Towards an Automatic Dictation System for Translators: the TransTalk Project

Professional translators often dictate their translations orally and have them typed afterwards. The TransTalk project aims at automating the second part of this process. Its originality as a dictation system lies in the fact that both the acoustic signal produced by the translator and the source text under translation are made available to the system. Probable translations of the source text can be predicted and these predictions used to help the speech recognition system in its lexical choices. We present the results of the first prototype, which show a marked improvement in the performance of the speech recognition task when translation predictions are taken into account.Comment: Published in proceedings of the International Conference on Spoken Language Processing (ICSLP) 94. 4 pages, uuencoded compressed latex source with 4 postscript figure

Calibrage de caméra fisheye et estimation de la profondeur pour la navigation autonome

Ce mémoire s’intéresse aux problématiques du calibrage de caméras grand angles et de l’estimation de la profondeur à partir d’une caméra unique, immobile ou en mouvement. Les travaux effectués se situent à l’intersection entre la vision 3D classique et les nouvelles méthodes par apprentissage profond dans le domaine de la navigation autonome. Ils visent à permettre la détection d’obstacles par un drone en mouvement muni d’une seule caméra à très grand angle de vue. D’abord, une nouvelle méthode de calibrage est proposée pour les caméras fisheyes à très grand angle de vue par calibrage planaire à correspondances denses obtenues par lumière structurée qui peuvent être modélisée par un ensemble de caméras génériques virtuelles centrales. Nous démontrons que cette approche permet de modéliser directement des caméras axiales, et validons sur des données synthétiques et réelles. Ensuite, une méthode est proposée pour estimer la profondeur à partir d’une seule image, à partir uniquement des indices de profondeurs forts, les jonctions en T. Nous démontrons que les méthodes par apprentissage profond sont susceptibles d’apprendre les biais de leurs ensembles de données et présentent des lacunes d’invariance. Finalement, nous proposons une méthode pour estimer la profondeur à partir d’une caméra en mouvement libre à 6 degrés de liberté. Ceci passe par le calibrage de la caméra fisheye sur le drone, l’odométrie visuelle et la résolution de la profondeur. Les méthodes proposées permettent la détection d’obstacle pour un drone.This thesis focuses on the problems of calibrating wide-angle cameras and estimating depth from a single camera, stationary or in motion. The work carried out is at the intersection between traditional 3D vision and new deep learning methods in the field of autonomous navigation. They are designed to allow the detection of obstacles by a moving drone equipped with a single camera with a very wide field of view. First, a new calibration method is proposed for fisheye cameras with very large field of view by planar calibration with dense correspondences obtained by structured light that can be modelled by a set of central virtual generic cameras. We demonstrate that this approach allows direct modeling of axial cameras, and validate it on synthetic and real data. Then, a method is proposed to estimate the depth from a single image, using only the strong depth cues, the T-junctions. We demonstrate that deep learning methods are likely to learn from the biases of their data sets and have weaknesses to invariance. Finally, we propose a method to estimate the depth from a camera in free 6 DoF motion. This involves calibrating the fisheye camera on the drone, visual odometry and depth resolution. The proposed methods allow the detection of obstacles for a drone

Impact de la densité de cerfs de Virginie sur les communautés d'insectes de l'île d'Anticosti

