Les champignons : essai de classification / par le Dr Paul Vuillemin,...

Collection : Bibliothèque de botanique cryptogamique

Object and Scene Classification: what does a Supervised Approach Provide us?

Given a set of images of scenes containing different object categories (e.g. grass, roads) our objective is to discover these objects in each image, and to use this object occurrences to perform a scene classification (e.g. beach scene, mountain scene). We achieve this by using a supervised learning algorithm able to learn with few images to facilitate the user task. We use a probabilistic model to recognise the objects and further we classify the scene based on their object occurrences. Experimental results are shown and evaluated to prove the validity of our proposal. Object recognition performance is compared to the approaches of He et al. (2004) and Marti et al. (2001) using their own datasets. Furthermore an unsupervised method is implemented in order to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of our supervised classification approach versus an unsupervised one

Les carcinomes adénosquameux de la sphère ORL : à propos de 20 cas et revue de la littérature

Le but de cette étude rétrospective et descriptive était de déterminer les aspects cliniques et anatomopathologiques ainsi que les modes de presentation et de récidive des carcinomes adénosquameux de la sphere ORL, traités de manière curative, et recensés entre le 1er janvier 1989 et le 31 décembre 2010 au sein des Institutions du Rare Cancer Network. Nous avons retenu 20 cas de patients traités par chirurgie (S), et/ou radiothérapie (RT), avec ou sans chimiothérapie (CT) concomitante. L'âge médian était de 59.5 ans au moment du diagnostic (étendue, 48-73). La classification selon le TNM montrait des stades avancés pour la majorité des patients, avec un, deux, cinq et 11 patients présentant respectivement une Uimeur de stade I, II, III, et IVa. Les sites anatomiques incriminés étaient la cavité orale (n=4), l'oropharynx (n=5), Phypopharynx (n=2), le larynx (n2), les glandes salivaires (n=2), le vestibule nasal (n=2), les sinus maxillaires (n=2) et enfin le nasopharynx (n=l). Seize patients ont bénéficié d'une chirurgie, et 17 d'un traitement combiné (S+RT chez 13, RT+CT chez deux, et les trois modalités chez les deux derniers patients). Apres un suivi médian de 16 mois (étendue, 9-62), 3, 1, 1, 1,2 and 4 patients ont développé une récidive à distance, régionale, locale, locorégionale, locorégionale + à distance, et régionale + à distance. Toutes les récidives locales sont survenues dans le champ d'irradiation. Au dernier suivi, neuf patients étaient vivants sans maladie. La survie globale, la survie sans maladie, et le contrôle locorégional médians et à 3 ans étaient respectivement de 39 mois et 52% (95%[CI]:28-75%), 12 mois et 32% (95%[CI]: 11-54%) et enfin 33 mois et 47% (95%[CI]:20-74%). L'analyse multivariée a montré que la survie sans maladie était inversement corrélée à la présence d'effractions capsulaires (p=0.01) et aux stades avancés (IV versus I-III, p=0.002). D'une manière générale, nous avons confirmé que le pronostic global des carcinomes adénosquameux de la sphère ORL est sombre, ceci étant majoritairement dû à la survenue précoce de métastases ganglionnaires et à distance, lesquelles surviennent chez plus de la moitié des patients. En revanche, nous avons pu montrer que le contrôle local obtenu par un traitement combiné de radio-chimiothérapie permet aux patients diagnostiqués à un stade précoce de bénéficier d'une survie sans maladie tout à fait favorable.

Document Tècnic Edificació: instal·lacions d'electricitat Baixa Tensió

El projecte es basa en una proposta de modificació d’una Norma Tecnològica d’Edificació sobre les instal•lacions elèctriques de baixa tensió del 1973, per tal de donar-li un caire més actual

Molecular phylogenetics of shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae) reveal timing of transcontinental colonizations.

