Regularizing Face Verification Nets For Pain Intensity Regression

Limited labeled data are available for the research of estimating facial expression intensities. For instance, the ability to train deep networks for automated pain assessment is limited by small datasets with labels of patient-reported pain intensities. Fortunately, fine-tuning from a data-extensive pre-trained domain, such as face verification, can alleviate this problem. In this paper, we propose a network that fine-tunes a state-of-the-art face verification network using a regularized regression loss and additional data with expression labels. In this way, the expression intensity regression task can benefit from the rich feature representations trained on a huge amount of data for face verification. The proposed regularized deep regressor is applied to estimate the pain expression intensity and verified on the widely-used UNBC-McMaster Shoulder-Pain dataset, achieving the state-of-the-art performance. A weighted evaluation metric is also proposed to address the imbalance issue of different pain intensities.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure; Camera-ready version to appear at IEEE ICIP 201

Validation of frequency and mode extraction calculations from time-domain simulations of accelerator cavities

The recently developed frequency extraction algorithm [G.R. Werner and J.R. Cary, J. Comp. Phys. 227, 5200 (2008)] that enables a simple FDTD algorithm to be transformed into an efficient eigenmode solver is applied to a realistic accelerator cavity modeled with embedded boundaries and Richardson extrapolation. Previously, the frequency extraction method was shown to be capable of distinguishing M degenerate modes by running M different simulations and to permit mode extraction with minimal post-processing effort that only requires solving a small eigenvalue problem. Realistic calculations for an accelerator cavity are presented in this work to establish the validity of the method for realistic modeling scenarios and to illustrate the complexities of the computational validation process. The method is found to be able to extract the frequencies with error that is less than a part in 10^5. The corrected experimental and computed values differ by about one parts in 10^$, which is accounted for (in largest part) by machining errors. The extraction of frequencies and modes from accelerator cavities provides engineers and physicists an understanding of potential cavity performance as it depends on shape without incurring manufacture and measurement costs

Risk of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke in individuals with first-diagnosed paroxysmal vs. non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation under anticoagulation

AimsThere is conflicting evidence on whether the type of atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with risk of cardiovascular events, including acute myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the risk of MI and ischemic stroke differs between individuals with first-diagnosed paroxysmal vs. non-paroxysmal AF treated with anticoagulants.Methods and resultsDe-identified electronic medical records from the TriNetX federated research network were used. Individuals with a new diagnosis of paroxysmal AF who had no evidence of other types of AF in their records were 1:1 propensity score-matched with individuals with non-paroxysmal AF, defined as persistent or chronic AF, who had no evidence of other types of AF in their records. All patients were followed for three years for the outcomes of MI and ischemic stroke. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In the propensity-matched cohort, among 24 848 well-matched AF individuals [mean age 74.4 ± 10.4; 10 101 (40.6%) female], 410 (1.7%) were diagnosed with acute MI and 875 (3.5%) with ischemic stroke during the three-year follow-up. Individuals with paroxysmal AF had significantly higher risk of acute MI (HR: 1.65, 95%CI: 1.35-2.01) compared to those with non-paroxysmal AF. First diagnosed paroxysmal AF was associated with higher risk of non-ST elevation MI (nSTEMI) (HR: 1.89, 95%CI: 1.44-2.46). No significant association was observed between the type of AF and risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 1.09, 95%CI: 0.95-1.25).ConclusionPatients with first-diagnosed paroxysmal AF had higher risk of acute MI compared to individuals with non-paroxysmal AF, attributed to the higher risk of nSTEMI among patients with first-diagnosed paroxysmal AF. There was no significant association between type of AF and risk of ischemic stroke

The pUL37 tegument protein guides alphaherpesvirus retrograde axonal transport to promote neuroinvasion

