Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved Speech Reconstruction from Silent Video

Speechreading is the task of inferring phonetic information from visually observed articulatory facial movements, and is a notoriously difficult task for humans to perform. In this paper we present an end-to-end model based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) for generating an intelligible and natural-sounding acoustic speech signal from silent video frames of a speaking person. We train our model on speakers from the GRID and TCD-TIMIT datasets, and evaluate the quality and intelligibility of reconstructed speech using common objective measurements. We show that speech predictions from the proposed model attain scores which indicate significantly improved quality over existing models. In addition, we show promising results towards reconstructing speech from an unconstrained dictionary.
The biology of PCSK9 from the endoplasmic reticulum to lysosomes: new and emerging therapeutics to control low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) directly binds to the epidermal growth factor-like repeat A domain of low-density lipoprotein receptor and induces its degradation, thereby controlling circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration. Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in PCSK9 can decrease the incidence of coronary heart disease by up to 88%, owing to lifelong reduction of LDL-C. Moreover, two subjects with PCSK9 loss-of-function mutations on both alleles, resulting in a total absence of functional PCSK9, were found to have extremely low circulating LDL-C levels without other apparent abnormalities. Accordingly, PCSK9 could represent a safe and effective pharmacological target to increase clearance of LDL-C and to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Recent clinical trials using anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies that block the PCSK9:low-density lipoprotein receptor interaction were shown to considerably reduce LDL-C levels by up to 65% when given alone and by up to 72% in patients already receiving statin therapy. In this review, we will discuss how major scientific breakthroughs in PCSK9 cell biology have led to the development of new and forthcoming LDL-C-lowering pharmacological agents.
Perceived Ubiquity in Mobile Services Shintaro Okazaki ⁎ &

Ubiquity has been referred to as one of the most important characteristics of mobile services. In this study, an instrument for the measurement of perceived ubiquity reflecting the benefits derived from continuity, immediacy, portability, and searchability is developed using a multiple stage approach. In the initial stage, perceived ubiquity is conceptualized through interdisciplinary perspectives as a multidimensional, 32 item eight factor construct. In the second stage, the original measurement is pretested on a student sample and recalibrated into a 16 item four factor instrument. In the third stage, general consumers are invited to complete a task in which they are asked to perform a search with a mobile device before rating the measurement items. A confirmatory factor analysis produces a 12 item four factor instrument. Furthermore, a second order structure results from a statistical comparison of alternative models through a competing model strategy. In the final stage, we use a scenario method to validate the measurement tool while establishing discriminant, nomological, and known group validities. The thorough validation results demonstrate the value of our instrument as a measurement tool of perceived ubiquity that is useful in describing the unique nature of mobile devices and predicting differences in user perceptions of mobile services and desktop PC services. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, important limitations are recognized and future research directions are suggested.
Structured Learning for Cell Tracking

We study the problem of learning to track a large quantity of homogeneous objects such as cell tracking in cell culture study and developmental biology. Reliable cell tracking in time-lapse microscopic image sequences is important for modern biomedical research. Existing cell tracking methods are usually kept simple and use only a small number of features to allow for manual parameter tweaking or grid search. We propose a structured learning approach that allows to learn optimum parameters automatically from a training set. This allows for the use of a richer set of features which in turn affords improved tracking compared to recently reported methods on two public benchmark sequences.
Regulation with Wage Bargaining

In many regulated industries labour unions are strong and there is clear empirical evidence of labour rent-sharing. In this Paper, we study optimal regulation in a model in which wages are determined endogenously by wage bargaining at the firm level. A seemingly robust conclusion, at least when worker bargaining power is considerable, is that incentives for cost efficiency should be stronger than in the standard case in which wages do not depend on the regulatory regime.
CJAMmer - traffic JAM Cause Prediction using Boosted Trees

A traffic incident is defined by an event which provokes a disruption on the normal (free) flow condition of any highway. Such incidents must be caused by a recurrent excessive demand or, in alternative, by a series of possible stochastic occurrences which may suddenly reduce the road capacity (e.g. car accidents, extreme weather changes). This paper proposes a novel binary supervised learning method to classify congestion predictions regarding their causes - CJAMmer. It leverages on heterogeneous and ubiquitous data sources - such as weather, flow counts and traffic incident event logs - to generalize decision models able to understand the road congestion nature. CJAMmer settles on boosted decision trees using the well-known C4.5, as well as a straightforward feature generation process. A real world experiment was used to compare this method against other state-of-the-art classifiers. The results uncovered the high potential impact of this methodology on industrial scale traffic control systems.
Scalable Inference on Kingman's Coalescent using Pair Similarity