Les surabondances de cerfs peuvent nuire à la régénération forestière et modifier les communautés végétales et ainsi avoir un impact sur plusieurs groupes d'arthropodes. Dans cette étude, nous avons utilisé un dispositif répliqué avec trois densités contrôlées de cerfs de Virginie et une densité non contrôlée élevée sur l'île d'Anticosti. Nous y avons évalué l'impact des densités de cerfs sur les communautés de quatre groupes d'insectes représentant un gradient d'association avec les plantes, ainsi que sur les communautés d'arthropodes herbivores, pollinisateurs et prédateurs associées à trois espèces de plantes dont l'abondance varient avec la densité de cerfs. Les résultats montrent que les groupes d'arthropodes les plus directement associés aux plantes sont les plus affectés par le cerf. De plus, l'impact est plus fort si la plante à laquelle ils sont étroitement associés diminue en abondance avec la densité de cerfs. Les insectes ont également démontré une forte capacité de résilience.Deer overabundances can be detrimental to forest regeneration and can modify vegetal communities and consequently, have an indirect impact on many arthropod groups. In this study, we used a replicated exclosure system with three controlled white-tailed deer densities and an uncontrolled high deer density on Anticosti Island. The impact of deer density on the communities of four insect groups following a gradient of association with plants was studied alongside with the communities of herbivorous arthropods, pollinators and plant dwelling predators associated with three plant species whose abundance varies with deer density. The results revealed that arthropod groups more closely associated to plants were more strongly affected by deer density. Furthermore, the impact was stronger if the abundance of the plant to which they are closely associated decreased with deer density. Overall, insects appeared to be highly resilient to deer overabundance

Technology maturity assessment of micro and nano manufacturing processes and process chains

This article presents a systematic approach for assessing the maturity of manufacturing technologies. A methodology is proposed that is based on modelling the capability of the individual processes and technology interfaces between them. It is inspired by a capability maturity model which has been applied successfully in the field of software engineering. The methodology was developed to assess the maturity levels of individual processes and the combined maturity of pairs or chains of processes. To demonstrate its validity, it was applied for assessing the maturity of technologies in the micro and nano manufacturing domain. The results demonstrated its applicability as a tool for evaluating the maturity of micro and nano manufacturing pairs and their constituent processes. Also, it was shown that the methodology can be employed for identifying process pairs, suitable for integration in process chains, together with their potential weaknesses. </jats:p

Enseignement des sciences de l'occupation: soutenir le déploiement des compétences et organiser les situations cliniques dans une approche occupationnelle

L’article porte sur l’enseignement des sciences de l’occupation dans un cursus fondé sur le développement des compétences à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), qui comprend un baccalauréat de trois ans, suivi d’une maîtrise d’un an et demi. La première section décrit les fondements théoriques et le cadre de l’enseignement des sciences de l’occupation. Ceux-ci ont permis de déployer les compétences de manière évolutive pour la formation en ergothérapie. Les principes de formation dans une approche par compétences posent qu’il ne suffit pas d’enseigner uniquement les concepts, mais aussi « quand » et « comment » les utiliser. Les étudiants développent ainsi des compétences pour agir en étant centrés sur le client et ses occupations. Le recours à des situations cliniques occupationnelles représente un élément important pour que ceux-ci s’imprègnent d’une conception de la personne comme un être occupationnel. La deuxième section présente les résultats d’un sondage mené auprès de 73 ergothérapeutes diplômés portant sur la perception de leurs compétences reliées au rôle d’expert en habilitation de l’occupation et sur la fréquence à laquelle ils y recourent. On y constate que la majorité des répondants rapportent une préparation « très adéquate » ou « adéquate » pour intervenir auprès des clientèles présentant des problèmes de santé. Plus des trois quarts de ceux-ci affirment agir quotidiennement en étant centrés sur le client et ses occupations alors que la totalité se perçoivent comme ayant une très bonne maîtrise de leurs compétences pour ce qui est d’agir en étant centré sur le client et ses occupations. Ces résultats témoignent d’une préoccupation occupationnelle des clients. Mots-clés. enseignement, compétences, expert, habilitation aux occupations, diplômés ___________________________________________________   Teaching occupational science : supporting competencies development and providing occupational clinical situations Abstract This paper describes the occupational science teaching experience within a competency-based approach at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Occupational Therapy Program. This program includes a three year baccalaureate degree and a one and half year master’s degree. The first section describes the theoretical principles and framework used for competencies deployment throughout the occupational therapy curriculum. Principles of a competency-based approach relate to the fact that this is not only a matter of teaching concepts, but also helping the students becoming aware of when and how to use those. Students then develop the competencies to practice in a client-centered as well as occupation-based manner. The use of clinical situations in an occupational approach is an important element for students to develop the conception of humans as occupational beings. The second section presents results from a survey of 73 graduates on the perception of their use of key competencies related to the role of expert in enabling occupation and on the frequency of this use. Results show that the majority report a « very adequate » and « adequate » preparation to intervene with clients with health problems. More than three quarters of them say they intervene daily with a great awareness for the clients’ occupations while all of them perceive themselves as having good competencies related as well, as enabling occupations. These results reflect an occupational concern for the clients. Keywords. teaching, competencies, expert, enabling occupations, graduate

