For 108 (93%) of 116 diagnoses, there was no significant difference between mean observed and mean predicted ICU stay. The model accounted for 21.5% of the variation in ICU stay across individual patients and 62% across ICUs. Correspondence between mean observed and mean predicted length of stay was reduced for patients with a short (≤1.7 days) or long (≥9.4 days) ICU stay and a low (<20%) or high (>80%) risk of death on ICU day 1. Conclusions:The APACHE IV model provides clinically useful ICU length of stay predictions for critically ill patient groups, but its accuracy and utility are limited for individual patients. APACHE IV benchmarks for ICU stay are useful for assessing the efficiency of unit throughput and support examination of structural, managerial, and patient factors that affect ICU stay.
Interplanetary dust distribution and temporal variability of Mercury's atmospheric Na

The interplanetary dust (IPD) distribution in the inner solar system is not yet well understood because of lack of direct dust measurements in the inner solar system and so one needs to rely on zodiacal light observations that are difficult to interpret. Mercury has an unstable atmosphere, and the source processes of Na in its atmosphere are unclear. Results of past observations have revealed that the atmospheric Na density has no or low correlation with the solar flux, sunspot number, heliocentric distance, or solar radiation pressure. We show that the variability of Mercury's atmospheric Na density depends strongly on the IPD distribution. That is, Na density is low (high) when Mercury is far away from (close to) the symmetry plane of IPD, and so one can infer the IPD distribution near Mercury orbit from the temporal variability of Na density in Mercury's atmosphere.
The MERL/SRI system for the 3RD CHiME challenge using beamforming, robust feature extraction, and advanced speech recognition

This paper introduces the MERL/SRI system designed for the 3rd CHiME speech separation and recognition challenge (CHiME-3). Our proposed system takes advantage of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) throughout the model from the front speech enhancement to the language modeling. Two different types of beamforming are used to combine multi-microphone signals to obtain a single higher quality signal. Beamformed signal is further processed by a single-channel bi-directional long short-term memory (LSTM) enhancement network which is used to extract stacked mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) features. In addition, two proposed noise-robust feature extraction methods are used with the beamformed signal. The features are used for decoding in speech recognition systems with deep neural network (DNN) based acoustic models and large-scale RNN language models to achieve high recognition accuracy in noisy environments. Our training methodology includes data augmentation and speaker adaptive training, whereas at test time model combination is used to improve generalization. Results on the CHiME-3 benchmark show that the full cadre of techniques substantially reduced the word error rate (WER). Combining hypotheses from different robust-feature systems ultimately achieved 9.10% WER for the real test data, a 72.4% reduction relative to the baseline of 32.99% WER.
Fatty Acid Compositions of Lipids in Mesenteric Adipose Tissue and Lymphoid Cells in Patients with and Without Crohn's Disease and Their Therapeutic Implications