We present a scalable sequential Monte Carlo algorithm and its greedy counterpart for models based on Kingman’s coalescent. We utilize fast nearest neighbor algorithms to limit expensive computations to only a subset of data point pairs. For a dataset size of n, the resulting algorithm has O(nlogn) computational complexity. We empirically verify that we achieve a large speedup in computation. When the gain in speed is used for increasing the number of particles, we can often obtain significantly better samples than those of previous algorithms. We apply our algorithm for learning visual taxonomies of birds on 6033 examples, a dataset size for which previous algorithms fail to be feasible.
Fotoplatica: An Innovative Teaching Method for Families With Low Literacy and High Stress

From Minority Satellite Program, Pediatric Pavilion, LAC-USC Medical Center, Childrens Center for Hematology-Oncology, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. Supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institutes grant no. 3 U10 CA 02649-37S1. Address reprint requests to Christine Harlander, RN, BSN, Clinical Trials Coordinator, Minority Satellite Program, Childrens Center for Hematology-Oncology, Mailstop #54, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90027. uELPI(yG underprivileged families obtain acj 1 cess to health care is an important national policy issue, and it is one purpose of the Minority Satellite Program (MSP) sponsored by the national Cancer Institute. Since 1988, we have been implementing the MSP at the Pediatric Pavilion of the Los Angeles CountyUniversity of Southern California Medical Center to improve the treatment of underprivileged Latino children with cancer by their entry into the national pediatric clinical trials of the Childrens Cancer Group. Providing access to protocol care is the first step. Helping these families understand and adhere to complex treatment regimens is an ongoing effort, and a significant aspect of our MSP nursing responsibility. The Pediatric Pavilion accrues approximately 40 newly diagnosed patients annually with a variety of malignant diseases. Virtually 100% of this patient population is of Latino ethnicity; a majority are non-English speaking. Before the MSP was implemented, none of these patients were entered on clinical trials because no mech-
Dynamic locomotion of a biomorphic quadruped ‘ Tekken ’ robot using various gaits : walk , trot , free-gait and bound

Numerous quadruped walking and running robots have been developed to date. Each robot walks by means of a crawl, walk, trot or pace gait, or runs by means of a bound and/or gallop gait. However, it is very difficult to design a single robot that can both walk and run because of problems related to mechanisms and control. In response to this, we adapted a biological control method for legged locomotion in order to develop a dog-like quadruped robot we have named ‘Tekken’. Tekken has a control system that incorporates central pattern generators, reflexes and responses as well as a mechanism that makes the most of the control system. Tekken, which is equipped with a single mechanism, an unchangeable control method, and modifiable parameters, is capable of achieving walking and trotting on flat terrain, can walk using a free gait on irregular terrain, and is capable of running on flat terrain using a bounding gait. In this paper, we describe the mechanism, the control method and the experimental results of our new development.
Energy Drink Consumption and Cardiac Complications: A Case for Caution

We present a case of atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response in a 28-year-old previously healthy man in the context of daily consumption of 2 Monster energy drinks and 2 to 3 beers. We have obtained consent from this patient to present his case. Our observation adds to the developing literature describing an association between highly caffeinated drinks and adverse cardiovascular events. The previous cases in the literature and the proposed underlying mechanisms of this association are briefly discussed in this article. With the rising popularity of energy drinks, clinicians should be aware of their arrhythmogenic potential and consider screening for these products in patients who present with otherwise unexplained arrhythmias.
Sensor Data Mining Model and System Design : A Review

The sensor data, which is inputted from sensor Network, is stream data having continuous and infinite properties. The previous data mining techniques cannot be used on sensor data because of these properties. Application services in the sensor network are only event alert services which perceive the events from sensors and alert the events to the supervisor. In this paper, we define continuous sensor data mining model and design a system based on the model. The system can service useful knowledge by continuous sensor data mining using gathered data from sensor in the sensor network. Sensor data is classified into three data types, which are simple sensor data, continuous sensor data, and sensor event data, and define sensor data mining models about outlier analysis, pattern analysis, and prediction analysis. After the definition of model, we design a system which can be used in application services City Environment Management, etc., based on these mining models in sensor network environment.
Analyzing Body Movements within the Laban Effort Framework Using a Single Accelerometer

