Deep Recurrent Music Writer: Memory-enhanced Variational Autoencoder-based Musical Score Composition and an Objective Measure

Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in music generation using machine learning techniques typically used for classification or regression tasks. This is a field still in its infancy, and most attempts are still characterized by the imposition of many restrictions to the music composition process in order to favor the creation of “interesting” outputs. Furthermore, and most importantly, none of the past attempts has focused on developing objective measures to evaluate the music composed, which would allow to evaluate the pieces composed against a predetermined standard as well as permitting to fine-tune models for better “performance” and music composition goals. In this work, we intend to advance state-of-the-art in this area by introducing and evaluating a new metric for an objective assessment of the quality of the generated pieces. We will use this measure to evaluate the outputs of a truly generative model based on Variational Autoencoders that we apply here to automated music composition. Using our metric, we demonstrate that our model can generate music pieces that follow general stylistic characteristics of a given composer or musical genre. Additionally, we use this measure to investigate the impact of various parameters and model architectures on the compositional process and output

Suivi de l'hivernage des Palombes (Columba palumbus) dans une zone agricole du sud-ouest de la France

Se presentan los resultados obtenidos en el seguimiento realizado a lo largo de más de 10 años de los dormideros de Paloma Torcaz existentes en el sudoeste de Francia. También se explica la metodología seguida.10 urtean baino gehiagoan, Frantziaren hego-mendebaldeko pagausoen etzalekuen segimendua egin da, eta hortik ateratako emaitzak aurkezten dira hemen. Erabili den metodologia ere azaltzen da.Présentation des résultats obtenus dans le suivi réalisé sur plus de 10 ans dans les dortoirs du Pigeon Ramier présents dans le Sud-ouest de la France. Explication de la méthodologie appliquée.The results obtained in the tracking, which was carried out over more than 10 years on Wood Pigeon roosting places in the Southwest of France, are given. Methods used are also explained

A proteomic and transcriptional view of acidogenic and solventogenic steady-state cells of Clostridium acetobutylicum in a chemostat culture

The complex changes in the life cycle of Clostridium acetobutylicum, a promising biofuel producer, are not well understood. During exponential growth, sugars are fermented to acetate and butyrate, and in the transition phase, the metabolism switches to the production of the solvents acetone and butanol accompanied by the initiation of endospore formation. Using phosphate-limited chemostat cultures at pH 5.7, C. acetobutylicum was kept at a steady state of acidogenic metabolism, whereas at pH 4.5, the cells showed stable solvent production without sporulation. Novel proteome reference maps of cytosolic proteins from both acidogenesis and solventogenesis with a high degree of reproducibility were generated. Yielding a 21% coverage, 15 protein spots were specifically assigned to the acidogenic phase, and 29 protein spots exhibited a significantly higher abundance in the solventogenic phase. Besides well-known metabolic proteins, unexpected proteins were also identified. Among these, the two proteins CAP0036 and CAP0037 of unknown function were found as major striking indicator proteins in acidogenic cells. Proteome data were confirmed by genome-wide DNA microarray analyses of the identical cultures. Thus, a first systematic study of acidogenic and solventogenic chemostat cultures is presented, and similarities as well as differences to previous studies of batch cultures are discussed

Clostridioides difficile 630△erm in silico and in vivo: Quantitative growth and extensive polysaccharide secretion

Antibiotic associated infections with Clostridioides difficile are a severe and often lethal risk for hospitalized patients, but can also affect populations without these classical risk factors. For a rational design of therapeutical concepts, a better knowledge of the metabolism of the pathogen is crucial. Metabolic modeling can provide a simulation of quantitative growth and usage of metabolic pathways, leading to a deeper understanding of the organism. Here, we present an elaborate genome-scale metabolic model of C. difficile 630△erm. The model iHD992 includes experimentally determined product and substrate uptake rates and is able to simulate the energy metabolism and quantitative growth of C. difficile. Dynamic flux balance analysis was used for time-resolved simulations of the quantitative growth in two different media. The model predicts oxidative Stickland reactions and glucose degradation as main sources of energy, while the resulting reduction potential is mostly used for acetogenesis via the Wood-Ljhungdahl pathway. Initial modeling experiments did not reproduce the observed growth behavior before the production of large quantities of a previously unknown polysaccharide was detected. Combined genome analysis and laboratory experiments indicated that the polysaccharide is an acetylated glucose polymer. Time-resolved simulations showed that polysaccharide secretion was coupled to growth even during unstable glucose uptake in minimal medium. This is accomplished by metabolic shifts between active glycolysis and gluconeogenesis which were also observed in laboratory experiments