Species indicators of ecosystem recovery after reducing large herbivore density: Comparing taxa and testing species combinations

Indicator species have been used successfully for estimating ecosystem integrity, but comparative studies for defining optimal taxonomic group remain scarce. Furthermore, species combinations may constitute more integrative tools than single species indicators, but case studies are needed to test their efficiency. We used Indicator Species Analysis, which statistically determines the association of species to one or several groups of sites, to obtain indicators of ecosystem recovery after various deer density reductions. We used five taxonomic groups: plants, carabid beetles, bees, moths and songbirds. To test whether species combinations could complement single indicator species, we used plants as a model taxon and examined the indicator value of joint occurrence of two or three plant species. Our study relies on experimental controlled browsing enclosures established for six years on Anticosti Island (Quebec). Four levels of deer density (0, 7.5 and 15 deer km−2 and natural densities between 27 and 56 deer km−2) were studied in two vegetation cover types (uncut forests and cut-over areas), in a full factorial design for a total of eight experimental treatments. For all taxa but bees, we tested 54 treatment groups consisting in one specific density or in a sequence of two or more consecutive deer densities in one or both cover types (ten groups for bees, sampled only in cut-over areas). We found 12 plants, 11 moths and one songbird to be single species indicators of ecosystem conditions obtained under 12 different treatment groups. Six treatment groups were indicated by plants and six different ones by moths, of which one group was also identified by a songbird species. Moths were thus worth the extra sampling effort, especially since the groups they indicated were more treatment-specific (mainly one or two deer density treatments). We tested the same 54 treatment groups for plant species combinations represented by two or three co-occurring species. Plant combinations efficiently complemented plant singletons for detecting ecosystem conditions obtained under various deer densities. In fact, although singletons were highly predictive, 17 additional treatment groups were identified exclusively with two- and three-species combinations, some being more treatment-specific. Our findings show that plants and moths provide complementary indicators of ecosystem conditions under various deer densities, and that computing species combinations increases our capacity to monitor ecosystem recovery after reducing herbivore densities.Funding was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)-Produits forestiers Anticosti Industrial Chair to SDC, the Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune du Québec, the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada and an NSERC scholarship to MB and NSERC DG to MP and SP. We are grateful to the Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec and Centre d’études nordiques for scholarships

Risk Score, Causes, and Clinical Impact of Failure of Transradial Approach for Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

ObjectivesTo study the causes of and to develop a risk score for failure of transradial approach (TRA) for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).BackgroundTRA-PCI failure has been reported in 5% to 10% of cases.MethodsTRA-PCI failure was categorized as primary (clinical reasons) or crossover failure. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of TRA-PCI failure, and an integer risk score was developed.ResultsFrom January to June 2010, TRA-PCI was attempted in 1,609 (97.3%) consecutive patients, whereas 45 (2.7%) had primary TRA-PCI failure. Crossover TRA-PCI failure occurred in 30 (1.8%) patients. Causes of primary TRA-PCI failure included chronic radial artery occlusion (11%), previous coronary artery bypass graft (27%), and cardiogenic shock (20%). Causes for crossover TRA-PCI failure included: inadequate puncture in 17 patients (57%); radial artery spasm in 5 (17%); radial loop in 4 (13%); subclavian tortuosity in 2 (7%); and inadequate guide catheter support in 2 (7%) patients. Female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.95 to 5.26, p < 0.0001), previous coronary artery bypass graft (OR: 6.1; 95% CI: 3.63 to 10.05, p < 0.0001), and cardiogenic shock (OR: 11.2; 95% CI: 2.78 to 41.2, p = 0.0011) were independent predictors of TRA-PCI failure. Risk score values from 0 to 7 predicted a TRA-PCI failure rate from 2% to 80%.ConclusionsIn a high-volume radial center, 2.7% of patients undergoing PCI are excluded from initial TRA on clinical grounds, whereas crossover to femoral approach is required in only 1.8% of the cases. A new simple clinical risk score is developed to predict TRA-PCI failure

