Correcting automatic speech recognition captioning errors in real time

Lectures can be digitally recorded and replayed to provide multimedia revision material for students who attended the class and a substitute learning experience for students unable to attend. Deaf and hard of hearing people can find it difficult to follow speech through hearing alone or to take notes while they are lip-reading or watching a sign-language interpreter. Synchronising the speech with text captions can ensure deaf students are not disadvantaged and assist all learners to search for relevant specific parts of the multimedia recording by means of the synchronised text. Automatic speech recognition has been used to provide real-time captioning directly from lecturers’ speech in classrooms but it has proved difficult to obtain accuracy comparable to stenography. This paper describes the development, testing and evaluation of a system that enables editors to correct errors in the captions as they are created by automatic speech recognition and makes suggestions for future possible improvements.     

WAIS-R Factor Structure in Alzheimer's Disease Patients: A Comparison of Alternative Models and an Assessment of Their Generalizability.

The WAIS-R is often used in neuropsychological evaluations of individuals with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its factor structure in this population is unknown. Moreover, theories and past research findings make competing predictions concerning its structure. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the authors compared 5 alternative WAIS-R factor models among 516 AD patients: 1-factor (Spearman's g) and 2-factor (Verbal IQ and Performance IQ) models; a 3-factor model including Verbal Comprehension (VC), Perceptual Organization (PO), and Freedom From Distractibility (FD) factors; a 3-factor model in which Digit Symbol loads on PO rather than FD; and a 3-factor model in which Digit Symbol loads on both PO and FD. Results favored the 3-factor model in which Digit Symbol loads on PO rather than FD. Moreover, this model fit the data best among subsamples of patients defined by age, dementia severity, years of education, and gender. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Drop-out behaviour and fertility table analysis of pregnancy rates

The life table analysis of infertility study data uses information from patients who drop out and are lost to follow-up. The fact that drop-out patients were not pregnant when last seen has been taken to be useful information that has been entered into the calculation of cumulative pregnancy rates for the population as a whole. However, drop-out patients who subsequently achieve pregnancy have motivations to return to their physician for follow-up, while those who do not become pregnant usually remain lost to follow-up. This can result in a systematic error toward reporting an excess of pregnancies, raising the apparent fecundity rates and plateau values. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential magnitude of these errors. Computer simulations of hypothetical infertility treatments using large cohorts (n = 32 000) were undertaken. Varying assumptions were made regarding post-treatment monthly fecundity rates, 'cure rates', drop-out rates and the percentage of pregnant drop-outs who would return to their physician after achieving pregnancy. Using a range of clinically reasonable assumptions, very large deviations from ideal behaviour were noted in the direction of elevated cumulative pregnancy rates. The non-ideal behaviour was most apparent with lower fecundity rates, lower 'cure rates', higher drop-out rates and higher pregnant drop-out return rates. A change in the method of data collection to minimize the impact of this bias in infertility studies is proposed. This method of active data collection is a departure from that used in classical life table studies and therefore the method is titled the 'fertility table method' in order to avoid confusion.     

Serum fatty acid proportions are altered during the year following acute Epstein-Barr virus infection

Because abnormal serum fatty acid (FA) proportions had been found at three months after infectious mononucleosis (IM) in a pilot study, serum total FA profiles of 20 normal college students were measured at monthly intervals for one year following an acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Below normal proportions of arachidonic acid and a reversal of the usual serum ratio of linoleic and oleic acids were maximal during the third month after acute IM. These FA abnormalities coincided with the symptom of increased physical malaise, despite apparent clinical recovery, common after IM. Persistence of low linoleic acid content beyond six months postinfection occurred in all seven students who showed continued clinical symptoms. Estimation of FA enzyme activities over the post-IM year suggested that FA elongation function was normal, but that FA desaturation enzyme activities were lower than normal, particularly early after EBV infection. An inability of the host to normalize the serum total linoleic/oleic acid ratio may parallel a delayed recovery from EBV infection and may offer insight into its pathogenesis.     

Infantile intestinal leiomyosarcoma: surgical resection (without adjuvant therapy) for cure

A 7-week-old boy presented with a 6-week history of failure to thrive, acute intestinal obstruction, and an apparently irreducible intussusception (noted on contrast enema). He underwent abdominal exploration, during which a cecal mass was identified and resected. The mass proved to be a leiomyosarcoma. Histologically, it was an intermediate-grade malignancy with a predicted 5-year survival rate of 16% to 23% based on data from the adult experience. Three years after resection and without having received adjuvant therapy, he is healthy and free of disease. A review of the literature showed that in infants these tumors are predominantly colonic, compared with the predilection for small intestinal lesions found in the older pediatric and adult populations. Infantile intestinal leiomyosarcomata are rare malignancies that do well if complete surgical excision of the disease can be accomplished. The histological prognostic indicators proposed for intestinal leiomyosarcomas in the adult population cannot be extrapolated to infants because when they occur in infants, they appear to be less aggressive, and these patients do well without adjuvant therapy.     

Neuropsychological asymmetry in Alzheimer's disease: verbal versus visuoconstructional deficits across stages of dementia

The incidence of clinically apparent asymmetric profiles of neuropsychological deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients similar to those reported in the PET literature is currently unclear. This study investigated lateral neuropsychological asymmetry using principal component factor analysis in a sample of 153 patients diagnosed with probable AD. Using factor scores, patients were classified into groups exhibiting asymmetric or symmetric profiles of neuropsychological deficits. In the analysis of lateral asymmetry, 27.5% of patients were classified as asymmetric (10% verbally and 17% visuospatially). Consistent with reports of continued asymmetry beyond the mild dementia stage, asymmetry was exhibited in the mild, moderate, and severely demented groups. These findings of neuropsychological asymmetry across stages of dementia are consistent with the picture of significant neuropsychological heterogeneity in AD that has been emerging in the decade.     

Alzheimer disease-related activities in China: a report from the International Working Group on the Harmonization of Dementia Drug Guidelines

We present a case of a rare congenital cardiac anomaly. Magnetic resonance imaging accurately demonstrated a left circumflex aortic arch. This finding was not apparent on a prior conventional angiogram or echocardiography. Magnetic resonance imaging documentation of this anomaly is uncommon. Review of the embryonic development, clinical presentation of complete and incomplete vascular rings, and additional associated cardiac anomalies are discussed. This is one of only a few reported cases of a left circumflex aortic arch.     

Surgical evaluation and management of refractory constipation in older children

Chronic constipation is a common childhood problem that accounts for 3% to 5% of pediatric visits and 10% to 25% of referrals to pediatric gastroenterologists. The etiology of constipation can be elusive, and extensive investigation often fails to identify a specific cause. The authors conducted a 5-year retrospective review of the patients referred for deep transanal rectal biopsy to determine the usefulness of this procedure in the evaluation and subsequent surgical management of refractory constipation. Specimens obtained by transanal rectal biopsy established a diagnosis for 30 of the 70 patients, and 17 of these 30 had subsequent procedures in the treatment of their constipation. The authors conclude that transanal rectal biopsy identifies a significant number of patients with previously unidentified neuroenteric disorders who may benefit from additional surgery in the treatment of constipation refractory to medical management.