L'enfant et la prison au XIXe siècle : l'exemple toulousain

Im 19. Jh. ist der Strafvollzug für jugendliche Verbrecher auf Betreiben einiger Philanthropen Ziel zahlreicher Reformversuche, die bestrebt sind, die Kinder und Halbwüchsigen aus der Gefängniswelt herauszubringen und sie vor allem von den erwachsenen Sträfligen zu trennen. Das Toulouser Beispiel ist aufschlussreich für die Schwierigkeiten, auf die diese versuche stossen, denen man nicht die Mittel zum Erfolg gegeben hat : ungeeignete Örtlichkeitem, für seine Aufgabe unzureichend geschultes Personal sowie die fehlende oder ungenügende finanzielle Unterstützung des Staates zwangen die Anstaltsleiter, sich anderen Einkommensquellen zuzuwenden.In the 19th century, the penitentiary system for young deliquants was the object, by the instigation of several philanthropists, of numerous attempts at reform, notably to separate them from adult prisoners. The example of Toulouse reveals the difficulties that these endeavors encountered as they were not given the means to succeed : unfit premises, badly prepared staff, inexistant or insufficient State financial aid, thus forcing the directors of institutions to look for other sources of income.Au XIXe siècle, le système pénitentiaire pour jeunes délinquants fait l'objet, sous l'impulsion de quelques philanthropes, de nombreuses tentatives de réforme, dont le but est de sortir les enfants et les adolescents de l'univers carcéral, mais surtout de les séparer des détenus adultes. L'exemple toulousain est révélateur des difficultés que rencontrent ces tentatives, auxquelles on n'a pas donné les moyens de réussir : locaux inadaptés, personnel mal préparé à sa tâche, absence ou insuffisance des aides financières de l'État obligeant les directeurs d'établissements à se tourner vers d'autres sources de revenus.Cavayé-Sabathé Béatrice. L'enfant et la prison au XIXe siècle : l'exemple toulousain. In: Annales du Midi : revue archéologique, historique et philologique de la France méridionale, Tome 99, N°178, 1987. Enfants abandonnés enfants emprisonnés, les méridionaux et l'Orient. pp. 193-208

Implementation of a multi-chance fission model in FIFRELIN for 235U(n,f) reaction

International audienceNeutron emission is a physical process that can occur at various stages of nuclear fission. The main source of neutron emission comes from primary fission fragments after full acceleration. Another source of neutron emission comes from the de-excitation of the nucleus prior to scission (scission neutrons are neglected in this work). This type of event can occur if the energy of the incoming neutron is above a threshold energy dependent on nuclear properties (neutron binding energy Sn and fission barrier height Bf). This type of de-excitation initiates a competition between fission and neutron emission. This physical mechanism is referred to as multi-chance fission and becomes significant for incident neutron kinetic energies higher than the fission barrier height of the residual nucleus (approximately 5 MeV). Until now, this phenomenon has not been considered in the FIFRELIN code, limiting its scope of application. In this context, we propose a method to model multi-chance fission for the 235U(n,f) reaction. It is based on evaluated microscopic partial fission cross-sections used to calculate multi-chance fission probabilities

Emulation d’essai clinique randomisé chez des patients atteints d’une sclérose en plaques pour estimer le bénéfice d’un changement de traitement précoce vers un traitement de seconde ligne : approche par scores de propensions dépendant du temps

International audienceIntroductionLa sclérose en plaques (SEP) est une maladie neurodégénérative chronique dont l’évolution, hétérogène entre les patients, est difficilement prévisible. Les scores prédictifs de la non-réponse à un traitement de première ligne sont peu utilisés en soin courant et ont certaines limites statistiques comme de faibles capacités pronostiques ou des méthodes de développement et de validation non-adéquates [1].MéthodeÀ partir de 8549 patients adultes participants à l’Observatoire Français de la SEP [2] ; nous avons modélisé le temps jusqu’à un changement de traitement de première ligne vers un traitement de seconde ligne en cas d’inefficacité, grâce à modèle de Cox avec variables dépendantes du temps. Des scores de propensions dépendant du temps issus du prédicteur linéaire de ce modèle ont permis un appariement 1 :1 d’un patient qui change de traitement vers un traitement de seconde ligne à un patient qui reste sous traitement de première ligne [3]. Cette procédure a permis de prévenir les biais de temps immortel et d’obtenir une répartition équilibrée des caractéristiques des patients entre les deux groupes au moment de cette pseudo-randomisation [4].RésultatsLe bénéfice du changement de traitement, mesuré par le temps sans poussée, a été montré grâce aux 2174 patients appariés (HR = 0,86 [IC95 % = 0,77 ; 0,98]). Quatre caractéristiques cliniques modifiaient significativement l’effet du changement de traitement (modèle de fragilité, p < 0,05) : l’âge aux premiers symptômes de la maladie, le niveau de handicap à la mise sous traitement de première ligne, l’apparition sur l’IRM de lésions T1 réhaussées au gadolinium depuis la mise sous traitement de première ligne ainsi que l’observation de poussées depuis la mise sous traitement de première ligne. Ces caractéristiques ont permis de distinguer deux strates ; l’une ayant un bénéfice significatif du changement de traitement, l’autre sans bénéfice. Nous avons validé ces résultats à partir de patients indépendants.DiscussionNous avons développé et validé un nouveau score dynamique aidant à la décision d’un changement précoce de traitement de première ligne vers un traitement de seconde ligne pour augmenter la survie libre de poussée. Au-delà de l’intérêt clinique, plus d’un tiers des patients pourraient bénéficier d’un changement précoce grâce à un tel outil. Cette étude illustre l’intérêt méthodologique des scores de propension dépendants du temps, encore peu utilisés dans les études de causalité à partir de données observationnelles

Stat Methods Med Res

Pseudo-values provide a method to perform regression analysis for complex quantities with right-censored data. A further complication, interval-censored data, appears when events such as dementia are studied in an epidemiological cohort. We propose an extension of the pseudo-value approach for interval-censored data based on a semi-parametric estimator computed using penalised likelihood and splines. This estimator takes interval-censoring and competing risks into account in an illness-death model. We apply the pseudo-value approach to three mean value parameters of interest in studies of dementia: the probability of staying alive and non-demented, the restricted mean survival time without dementia and the absolute risk of dementia. Simulation studies are conducted to examine properties of pseudo-values based on this semi-parametric estimator. The method is applied to the French cohort PAQUID, which included more than 3,000 non-demented subjects, followed for dementia for more than 25 years