Background: The physiological bases for roles of adipose tissue and fatty acids in the symptoms and dietary treatments of Crohn's disease (CD) are poorly understood. The hypothesis developed from experiments on rodents that perinodal adipocytes are specialized to provision adjacent lymphoid tissues was tested by comparing the composition of triacylglycerol and phospholipid fatty acids in homologous samples of mesenteric adipose tissue and lymph nodes from patients with or without CD. Methods: Mesenteric perinodal and other adipose tissue and lymph nodes were collected during elective surgery for CD and other conditions. Fatty acids were extracted, identified, and quantified by thin‐layer and gas‐liquid chromatography. Results: Perinodal adipose tissue contained more unsaturated fatty acids than other adipose tissue in controls, as reported for other mammals, but site‐specific differences were absent in CD. Lipids from adipose and lymphoid tissues had more saturated fatty acids but fewer polyunsaturates in patients with CD than controls. In adipose tissue samples, depletion of n‐3 polyunsaturates was greatest, but n‐6 polyunsaturates, particularly arachidonic acid, were preferentially reduced in lymphoid cells. Ratios of n‐6/n‐3 polyunsaturates were higher in adipose tissue but lower in lymphoid cells in patients with CD than in controls. Conclusions: Site‐specific differences in fatty acid composition in normal human mesentery are consistent with local interactions between lymph node lymphoid cells and adjacent adipose tissue. These site‐specific properties are absent in CD, causing anomalies in composition of lymphoid cell fatty acids, which may explain the efficacy of elemental diets containing oils rich in n‐6 polyunsaturates.
An intensive follow-up does not change survival of patients with clinical stage I endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND The clinical benefit of an intensive follow-up protocol in endometrial cancer patients is still uncertain. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and thirty-three patients underwent initial abdominal surgery for clinical stage I endometrial cancer between January 1988 and December 1997 and were periodically followed-up until April 1999 or until death. After surgery, 89 patients received postoperative adjuvant treatment. Periodical surveillance included physical examination, vaginal smear and abdominal-pelvic ultrasound every 3-4 months for the first 2 years from surgery, every 6 months for the next 3 years and yearly thereafter. Chest X-ray was performed every 6 months for the first 2 years, every year for the next 3 years and with individually increasing intervals afterwards. An abdominal-pelvic CT scan was carried out yearly for 5 years. RESULTS Twenty-four patients (18.0%) developed recurrent disease after a median time of 17.5 months (range, 6-64 months). Five-year actuarial disease-free survival was 81.2% in the whole series, and in detail 94.2% in the subset of patients with FIGO stage Ia grade 1 or 2 endometrioid adenocarcinoma, or stage Ib grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma (low-risk), compared to 76.0 (p = 0.0472) in the subset of patients with stage Ia grade 3 endometrioid adenocarcinoma, stage Ib grade 2 or 3 endometrioid adenocarcinoma, stage equal to or greater than Ic endometrioid adenocarcinoma any grade, and aggressive histologies (high-risk). The site of recurrent disease was local in 6 (25.0%) patients, distant in 17 (70.8%), and local plus distant in 1 (4.2%). Eleven (45.8%) recurrences were symptomatic and 13 (54.2%) were asymptomatic. The median survival after recurrence was 10 months. Survival was longer in patients who relapsed after 17.5 months from initial surgery when compared to those who relapsed earlier (p = 0.02). Conversely, survival after recurrence was not related to patient characteristics at diagnosis, such as FIGO stage, tumor grade, myometrial invasion, histologic type, and lymph node status. It is noteworthy that survival was similar in asymptomatic women, in whom the relapse was occasionally detected by follow-up examinations, and in symptomatic ones. CONCLUSION An intensive surveillance protocol seems to have no significant impact on the outcome of patients with clinical stage I endometrial cancer. Simplified follow-up programs tailored for patient subsets with different recurrence risk are required.
Longer-term needs of stroke survivors with communication difficulties living in the community: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

Objective To review and synthesise qualitative literature relating to the longer-term needs of community dwelling stroke survivors with communication difficulties including aphasia, dysarthria and apraxia of speech. Design Systematic review and thematic synthesis. Method We included studies employing qualitative methodology which focused on the perceived or expressed needs, views or experiences of stroke survivors with communication difficulties in relation to the day-to-day management of their condition following hospital discharge. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences and AMED and undertook grey literature searches. Studies were assessed for methodological quality by two researchers independently and the findings were combined using thematic synthesis. Results Thirty-two studies were included in the thematic synthesis. The synthesis reveals the ongoing difficulties stroke survivors can experience in coming to terms with the loss of communication and in adapting to life with a communication difficulty. While some were able to adjust, others struggled to maintain their social networks and to participate in activities which were meaningful to them. The challenges experienced by stroke survivors with communication difficulties persisted for many years poststroke. Four themes relating to longer-term need were developed: managing communication outside of the home, creating a meaningful role, creating or maintaining a support network and taking control and actively moving forward with life. Conclusions Understanding the experiences of stroke survivors with communication difficulties is vital for ensuring that longer-term care is designed according to their needs. Wider psychosocial factors must be considered in the rehabilitation of people with poststroke communication difficulties. Self-management interventions may be appropriate to help this subgroup of stroke survivors manage their condition in the longer-term; however, such approaches must be designed to help survivors to manage the unique psychosocial consequences of poststroke communication difficulties.
Onset of action of escitalopram compared with other antidepressants: results of a pooled analysis

