Production d'un modèle affiné de reconnaissance d'écriture manuscrite avec eScriptorium et évaluation de ses performances

International audienceFor this workshop, participants will take part in the fine-tuning of a handwritten text recognition (HTR) model with eScriptorium. Fine-tuning a model means retraining an initial generic model with a new dataset in order to specialize it in a particular domain.Cet atelier proposera aux participant-es de prendre part à la production d'un modèle affiné de reconnaissance d'écriture manuscrite (REM) à partir de l'application eScriptorium/Kraken et de découvrir une méthodologie pour l'évaluation des performances des modèles de transcription. Un modèle affiné résulte du ré-entraînement d'un premier modèle générique à partir d'un autre jeu de données, avec comme objectif de le spécialiser dans un domaine particulier

The effect of antihypertensive agents on sleep apnea : protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension are well-known cardiovascular risk factors. Their control could reduce the burden of heart disease across populations. Several drugs are used to control hypertension, but the only consistently effective treatment of OSA is continuous positive airway pressure. The identification of a drug capable of improving OSA and hypertension simultaneously would provide a novel approach in the treatment of both diseases. Methods/Design: This is a randomized double-blind clinical trial, comparing the use of chlorthalidone with amiloride versus amlodipine as a first drug option in patients older than 40 years of age with stage I hypertension (140 to 159/90 to 99 mmHg) and moderate OSA (15 to 30 apneas/hour of sleep). The primary outcomes are the variation of the number of apneas per hour and blood pressure measured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The secondary outcomes are adverse events, somnolence scale (Epworth), ventilatory parameters and C reactive protein levels. The follow-up will last 8 weeks. There will be 29 participants per group. The project has been approved by the ethics committee of our institution. Discussion: The role of fluid retention in OSA has been known for several decades. The use of diuretics are well established in treating hypertension but have never been appropriately tested for sleep apnea. As well as testing the efficacy of these drugs, this study will help to understand the mechanisms that link hypertension and sleep apnea and their treatment

Is pancreaticogastrostomy safer than pancreaticojejunostomy after pancreaticoduodenectomy? A meta-regression analysis of randomized clinical trials

Objective To evaluate the clinically relevant POPF rate between Pancreatogastrostomy (PG) and pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). To evaluate the confounding factors affecting meta-analytic results. Methods A systematic literature search of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing PG to PJ with an International Study Group of Pancreatic Fistula (ISGPF) definition of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). Risk difference (RD) and number needed to treat or harm (NNT and NNH) were used. Fixed and random-effect models were applied. Impact of confounding covariates on the meta-analytic results was evaluated using meta-regression analysis, reporting \uce\ub2 coefficient \uc2\ub1 standard error (SE). Results Seven RCTs were identified involving 1184 patients: 603 PG and 581 PJ. RD in the fixed model of clinically relevant POPFs suggested that PG was superior to PJ (RD-0.07; 95% CI: \ue2\u88\u920.11 to \ue2\u88\u920.03) with an NNT of 14 (95% CI: 9 to 33). In random model, PG was not superior to PJ (RD-0.06; 95% CI: \ue2\u88\u920.13 to 0.01) with an NNT of 17 and a possibility of harm in some cases (NNH = 100). Meta-regression suggested that the increase in the proportion of \ue2\u80\u9csoft pancreas\ue2\u80\u9d in the PG arm corresponded to a more positive value of RD (\uce\ub2 = 0.47 \uc2\ub1 0.19; P value: 0.045 \uc2\ub1 0.003). Conclusion A PG could be slightly superior to PJ in the prevention of clinically relevant POPF. The presence of high risk pancreatic remnant remains the main limitation of PG

A fluoride-free liquid-liquid extraction process for the recovery and separation of niobium and tantalum from alkaline leach solutions

International audienc

Niobium and tantalum processing in oxalic-nitric media: Nb2O5·nH2O and Ta2O5·nH2O precipitation with oxalates and nitrates recycling

International audienceOxalate-based aqueous media represent one of the rare options for solubilizing macroscopic amount of niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) without using toxic fluoride-based mixtures. Recent progress in the hydrometallurgy of Nb and Ta also highlighted the potential of oxalate-nitrate media for the separation of Nb and Ta. Nonetheless, the resulting purified aqueous solutions, containing Nb or Ta in HNO3-H2C2O4 mixtures, need to be further processed in order to yield Nb and Ta solid products that can be commercialized. Furthermore, oxalic acid is relatively expensive in the frame of the hydrometallurgy of Nb and its recycling is necessary. In this study, the precipitation of Nb and Ta, as well as their usual minor impurities (Ti and Fe), from oxalic-nitric acid solutions has been investigated for the first time. Neutralization of Nb-HNO3-H2C2O4 mixtures to pH 7-8 by concentrated NaOH or NH4OH was found to be effective at decomposing the oxalate complexes ([NbO(C2O4)3] 3-and [NbO(C2O4)2(H2O)]-) and precipitating Nb in the form of Nb2O5·nH2O while leaving the Page 2/27 oxalate ions in solution. Taking advantage of the solubility difference between nitrate and oxalate salts, the subsequent concentration of the filtrates yields to the recovery of the oxalates as Na2C2O4 or (NH4)2C2O4·H2O and a concentrated solution of sodium or ammonium nitrate. The developed method exhibits high precipitation yields (>99.9%) for Nb and Ta and high recovery yields (>99%) for the nitrates and oxalates. The process was optimized at the laboratory scale (~50 mL) and then validated on industrial Nb and Ta solutions (~225 L) with successful production of purified Nb2O5·nH2O and Ta2O5·nH2O, recovery of the oxalates in the form of Na2C2O4 or (NH4)2C2O4·H2O and a concentration solution of nitrates. Taking together, the proposed precipitation method and the fluoride-free liquid-liquid Nb-Ta separation recently reported pave the way for more suitable hydrometallurgical processes for Nb and Ta

Investigation of the speciation of uranium(VI) in concentrated phosphoric acid and in synergistic extraction systems by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS)

International audienceno abstrac