Aligned Sub-Hierarchies: A Structure-Based Approach to the Cover Song Task

Extending previous structure-based approaches to the song comparison tasks such as the fingerprint and cover song tasks, this paper introduces the aligned sub-hierarchies (AsH) representation. Built by applying a post-processing technique to the aligned hierarchies of a song, the AsH representation is the set of unique aligned hierarchies for repeats (called AHR ) encoded in the original aligned hierarchies of the whole song. Effectively each AHR within AsH is a section of the aligned hierarchies for the original song. Like aligned hierarchies, the AsH representation can be embedded into a classification space with a natural metric that makes inter-song comparisons based on sections of the songs. Experiments addressing a version of the cover song task on score-based data using AsH as the basis of inter-song comparison demonstrate potential of AsH-based approaches for MIR tasks

Improving Structure Evaluation Through Automatic Hierarchy Expansion

Structural segmentation is the task of partitioning a recording into non-overlapping time intervals, and labeling each segment with an identifying marker such as A, B, or verse. Hierarchical structure annotation expands this idea to allow an annotator to segment a song with multiple levels of granularity. While there has been recent progress in developing evaluation criteria for comparing two hierarchical annotations of the same recording, the existing methods have known deficiencies when dealing with inexact label matchings and sequential label repetition. In this article, we investigate methods for automatically enhancing structural annotations by inferring (and expanding) hierarchical information from the segment labels. The proposed method complements existing techniques for comparing hierarchical structural annotations by coarsening or refining labels with variation markers to either collapse similarly labeled segments together, or separate identically labeled segments from each other. Using the multi-level structure annotations provided in the SALAMI dataset, we demonstrate that automatic hierarchy expansion allows structure comparison methods to more accurately assess similarity between annotations

SuPP & MaPP: Adaptable Structure-Based Representations For Mir Tasks

Accurate and flexible representations of music data are paramount to addressing MIR tasks, yet many of the existing approaches are difficult to interpret or rigid in nature. This work introduces two new song representations for structure-based retrieval methods: Surface Pattern Preservation (SuPP), a continuous song representation, and Matrix Pattern Preservation (MaPP), SuPP’s discrete counterpart. These representations come equipped with several user-defined parameters so that they are adaptable for a range of MIR tasks. Experimental results show MaPP as successful in addressing the cover song task on a set of Mazurka scores, with a mean precision of 0.965 and recall of 0.776. SuPP and MaPP also show promise in other MIR applications, such as novel-segment detection and genre classification, the latter of which demonstrates their suitability as inputs for machine learning problems

Cancer event rate and mortality with thienopyridines: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Thienopyridines are a class of antiplatelet drugs widely used in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment. A recent concern has come to light regarding the safety of thienopyridines because of the possible risk of malignancy. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between thienopyridine exposure and malignancy. Methods We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases in March 2016 for studies that evaluated incident cancer and cancer mortality with and without exposure to thienopyridines. Relevant studies were identified, and data were extracted and analysed using random-effects meta-analysis. Results A total of nine studies (six randomised controlled trials and three cohort studies) that included 282,084 participants were included. The cancer event rate with clopidogrel and prasugrel was 3.25% and 1.58% respectively. When compared with standard aspirin or placebo, thienopyridines are not significantly associated with cancer mortality and event rate (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80–1.56, n = 3; and OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.52–1.64, n = 2, respectively. Further analyses examining clopidogrel showed no significant association with cancer event rate or malignancy-related death. When comparing prasugrel with clopidogrel, no significant association was noted for cancer event rate (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.89–1.37, n = 2]. Subanalyses according to cancer location showed that thienopyridines are not significantly associated with malignancy mortality and/or incidence. Conclusions Our results suggest that there is currently insufficient evidence to suggest that thienopyridine exposure is associated with an increased risk of cancer event rate or mortality

Characterisation of infection associated microRNA and protein cargo in extracellular vesicles of Theileria annulata infected leukocytes

The protozoan parasites, Theileria annulata and T. parva are unique amongst intracellular eukaryotic pathogens as they induce a transformation‐like phenotype in their bovine host cell. T. annulata causes tropical theileriosis, which is frequently fatal, with infected leukocytes becoming metastatic and forming foci in multiple organs resulting in destruction of the lymphoid system. Exosomes, a sub‐set of extracellular vesicles (EV), are critical in metastatic progression in many cancers. Here we characterised the cargo of EV from a control bovine lymphosarcoma cell line (BL20) and BL20 infected with T. annulata (TBL20) by comparative mass spectrometry and miRNA profiling (data available via ProteomeXchange, identifier PXD010713 and NCBI GEO, accession number GSE118456, respectively). Ingenuity Pathway Analysis that many infection‐associated proteins essential to migration and extracellular matrix digestion were upregulated in EV from TBL20 cells compared to BL20 controls. An altered repertoire of host miRNA, many with known roles in tumor and/or infection biology was also observed. Focusing on the tumor suppressor miRNA, bta‐miR‐181a and bta‐miR‐181b, we identified putative mRNA targets and confirmed the interaction of bta‐miR181a with icam‐1. We propose that EV and their miRNA cargo play an important role in the manipulation of the host cell phenotype and the pathobiology of Theileria infection

Integrating Data Science Ethics into an Undergraduate Major

We present a programmatic approach to incorporating ethics into an undergraduate major in statistical and data sciences. We discuss departmental-level initiatives designed to meet the National Academy of Sciences recommendation for weaving ethics into the curriculum from top-to-bottom as our majors progress from our introductory courses to our senior capstone course, as well as from side-to-side through co-curricular programming. We also provide six examples of data science ethics modules used in five different courses at our liberal arts college, each focusing on a different ethical consideration. The modules are designed to be portable such that they can be flexibly incorporated into existing courses at different levels of instruction with minimal disruption to syllabi. We conclude with next steps and preliminary assessments