We sequenced 2167 base pairs (bp) of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b and 16S, and 1390 bp of nuclear genes BRCA1 and ApoB in shrews taxa (Eulipotyphla, family Soricidae). The aim was to study the relationships at higher taxonomic levels within this family, and in particular the position of difficult clades such as Anourosorex and Myosorex. The data confirmed two monophyletic subfamilies, Soricinae and Crocidurinae. In the former, the tribes Anourosoricini, Blarinini, Nectogalini, Notiosoricini, and Soricini were supported. The latter was formed by the tribes Myosoricini and Crocidurini. The genus Suncus appeared to be paraphyletic and included Sylvisorex. We further suggest a biogeographical hypothesis, which shows that North America was colonized by three independent lineages of Soricinae during middle Miocene. Our hypothesis is congruent with the first fossil records for these taxa. Using molecular dating, the first exchanges between Africa and Eurasia occurred during the middle Miocene. The last one took place in the Late Miocene, with the dispersion of the genus Crocidura through the old world.

A comprehensive analysis of gene expression profiles in distal parts of the mouse renal tubule.

The distal parts of the renal tubule play a critical role in maintaining homeostasis of extracellular fluids. In this review, we present an in-depth analysis of microarray-based gene expression profiles available for microdissected mouse distal nephron segments, i.e., the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and the connecting tubule (CNT), and for the cortical portion of the collecting duct (CCD; Zuber et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106:16523-16528, 2009). Classification of expressed transcripts in 14 major functional gene categories demonstrated that all principal proteins involved in maintaining the salt and water balance are represented by highly abundant transcripts. However, a significant number of transcripts belonging, for instance, to categories of G-protein-coupled receptors or serine/threonine kinases exhibit high expression levels but remain unassigned to a specific renal function. We also established a list of genes differentially expressed between the DCT/CNT and the CCD. This list is enriched by genes related to segment-specific transport functions and by transcription factors directing the development of the distal nephron or collecting ducts. Collectively, this in silico analysis provides comprehensive information about relative abundance and tissue specificity of the DCT/CNT and the CCD expressed transcripts and identifies new candidate genes for renal homeostasis.

BrainCheck - a very brief tool to detect incipient cognitive decline: optimized case-finding combining patient- and informant-based data.

INTRODUCTION: Optimal identification of subtle cognitive impairment in the primary care setting requires a very brief tool combining (a) patients' subjective impairments, (b) cognitive testing, and (c) information from informants. The present study developed a new, very quick and easily administered case-finding tool combining these assessments ('BrainCheck') and tested the feasibility and validity of this instrument in two independent studies. METHODS: We developed a case-finding tool comprised of patient-directed (a) questions about memory and depression and (b) clock drawing, and (c) the informant-directed 7-item version of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). Feasibility study: 52 general practitioners rated the feasibility and acceptance of the patient-directed tool. Validation study: An independent group of 288 Memory Clinic patients (mean ± SD age = 76.6 ± 7.9, education = 12.0 ± 2.6; 53.8% female) with diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment (n = 80), probable Alzheimer's disease (n = 185), or major depression (n = 23) and 126 demographically matched, cognitively healthy volunteer participants (age = 75.2 ± 8.8, education = 12.5 ± 2.7; 40% female) partook. All patient and healthy control participants were administered the patient-directed tool, and informants of 113 patient and 70 healthy control participants completed the very short IQCODE. RESULTS: Feasibility study: General practitioners rated the patient-directed tool as highly feasible and acceptable. Validation study: A Classification and Regression Tree analysis generated an algorithm to categorize patient-directed data which resulted in a correct classification rate (CCR) of 81.2% (sensitivity = 83.0%, specificity = 79.4%). Critically, the CCR of the combined patient- and informant-directed instruments (BrainCheck) reached nearly 90% (that is 89.4%; sensitivity = 97.4%, specificity = 81.6%). CONCLUSION: A new and very brief instrument for general practitioners, 'BrainCheck', combined three sources of information deemed critical for effective case-finding (that is, patients' subject impairments, cognitive testing, informant information) and resulted in a nearly 90% CCR. Thus, it provides a very efficient and valid tool to aid general practitioners in deciding whether patients with suspected cognitive impairments should be further evaluated or not ('watchful waiting').

