Specifying Genericity through Inclusiveness and Abstractness Continuous Scales

This paper introduces a novel annotation framework for the fine-grained modeling of Noun Phrases' (NPs) genericity in natural language. The framework is designed to be simple and intuitive, making it accessible to non-expert annotators and suitable for crowd-sourced tasks. Drawing from theoretical and cognitive literature on genericity, this framework is grounded in established linguistic theory. Through a pilot study, we created a small but crucial annotated dataset of 324 sentences, serving as a foundation for future research. To validate our approach, we conducted an evaluation comparing our continuous annotations with existing binary annotations on the same dataset, demonstrating the framework's effectiveness in capturing nuanced aspects of genericity. Our work offers a practical resource for linguists, providing a first annotated dataset and an annotation scheme designed to build real-language datasets that can be used in studies on the semantics of genericity, and NLP practitioners, contributing to the development of commonsense knowledge repositories valuable in enhancing various NLP applications.Comment: Accepted at LREC-COLING 202

Word Ladders: A Mobile Application for Semantic Data Collection

Word Ladders is a free mobile application for Android and iOS, developed for collecting linguistic data, specifically lists of words related to each other through semantic relations of categorical inclusion, within the Abstraction project (ERC-2021-STG-101039777). We hereby provide an overview of Word Ladders, explaining its game logic, motivation and expected results and applications to nlp tasks as well as to the investigation of cognitive scientific open question

Sequence-specific transcription factor NF-Y displays histone-like DNA binding and H2B-like ubiquitination

SummaryThe sequence-specific transcription factor NF-Y binds the CCAAT box, one of the sequence elements most frequently found in eukaryotic promoters. NF-Y is composed of the NF-YA and NF-YB/NF-YC subunits, the latter two hosting histone-fold domains (HFDs). The crystal structure of NF-Y bound to a 25 bp CCAAT oligonucleotide shows that the HFD dimer binds to the DNA sugar-phosphate backbone, mimicking the nucleosome H2A/H2B-DNA assembly. NF-YA both binds to NF-YB/NF-YC and inserts an α helix deeply into the DNA minor groove, providing sequence-specific contacts to the CCAAT box. Structural considerations and mutational data indicate that NF-YB ubiquitination at Lys138 precedes and is equivalent to H2B Lys120 monoubiquitination, important in transcriptional activation. Thus, NF-Y is a sequence-specific transcription factor with nucleosome-like properties of nonspecific DNA binding and helps establish permissive chromatin modifications at CCAAT promoters. Our findings suggest that other HFD-containing proteins may function in similar ways

DiMoPEx-project is designed to determine the impacts of environmental exposure on human health

The WHO has ranked environmental hazardous exposures in the living and working environment among the top risk factors for chronic disease mortality. Worldwide, about 40 million people die each year from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including cancer, diabetes, and chronic cardiovascular, neurological and lung diseases. The exposure to ambient pollution in the living and working environment is exacerbated by individual susceptibilities and lifestyle-driven factors to produce complex and complicated NCD etiologies. Research addressing the links between environmental exposure and disease prevalence is key for prevention of the pandemic increase in NCD morbidity and mortality. However, the long latency, the chronic course of some diseases and the necessity to address cumulative exposures over very long periods does mean that it is often difficult to identify causal environmental exposures. EU-funded COST Action DiMoPEx is developing new concepts for a better understanding of health- environment (including gene-environment) interactions in the etiology of NCDs. The overarching idea is to teach and train scientists and physicians to learn how to include efficient and valid exposure assessments in their research and in their clinical practice in current and future cooperative projects. DiMoPEx partners have identified some of the emerging research needs, which include the lack of evidence-based exposure data and the need for human-equivalent animal models mirroring human lifespan and low-dose cumulative exposures. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach incorporating seven working groups, DiMoPEx will focus on aspects of air pollution with particulate matter including dust and fibers and on exposure to low doses of solvents and sensitizing agents. Biomarkers of early exposure and their associated effects as indicators of disease-derived information will be tested and standardized within individual projects. Risks arising from some NCDs, like pneumoconioses, cancers and allergies, are predictable and preventable. Consequently, preventative action could lead to decreasing disease morbidity and mortality for many of the NCDs that are of major public concern. DiMoPEx plans to catalyze and stimulate interaction of scientists with policy-makers in attacking these exposure-related diseases

