25 research outputs found
Rapport sur la chaîne du livre : mission d\u27audit de modernisation
Le rapport a pour objet d\u27étudier les modalités selon lesquelles est organisée l\u27aide publique à la chaîne du livre au sein du ministère de la Culture, puis d\u27en évaluer l\u27impact et l\u27efficacité, pour rechercher une optimisation des moyens financiers nécessaires à l\u27exercice des missions de l\u27État comme de l\u27organisation y concourant, grâce à des réformes de structures envisagées à moyen terme
On the Out of Distribution Robustness of Foundation Models in Medical Image Segmentation
Constructing a robust model that can effectively generalize to test samples
under distribution shifts remains a significant challenge in the field of
medical imaging. The foundational models for vision and language, pre-trained
on extensive sets of natural image and text data, have emerged as a promising
approach. It showcases impressive learning abilities across different tasks
with the need for only a limited amount of annotated samples. While numerous
techniques have focused on developing better fine-tuning strategies to adapt
these models for specific domains, we instead examine their robustness to
domain shifts in the medical image segmentation task. To this end, we compare
the generalization performance to unseen domains of various pre-trained models
after being fine-tuned on the same in-distribution dataset and show that
foundation-based models enjoy better robustness than other architectures. From
here, we further developed a new Bayesian uncertainty estimation for frozen
models and used them as an indicator to characterize the model's performance on
out-of-distribution (OOD) data, proving particularly beneficial for real-world
applications. Our experiments not only reveal the limitations of current
indicators like accuracy on the line or agreement on the line commonly used in
natural image applications but also emphasize the promise of the introduced
Bayesian uncertainty. Specifically, lower uncertainty predictions usually tend
to higher out-of-distribution (OOD) performance.Comment: Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) 2023,
Workshop on robustness of zero/few-shot learning in foundation model
TextANIMAR: Text-based 3D Animal Fine-Grained Retrieval
3D object retrieval is an important yet challenging task, which has drawn
more and more attention in recent years. While existing approaches have made
strides in addressing this issue, they are often limited to restricted settings
such as image and sketch queries, which are often unfriendly interactions for
common users. In order to overcome these limitations, this paper presents a
novel SHREC challenge track focusing on text-based fine-grained retrieval of 3D
animal models. Unlike previous SHREC challenge tracks, the proposed task is
considerably more challenging, requiring participants to develop innovative
approaches to tackle the problem of text-based retrieval. Despite the increased
difficulty, we believe that this task has the potential to drive useful
applications in practice and facilitate more intuitive interactions with 3D
objects. Five groups participated in our competition, submitting a total of 114
runs. While the results obtained in our competition are satisfactory, we note
that the challenges presented by this task are far from being fully solved. As
such, we provide insights into potential areas for future research and
improvements. We believe that we can help push the boundaries of 3D object
retrieval and facilitate more user-friendly interactions via vision-language
technologies.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2304.0573
Effectiveness of perindopril/amlodipine fixed-dose combination in the treatment of hypertension: a systematic review
Background: Uncontrolled blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Fixed-dose combination (FDC) therapy offers a promising approach to addressing this challenge by providing a convenient single-tablet solution that enhances the effectiveness of blood pressure control. In our systematic review, we assess the effectiveness of perindopril/amlodipine FDC in managing blood pressure.Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search across four primary electronic databases, namely, PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHL), Global Health Library (GHL), and Google Scholar, as of 8 February 2022. Additionally, we performed a manual search to find relevant articles. The quality of the selected articles was evaluated using the Study Quality Assessment Tools (SQAT) checklist from the National Institute of Health and the ROB2 tool from Cochrane.Results: Our systematic review included 17 eligible articles. The findings show that the use of perindopril/amlodipine FDC significantly lowers blood pressure and enhances the quality of blood pressure control. Compared to the comparison group, the perindopril/amlodipine combination tablet resulted in a higher rate of blood pressure response and normalization. Importantly, perindopril/amlodipine FDC contributes to improved patient adherence with minimal side effects. However, studies conducted to date have not provided assessments of the cost-effectiveness of perindopril/amlodipine FDC.Conclusion: In summary, our analysis confirms the effectiveness of perindopril/amlodipine FDC in lowering blood pressure, with combination therapy outperforming monotherapy and placebo. Although mild adverse reactions were observed in a small subset of participants, cost-effectiveness assessments for this treatment remain lacking in the literature
Publisher Correction:Implementing a context-driven awareness programme addressing household air pollution and tobacco: a FRESH AIR study
In the original version of this Article, Table 2 was formatted in such a way that made it difficult to interpret. This has now been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.</p
An open label randomized controlled trial of tamoxifen combined with amphotericin B and fluconazole for cryptococcal meningitis
Background: Cryptococcal meningitis has high mortality. Flucytosine is a key treatment but is expensive and rarely available. The anti-cancer agent tamoxifen has synergistic anti-cryptococcal activity with amphotericin in vitro. It is off-patent, cheap, and widely available. We performed a trial to determine its therapeutic potential.