Spatio-temporal differentiation and sociality in spiders.

Species that differ in their social system, and thus in traits such as group size and dispersal timing, may differ in their use of resources along spatial, temporal, or dietary dimensions. The role of sociality in creating differences in habitat use is best explored by studying closely related species or socially polymorphic species that differ in their social system, but share a common environment. Here we investigate whether five sympatric Anelosimus spider species that range from nearly solitary to highly social differ in their use of space and in their phenology as a function of their social system. By studying these species in Serra do Japi, Brazil, we find that the more social species, which form larger, longer-lived colonies, tend to live inside the forest, where sturdier, longer lasting vegetation is likely to offer better support for their nests. The less social species, which form single-family groups, in contrast, tend to occur on the forest edge where the vegetation is less robust. Within these two microhabitats, species with longer-lived colonies tend to occupy the potentially more stable positions closer to the core of the plants, while those with smaller and shorter-lived colonies build their nests towards the branch tips. The species further separate in their use of common habitat due to differences in the timing of their reproductive season. These patterns of habitat use suggest that the degree of sociality can enable otherwise similar species to differ from one another in ways that may facilitate their co-occurrence in a shared environment, a possibility that deserves further consideration.

A fractionally integrated approach to monetary policy and inflation dynamics

This paper relaxes the standard I(0) and I(1) assumptions typically stated in the monetary VAR literature by considering a richer framework that encompasses the previous two processes as well as other fractionally integrated possibilities. First, a timevarying multivariate spectrum is estimated for post WWII US data. Then, a structural fractionally integrated VAR (VARFIMA) is fitted to each of the resulting time dependent spectra. In this way, both the coefficients of the VAR and the innovation variances are allowed to evolve freely. The model is employed to analyze inflation persistence and to evaluate the stance of US monetary policy. Our findings indicate a strong decline in the innovation variances during the great disinflation, consistent with the view that the good performance of the economy during the 80’s and 90’s is in part a tale of good luck. However, we also find evidence of a decline in inflation persistence together with a stronger monetary response to inflation during the same period. This last result suggests that the Fed may still play a role in accounting for the observed differences in the US inflation history. Finally, we conclude that previous evidence against drifting coefficients could be an artifact of parameter restriction towards the stationary region. Keywords: monetary policy, inflation persistence, fractional integration, timevarying coefficients, VARFIMA. JEL Classification: E52, C32

Hours worked - Productivity puzzle: identification in fractional integration settings

A recent finding of the structural VAR literature is that the response of hours worked to a technology shock depends on the assumption on the order of integration of the hours. In this work we relax this assumption, allowing for fractional integration and long memory in the process for hours and productivity. We find that the sign and magnitude of the estimated impulse responses of hours to a positive technology shock depend crucially on the assumptions applied to identify them. Responses estimated with short-run identification are positive and statistically significant in all datasets analyzed. Long-run identification results in negative often not statistically significant responses. We check validity of these assumptions with the Sims (1989) procedure, concluding that both types of assumptions are appropriate to recover the impulse responses of hours in a fractionally integrated VAR. However, the application of longrun identification results in a substantial increase of the sampling uncertainty. JEL Classification numbers: C22, E32. Keywords: technology shock, fractional integration, hours worked, structural VAR, identification

Els apareguts i el culte de les ànimes del Purgatori (segles XIV-XVII). Estudi i edició de textos catalans

