Sign segmentation with changepoint-modulated pseudo-labelling

The objective of this work is to find temporal boundaries between signs in continuous sign language. Motivated by the paucity of annotation available for this task, we propose a simple yet effective algorithm to improve segmentation performance on unlabelled signing footage from a domain of interest. We make the following contributions: (1) We motivate and introduce the task of source-free domain adaptation for sign language segmentation, in which labelled source data is available for an initial training phase, but is not available during adaptation. (2) We propose the Changepoint-Modulated Pseudo-Labelling (CMPL) algorithm to leverage cues from abrupt changes in motion-sensitive feature space to improve pseudo-labelling quality for adaptation. (3) We showcase the effectiveness of our approach for category-agnostic sign segmentation, transferring from the BSLCORPUS to the BSL-1K and RWTH-PHOENIX-Weather 2014 datasets, where we outperform the prior state of the art

Anesthesia for the patient with a recently diagnosed concussion: think about the brain!

Some patients require emergent, urgent, or elective surgery in the time period immediately following diagnosis of concussion. However, changes in brain homeostatic mechanisms following a concussion and concern for secondary brain injury can complicate the decision as to whether or not a surgery should proceed or be postponed. Given the paucity of available evidence, further evaluation of the use of anesthesia in a patient with concussion is warranted. This article summarizes what is currently known about the relevant pathophysiology of concussion, intraoperative anesthesia considerations, and effects of anesthesia on concussion outcomes in an attempt to help providers understand the risks that may accompany surgery and anesthesia in this patient population. While most contraindications to the use of anesthesia in concussed patients are relative, there are nonetheless pathophysiologic changes associated with a concussion that can increase risk of its use. Understanding these changes and anesthetic implications can help providers optimize outcomes in this patient population

The Development of Linguistic Competences for Employability: A Training Project for Teachers

AbstractEmployability is a new concept that has just appeared in the Spanish educational system. Its rising importance is due to European Union educational policies which aim to provide young people with training that enables them to take part successfully in the present and future working world.This paper argues for the need to develop employability from the very start of formal education, and within this, we highlight the importance of developing linguistic competence among pre-school and primary pupils as a key element for favouring employability.To be able to do so, the teaching staff must be trained using quality education to enable them to work effectively on this competence. In this paper we present how a training program, with a specific European dimension, has been designed by a state school from the Valencian Community, to serve as a model for other schools concerned about the development of a linguistic competence that helps to improve both teachers’ and pupils’ employability

Reviews of

Antibiotic Switch therapy is defined by the switch of intravenous antibiotic therapy to oral form. This research aimed to learn about the relationship of switch therapy toward the value of wound healing, lenght of stay and the antibiotic expenditure. The data of this cross sectional study was collected from medical record and by direct investigation to patients for their macroscopis the wound healings value. T-test was used to compared the relationship of the patient wound healings value, lenght of stay and the antibiotic expenditure between the those with and accurate switch therapy and those without it. The result showed that there was no different of wound healing value between those groups of patients (P>0,1). On the other hand, lenght of stay and antibiotic expenditure of the patient with the accurate switch therapy was cuted on the patient with the accurate switch therapy. These indicated that accuracy of switch therapy will proceed a benefit outcome to the patient with appendicitis, especially to there lenght of stay and antibiotic expenditure as well

SHH pathway inhibition is protumourigenic in adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma.

Pharmacological inhibition of the sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway can be beneficial against certain cancers but detrimental in others. Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is a relevant pituitary tumour, affecting children and adults, that is associated with high morbidity and increased mortality in long-term follow-up. We have previously demonstrated overactivation of the SHH pathway in both human and mouse ACP. Here, we show that this activation is ligand dependent and induced by the expression of SHH protein in a small proportion of tumour cells. We investigate the functional relevance of SHH signalling in ACP through MRI-guided preclinical studies using an ACP mouse model. Treatment with vismodegib, a clinically approved SHH pathway inhibitor, results in a significant reduction in median survival due to premature development of highly proliferative and vascularised undifferentiated tumours. Reinforcing the mouse data, SHH pathway inhibition in human ACP leads to a significant increase in tumour cell proliferation both ex vivo, in explant cultures, and in vivo, in a patient-derived xenograft model. Together, our results demonstrate a protumourigenic effect of vismodegib-mediated SHH pathway inhibition in ACP

SHH pathway inhibition is protumourigenic in adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma.

