Gloss Alignment Using Word Embeddings

Capturing and annotating Sign language datasets is a time consuming and costly process. Current datasets are orders of magnitude too small to successfully train unconstrained \acf{slt} models. As a result, research has turned to TV broadcast content as a source of large-scale training data, consisting of both the sign language interpreter and the associated audio subtitle. However, lack of sign language annotation limits the usability of this data and has led to the development of automatic annotation techniques such as sign spotting. These spottings are aligned to the video rather than the subtitle, which often results in a misalignment between the subtitle and spotted signs. In this paper we propose a method for aligning spottings with their corresponding subtitles using large spoken language models. Using a single modality means our method is computationally inexpensive and can be utilized in conjunction with existing alignment techniques. We quantitatively demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on the \acf{mdgs} and \acf{bobsl} datasets, recovering up to a 33.22 BLEU-1 score in word alignment.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 2023 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing Workshops (ICASSPW

Een onderzoek naar de juridische mogelijkheden om een ongeboren kind te beschermen tegen schade als gevolg van een onverantwoordelijke leefstijl van de zwangere vrouw.

Wat zijn de juridische mogelijkheden om een ongeboren kind te beschermen tegen schade als gevolg van een onverantwoordelijke leefstijl van de zwangere vrouw

Nitric oxide mediated effects of nebivolol on erectile function in rats with heart failure

Background and objective: Heart failure (HF) is a common complication of cardiovascular disease, which leads to functional cardiac abnormalities. Beta-blockers are commonly used to reduce mortality in HF patients; however, they are associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction (ED). Nebivolol is a third-generation beta-blocker with also having a Nitric oxide (NO) releasing effect. NO plays a key role in penile erection. The aim of this study was to investigate the NO-mediated effects of nebivolol on ED in HF. Material and methods: Twenty-four weeks old rats were divided into three groups: sham-operated control (SC), HF-induced control (HFC), and nebivolol-treated (HFNEB). HF was induced by the ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Eight weeks after the ligation, functional, hemodynamic, biologic, and histologic studies were conducted to assess NO-mediated effects of nebivolol. Results: HF rats displayed impaired erectile function represented by decreased intracavernosal/mean arterial pressure ratio (ICP/MAP). Increased nitrosative damage/decreased antioxidant capacity was consistent with decreased endothelial NOS (eNOS) and increased inducible NOS (iNOS) and neuronal NOS (nNOS) immunoreactivity in this group. Nebivolol treated animals were characterized by improved functional capacity, increased antioxidant and decreased oxidant capacity. Prevention of eNOS and an increase in nNOS immunoreactivity was also significant in this group. Conclusion: Our study showed the positive effects of nebivolol on erectile function in HF. NO-mediated mechanisms behind this effect can be summarized as eNOS mediated dilation of the cavernous body and nNOS mediated smooth muscle relaxation. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first in the literature to discuss all three NOS isoforms in order to explain the NO-mediated effects of nebivolol in ED

Bloqueio dos nervos ílio‐hipogástrico/ilioinguinal em correção de hérnia inguinal para tratamento da dor no pós‐operatório: comparação entre a técnica de marcos anatômicos e a guiada por ultrassom

ResumoObjetivoComparar a eficácia de bloqueios dos nervos ílio‐hipogástrico/ilioinguinal feitos com a técnica guiada por ultrassom e a de marcos anatômicos para o manejo da dor no pós‐operatório em casos de herniorrafia inguinal em adultos.MétodosForam randomicamente divididos 40 pacientes, estado físico ASA I‐II, em dois grupos iguais: nos grupos AN (técnica de marcos anatômicos) e US (técnica guiada por ultrassom), o bloqueio dos nervos ílio‐hipogástrico/ilioinguinal foi feito com 20mL de levobupivacaína a 0,5% antes da cirurgia com as técnicas especificadas. Escore de dor na avaliação pós‐operatória, tempo de primeira mobilização, tempo de internação hospitalar, escore de satisfação com a analgesia no pós‐operatório, efeitos colaterais induzidos por opiáceos e complicações relacionadas ao bloqueio foram avaliados durante 24horas de pós‐operatório.ResultadosEscores EVA em repouso na sala de recuperação e todos os valores clínicos durante o acompanhamento foram significativamente menores no grupo ultrassom (p<0,01 ou p<0,001). Escores EVA em movimento na sala de recuperação e todos os valores clínicos durante o acompanhamento foram significativamente menores no grupo ultrassom (p<0,001 em todos os tempos avaliados). Enquanto os tempos de internação e da primeira mobilização foram significativamente menores, os índices de satisfação com a analgesia foram significativamente maiores no grupo ultrasom (p<0,05, p<0,001, p<0,001, respectivamente).ConclusãoDe acordo com o nosso estudo, o bloqueio dos nervos ílio‐hipogástrico/ilioinguinal guiado por US em herniorrafias inguinais em adultos proporciona uma analgesia mais eficaz e maior satisfação com a analgesia do que com a técnica de marcos anatômicos. Além disso, pode‐se sugerir que a observação das estruturas anatômicas com a US pode aumentar o sucesso do bloqueio e minimizar as complicações relacionadas ao bloqueio.AbstractObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of iliohypogastric/ilioinguinal nerve blocks performed with the ultrasound guided and the anatomical landmark techniques for postoperative pain management in cases of adult inguinal herniorrhaphy.Methods40 patients, ASA I–II status were randomized into two groups equally: in Group AN (anatomical landmark technique) and in Group ultrasound (ultrasound guided technique), iliohypogastric/ilioinguinal nerve block was performed with 20ml of 0.5% levobupivacaine prior to surgery with the specified techniques. Pain score in postoperative assessment, first mobilization time, duration of hospital stay, score of postoperative analgesia satisfaction, opioid induced side effects and complications related to block were assessed for 24h postoperatively.ResultsVAS scores at rest in the recovery room and all the clinical follow‐up points were found significantly less in Group ultrasound (p<0.01 or p<0.001). VAS scores at movement in the recovery room and all the clinical follow‐up points were found significantly less in Group ultrasound (p<0.001 in all time points). While duration of hospital stay and the first mobilization time were being found significantly shorter, analgesia satisfaction scores were found significantly higher in ultrasound Group (p<0.05, p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively).ConclusionAccording to our study, US guided iliohypogastric/ilioinguinal nerve block in adult inguinal herniorrhaphies provides a more effective analgesia and higher satisfaction of analgesia than iliohypogastric/ilioinguinal nerve block with the anatomical landmark technique. Moreover, it may be suggested that the observation of anatomical structures with the US may increase the success of the block, and minimize the block‐related complications

