Challenges in development of the American Sign Language Lexicon Video Dataset (ASLLVD) corpus

The American Sign Language Lexicon Video Dataset (ASLLVD) consists of videos of >3,300 ASL signs in citation form, each produced by 1-6 native ASL signers, for a total of almost 9,800 tokens. This dataset, including multiple synchronized videos showing the signing from different angles, will be shared publicly once the linguistic annotations and verifications are complete. Linguistic annotations include gloss labels, sign start and end time codes, start and end handshape labels for both hands, morphological and articulatory classifications of sign type. For compound signs, the dataset includes annotations for each morpheme. To facilitate computer vision-based sign language recognition, the dataset also includes numeric ID labels for sign variants, video sequences in uncompressed-raw format, camera calibration sequences, and software for skin region extraction. We discuss here some of the challenges involved in the linguistic annotations and categorizations. We also report an example computer vision application that leverages the ASLLVD: the formulation employs a HandShapes Bayesian Network (HSBN), which models the transition probabilities between start and end handshapes in monomorphemic lexical signs. Further details and statistics for the ASLLVD dataset, as well as information about annotation conventions, are available from http://www.bu.edu/asllrp/lexicon

RPYS i/o: A web-based tool for the historiography and visualization of citation classics, sleeping beauties, and research fronts

Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS) and Multi-RPYS provide algorithmic approaches to reconstructing the intellectual histories of scientific fields. With this brief communication, we describe a technical advancement for developing research historiographies by introducing RPYS i/o, an online tool for performing standard RPYS and Multi-RPYS analyses interactively (at http://comins.leydesdorff.net/). The tool enables users to explore seminal works underlying a research field and to plot the influence of these seminal works over time. This suite of visualizations offers the potential to analyze and visualize the myriad of temporal dynamics of scientific influence, such as citation classics, sleeping beauties, and the dynamics of research fronts. We demonstrate the features of the tool by analyzing--as an example--the references in documents published in the journal Philosophy of Science

A new web interface to facilitate access to corpora: development of the ASLLRP data access interface

A significant obstacle to broad utilization of corpora is the difficulty in gaining access to the specific subsets of data and annotations that may be relevant for particular types of research. With that in mind, we have developed a web-based Data Access Interface (DAI), to provide access to the expanding datasets of the American Sign Language Linguistic Research Project (ASLLRP). The DAI facilitates browsing the corpora, viewing videos and annotations, searching for phenomena of interest, and downloading selected materials from the website. The web interface, compared to providing videos and annotation files off-line, also greatly increases access by people that have no prior experience in working with linguistic annotation tools, and it opens the door to integrating the data with third-party applications on the desktop and in the mobile space. In this paper we give an overview of the available videos, annotations, and search functionality of the DAI, as well as plans for future enhancements. We also summarize best practices and key lessons learned that are crucial to the success of similar projects

NEW shared & interconnected ASL resources: SignStream® 3 Software; DAI 2 for web access to linguistically annotated video corpora; and a sign bank

2017 marked the release of a new version of SignStream® software, designed to facilitate linguistic analysis of ASL video. SignStream® provides an intuitive interface for labeling and time-aligning manual and non-manual components of the signing. Version 3 has many new features. For example, it enables representation of morpho-phonological information, including display of handshapes. An expanding ASL video corpus, annotated through use of SignStream®, is shared publicly on the Web. This corpus (video plus annotations) is Web-accessible—browsable, searchable, and downloadable—thanks to a new, improved version of our Data Access Interface: DAI 2. DAI 2 also offers Web access to a brand new Sign Bank, containing about 10,000 examples of about 3,000 distinct signs, as produced by up to 9 different ASL signers. This Sign Bank is also directly accessible from within SignStream®, thereby boosting the efficiency and consistency of annotation; new items can also be added to the Sign Bank. Soon to be integrated into SignStream® 3 and DAI 2 are visualizations of computer-generated analyses of the video: graphical display of eyebrow height, eye aperture, an

Tumor innate immunity primed by specific interferon-stimulated endogenous retroviruses.

