154 research outputs found
Exercer le métier de compositeur au cirque contemporain : approches musicales et sociales du travail créateur
Ce meÌmoire explore le meÌtier de compositeur de cirque contemporain aÌ travers des probleÌmatiques dâordres musical et social inheÌrentes aÌ son exercice, lesquelles sont intimement lieÌes aux speÌcificiteÌs du contexte et au caracteÌre collectif de la creÌation. AÌ partir des outils de la sociomusicologie et de la sociologie interactionniste, lâauteur a meneÌ une enqueÌte ethnographique sous forme dâentretien semi-dirigeÌ aupreÌs de quatre compositeurs professionnels ayant travailleÌ sur la creÌation de spectacles du collectif de cirque les 7 Doigts de la main et de six eÌtudiants finissants de lâEÌcole nationale de cirque de MontreÌal ainsi que leur conseiller musical. EÌtant donneÌ la brieÌveteÌ des peÌriodes de creÌation et le mode de division du travail deÌtermineÌ par un rapport dâautoriteÌ aÌ la fois vertical (hieÌrarchique) et horizontal (en fonction de la speÌcialiteÌ disciplinaire), lâanalyse des reÌsultats reÌveÌle que le principal « probleÌme » aÌ lâexercice du meÌtier de compositeur au cirque contemporain est de comprendre les demandes musicales faites par la direction artistique â geÌneÌralement constitueÌe de non-musiciens â et de satisfaire ces demandes tout en valorisant leurs ideÌes personnelles et en assurant une coordination efficace du travail. Cette eÌtude reÌveÌle quâexercer le meÌtier de compositeur au cirque contemporain releÌve dâun savoir-faire et requiert des compeÌtences musicales souvent en lien avec les technologies et sociales, notamment en matieÌre de communication et de coordination. Par exemple, on constate que si cette activiteÌ exige parfois de savoir-faire des compromis et quâelle sâapparente au registre de la prestation de service, sa nature idiosyncrasique est aussi source dâappreÌciation et de valorisation.This master thesis explores the occupation of contemporary circus composer through musical and social issues inherent to its practice, which are intimately linked to the specificities of the context and the collective nature of creation. Using the tools of sociomusicology and interactionist sociology, the author conducted an ethnographic investigation in the form of a semi-directed interview with four professional composers, who worked on the creation of the circus collective's show of the 7 Fingers, and six graduating students from the National Circus School of Montreal as well as their musical advisor. Given the shortness of the creative periods and the division of work, determined by both vertical (hierarchical) and horizontal authority (depending on the disciplinary specialty), the analysis of the results reveals that the main "problem" in practicing the profession of contemporary circus composer is to understand the musical demands made by the artistic direction - generally composed of non-musicians - and to satisfy these demands while valuing personal ideas and ensuring effective coordination work. This study reveals that practicing the profession of composer in contemporary circus is a know-how and requires musical skills, especially with technology, and social skills, in communication and coordination, for example. We note in particular that while the activity of composing music for contemporary circus sometimes requires the ability to make compromise and is similar to a service providing activity, its idiosyncratic nature is also a source of appreciation and valuation
La dialectique spatiale : le cas de Québec, 1960-2002
ThĂ©Ăątre d'un rivalitĂ© entre deux dynamiques antagoniques mais indissociables, la ville tend vers un Ă©quilibre toujours contrariĂ©. L'une de ces dynamiques, dite utopienne, basĂ©e sur la force diffusante d'une fonction domiciliaire Ă fragmentation rĂ©guliĂšre, spatialise le champ de la reproduction sociale. Elle urbanise l'espace en favorisant la mixitĂ© et l'intĂ©gration des fonctions, des classes sociales, des Ăąges de la vie, des modes de transport, etc. L'autre, dite albertienne, basĂ©e sur le pouvoir focalisant des fonctions non domiciliaires Ă fragmentation variable, spatialise le processus de production des biens matĂ©riels. Elle industrialise l'espace en favorisant la sĂ©grĂ©gation et la concentration des fonctions, des classes sociales, des Ăąges de la vie, des modes de transport, etc. Ă partir de 1959, la RĂ©novation urbaine a plaquĂ© un modĂšle focalisant sur une ville de QuĂ©bec depuis 1608 utopienne. Une vaste ceinture distributive non domiciliaire, rattachĂ©e au rĂ©seau routier peut-ĂȘtre le plus dense au monde, s'est intercalĂ©e entre deux demi-couronnes domiciliaires placĂ©es autour d'un noyau central rĂ©servĂ© Ă l'industrie touristique. Une rĂ©sistance opiniĂątre s'est organisĂ©e dans les faubourgs pour protĂ©ger la frontiĂšre sĂ©parant les espaces utopien et albertien, frontiĂšre le long de laquelle se sont dĂ©roulĂ©es les principales luttes urbaines depuis 1967
