Bilingual Embeddings with Random Walks over Multilingual Wordnets

Bilingual word embeddings represent words of two languages in the same space, and allow to transfer knowledge from one language to the other without machine translation. The main approach is to train monolingual embeddings first and then map them using bilingual dictionaries. In this work, we present a novel method to learn bilingual embeddings based on multilingual knowledge bases (KB) such as WordNet. Our method extracts bilingual information from multilingual wordnets via random walks and learns a joint embedding space in one go. We further reinforce cross-lingual equivalence adding bilingual con- straints in the loss function of the popular skipgram model. Our experiments involve twelve cross-lingual word similarity and relatedness datasets in six lan- guage pairs covering four languages, and show that: 1) random walks over mul- tilingual wordnets improve results over just using dictionaries; 2) multilingual wordnets on their own improve over text-based systems in similarity datasets; 3) the good results are consistent for large wordnets (e.g. English, Spanish), smaller wordnets (e.g. Basque) or loosely aligned wordnets (e.g. Italian); 4) the combination of wordnets and text yields the best results, above mapping-based approaches. Our method can be applied to richer KBs like DBpedia or Babel- Net, and can be easily extended to multilingual embeddings. All software and resources are open source.Comment: Preprint version, Knowledge-Based Systems (ISSN: 0950-7051). (2018

Portuguese category norms for children

This study presents Portuguese category norms for children of three different age groups: preschoolers (3- to 4-year-olds), second graders (7- to 8-year-olds), and preadolescents (11- to 12-year-olds). Three hundred Portuguese children (100 in each group) completed an exemplar-generation task. Preschoolers generated exemplars for 13 categories, second graders generated exemplars for 17 categories, and preadolescents generated exemplars for 21 categories. For each group, responses within each category were organized according to frequency of production in order to derive exemplar-production norms for sets of tested categories. The results also included information about the number of responses and exemplars, idiosyncratic and inappropriate responses, and commonality and diversity indexes for all the categories. A comparison of these children’s norms with the Portuguese adult norms was also presented. The full set of norms may be downloaded from www.psychonomic.org/archive

Effects of cortisol on female-to-male sex change in a wrasse

Sex change occurs as a usual part of the life cycle for many teleost fish and the modifications involved (behavioural, gonadal, morphological) are well studied. However, the mechanism that transduces environmental cues into the molecular cascade that underlies this transformation remains unknown. Cortisol, the main stress hormone in fish, is hypothesised to be a key factor linking environmental stimuli with sex change by initiating gene expression changes that shift steroidogenesis from oestrogens to androgens but this notion remains to be rigorously tested. Therefore, this study aimed to experimentally test the role of cortisol as an initiator of sex change in a protogynous (female-to-male) hermaphrodite, the New Zealand spotty wrasse (Notolabrus celidotus). We also sought to identify potential key regulatory factors within the head kidney that may contribute to the initiation and progression of gonadal sex change. Cortisol pellets were implanted into female spotty wrasses under inhibitory conditions (presence of a male), and outside of the optimal season for natural sex change. Histological analysis of the gonads and sex hormone analyses found no evidence of sex change after 71 days of cortisol treatment. However, expression analyses of sex and stress-associated genes in gonad and head kidney suggested that cortisol administration did have a physiological effect. In the gonad, this included upregulation of amh, a potent masculinising factor, and nr3c1, a glucocorticoid receptor. In the head kidney, hsd11b2, which converts cortisol to inactive cortisone to maintain cortisol balance, was upregulated. Overall, our results suggest cortisol administration outside of the optimal sex change window is unable to initiate gonadal restructuring. However, our expression data imply key sex and stress genes are sensitive to cortisol. This includes genes expressed in both gonad and head kidney that have been previously implicated in early sex change in several sex-changing species

Electron stimulated hydroxylation of a metal supported silicate film

Water adsorption on a double-layer silicate film was studied by using infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy, thermal desorption spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. Under vacuum conditions, small amounts of silanols (Si–OH) could only be formed upon deposition of an ice-like (amorphous solid water, ASW) film and subsequent heating to room temperature. Silanol coverage is considerably enhanced by low-energy electron irradiation of an ASW pre-covered silicate film. The degree of hydroxylation can be tuned by the irradiation parameters (beam energy, exposure) and the ASW film thickness. The results are consistent with a generally accepted picture that hydroxylation occurs through hydrolysis of siloxane (Si–O–Si) bonds in the silica network. Calculations using density functional theory show that this may happen on Si–O–Si bonds, which are either parallel (i.e., in the topmost silicate layer) or vertical to the film surface (i.e., connecting two silicate layers). In the latter case, the mechanism may additionally involve the reaction with a metal support underneath. The observed vibrational spectra are dominated by terminal silanol groups (ν(OD) band at 2763 cm−1) formed by hydrolysis of vertical Si–O–Si linkages. Film dehydroxylation fully occurs only upon heating to very high temperatures (∼1200 K) and is accompanied by substantial film restructuring, and even film dewetting upon cycling hydroxylation/dehydroxylation treatment

