Integrating Prosodic and Lexical Cues for Automatic Topic Segmentation

We present a probabilistic model that uses both prosodic and lexical cues for the automatic segmentation of speech into topically coherent units. We propose two methods for combining lexical and prosodic information using hidden Markov models and decision trees. Lexical information is obtained from a speech recognizer, and prosodic features are extracted automatically from speech waveforms. We evaluate our approach on the Broadcast News corpus, using the DARPA-TDT evaluation metrics. Results show that the prosodic model alone is competitive with word-based segmentation methods. Furthermore, we achieve a significant reduction in error by combining the prosodic and word-based knowledge sources.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figure

A subset of metzincins and related genes constitutes a marker of human solid organ fibrosis

Metzincins and functionally related genes play important roles in extracellular matrix remodeling both in healthy and fibrotic conditions. We recently presented a transcriptomic classifier consisting of 19 metzincins and related genes (MARGS) discriminating biopsies from renal transplant patients with or without interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IF/TA) by virtue of gene expression measurement (Roedder et al., Am J Transplant 9:517-526, 2009). Here we demonstrate that the same algorithm has diagnostic value in non-transplant solid organ fibrosis. We used publically available microarray datasets of 325 human heart, liver, lung, kidney cortex, and pancreas microarray samples (265 with fibrosis, 60 healthy controls). Expression of nine commonly differentially expressed genes was confirmed by TaqMan low-density arrays (Applied Biosystems, USA) in 50 independent archival tissue specimens with matched histological diagnoses to microarray patients. In separate and in combined, integrated microarray data analyses of five datasets with 325 samples, the previously published MARGS classifier for renal post-transplant IF/TA had a mean AUC of 87% and 82%, respectively. These data demonstrate that the MARGS gene panel classifier not only discriminates IF/TA from normal renal transplant tissue, but also classifies solid organ fibrotic conditions of human pancreas, liver, heart, kidney, and lung tissue samples with high specificity and accuracy, suggesting that the MARGS classifier is a cross-platform, cross-organ classifier of fibrotic conditions of different etiologies when compared to normal tissu

Dynamic behaviour of bridges under critical articulated trains: Signature and bogie factor applied to the review of some regulations included in EN 1991-2

[EN] The information contained in this paper will be of interest not only to bridge engineers, but also to train manufacturers. The article provides practical insight into the degree of coverage of realarticulated trains(ATs) that Eurocode EN1991-2 guarantees. In both the design of new railway bridges, as well as in the assessment of existing ones, the importance of a detailed knowledge of thelimits of validityofload modelscannot be overemphasised. Being essential components of the rail transportation system, the capacity of bridges to withstand future traffic demands will be determined precisely by the load models. Therefore, accurate definition of the limits of validity of such models reveals crucial when increased speeds and/or increased axle loads are required by transportation pressing priorities. The most relevant load model for a significant portion of the bridges in high-speed railway lines is the so-called HSLM-A model, defined in EN1991-2. Their limits of validity are described in Annex E of such code. For its singular importance, the effects of vibrations induced by HSLM-A are analysed in this paper with attention to the response ofsimply supported bridges. This analysis is carried out in a view to determine whether the limits of validity given in Annex E of EN1991-2 cover the largest part of cases of interest. Specifically, the vibration effects of HSLM-A are compared with those of the ATs described in such Annex E, and the response is analysed in depth for simply supported bridges, which are structures especially sensitive to passing trains at high speeds. New theoretical approaches have been developed in order to undertake this investigation, including a novel, simplified expression of thetrain signaturefor ATs that is convenient for its low computational cost. The mathematical proofs are included in the first part of the paper and two separate appendices.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was partially developed during a stay performed by Pedro Museros at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, within the Division of Structural Engineering and Bridges (Stockholm, Sweden). The financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana, through the program BEST2019 for research stays (Subvenciones para estancias de personal investigador doctor en centros de investigacion radicados fuera de la Comunitat Valenciana), as well as the permission obtained from the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia to carry out such stay, are gratefully acknowledged.Museros Romero, P.; Andersson, A.; Marti, V.; Karoumi, R. (2021). Dynamic behaviour of bridges under critical articulated trains: Signature and bogie factor applied to the review of some regulations included in EN 1991-2. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part F, Journal of rail and rapid transit (Online). 235(5):655-675. https://doi.org/10.1177/0954409720956476S655675235

Peripheral and central employment of acid-sensing ion channels during early bilaterian evolution