This article presents a study on analyzing body movements by using a single accelerometer sensor. The investigated categories of body movements belong to the Laban Effort Framework: Strong—Light, Free—Bound and Sudden—Sustained. All body movements were represented by a set of activities used for data collection. The calculated accuracy of detecting the body movements was based on collecting data from a single wireless tri-axial accelerometer sensor. Ten healthy subjects collected data from three body locations (chest, wrist and thigh) simultaneously in order to analyze the locations comparatively. The data was then processed and analyzed using Machine Learning techniques. The wrist placement was found to be the best single location to record data for detecting Strong—Light body movements using the Random Forest classifier. The wrist placement was also the best location for classifying Bound—Free body movements using the SVM classifier. However, the data collected from the chest placement yielded the best results for detecting Sudden—Sustained body movements using the Random Forest classifier. The study shows that the choice of the accelerometer placement should depend on the targeted type of movement. In addition, the choice of the classifier when processing data should also depend on the chosen location and the target movement.
The Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency on Bone Structure and Remodeling in Adult Rats with a Normal Mineral Homeostasis

Skeletal health problems caused by vitamin D deficiency are mainly attributed to hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia and hyperparathyroidism, but whether low serum 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D concentrations directly affect bone cell activity remains subject of debate. Therefore, the aim was to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency accompanied by normal serum calcium and phosphate concentrations in adult rats affects bone remodeling and bone structure as well as genes involved in local vitamin D metabolism in bone. Three months old male Wistar rats were fed either a diet containing 1.5 IU vitamin D/gram, 1% calcium and 0.7% phosphate (n=10) or a vitamin D deficient diet containing 2% calcium, 1.25% phosphate and 20% lactose in combination with six injections of paricalcitol during the first two weeks (n=10) to deplete vitamin D stores. Within three weeks, vitamin D deficiency was induced in the rats receiving the paricalcitol injections in combination with the vitamin D deficient diet, while serum calcium and phosphate concentrations were kept within the normal range. After ten weeks, rats were sacrificed. Histomorphometric analysis revealed that vitamin D deficiency in adult rats accompanied by normal serum calcium and phosphate concentrations did not have negative effects on bone structure and remodeling. Bone cells did also not respond to low serum 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D levels by altered expression levels of CYP27B1, CYP24 and VDR. These results suggest that vitamin D deficient adult rats receiving a diet high in calcium, phosphate and lactose do not develop a vitamin D deficient bone phenotype.
Using Modeling to Improve the Performance of Asynchronous Jacobi

Asynchronous algorithms may increase performance of parallel applications. This work investigates strategies for implementing asynchronous hybrid parallel MPIOpenMP Jacobi solvers, and generates a predictive performance model that suggests solver parameters that are well-suited to a specific problem. Results show that making efforts to equalize the number of iterations for all processing elements benefits performance and solution quality.
ÉTAT DES CONNAISSANCES Analogies immunologiques du cancer de l ’ ovaire et de la grossesse Immunological analogies between ovarian cancer and pregnancy

a Service de chirurgie gynécologique, hôpital Jeanne-de-Flandre, CHRU de Lille, 59037 Lille cedex, France b Service de chirurgie, centre Oscar-Lambret, 59020 Lille cedex, France c Laboratoire de spectrométrie de masse biologique fondamentale et appliquée, EA4550, université Lille Nord de France, université Lille 1, 59037 Lille cedex, France d Département universitaire de gynécologie obstétrique, université Lille Nord de France, 59655 Villeneuve-d’Ascq cedex, France
Effect of Combined Aspirin and Extended-Release Dipyridamole Versus Clopidogrel on Functional Outcome and Recurrence in Acute, Mild Ischemic Stroke: PRoFESS Subgroup Analysis

Background and Purpose— Long-term antiplatelet therapy is effective at reducing recurrence after ischemic stroke. However, the relative safety and efficacy of combined aspirin-dipyridamole or clopidogrel are not known in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods— The factorial PRoFESS secondary prevention trial assessed antiplatelet and blood pressure–lowering strategies in 20 332 patients, 1360 of whom were randomized within 72 hours of ischemic stroke to combined aspirin (Asp; 25 mg BID) and extended-release dipyridamole (ER-DP; 200 mg BID, n=672) or clopidogrel (75 mg/d, n=688). The primary outcome for this post hoc subgroup analysis was functional outcome at 30 days; secondary outcomes included recurrence and death by 90 days. Analyses were adjusted for baseline prognostic variables and blood pressure treatment assignment. Results— Patients were representative of the whole trial (age 67 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 3, small-artery occlusion 59%), and baseline variables were similar between treatment groups. The mean time from stroke to recruitment was 58 hours. By 90 days, treatment was no longer being taken in 121 (18%) patients randomized to Asp/ER-DP and in 86 (12.5%) assigned to clopidogrel (P=0.006). Combined death or dependency (shift analysis of modified Rankin Scale score at day 30) did not differ between treatment groups (odds ratio [OR]=0.97; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.19). Nonsignificant trends to reduced recurrence (OR=0.56; 95% CI, 0.26 to 1.18) and vascular events (OR=0.71; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.37) were present with Asp/ER-DP. Rates of death, major bleeding, and serious adverse events did not differ between treatment groups. Conclusions— Treatment with combined Asp/ER-DP vs clopidogrel in 1360 patients with acute, mild ischemic stroke did not differ in terms of effects on functional outcome, recurrence, death, bleeding, or serious adverse events. Both treatments were practical to administer.
iD 2 predicts poor prognosis in breast cancer , especially in triple-negative breast cancer , and inhibits e-cadherin expression