Fault-Tolerant Topology Generation Method for Application-Specific Network-on-Chips

As the technology sizes of integrated circuits (ICs) scale down rapidly, current transistor densities on chips dramatically increase. While nanometer feature sizes allow denser chip designs in each technology generation, fabricated ICs become more susceptible to wear-outs, causing operation failure. Even a single link failure within an on-chip fabric can halt communication between application blocks, which makes the entire chip useless. In this paper, we aim to make faulty chips designed with network-on-chip (NoC) communication usable. Specifically, we present fault-tolerant irregular topology-generation method for application-specific NoC designs. Designed NoC topology allows different routing path if there is a link failure on the default routing path. Additionally, we present a simulated annealing-based application mapping algorithm aiming to minimize total energy consumption of the NoC design. We compare fault-tolerant topologies with nonfault-tolerant application-specific irregular topologies on energy consumption, performance, and area using multimedia benchmarks and custom-generated graphs. Our results demonstrate that our method is able to determine fault-tolerant topologies with negligible area increase and better energy values. © 1982-2012 IEEE

Fault-tolerant irregular topology design method for network-on-chips

As the technology sizes of integrated circuits (ICs) scale down rapidly, current transistor densities on chips dramatically increase. While nanometer feature sizes allow denser chip designs in each technology generation, fabricated ICs become more susceptible to wear-outs, causing operation failure. Even a single link failure within an on-chip fabric can halt communication between application blocks, which makes the entire chip useless. In this study, we aim to make faulty chips designed with Network-on-Chip (NoC) communication usable. Specifically, we present a fault-tolerant irregular topology generation method for application specific NoC designs. Designed NoC topology allows a different routing path if there is a link failure on the default routing. We compare fault-tolerant topologies with regular fault-tolerant ring topologies, and non-fault-tolerant application specific irregular topologies on energy consumption, performance, and area using multimedia benchmarks and custom-generated graphs. © 2014 IEEE

Effect of carvedilol on silent anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity assessed by strain imaging: A prospective randomized controlled study with six-month follow-up

Background: The use of antracycline (ANT) in breast cancer has been associated with adverse cardiac events. Two-dimensional (2D) strain imaging (SI) can provide a more sensitive measure of altered left ventricular (LV) systolic function. We aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of carvedilol administration assessed by SI in a patient with breast cancer treated with ANT.Methods: Patients receiving ANT were randomly assigned to the carvedilol- or placebo-receiving group. Each received an echocardiographic examination with conventional 2D echocardiography, pulsed tissue Doppler, and 2D SI prior to and 6 months post ANT treatment.Results: During the 6-month follow-up period there were no patient deaths or interrupted chemotherapy treatments due to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Both left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and fractional shortening (FS) were within normal limits for all patients before and after ANT therapy. EF, FS and LV dimensions were measured using M-mode echocardiography and found to be similar in both groups before and after ANT therapy. The mean EF, FS, and LV echocardiograph baseline and control dimensions were similar in both groups after 6 months. Though baseline SI parameters were similar between the groups, there was a significant decrease in LV basal septal and basal lateral peak systolic strain in the control group compared to the carvedilol group.Conclusions: These results indicate that carvedilol has a protective effect against the cardiotoxicity induced by ANT.

Two Cases of an Unusual Childhood Aortic Dissection Resulting in Death

Pediatric aortic dissection is an emergency condition that is difficult to diagnose and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. To draw attention to this issue, we present two male cases diagnosed with aortic dissection because of an autopsy. A 16-year-old man with severe new-onset chest pain had an unremarkable physical examination, electrocardiography, and laboratory values. Aortic dissection was not detected on non-contrast computed tomography or echocardiography. Type A aortic dissection was discovered during the patient's autopsy. In the second case, a 10-year-old male patient complained of fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The physical examination and biochemical tests were unremarkable. Type B aortic dissection was discovered during the autopsy. Genetic and congenital causes predisposing to aortic dissection and hypertension or a history of trauma were not detected in either patient. Aortic dissection, which is very rare in children, should be considered in cases of persistent chest pain, and rapid diagnosis with contrast-enhanced tomography is vital