Nervous systems are endowed with rapid chemosensation and intercellular signaling by ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs). While a complex, bilaterally symmetrical nervous system is a major innovation of bilaterian animals, the employment of specific LGICs during early bilaterian evolution is poorly understood. We therefore questioned bilaterian animals’ employment of acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), LGICs that mediate fast excitatory responses to decreases in extracellular pH in vertebrate neurons. Our phylogenetic analysis identified an earlier emergence of ASICs from the overarching DEG/ENaC (degenerin/epithelial sodium channel) superfamily than previously thought and suggests that ASICs were a bilaterian innovation. Our broad examination of ASIC gene expression and biophysical function in each major bilaterian lineage of Xenacoelomorpha, Protostomia, and Deuterostomia suggests that the earliest bilaterian ASICs were probably expressed in the periphery, before being incorporated into the brain as it emerged independently in certain deuterostomes and xenacoelomorphs. The loss of certain peripheral cells from Ecdysozoa after they separated from other protostomes likely explains their loss of ASICs, and thus the absence of ASICs from model organisms Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans. Thus, our use of diverse bilaterians in the investigation of LGIC expression and function offers a unique hypothesis on the employment of LGICs in early bilaterian evolution.publishedVersio

The impact of immunotherapies on COVID-19 case fatality rates during the US vaccination campaign: a multidisciplinary open data analysis using FDA Adverse Event Reporting System and Our World in Data.

Introduction: Patients under immunotherapies were excluded from the pivotal trials of vaccinations against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and no population-level data on disease outcomes such as case fatality rates in relation to vaccination coverage exist. Our study aims to fill this gap by investigating whether CFRs in patients with immunotherapies decrease with increasing vaccination coverage in the total population. Methods: We combined aggregated open source data on COVID-19 vaccination coverage from "Our World in Data" with publicly available anonymized COVID-19 case reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System to compute COVID-19 CFRs for patients under immunotherapy at different vaccination coverage levels in the total population. CFRs at different vaccination coverage levels were then compared to CFRs before vaccination campaign start. Results: While we found an overall decrease in CFRs on population level with increasing vaccination coverage, we found no decrease in people using anti-CD20 or glucocorticoids. Discussion: Risk-mitigation strategies on an individual- and population-level are thus still needed to lower the probability of fatal SARS-CoV2 infection for these vulnerable populations

Millimeter-wave GaN-based HEMT development at ETH-Zürich

We review the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) activities in the Millimeter-Wave Electronics Group at ETH-Zürich. Our group's main thrust in the AlGaN/GaN arena is the extension of device bandwidth to higher frequency bands. We demonstrated surprising performances for AlGaN/GaN HEMTs grown on high-resistivity (HR) silicon (111) substrates, and extended cutoff frequencies of 100nm gate devices well into the millimeter (mm)-wave domain. Our results narrow the performance gap between GaN-on-SiC (or sapphire) and GaN-on-silicon and establish GaN-on-Si as a viable technology for low-cost mm-wave electronics. We here contrast the difference in behaviors observed in our laboratory between nominally identical devices built on high-resistivity silicon (HR-Si) and on sapphire substrates; we show high-speed devices with high-cutoff frequencies and breakdown voltages which combine fT,MAX×BV products as high as 5-10 THz V, and show AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with fT values exceeding 100GHz on HR-Si. Although the bulk of our activities have so far focused on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on HR-Si, our process produces excellent device performances when applied to GaN HEMTs on SiC as well: 100nm gate transistors with fT>125GHz have been realized at ETH-Züric

Metzincins and related genes in experimental renal ageing: towards a unifying fibrosis classifier across species

Background We have previously described a transcriptomic classifier consisting of metzincins and related genes (MARGS) discriminating kidneys and other organs with or without fibrosis from human biopsies. We now apply our MARGS-based algorithm to a rat model of age-associated interstitial renal fibrosis. Methods Untreated Fisher 344 rats (n = 76) were sacrificed between 2 to 104 weeks of age. For gene expression studies, we used single colour (Cy3) Agilent Whole Rat Genome 4 × 44k microarrays; 4-5 animals of each sex were profiled at each of the following ages: 2, 5, 6, 8, 15, 21, 78 and 104 weeks. Intensity data were subjected to variance stabilization (www.Partek.com). Data were analysed with ANOVA and other statistical methods. Results Sixty MARGS were differentially expressed across age groups. More MARGS were differentially expressed in older males than in older females. Principal component analysis showed gene expression induced segregation of age groups by sex from 6 to 104 weeks of age. The expression level of MMP7 correlated best with fibrosis grade. Severity of fibrosis was determined in 20 animals at 78 and 104 weeks of age. Expression values of 15 of 19 genes of the original classifier present on the Agilent array, in conjunction with linear discriminant analysis, was sufficient to correctly classify these 20 samples into non-fibrosis and fibrosis. Overrepresentation of MMP2 protein and CD44 protein in fibrosis was confirmed by immunofluorescence. Conclusions Based on these results and our previous work, the MARGS classifier represents a cross-organ and cross-species classifier of fibrosis irrespective of aetiology. This finding provides evidence for a common pathway leading to fibrosis and will help to design a PCR-based clinical tes