Methods:Open label randomized controlled trial. Participants received standard care - amphotericin combined with fluconazole for the first two weeks - or standard care plus tamoxifen 300mg/day. The primary end point was Early Fungicidal Activity (EFA) - the rate of yeast clearance from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03112031 .
Results: 50 patients were enrolled, (median age 34 years, 35 male). Tamoxifen had no effect on EFA (- 0.48log10 colony-forming units/mL/CSF control arm versus -0.49 tamoxifen arm, difference - 0.005log10CFU/ml/day, 95%CI: -0.16, 0.15, P=0.95). Tamoxifen caused QTc prolongation.
Conclusion: High dose tamoxifen does not increase the clearance rate of Cryptococcus from CSF. Novel, affordable therapies are needed.
Funding:The trial was funded through the Wellcome Trust Asia Programme Vietnam Core Grant 106680 and a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellowship to JND grant number WT097147MA
Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Background
Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population.
Methods
AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921.
Findings
Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months.
Interpretation
Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke
PEOPLE’S SATISFACTION WITH PUBLIC SERVICES PROVIDED BY LAND REGISTRATION AUTHORITY IN BO TRACH DISTRICT, QUANG BINH PROVINCE
The research analyses 155 questionnaires and came to a multiple regression model indicating that five factors affect people’s satisfaction with the services at the research site. The most crucial factor is Facility, followed by Service quality, Staff capacity, Confidence, and Procedural process. There is no difference among Genders, Ages, Education and qualifications, Careers, and Living spaces
Factors influencing continuance intention of online shopping of generation Y and Z during the new normal in Vietnam
This study investigated the determinants of online shopping continuance intention of Generation Y and Z during the new normal. A conceptual framework, which was an extension of the Technology Acceptance Model, was empirically tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling, multi-group analysis technique, and the data collected from 847 Gen Y-ers and Gen Z-ers in Hanoi, Vietnam during March 2022. The results revealed that facilitators of repurchase intention included perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, satisfaction, and environmental awareness while perceived risks of online shopping served as a barrier. Notably, the barrier was found to affect Gen Y's repurchase intention more severely. Personalization was not directly associated with the intention but had strong indirect effects through perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and satisfaction. The risk of COVID-19 was not a predictor of online repurchase intention. Understanding of the continuance intention of online shopping among consumers from different generations in an emerging country during the new normal may aid to enhance the quality of decision-making. Specifically, platforms and sellers should adopt customized marketing programs towards Gen Y and Gen Z. Additionally, a user-friendly and informative purchasing process with personalized features should be formulated. Demonstrating online shopping as a green behavior would be useful. This study differs from earlier research by considering and comparing factors influencing the intention to keep shopping online of Gen Y and Gen Z in a developing country when the COVID-19 is well controlled