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer Book 2018

(Abridged) This is the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer 2018 book. It is intended as a concise reference guide to all aspects of the scientific and technical design of MSE, for the international astronomy and engineering communities, and related agencies. The current version is a status report of MSE's science goals and their practical implementation, following the System Conceptual Design Review, held in January 2018. MSE is a planned 10-m class, wide-field, optical and near-infrared facility, designed to enable transformative science, while filling a critical missing gap in the emerging international network of large-scale astronomical facilities. MSE is completely dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy of samples of between thousands and millions of astrophysical objects. It will lead the world in this arena, due to its unique design capabilities: it will boast a large (11.25 m) aperture and wide (1.52 sq. degree) field of view; it will have the capabilities to observe at a wide range of spectral resolutions, from R2500 to R40,000, with massive multiplexing (4332 spectra per exposure, with all spectral resolutions available at all times), and an on-target observing efficiency of more than 80%. MSE will unveil the composition and dynamics of the faint Universe and is designed to excel at precision studies of faint astrophysical phenomena. It will also provide critical follow-up for multi-wavelength imaging surveys, such as those of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, Gaia, Euclid, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Next Generation Very Large Array.Comment: 5 chapters, 160 pages, 107 figure

The SURFEXv7.2 land and ocean surface platform for coupled or offline simulation of Earth surface variables and fluxes

CC Attribution 3.0 License.Final revised paper also available at http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/6/929/2013/gmd-6-929-2013.pdfInternational audienceSURFEX is a new externalized land and ocean surface platform that describes the surface fluxes and the evolution of four types of surface: nature, town, inland water and ocean. It can be run either coupled or in offline mode. It is mostly based on pre-existing, well validated scientific models. It can be used in offline mode (from point scale to global runs) or fully coupled with an atmospheric model. SURFEX is able to simulate fluxes of carbon dioxide, chemical species, continental aerosols, sea salt and snow particles. It also includes a data assimilation module. The main principles of the organization of the surface are described first. Then, a survey is made of the scientific module (including the coupling strategy). Finally the main applications of the code are summarized. The current applications are extremely diverse, ranging from surface monitoring and hydrology to numerical weather prediction and global climate simulations. The validation work undertaken shows that replacing the pre-existing surface models by SURFEX in these applications is usually associated with improved skill, as the numerous scientific developments contained in this community code are used to good advantage

A collaborative model to implement flexible, accessible and efficient oncogenetic services for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer : the C-MOnGene study

Medical genetic services are facing an unprecedented demand for counseling and testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) in a context of limited resources. To help resolve this issue, a collaborative oncogenetic model was recently developed and implemented at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval; Quebec; Canada. Here, we present the protocol of the C-MOnGene (Collaborative Model in OncoGenetics) study, funded to examine the context in which the model was implemented and document the lessons that can be learned to optimize the delivery of oncogenetic services. Within three years of implementation, the model allowed researchers to double the annual number of patients seen in genetic counseling. The average number of days between genetic counseling and disclosure of test results significantly decreased. Group counseling sessions improved participants' understanding of breast cancer risk and increased knowledge of breast cancer and genetics and a large majority of them reported to be overwhelmingly satisfied with the process. These quality and performance indicators suggest this oncogenetic model offers a flexible, patient-centered and efficient genetic counseling and testing for HBOC. By identifying the critical facilitating factors and barriers, our study will provide an evidence base for organizations interested in transitioning to an oncogenetic model integrated into oncology care; including teams that are not specialized but are trained in genetics