Noise2Recon: Enabling Joint MRI Reconstruction and Denoising with Semi-Supervised and Self-Supervised Learning
Deep learning (DL) has shown promise for faster, high quality accelerated MRI
reconstruction. However, supervised DL methods depend on extensive amounts of
fully-sampled (labeled) data and are sensitive to out-of-distribution (OOD)
shifts, particularly low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) acquisitions. To alleviate
this challenge, we propose Noise2Recon, a model-agnostic, consistency training
method for joint MRI reconstruction and denoising that can use both
fully-sampled (labeled) and undersampled (unlabeled) scans in semi-supervised
and self-supervised settings. With limited or no labeled training data,
Noise2Recon outperforms compressed sensing and deep learning baselines,
including supervised networks, augmentation-based training, fine-tuned
denoisers, and self-supervised methods, and matches performance of supervised
models, which were trained with 14x more fully-sampled scans. Noise2Recon also
outperforms all baselines, including state-of-the-art fine-tuning and
augmentation techniques, among low-SNR scans and when generalizing to other OOD
factors, such as changes in acceleration factors and different datasets.
Augmentation extent and loss weighting hyperparameters had negligible impact on
Noise2Recon compared to supervised methods, which may indicate increased
training stability. Our code is available at https://github.com/ad12/meddlr
Smartphone Screen Integrated Optical Breathalyzer
RĂSUMĂ: One third of fatal car accidents and so many tragedies are due to alcohol abuse. These sad numbers could be mitigated if everyone had access to a breathalyzer anytime and anywhere. Having a breathalyzer built into a phone or wearable technology could be the way to get around reluctance to carry a separate device. With this goal, we propose an inexpensive breathalyzer that could be integrated in the screens of mobile devices. Our technology is based on the evaporation rate of the fog produced by the breath on the phone screen, which increases with increasing breath alcohol content. The device simply uses a photodiode placed on the side of the screen to measure the signature of the scattered light intensity from the phone display that is guided through the stress layer of the Gorilla glass screen. A part of the display light is coupled to the stress layer via the evanescent field induced at the edge of the breath microdroplets. We demonstrate that the intensity signature measured at the detector can be linked to blood alcohol content. We fabricated a prototype in a smartphone case powered by the phoneâs battery, controlled by an application installed on the smartphone, and tested it in real-world environments. Limitations and future work toward a fully operational device are discussed
An Orthotopic Model of Glioblastoma Is Resistant to Radiodynamic Therapy with 5-AminoLevulinic Acid
Radiosensitization of glioblastoma is a major ambition to increase the survival of this incurable cancer. The 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is metabolized by the heme biosynthesis pathway. 5-ALA overload leads to the accumulation of the intermediate fluorescent metabolite protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) with a radiosensitization potential, never tested in a relevant model of glioblastoma. We used a patient-derived tumor cell line grafted orthotopically to create a brain tumor model. We evaluated tumor growth and tumor burden after different regimens of encephalic multifractionated radiation therapy with or without 5-ALA. A fractionation scheme of 5 Ă 2 Gy three times a week resulted in intermediate survival [48-62 days] compared to 0 Gy (15-24 days), 3 Ă 2 Gy (41-47 days) and, 5 Ă 3 Gy (73-83 days). Survival was correlated to tumor growth. Tumor growth and survival were similar after 5 Ă 2 Gy irradiations, regardless of 5-ALA treatment (RT group (53-67 days), RT+5-ALA group (40-74 days), HR = 1.57, p = 0.24). Spheroid growth and survival were diminished by radiotherapy in vitro, unchanged by 5-ALA pre-treatment, confirming the in vivo results. The analysis of two additional stem-like patient-derived cell lines confirmed the absence of radiosensitization by 5-ALA. Our study shows for the first time that in a preclinical tumor model relevant to human glioblastoma, treated as in clinical routine, 5-ALA administration, although leading to important accumulation of PpIX, does not potentiate radiotherapy
Integrated immunovirological profiling validates plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNA as an early predictor of COVID-19 mortality.