Mitochondrial bioenergetics boost macrophage activation, promoting liver regeneration in metabolically compromised animals

Background and aims: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is the leading cause of early posttransplantation organ failure as mitochondrial respiration and ATP production are affected. A shortage of donors has extended liver donor criteria, including aged or steatotic livers, which are more susceptible to IRI. Given the lack of an effective treatment and the extensive transplantation waitlist, we aimed at characterizing the effects of an accelerated mitochondrial activity by silencing methylation-controlled J protein (MCJ) in three preclinical models of IRI and liver regeneration, focusing on metabolically compromised animal models. Approach and results: Wild-type (WT), MCJ knockout (KO), and Mcj silenced WT mice were subjected to 70% partial hepatectomy (Phx), prolonged IRI, and 70% Phx with IRI. Old and young mice with metabolic syndrome were also subjected to these procedures. Expression of MCJ, an endogenous negative regulator of mitochondrial respiration, increases in preclinical models of Phx with or without vascular occlusion and in donor livers. Mice lacking MCJ initiate liver regeneration 12 h faster than WT and show reduced ischemic injury and increased survival. MCJ knockdown enables a mitochondrial adaptation that restores the bioenergetic supply for enhanced regeneration and prevents cell death after IRI. Mechanistically, increased ATP secretion facilitates the early activation of Kupffer cells and production of TNF, IL-6, and heparin-binding EGF, accelerating the priming phase and the progression through G1 /S transition during liver regeneration. Therapeutic silencing of MCJ in 15-month-old mice and in mice fed a high-fat/high-fructose diet for 12 weeks improves mitochondrial respiration, reduces steatosis, and overcomes regenerative limitations. Conclusions: Boosting mitochondrial activity by silencing MCJ could pave the way for a protective approach after major liver resection or IRI, especially in metabolically compromised, IRI-susceptible organs.Funding information: Supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades MICINN (PID2020-117116RB-100, RTI2018-096759-A-100, RTI2018-095114-B-I00, PID2019-108977RB-100 and RTI2018-095700-B100, integrado en el Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y Innovación, cofinanciado con Fondos FEDER, to M.L.M.-C., T.C.D., C.P., P.M.-S., and N.G.A.A., respectively), Subprograma Retos Colaboración RTC2019-007125-1; Fundación Científica de la Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC Scientific Foundation) Rare Tumor Calls 2017 (to M.L.M.-C.); Asociación Española contra el Cáncer (to T.C.D. and M.S.-M); La Caixa Foundation Program (HR17-00601, to M.L.M.-C.), Proyectos Investigación en Salud DTS20/00138 (to M.L.M.-C.); Departamento de Industria del Gobierno Vasco (to M.L.M.-C.); Departamento de Educación del Gobierno Vasco (to N.G.-U. and J.S.); Acción Estratégica Ciber Emergentes 2018 (Ciberehd-ISCIII) and Gilead Sciences International Research Scholars Program in Liver Disease (to M.V.-R.); Ciberehd_ISCIII_MINECO is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIAcknowledgments: We thank MINECO for the Severo Ochoa Excellence Accreditation to CIC bioGUNE (SEV-2016-0644). We acknowledge Begoña Rodríguez Iruretagoyena for the technical support provided

Outcomes and factors associated with mortality for Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium bloodstre am infections: a prospective multi-centre cohort study from the PROBAC project

Background Enterococcal BSI represents significant morbidity and mortality, with fatality rates of approximately 20-30%. Infections by E. faecalis and E. faecium have microbiological and clinically differences. Moreover, several studies have demonstrated higher mortality rates in E. faecium BSI. This study aims to explore differences in mortality for E. faecalis and E. faecium BSI and identify prognostic factors associated with poor outcome. Methods The study is a post-hoc analysis of the PROBAC project, a national multicenter, observational, prospective cohort study conducted in 26 Spanish hospitals between October 2016 and March 2017. All patients with monomicrobial E. faecalis and E. faecium BSI were included (Figure 1). Multi variable logistic regression was performed to explore the association of species with all-cause mortality and to identify the prognostic factors in patients with E. faecalis BSI and E. faecium BSI. Results 307 patients with monomicrobial enterococcal BSI were included, 186 (60.6%) by E. faecalis and 121 (39.4%) E. faecium . Median age was 71 (IQR 61-82), 65.2% was male. Population characteristics and univariate analysis of factors associated with mortality are shown in Table 1. All-cause mortality was 20.8% (64 patients). In a multivariable model (Table 2A), no difference in mortality for patients with BSI due to E. faecium versus E. faecalis was found (OR=1.04 (95%CI=0.54-1.97), p=0.914). Regarding E. faecalis BSI, Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥3 (OR=3.22 (1.16-8.94), p=0.025), congestive heart failure (OR 3.06 (1.23-7.59), p=0.016) and SOFA score ≥3 (OR 10.63 (3.96-28.6), p<0.001) were independent predictors of mortality (Table 2B). For E. faecium BSI, only SOFA score ≥3 (OR 3.25 (1.20-8.80), p=0.020), was an independent prognostic factor (Table 2C). Conclusions Enterococcal BSI was associated with significant mortality. This study was not able to show a difference in mortality between E. faecalis and E. faecium BSI. Furthermore, our results showed that clinical severity at BSI onset is associated with mortality in both E. faecalis BSI and E. faecium BSI. By contrast, the burden of comorbidity is only associated with prognosis of E. faecalis BSI