Pharmacological inhibition of the sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway can be beneficial against certain cancers but detrimental in others. Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is a relevant pituitary tumour, affecting children and adults, that is associated with high morbidity and increased mortality in long-term follow-up. We have previously demonstrated overactivation of the SHH pathway in both human and mouse ACP. Here, we show that this activation is ligand dependent and induced by the expression of SHH protein in a small proportion of tumour cells. We investigate the functional relevance of SHH signalling in ACP through MRI-guided preclinical studies using an ACP mouse model. Treatment with vismodegib, a clinically approved SHH pathway inhibitor, results in a significant reduction in median survival due to premature development of highly proliferative and vascularised undifferentiated tumours. Reinforcing the mouse data, SHH pathway inhibition in human ACP leads to a significant increase in tumour cell proliferation both ex vivo, in explant cultures, and in vivo, in a patient-derived xenograft model. Together, our results demonstrate a protumourigenic effect of vismodegib-mediated SHH pathway inhibition in ACP

Measurement of electrons from beauty-hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=5.02 TeV and Pb-Pb collisions at. root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV

The production of beauty hadrons was measured via semi-leptonic decays at mid-rapidity with the ALICE detector at the LHC in the transverse momentum interval 1<pT< 8 GeV/c in minimum-bias p-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV and in 1.3 < pT< 8 GeV/c in the 20% most central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV. The pp reference spectra at sNN=5.02 TeV and s=2.76 TeV, needed for the calculation of the nuclear modification factors RpPb and RPbPb, were obtained by a pQCD-driven scaling of the cross section of electrons from beauty-hadron decays measured at s=7 TeV. In the pT interval 3 < pT< 8 GeV/c, a suppression of the yield of electrons from beauty-hadron decays is observed in Pb-Pb compared to pp collisions. Towards lower pT, the RPbPb values increase with large systematic uncertainties. The RpPb is consistent with unity within systematic uncertainties and is well described by theoretical calculations that include cold nuclear matter effects in p-Pb collisions. The measured RpPb and these calculations indicate that cold nuclear matter effects are small at high transverse momentum also in Pb-Pb collisions. Therefore., the observed reduction of RPbPb below unity at high pT may be ascribed to an effect of the hot and dense medium formed in Pb-Pb collisions.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Modeling and Finite Element Analysis of a Standard Concrete Canoe

This thesis project provides a guiding framework for the structural analysis portion of the National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC). Step-by-step instructions on how to 3-dimensionally model a “standard” sized concrete canoe in AutoCAD Civil 3D, import the model into SAP2000, and proceed to analyze the canoe with the SAP2000 finite element analysis program are provided. Various hand calculations, reality checks, comparisons to the actual performance of previous canoes, and comparisons with similar concrete canoe analyses are used to justify the applicability of the outlined procedure. Recommendations for future research and how the analysis should affect mix design and paddler location to prevent structural failure are also offered

Sign language segmentation with temporal convolutional networks

The objective of this work is to determine the location of temporal boundaries between signs in continuous sign language videos. Our approach employs 3D convolutional neural network representations with iterative temporal segment refinement to resolve ambiguities between sign boundary cues. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on the BSLCORPUS, PHOENIX14 and BSL-1K datasets, showing considerable improvement over the state of the art and the ability to generalise to new signers, languages and domains

Partial migration in roe deer

We studied partial migrations in the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), a species particularly suited for such a study, due to a wide distribution range and a high level of ecological plasticity and adaptation to human-induced environmental changes. We undertook a comparative analysis of a set of representative and contrasting European ecosystems (boreal, boreo-nemoral, alpine, central European and sub-Mediterranean), using a dataset of about 100 individuals tracked for at least 1 year, using GPS collars. One of the main finding was the relevance of intermediate migratory behaviour, i.e. many animals performed numerous trips back and forth between winter and summer areas before taking a final decision and stabilize their range. The migration process resulted highly inter- and intra-individually variable, where the “classic” partial migration alternatives (residents and sharp migrants) were only the extremes of a highly complex behavioural gradient. The probability of adopting a migratory strategy, and sharp migrations in particular, depended on modulation by external factors, and in particular by the presence of snow, and on costs of displacement. The behavioural migratory gradient seemed therefore an expression of ecological plasticity and quick adaptation to climatic variation. However, migration patterns differed a lot between males and females, providing evidence that sex-specific adaptations also play a role in shaping the movement tactics of roe dee