peer reviewedDespite advances in COVID-19 management, identifying patients evolving toward death remains challenging. To identify early predictors of mortality within 60 days of symptom onset (DSO), we performed immunovirological assessments on plasma from 279 individuals. On samples collected at DSO11 in a discovery cohort, high severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral RNA (vRNA), low receptor binding domainâspecific immunoglobulin G and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and elevated cytokines and tissue injury markers were strongly associated with mortality, including in patients on mechanical ventilation. A three-variable model of vRNA, with predefined adjustment by age and sex, robustly identified patients with fatal outcome (adjusted hazard ratio for log-transformed vRNA = 3.5). This model remained robust in independent validation and confirmation cohorts. Since plasma vRNAâs predictive accuracy was maintained at earlier time points, its quantitation can help us understand disease heterogeneity and identify patients who may benefit from new therapies
Consistency of satellite climate data records for Earth system monitoring
Climate Data Records (CDRs) of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) as defined by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) derived from satellite instruments help to characterize the main components of the Earth system, to identify the state and evolution of its processes, and to constrain the budgets of key cycles of water, carbon and energy. The Climate Change Initiative (CCI) of the European Space Agency (ESA) coordinates the derivation of CDRs for 21 GCOS ECVs. The combined use of multiple ECVs for Earth system science applications requires consistency between and across their respective CDRs. As a comprehensive definition for multi-ECV consistency is missing so far, this study proposes defining consistency on three levels: (1) consistency in format and metadata to facilitate their synergetic use (technical level); (2) consistency in assumptions and auxiliary datasets to minimize incompatibilities among datasets (retrieval level); and (3) consistency between combined or multiple CDRs within their estimated uncertainties or physical constraints (scientific level).
Analysing consistency between CDRs of multiple quantities is a challenging task and requires coordination between different observational communities, which is facilitated by the CCI program. The inter-dependencies of the satellite-based CDRs derived within the CCI program are analysed to identify where consistency considerations are most important. The study also summarizes measures taken in CCI to ensure consistency on the technical level, and develops a concept for assessing consistency on the retrieval and scientific levels in the light of underlying physical knowledge. Finally, this study presents the current status of consistency between the CCI CDRs and future efforts needed to further improve it
The PREDICTS database: a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures
such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of
alien species. Existing global databases of speciesâ threat status or population
time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with
broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of
a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of
historical declines and to project â and avert â future declines. We describe and
assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing
over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of
local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic
pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains
measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35)
biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains
more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than
1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups â including flowering
plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans
and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is
therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used
by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database
is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses
of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems â www.predicts.org.uk).
We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database
will be publicly available in 2015
Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19
IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 nonâcritically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022).
INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (nâ=â257), ARB (nâ=â248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; nâ=â10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; nâ=â264) for up to 10 days.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ supportâfree days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes.
RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ supportâfree days among critically ill patients was 10 (â1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (nâ=â231), 8 (â1 to 17) in the ARB group (nâ=â217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (nâ=â231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ supportâfree days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes.
TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570
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