A hallmark property of the neurotropic alpha-herpesvirinae is the dissemination of infection to sensory and autonomic ganglia of the peripheral nervous system following an initial exposure at mucosal surfaces. The peripheral ganglia serve as the latent virus reservoir and the source of recurrent infections such as cold sores (herpes simplex virus type I) and shingles (varicella zoster virus). However, the means by which these viruses routinely invade the nervous system is not fully understood. We report that an internal virion component, the pUL37 tegument protein, has a surface region that is an essential neuroinvasion effector. Mutation of this region rendered herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and pseudorabies virus (PRV) incapable of spreading by retrograde axonal transport to peripheral ganglia both in culture and animals. By monitoring the axonal transport of individual viral particles by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, the mutant viruses were determined to lack the characteristic sustained intracellular capsid motion along microtubules that normally traffics capsids to the neural soma. Consistent with the axonal transport deficit, the mutant viruses did not reach sites of latency in peripheral ganglia, and were avirulent. Despite this, viral propagation in peripheral tissues and in cultured epithelial cell lines remained robust. Selective elimination of retrograde delivery to the nervous system has long been sought after as a means to develop vaccines against these ubiquitous, and sometimes devastating viruses. In support of this potential, we find that HSV-1 and PRV mutated in the effector region of pUL37 evoked effective vaccination against subsequent nervous system challenges and encephalitic disease. These findings demonstrate that retrograde axonal transport of the herpesviruses occurs by a virus-directed mechanism that operates by coordinating opposing microtubule motors to favor sustained retrograde delivery of the virus to the peripheral ganglia. The ability to selectively eliminate the retrograde axonal transport mechanism from these viruses will be useful in trans-synaptic mapping studies of the mammalian nervous system, and affords a new vaccination paradigm for human and veterinary neurotropic herpesviruses

Flortaucipir (tau) PET in LGI1 antibody encephalitis

The contributors to persistent cognitive impairment and hippocampal atrophy in leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 antibody encephalitis (LGI1) patients are unknown. We evaluated whether tau neuropathology measured with

Moderate Alcohol Consumption Protects Against Colorectal Adenomas in Smokers

Although some studies have shown an association between alcohol consumption and colorectal adenomas, the effect of moderate alcohol consumption is not well-defined, nor is the interaction between alcohol and smoking

Mining microbial genomes for new natural products and biosynthetic pathways

Analyses of microbial genome sequences have revealed numerous examples of ‘cryptic’ or ‘orphan’ biosynthetic gene clusters, with the potential to direct the production of novel, structurally complex natural products. This article summarizes the various methods that have been developed for discovering the products of cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters in microbes and gives an account of my group's discovery of the products of two such gene clusters in the model actinomycete Streptomyces coelicolor M145. These discoveries hint at new mechanisms, roles and specificities for natural product biosynthetic enzymes. Our efforts to elucidate these are described. The identification of new secondary metabolites of S. coelicolor raises the question: what is their biological function? Progress towards answering this question is also summarized

Spatial patterns of soil nitrification and nitrate export from forested headwaters in the northeastern United States

Nitrogen export from small forested watersheds is known to be affected by N deposition but with high regional variability. We studied 10 headwater catchments in the northeastern United States across a gradient of N deposition (5.4 - 9.4 kg ha-1 yr-1) to determine if soil nitrification rates could explain differences in stream water NO 3- export. Average annual export of two years (October 2002 through September 2004) varied from 0.1 kg NO3--N ha-1 yr-1 at Cone Pond watershed in New Hampshire to 5.1 kg ha-1 yr-1 at Buck Creek South in the western Adirondack Mountains of New York. Potential net nitrification rates and relative nitrification (fraction of inorganic N as NO3-) were measured in Oa or A soil horizons at 21-130 sampling points throughout each watershed. Stream NO3- export was positively related to nitrification rates (r2 = 0.34, p = 0.04) and the relative nitrification (r2 = 0.37, p = 0.04). These relationships were much improved by restricting consideration to the 6 watersheds with a higher number of rate measurements (59-130) taken in transects parallel to the streams (r 2 of 0.84 and 0.70 for the nitrification rate and relative nitrification, respectively). Potential nitrification rates were also a better predictor of NO3- export when data were limited to either the 6 sampling points closest to the watershed outlet (r2 = 0.75) or sampling points \u3c250 m from the watershed outlet (r2 = 0.68). The basal area of conifer species at the sampling plots was negatively related to NO3- export. These spatial relationships found here suggest a strong influence of near-stream and near-watershed-outlet soils on measured stream NO3- export. Copyright 2012 by the American Geophysical Union