Capability of Sentinel-2 data for estimating maximum evapotranspiration and irrigation requirements for tomato crop in Central Italy

Abstract The occurrence of water shortages ascribed to projected climate change, especially in the Mediterranean region, fosters the interest in remote sensing (RS) applications to optimize water use in agriculture. Remote sensing evapotranspiration and water demand estimation over large cultivated areas were used to manage irrigation to minimize losses during the crop growing cycle. The research aimed to explore the potential of the MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) sensor on board Sentinel-2A to estimate crop parameters, mainly surface albedo (α) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) that influence the dynamics of potential evapotranspiration (ETp) and Irrigation Water Requirements (IWR) of processing tomato crop (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Maximum tomato ETp was calculated according to the FAO Penman-Monteith equation (FAO-56 PM) using appropriate values of canopy parameters derived by processing Sentinel-2A data in combination with daily weather information. For comparison, we used the actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa) derived from the soil water balance (SWB) module in the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model and calibrated with in-situ Root Zone Soil Moisture (RZSM). The experiment was set up in a privately-owned farm located in the Tarquinia irrigation district (Central Italy) during two growing seasons, within the framework of the EU Project FATIMA (FArming Tools for external nutrient Inputs and water Management). The results showed that canopy growth, maximum evapotranspiration (ETp) and IWR were accurately inferred from satellite observations following seasonal rainfall and air temperature patterns. The net estimated IWR from satellite observations for the two-growing seasons was about 272 and 338 mm in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Such estimated requirement was lower compared with the actual amount supplied by the farmer with sprinkler and drip micro-irrigation system in both growing seasons resulting in 364 (276 mm drip micro-irrigation, and 88 mm sprinkler) and 662 (574 mm drip micro-irrigation, and 88 mm sprinkler) mm, respectively. Our findings indicated the suitability of Sentinel-2A to predict tomato water demand at field level, providing useful information for optimizing the irrigation over extended farmland

Safety assessment of the substance (butadiene, styrene, methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate) copolymer cross-linked with divinylbenzene or 1,3-butanediol dimethacrylate for use in food contact materials

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A Molecular Epidemiology Case Control Study on Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma

Abstract Pleural malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon neoplasm usually associated with asbestos exposure. The increasing incidence of malignant mesothelioma cases involving individuals with low levels of asbestos exposure suggests a complex carcinogenetic process with the involvement of other cofactors. Cytogenetic studies revealed the complexity of the genetic changes involved in this neoplasm reflecting the accumulation of genomic damage. One of the most used methodologies for assessing genomic damage is the cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus test applied in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). This approach allows the detection of chromosomal alterations expressed in binucleated cells after nuclear division in vitro. This marker could provide a tool for assessing genetically determined constitutional differences in chromosomal instability. A biomonitoring study was carried out to evaluate the micronuclei frequency in PBLs of patients with pleural malignant mesothelioma with respect to lung cancer, healthy, and risk controls as a marker of cancer susceptibility in correlation with the presence of SV40. A significant increased micronuclei frequency was observed in patients with malignant mesothelioma in comparison with all the other groups, the mean micronuclei frequency was double in patients with malignant mesothelioma compared with healthy controls, risk controls, and patients with lung adenocarcinoma (median 11.4 binucleated cells with micronuclei/1,000 binucleated cells versus 6.2, 6.1, and 5.1, respectively). Our data indicate that human T lymphocyte samples carry DNA sequences coding for SV40 large T antigen at low prevalence, both in cancer cases and controls. Evidence of cytogenetic damage revealed as micronuclei frequency in mesothelioma cancer patients could be related to exogenous and endogenous cofactors besides asbestos exposure

Safety assessment of the mixture of methyl-branched and linear C14–C18 alkanamides, derived from fatty acids, for use in food contact materials

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Safety assessment of the process ‘PEGRA-V’, based on Starlinger IV+® technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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