Strong baselines for complex word identification across multiple languages

© 2019 Association for Computational Linguistics Complex Word Identification (CWI) is the task of identifying which words or phrases in a sentence are difficult to understand by a target audience. The latest CWI Shared Task released data for two settings: monolingual (i.e. train and test in the same language) and cross-lingual (i.e. test in a language not seen during training). The best monolingual models relied on language-dependent features, which do not generalise in the cross-lingual setting, while the best cross-lingual model used neural networks with multi-task learning. In this paper, we present monolingual and cross-lingual CWI models that perform as well as (or better than) most models submitted to the latest CWI Shared Task. We show that carefully selected features and simple learning models can achieve state-of-the-art performance, and result in strong baselines for future development in this area. Finally, we discuss how inconsistencies in the annotation of the data can explain some of the results obtained

‘Stop-go’ policy and the restriction of post-war British house-building

From the mid-1950s to the early 1980s the Treasury and Bank of England successfully advocated a policy of restricting both private and public sector house-building, as a key but covert instrument of their wider ‘stop-go’ macroeconomic policy framework. While the intensity of restrictions varied over the economic cycle, private house-building was restricted (through limiting mortgage availability) for almost all this period. This was achieved by keeping building society interest rates low relative to other interest rates and thus starving the building society movement of mortgage funds. Mortgage restriction was never publicly discussed and sometimes operated alongside ambitious housing targets and well-publicised policy initiatives to boost housing demand. This paper outlines the evolution of house-building restriction, together with its impacts on the housing sector and the wider economy. We review the evolution of the policy framework and its consequences, compare the level and stability of British house-building during this period - historically and relative to other countries, and undertake time-series econometric analysis of its impacts on both house-building and house prices. Finally, implications for debates regarding stop-go policy, Britain’s housing problem, and the distributional consequences of government macroeconomic policy are discussed

Strong baselines for complex word identification across multiple languages

© 2019 Association for Computational Linguistics Complex Word Identification (CWI) is the task of identifying which words or phrases in a sentence are difficult to understand by a target audience. The latest CWI Shared Task released data for two settings: monolingual (i.e. train and test in the same language) and cross-lingual (i.e. test in a language not seen during training). The best monolingual models relied on language-dependent features, which do not generalise in the cross-lingual setting, while the best cross-lingual model used neural networks with multi-task learning. In this paper, we present monolingual and cross-lingual CWI models that perform as well as (or better than) most models submitted to the latest CWI Shared Task. We show that carefully selected features and simple learning models can achieve state-of-the-art performance, and result in strong baselines for future development in this area. Finally, we discuss how inconsistencies in the annotation of the data can explain some of the results obtained

Sleep hypoxia in myotonic dystrophy and its correlation with awake respiratory function.

BACKGROUND--Tiredness and daytime respiratory failure occur frequently in myotonic dystrophy. Sleep hypoxaemia was studied in 12 patients with myotonic dystrophy and correlations were sought with their daytime lung and respiratory muscle function. METHODS--All patients underwent overnight sleep studies, clinical assessment, measurement of flow-volume loops and carbon monoxide transfer factor, arterial blood gas analysis, and physiological assessment of both thoracic muscle function and upper airways obstruction. RESULTS--The mean nadir of oxygen saturation during sleep was 75% (95% confidence interval 69% to 81%). A mean of 3.4% of total sleep duration was spent at an oxygen saturation level below 85%. Five of the 12 patients had an apnoea index of > 5, the group mean apnoea/hypopnoea index being 15.8 events/sleep hour. The mean awake arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) was 10.7 kPa. There was a trend to hypercapnoea with a mean awake arterial carbon dioxide tension of 6.1 kPa; carbon dioxide retention worsened during sleep. Respiratory muscle dysfunction was mainly evident as a low maximum expiratory mouth pressure. Upper airway obstruction assessed by physiological criteria was found in four of the 12 patients. The proportion of total sleep duration with oxygen saturation levels below 85% was directly related to body mass index (weight/height2) and inversely related to the awake PaO2. Body mass index was inversely related to the overnight nadir of oxygen saturation. CONCLUSIONS--Patients with myotonic dystrophy are often hypoxic during sleep and the subgroup that are obese, or have symptoms of sleep apnoea, or both, are particularly at risk. Sleep studies should be considered in this subgroup of patients with myotonic dystrophy

Inhaled FMLP increases microvascular permeability in the rabbit trachea

This study was designed to determine the effect of inhaled N-formyl- methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) on microvascular permeability in the rabbit trachea and to determine if the effect could be modified by cholinergic antagonism, neutral endopeptidase (NEP) inhibition, opioid receptor antagonism, or an opioid agonist. New Zealand White rabbits were anesthetized and pretreated intravenously with one of the following: saline, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (both controls), thiorphan, phosphoramidon (both NEP inhibitors), thiorphan and naloxone, morphine, or atropine. All rabbits were then given intravenous Evans blue before inhalation of nebulized DMSO (control) or FMLP. Extravascular tracheal Evans blue concentration was subsequently determined spectrophotometrically. FMLP caused a highly significant increase in microvascular permeability (92.6 ± 7.1 μg/g of trachea, control 20.4 ± 3.4). The effect of FMLP was significantly modified by cholinergic blockade (61.1 ± 6.9) and by NEP inhibition (thiorphan 38.8 ± 5.6, phosphoramidon 52.6 ± 4.2). This effect of NEP inhibition could be reversed by concurrent treatment with the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (95.9 ± 34.6). Morphine had no significant effect. We concluded that FMLP increases microvascular permeability, which may in part explain the effect of FMLP on airway resistance in the rabbit. Inhibiting NEP decreases the response possibly through an effect on endogenous opioids. The response appears to be partially vagally mediated

Surface characterization of chemically modified wool

The surface topography of wool fiber, and in particular the scale height and surface roughness, has been characterized using three-dimensional scanning electron microscopy (3D-SEM). The analysis methodology allows the scale height and surface roughness to be accurately and quickly measured, and may provide detailed information about the fiber topography, any associated damage and possible surface coatings. The treatment of wool fiber with potassium permanganate in salt solution was assessed using 3D-SEM and the progressive reduction in the scale height and cuticle smoothing demonstrated. While this effect was relatively obvious and uniform, the effect of a proteolytic enzymatic treatment on the fiber surface was less uniform. The associated effect of the enzymatic modification on the felting shrinkage, fabric strength, and handle was also determined