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress. com/permissions.php OncoTargets and Therapy 2014:7 1083–1094 OncoTargets and Therapy Dovepress
Multiplex PCR Protocol for the Diagnosis of Staphylococcal Infection

ABSTRACT We report the development of a multiplex PCR protocol for the diagnosis of staphylococcal infection. The protocol was designed to (i) detect any staphylococcal species to the exclusion of other bacterial pathogens (based on primers corresponding toStaphylococcus-specific regions of the 16S rRNA genes), (ii) distinguish between S. aureus and the coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) (based on amplification of theS. aureus-specific clfA gene), and (iii) provide an indication of the likelihood that the staphylococci present in the specimen are resistant to oxacillin (based on amplification of the mecA gene). The expected fragments were amplified from each of 60 staphylococcal isolates (13 oxacillin-resistantS. aureus isolates, 23 oxacillin-sensitive S. aureus isolates, 17 oxacillin-resistant CNS, and 7 oxacillin-sensitive CNS). No amplification products were observed with template DNA from nonstaphylococcal species, and the efficiency of amplification of staphylococcal targets was not adversely affected by the presence of DNA from other bacterial species in the same sample. The utility of the protocol for the analysis of clinical samples was verified by analysis of aliquots taken directly from BacT/Alert blood culture bottles. Of 77 blood cultures tested, only 7 yielded results inconsistent with those of conventional methods of diagnosis and susceptibility testing. Of those, one was identified as a CNS species by PCR and S. aureus by conventional methods. We also identified two isolates that were mecA positive but were oxacillin sensitive according to conventional methods. The other four samples failed to yield any amplification product even with a control set of primers corresponding to a conserved region of the eubacterial rRNA genes.
On tool support for Service Level Management: From requirements to system specifications

Service level management (SLM) is a vital discipline in customer-oriented IT service management. Covering technical as well as organizational and economic aspects, this multi-dimensional management area has become even more important against the background of the business-driven IT management (BDIM) paradigm. Today, tools and management solutions available for SLM face three major challenges: First, the lack of an established platform-independent model (PIM) for SLM entails the existence of hard- to-integrate "islands" of support tools and makes an integrated approach to SLM tool support all but impossible. Secondly, the current solutions are mostly focused on SLA-speciflc issues, neglecting significant SLM responsibilities such as the deployment of service catalogs. Lastly, the limited perspective of many existing SLM solutions disregards the important links between SLM-related management tasks and those of other management disciplines such as fault or performance management. This paper presents first results of ongoing research aiming at developing a practicable, integrated solution for SLM, addressing above mentioned challenges. To this end, essential requirements are pointed out, and four common modules of a management architecture for SLM are outlined.
Impact of acute hepatitis B virus superinfection on chronic hepatitis c virus infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) dual infection is not uncommon, but the impact of acute HBV superinfection in patients with chronic HCV infection is still unknown. Two patients with well documented chronic HCV infection were hospitalized for acute hepatitis, which was serologically confirmed to be acute HBV superinfection. One patient who was seropositive for both HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA upon admission died of hepatic failure. The other became seronegative for HCV-RNA and recovered with alanine aminotransferase normalization, seroclearance of HBsAg, and antibodies to HCV. These findings confirm that acute superinfection in patients with chronic hepatitis may increase the risk for severe hepatitis, and suggest that HBV as the newcomer may suppress the pre-existing HCV. Together with the earlier observation that acute HCV superinfection suppresses pre-existing HBV, it seems that the timing or sequence of infection is a factor influencing the outcome of viral interactions.
European Association for South Asian Archaeology and Art meeting. The ingredients for a 4000-year-old proto-curry.

When cooks in the ancient Indus River civilization prepared their meals 4000 years ago, the results may not have been much different from what you might order today in an Indian restaurant. Recent studies presented at the meeting found a surprisingly diverse Indus diet that incorporated spices such as ginger and turmeric, beans such as lentils and mung, grains such as rice and millet, and even bananas. An explosion in food-related studies, thanks to both new tools and new interest in rural villages, provides exciting clues to day-to-day life in the Indus, experts says.