2,831 research outputs found
Grounding Characters and Places in Narrative Texts
Tracking characters and locations throughout a story can help improve the
understanding of its plot structure. Prior research has analyzed characters and
locations from text independently without grounding characters to their
locations in narrative time. Here, we address this gap by proposing a new
spatial relationship categorization task. The objective of the task is to
assign a spatial relationship category for every character and location
co-mention within a window of text, taking into consideration linguistic
context, narrative tense, and temporal scope. To this end, we annotate spatial
relationships in approximately 2500 book excerpts and train a model using
contextual embeddings as features to predict these relationships. When applied
to a set of books, this model allows us to test several hypotheses on mobility
and domestic space, revealing that protagonists are more mobile than
non-central characters and that women as characters tend to occupy more
interior space than men. Overall, our work is the first step towards joint
modeling and analysis of characters and places in narrative text.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables; to appear in the proceedings of ACL
202
PET Imaging of Atherosclerotic Disease: Advancing Plaque Assessment from Anatomy to Pathophysiology
Carotid Atheroinflammation Is Associated With Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Severity.
Background: Atherosclerosis is a systemic inflammatory disease, with common inflammatory processes implicated in both atheroma vulnerability and blood-brain barrier disruption. This prospective multimodal imaging study aimed to measure directly the association between systemic atheroma inflammation ("atheroinflammation") and downstream chronic cerebral small vessel disease severity. Methods: Twenty-six individuals with ischemic stroke with ipsilateral carotid artery stenosis of >50% underwent 18fluoride-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography within 2 weeks of stroke. Small vessel disease severity and white matter hyperintensity volume were assessed using 3-tesla magnetic resonance imaging also within 2 weeks of stroke. Results: Fluorodeoxyglucose uptake was independently associated with more severe small vessel disease (odds ratio 6.18, 95% confidence interval 2.1-18.2, P < 0.01 for the non-culprit carotid artery) and larger white matter hyperintensity volumes (coefficient = 14.33 mL, P < 0.01 for the non-culprit carotid artery). Conclusion: These proof-of-concept results have important implications for our understanding of the neurovascular interface and potential therapeutic exploitation in the management of systemic atherosclerosis, particularly non-stenotic disease previously considered asymptomatic, in order to reduce the burden of chronic cerebrovascular disease
Small Worlds. Measuring the Mobility of Characters in English-Language Fiction
The representation of mobility in literary narratives has important
implications for the cultural understanding of human movement and migration.
In this paper, we introduce novel methods for measuring the physical mobility
of literary characters through narrative space and time. We capture mobility
through geographically defined space, as well as through generic locations
such as homes, driveways, and forests. Using a dataset of over 13,000 books
published in English since 1789, we observe significant “small world” effects
in fictional narratives. Specifically, we find that fictional characters cover far
less distance than their non-fictional counterparts; the pathways covered by
fictional characters are highly formulaic and limited from a global perspective;
and fiction exhibits a distinctive semantic investment in domestic and private
places. Surprisingly, we do not find that characters’ ascribed gender has a
statistically significant effect on distance traveled, but it does influence the
semantics of domesticity
development and optimisation of a face-to-face behavioural intervention component
After weight loss, most individuals regain lost weight. Interventions to
support the transition from successful loss to weight loss maintenance (WLM),
regardless of the method of prior weight loss, are needed. The aims of this
study were to (1) develop a face-to-face behavioural intervention session to
support overweight and obese individuals who have recently lost a clinically
significant amount of weight in the transition to WLM; (2) to assess the
single-session intervention for acceptability and feasibility prior to its use
in a larger, 12-month, multi-component trial; and (3) to optimise the
intervention session for future use based on participant feedback.
Participants with a Body Mass Index of ≥25 kg/m2 prior to a ≥5% weight loss in
the previous 12 months were recruited via the local government authority and
community-based advertisements. Each attended the one-hour session with a
trained facilitator, which focused on setting maintenance-relevant weight,
eating, and physical activity goals. Semi-structured interviews were carried
out immediately post-session to obtain feedback on the acceptability of this
intervention component. Data were used to generate recommendations for changes
to the session, which were discussed by the team, and used to optimise the
session. Seventeen participants (13 female; median WL = 13%) were recruited.