Mesenchymal tumor subpopulations secrete pro-tumorigenic cytokines and promote treatment resistance1-4. This phenomenon has been implicated in chemorefractory small cell lung cancer and resistance to targeted therapies5-8, but remains incompletely defined. Here, we identify a subclass of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) that engages innate immune signaling in these cells. Stimulated 3 prime antisense retroviral coding sequences (SPARCS) are oriented inversely in 3' untranslated regions of specific genes enriched for regulation by STAT1 and EZH2. Derepression of these loci results in double-stranded RNA generation following IFN-γ exposure due to bi-directional transcription from the STAT1-activated gene promoter and the 5' long terminal repeat of the antisense ERV. Engagement of MAVS and STING activates downstream TBK1, IRF3, and STAT1 signaling, sustaining a positive feedback loop. SPARCS induction in human tumors is tightly associated with major histocompatibility complex class 1 expression, mesenchymal markers, and downregulation of chromatin modifying enzymes, including EZH2. Analysis of cell lines with high inducible SPARCS expression reveals strong association with an AXL/MET-positive mesenchymal cell state. While SPARCS-high tumors are immune infiltrated, they also exhibit multiple features of an immune-suppressed microenviroment. Together, these data unveil a subclass of ERVs whose derepression triggers pathologic innate immune signaling in cancer, with important implications for cancer immunotherapy

Multi-dimensional modelling for the national mapping agency: a discussion of initial ideas, considerations, and challenges

The Ordnance Survey, the National Mapping Agency (NMA) for Great Britain, has recently begun to research the possible extension of its 2-dimensional geographic information into a multi-dimensional environment. Such a move creates a number of data creation and storage issues which the NMA must consider. Many of these issues are highly relevant to all NMA’s and their customers alike, and are presented and explored here. This paper offers a discussion of initial considerations which NMA’s face in the creation of multi-dimensional datasets. Such issues include assessing which objects should be mapped in 3 dimensions by a National Mapping Agency, what should be sensibly represented dynamically, and whether resolution of multi-dimensional models should change over space. This paper also offers some preliminary suggestions for the optimal creation method for any future enhanced national height model for the Ordnance Survey. This discussion includes examples of problem areas and issues in both the extraction of 3-D data and in the topological reconstruction of such. 3-D feature extraction is not a new problem. However, the degree of automation which may be achieved and the suitability of current techniques for NMA’s remains a largely unchartered research area, which this research aims to tackle. The issues presented in this paper require immediate research, and if solved adequately would mark a cartographic paradigm shift in the communication of geographic information – and could signify the beginning of the way in which NMA’s both present and interact with their customers in the future

Community Development Evaluation Storymap and Legend

Community based organizations, funders, and intermediary organizations working in the community development field have a shared interest in building stronger organizations and stronger communities. Through evaluation these organizations can learn how their programs and activities contribute to the achievement of these goals, and how to improve their effectiveness and the well-being of their communities. Yet, evaluation is rarely seen as part of a non-judgemental organizational learning process. Instead, the term "evaluation" has often generated anxiety and confusion. The Community Development Storymap project is a response to those concerns.Illustrations found in this document were produced by Grove Consultants

Replication of Known Dental Characteristics in Porcine Skin: Emerging Technologies for the Imaging Specialist

This study demonstrates that it is sometimes possible to replicate patterns of human teeth in pig skin and determine scientifically that a given injury pattern (bite mark) correlates with the dentitions of a very small proportion of a population dataset, e.g., 5 percent or even 1 percent. The authors recommend building on the template of this research with a sufficiently large database of samples that reflects the diverse world population. They also envision the development of a sophisticated imaging software application that enables forensic examiners to insert parameters for measurement, as well as additional methods of applying force to produce bite marks for research. The authors further advise that this project is applied science for injury pattern analysis and is only foundational research that should not be cited in testimony and judicial procedures. It supplements but does not contradict current guidelines of the American Board of Forensic Odontology regarding bite mark analysis and comparisons. A much larger population database must be developed. The project’s methodology is described in detail, accompanied by 11 tables and 41 figures