Report for the scientific sojourn carried out at the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art (INHA), France, from 2010 to 2012. It has focused on the analysis and editing of tales of human apparitions from the other world belonging to the Catalan culture or referring to it. We have studied and edited different versions of the process of Esperança Alegre (Lleida, 1500) and the Peregrinació del Venturós Pelegrí. These medieval works have been preserved in sources of the late sixteenth century or later. We have located a manuscript of the Esperança Alegre's tale, unknown to us at the beginning of this research (Biblioteca Nacional de España, ms. 1701), which differs from the version of ms. Baluze 238 of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. The scribe of the ms. 1701 adds several paragraphs where considers the case as a diabolical phantasmagoria. About the Venturós Pelegrí, we have tried to establish firm criteria for the classification of many editions from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. We have been looking for printed books in the libràries of the world and we have made several requests for photographic reproductions, in order to classify undated editions by comparing woodcuts and other decorative elements. In the legend of Prince Charles of Viana (1421-1461), the appearances of his ghost are accompanied by rumors of his poisoning and of his sanctity. In addition, we have studied the cycles of masses for the souls in Purgatory linked to the hagiographies of St. Amadour and St. Vincent Ferrer, as well as the appearances described in L'Ànima d’Oliver of Francesc Moner, in the Carmelite chronicles of Father John of St. Joseph (1642-1718) and in some folktales collected from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. All this have allowed us to verify the evolution of certain cultural paradigms since the Middle Ages to the present.

The equity core and the Lorenz-maximal allocations in the equal division core

In this paper, we characterize the non-emptiness of the equity core (Selten, 1978) and provide a method, easy to implement, for computing the Lorenz-maximal allocations in the equal division core (Dutta-Ray, 1991). Both results are based on a geometrical decomposition of the equity core as a finite union of polyhedrons. Keywords: Cooperative game, equity core, equal division core, Lorenz domination. JEL classification: C71

Decoding sequence learning from single-trial intracranial EEG in humans.

We propose and validate a multivariate classification algorithm for characterizing changes in human intracranial electroencephalographic data (iEEG) after learning motor sequences. The algorithm is based on a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) that captures spatio-temporal properties of the iEEG at the level of single trials. Continuous intracranial iEEG was acquired during two sessions (one before and one after a night of sleep) in two patients with depth electrodes implanted in several brain areas. They performed a visuomotor sequence (serial reaction time task, SRTT) using the fingers of their non-dominant hand. Our results show that the decoding algorithm correctly classified single iEEG trials from the trained sequence as belonging to either the initial training phase (day 1, before sleep) or a later consolidated phase (day 2, after sleep), whereas it failed to do so for trials belonging to a control condition (pseudo-random sequence). Accurate single-trial classification was achieved by taking advantage of the distributed pattern of neural activity. However, across all the contacts the hippocampus contributed most significantly to the classification accuracy for both patients, and one fronto-striatal contact for one patient. Together, these human intracranial findings demonstrate that a multivariate decoding approach can detect learning-related changes at the level of single-trial iEEG. Because it allows an unbiased identification of brain sites contributing to a behavioral effect (or experimental condition) at the level of single subject, this approach could be usefully applied to assess the neural correlates of other complex cognitive functions in patients implanted with multiple electrodes.

Multi-scale label interaction to improve object detection and segmentation

The project aims at advancing the state of the art in the use of context information for classification of image and video data. The use of context in the classification of images has been showed of great importance to improve the performance of actual object recognition systems. In our project we proposed the concept of Multi-scale Feature Labels as a general and compact method to exploit the local and global context. The feature extraction from the discriminative probability or classification confidence label field is of great novelty. Moreover the use of a multi-scale representation of the feature labels lead to a compact and efficient description of the context. The goal of the project has been also to provide a general-purpose method and prove its suitability in different image/video analysis problem. The two-year project generated 5 journal publications (plus 2 under submission), 10 conference publications (plus 2 under submission) and one patent (plus 1 pending). Of these publications, a relevant number make use of the main result of this project to improve the results in detection and/or segmentation of objects.