In general, antidepressant drugs are regarded as too slow acting. Most patients who benefit from treatment require more than 2 weeks of therapy to respond to treatment. An efficacious and well-tolerated antidepressant drug with an earlier onset of effect would be of greater interest to clinicians and patients. To study the onset of effect of escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), data were pooled from controlled randomized clinical double-blind trials comparing this drug with other antidepressant drugs (SSRIs and venlafaxine XR) in major depressive disorder (MDD), with assessments of the primary efficacy parameter [mean change in the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score from baseline, using last observation carried forward]. The mean change in MADRS total scores was significantly higher for escitalopram-treated patients than for patients treated with the comparators on day 7 (−3.9 versus −3.4, respectively, P=0.029). This difference remained significant and in favour of escitalopram at all subsequent assessments. Using secondary outcomes (Clinical Global Impression of Improvement and Severity scales and early improvement), the results consistently showed a statistically significantly faster onset of effect of escitalopram compared to other antidepressants. In conclusion, by using the MADRS scale and pooling data from the escitalopram clinical trials in MDD comparing escitalopram with other active antidepressant drugs, escitalopram was shown to be a fast-acting antidepressant with a more rapid onset of effect than the comparators, particularly other SSRIs.
Interactions Between Levels of Instructional Detail and Expertise When Learning with Computer Simulations

Based on cognitive load theory, the effect of different levels of instructional detail and expertise in a simulationbased environment on learning about concepts of correlation was investigated. Separate versions of the learning environment were designed for the four experimental conditions which differed only with regard to the levels of written instructional detail. One hundred and forty Grade 10 (lower-expertise) and Grade 11 (higher-expertise) students participated in this experiment. In accord with the expertise reversal effect, the results supported the hypothesis that higher levels of instructional detail benefited learning for lower-expertise learners, whereas lower levels of detail facilitated learning for higher-expertise learners. It was concluded that the level of instructional guidance needed to match learners’ levels of expertise.
Community-acquired lung respiratory infections in HIV-infected patients: microbial aetiology and outcome

We describe the aetiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in HIV-infected patients, risk factors for bacterial or Pneumocystis jirovecii CAP and prognostic factors of 30-day mortality. This was a prospective observational study of 331 consecutive adult CAP cases in HIV-infected patients (January 2007 to July 2012). 128 (39%) patients had CD4+ cell counts <200 per mm3 and 99 (43%) ha HIV RNA levels <200 copies per mL on antiretroviral therapy. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most frequent microorganism in the group with CD4+ cell counts ≥200 per mm3; P. jirovecii was the most frequent microorganism in the group with CD4+ cell counts <200 per mm3 and in patients with HIV RNA ≥200 copies per mL. Predictors of bacterial CAP were: time with symptoms ≤5 days (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.5–4.4), C-reactive protein level ≥22 mg·dL−1 (OR 4.3, 95% CI 2.3–8.2) and hepatitis C virus co-infection (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4–3.9). White blood cell count ≤4×1012 per L (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.2–11.5), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level ≥598 U·L−1 (OR 12.9, 95% CI 4.2–39.7) and multilobar infiltration (OR 5.8, 95% CI 1.9–19.5) were predictors of P. jirovecii. Overall 30-day mortality was 7%. Appropriate antibiotic treatment (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.03–0.4), LDH ≥598 U·L−1 (OR 6.2, 95% CI 1.8–21.8) and mechanical ventilation (OR 22.0, 95% CI 6.2–78.6) were the variables independently associated with 30-day mortality. The described predictors may help clinicians to distinguish between bacterial and P. jirovecii pneumonia in patients with suspected or confirmed HIV infection. Clinical risk factors in HIV patients to distinguish between bacterial and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia http://ow.ly/sV2hf
SIDAM – A Structured Interview for the diagnosis of Dementia of the Alzheimer type, Multi-infarct dementia and dementias of other aetiology according to ICD-10 and DSM-III-R