All participants evaluated the intervention session positively; 11
participants suggested improvements including reducing information provision
in favour of greater focus on identifying and coping with barriers, and the
inclusion of practical examples. The systematic refinement and optimisation
process resulted in an acceptable and feasible face-to-face behavioural
intervention session (described here), which will be tested as part of a
multi-component intervention. We anticipate the session could be used to
supplement existing support including online services, and has the potential
to benefit people who have lost a clinically significant amount of weight to
achieve WLM over the long term
AMI Large Array radio continuum observations of Spitzer c2d small clouds and cores
We perform deep 1.8 cm radio continuum imaging towards thirteen protostellar
regions selected from the Spitzer c2d small clouds and cores programme at high
resolution (25") in order to detect and quantify the cm-wave emission from
deeply embedded young protostars. Within these regions we detect fifteen
compact radio sources which we identify as radio protostars including two
probable new detections. The sample is in general of low bolometric luminosity
and contains several of the newly detected VeLLO sources. We determine the 1.8
cm radio luminosity to bolometric luminosity correlation, L_rad -L_bol, for the
sample and discuss the nature of the radio emission in terms of the available
sources of ionized gas. We also investigate the L_rad-L_IR correlation and
suggest that radio flux density may be used as a proxy for the internal
luminosity of low luminosity protostars.Comment: submitted MNRA
A New and Simple TRG Multiplex PCR Assay for Assessment of T-cell Clonality: A Comparative Study from the EuroClonality Consortium
T-cell Receptor Gamma (TRG) rearrangements are commonly used to detect clonal lymphoproliferations in hematopathology, since
they are rearranged in virtually all T lymphocytes and have a relatively limited recombinatorial repertoire, which reduces the risk of false
negative results, at the cost of potential false positivity. We developed an initial one-tube, 2-fluorochrome EuroClonality TRG PCR
multiplex (TRG-1T-2F) which was compared to the original 2-tube, 2-fluorochrome EuroClonality/BIOMED-2 TRG PCR (TRG-2T-2F)
and a commercial Invivoscribe one-tube, one-fluorochrome kit (IVS-1T-1F) on a series of 239 samples, including both T-cell
malignancies and reactive cases. This initial assay yielded discrepant results between the 10 participating EuroClonality laboratories
when using 2 fluorochromes, leading to adoption of a final single color EuroClonality strategy (TRG-1T-1F). Compared to TRG-2T-2F,
both TRG-1T-1F and IVS-1T-1F demonstrated easier interpretation and a lower risk of false positive from minor peaks in dispersed
repertoires. Both generate smaller fragments and as such are likely to be better adapted to analysis of formalin-fixed paraffinembedded (FFPE) tissue samples. Their differential performance was mainly explained by (i)
AMI-LA radio continuum observations of Spitzer c2d small clouds and cores: Perseus region
We present deep radio continuum observations of the cores identified as
deeply embedded young stellar objects in the Perseus molecular cloud by the
Spitzer c2d programme at a wavelength of 1.8 cm with the Arcminute Microkelvin
Imager Large Array (AMI-LA). We detect 72% of Class 0 objects from this sample
and 31% of Class I objects. No starless cores are detected. We use the flux
densities measured from these data to improve constraints on the correlations
between radio luminosity and bolometric luminosity, infrared luminosity and,
where measured, outflow force. We discuss the differing behaviour of these
objects as a function of protostellar class and investigate the differences in
radio emission as a function of core mass. Two of four possible very low
luminosity objects (VeLLOs) are detected at 1.8 cm.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, accepted MNRA
Ovine pedomics : the first study of the ovine foot 16S rRNA-based microbiome
We report the first study of the bacterial microbiome of ovine interdigital skin based on 16S rRNA by pyrosequencing and conventional cloning with Sanger-sequencing. Three flocks were selected, one a flock with no signs of footrot or interdigital dermatitis, a second flock with interdigital dermatitis alone and a third flock with both interdigital dermatitis and footrot. The sheep were classified as having either healthy interdigital skin (H), interdigital dermatitis (ID) or virulent footrot (VFR). The ovine interdigital skin bacterial community varied significantly by flock and clinical condition. The diversity and richness of operational taxonomic units was greater in tissue from sheep with ID than H or VFR affected sheep. Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most abundant phyla comprising 25 genera. Peptostreptococcus, Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus were associated with H, ID and VFR respectively. Sequences of Dichelobacter nodosus, the causal agent of ovine footrot, were not amplified due to mismatches in the 16S rRNA universal forward primer (27F). A specific real time PCR assay was used to demonstrate the presence of D. nodosus which was detected in all samples including the flock with no signs of ID or VFR. Sheep with ID had significantly higher numbers of D. nodosus (104-109 cells/g tissue) than those with H or VFR feet
Unlocking the health system barriers to maximise the uptake and utilisation of molecular diagnostics in low- and middle- income country setting
The study was funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), grant TWENDE-EDCTP-CSA-2014-283.Background : Early access to diagnosis is crucial for effective management of any disease including tuberculosis (TB). We investigated the barriers and opportunities to maximise uptake and utilisation of molecular diagnostics in routine healthcare settings. Methods : Using the implementation of World Health Organisation approved TB diagnostics, Xpert MTB/RIF and Line Probe Assay (LPA) as a benchmark we evaluated the barriers and how they could be unlocked to maximise uptake and utilisation of molecular diagnostics. Results : Health officers representing 190 districts/counties participated in the survey across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The survey findings were corroborated by 145 healthcare facility (HCF) audits and 11 policymaker engagement workshops. Xpert MTB/RIF coverage was 66%, falling behind microscopy and clinical diagnosis by 33% and 1% respectively. Stratified by HCF type, Xpert MTB/RIF implementation was 56%, 96% and 95% at district-, regional- and national referral- hospital levels. LPA coverage was 4%, 3% below culture across the three countries. Out of 111 HCFs with Xpert MTB/RIF, 37 (33%) utilised it to full capacity, performing ≥8 tests per day of which 51% of these were level five (zonal consultant and national referral) HCFs. Likewise, 75% of LPA was available at level five HCFs. Underutilisation of Xpert MTB/RIF and LPA was mainly attributed to inadequate- utilities, 26% and human resource, 22%. Underfinancing was the main reason underlying failure to acquire molecular diagnostics. Second to underfinancing was lack of awareness with 33% healthcare administrators and 49% practitioners were unaware of LPA as TB diagnostic. Creation of a health tax and decentralising its management was proposed by policymakers as a booster of domestic financing needed to increase access to diagnostics. Conclusion : Our findings suggest higher uptake and utilisation of molecular diagnostics at tertiary level HCFs contrary to the WHO recommendation. Country-led solutions are crucial for unlocking barriers to increase access to diagnostics.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
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