Reliability of a novel electro-medical device for wheal size measurement in allergy skin testing: An exploratory clinical trial

Skin prick testing (SPT) is the cornerstone of IgE-mediated allergy diagnosis,1 due to its high sensitivity and specificity.2 However, a uniform method for wheal measurement does not exist. Ansotegui et al.2 recommends to measure wheals in millimeters with a ruler, in many centers they are outlined with a pen and transfer by tape to a paper and then measured. Subsequently, the specialist is able to manually measure the maximum (MD) and orthogonal diameter (OD) of the wheal. This procedure is time consuming and makes repro-ducible measurements difficult.2,3 Knowing the wheal's area could help make a more accurate diagnosis.4 Over the last 30 years, many attempts have been made to develop a device to measure the size of SPT.3 Nexkin DSPT® (Figure S1A,B) is a novel mechatronic system based on 3D laser technology, that automatically locates allergen's wheal and measures its size (MD, OD and area in square millimeters) (Figure S1C)

Is the determination of specific IgE against components using ISAC 112 a reproducible technique?

The allergen microarray immunoassay, ISAC 112, is a repeatable and reproducible in vitro diagnostic tool for determination of sIgE beyond the own laborator

Tracking the effect of temperature in marine demersal fish communities

Under current levels of global warming most demersal species in the Northeast Atlantic are experiencing tropicalization, meridionalization or borealization of their distributions, leading to profound changes in demersal communities. We explore these changes using the Community Weighted Mean Temperature (CWMT), an index to link the thermal preference of demersal fish communities and temperature. The CWMT is calculated as the summation of the mean temperature of each fish species distribution weighted by its relative abundance in the community. The relative abundance is based on the community composition data obtained by the International Bottom Trawl Surveys (IBTS) in the Southern Bay of Biscay between 1983 and 2015. Our analyses show that the CWMT responds to the actual temperature of the water column reproducing its space–time trends in the study area: (i) an increase from SW to NE, towards the inner Bay of Biscay, (ii) a decrease with depth, except in the SW area characterized by an intense upwelling, (iii) a general increase along the time series. Applying a k-means classification to the CWMT data we identified warm-, temperate- and cold-communities over the shelf and slope and their spatial changes in the last decades. The area occupied by warm communities has expanded 268.4 km2/ yr since the 80 s, while the cold communities have retracted at a speed of − 155.4 km2/yr. The CWMT was able to capture the community dynamics in relation to environmental temperature at different temporal and spatial scales, highlighting the potential of this index to explore and anticipate the effects of climate change in demersal communities under different scenarios of global warming.En prensa2,69

Co-infections and superinfections complicating COVID-19 in cancer patients: A multicentre, international study

BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of co-infections and superinfections in onco-hematological patients with COVID-19. METHODS: International, multicentre cohort study of cancer patients with COVID-19. All patients were included in the analysis of co-infections at diagnosis, while only patients admitted at least 48 h were included in the analysis of superinfections. RESULTS: 684 patients were included (384 with solid tumors and 300 with hematological malignancies). Co-infections and superinfections were documented in 7.8% (54/684) and 19.1% (113/590) of patients, respectively. Lower respiratory tract infections were the most frequent infectious complications, most often caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Only seven patients developed opportunistic infections. Compared to patients without infectious complications, those with infections had worse outcomes, with high rates of acute respiratory distress syndrome, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and case-fatality rates. Neutropenia, ICU admission and high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were independent risk factors for infections. CONCLUSIONS: Infectious complications in cancer patients with COVID-19 were lower than expected, affecting mainly neutropenic patients with high levels of CRP and/or ICU admission. The rate of opportunistic infections was unexpectedly low. The use of empiric antimicrobials in cancer patients with COVID-19 needs to be optimized