SYNOPSIS The SIDAM – a new instrument for the symptomatic diagnosis and measurement of dementia according to DSM-III-R and ICD-10 – is described. It comprises a brief structured clinical interview, a range of cognitive tests (e.g. including the Mini-Mental State (Folstein et al. 1975)) which constitute a short neuropsychological battery and a section for clinical judgement and third party information. All items rely on DSM-III-R and ICD-10 algorithms. The SIDAM has a high overall test–retest reliability which equally holds true on the diagnostic, criterion and item level. It is a brief (average of 28 min), practical and easily scored diagnostic instrument, which reliably separates subjects with DSM-III-R and ICD-10 dementia from those without such a disorder. Good congruence was found between SIDAM diagnoses and corresponding ICD-9 expert diagnoses. Furthermore, the SIDAM-Score (SISCO) allows a detailed measurement of even low levels of cognitive impairment and provides quantification of severity grading of cognitive dysfunction.
Short Article: Inhibition of irrelevant category–response mappings

When switching tasks, performance tends to be worse for n – 2 repetitions than with n – 2 switches. This n – 2 repetition cost has been hypothesized to reflect task-set inhibition: specifically, inhibition of irrelevant category–response mappings involved in response selection. This hypothesis leads to divergent predictions for situations in which all tasks involve the same stimulus categories: An n – 2 repetition cost is predicted when response sets differ across tasks, but not when the response set stays the same. The authors tested these predictions by having subjects perform relative judgements with different reference points. In Experiment 1, the stimulus categories were the same across reference points, but the response set either differed or stayed the same (the multiple- and single-mapping conditions, respectively). An n – 2 repetition cost was found in the multiple-mapping condition but not in the single-mapping condition. Experiment 2 provided evidence against the possibility that these divergent effects reflected differences in memory load. These findings confirm predictions that link n – 2 repetition costs to inhibition of irrelevant category–response mappings.
Pyramidal cell development: postnatal spinogenesis, dendritic growth, axon growth, and electrophysiology

Here we review recent findings related to postnatal spinogenesis, dendritic and axon growth, pruning and electrophysiology of neocortical pyramidal cells in the developing primate brain. Pyramidal cells in sensory, association and executive cortex grow dendrites, spines and axons at different rates, and vary in the degree of pruning. Of particular note is the fact that pyramidal cells in primary visual area (V1) prune more spines than they grow during postnatal development, whereas those in inferotemporal (TEO and TE) and granular prefrontal cortex (gPFC; Brodmann's area 12) grow more than they prune. Moreover, pyramidal cells in TEO, TE and the gPFC continue to grow larger dendritic territories from birth into adulthood, replete with spines, whereas those in V1 become smaller during this time. The developmental profile of intrinsic axons also varies between cortical areas: those in V1, for example, undergo an early proliferation followed by pruning and local consolidation into adulthood, whereas those in area TE tend to establish their territory and consolidate it into adulthood with little pruning. We correlate the anatomical findings with the electrophysiological properties of cells in the different cortical areas, including membrane time constant, depolarizing sag, duration of individual action potentials, and spike-frequency adaptation. All of the electrophysiological variables ramped up before 7 months of age in V1, but continued to ramp up over a protracted period of time in area TE. These data suggest that the anatomical and electrophysiological profiles of pyramidal cells vary among cortical areas at birth, and continue to diverge into adulthood. Moreover, the data reveal that the “use it or lose it” notion of synaptic reinforcement may speak to only part of the story, “use it but you still might lose it” may be just as prevalent in the cerebral cortex.