EVALITA Evaluation of NLP and Speech Tools for Italian - December 17th, 2020

Welcome to EVALITA 2020! EVALITA is the evaluation campaign of Natural Language Processing and Speech Tools for Italian. EVALITA is an initiative of the Italian Association for Computational Linguistics (AILC, http://www.ai-lc.it) and it is endorsed by the Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA, http://www.aixia.it) and the Italian Association for Speech Sciences (AISV, http://www.aisv.it)

Seafloor characterization and backscatter variability of the Almería Margin (Alboran Sea, SW Mediterranean) based on high-resolution acoustic data

18 pages, 9 figuresAn acoustic study of the Almería Margin (eastern Alboran Sea, SW Mediterranean) was carried out by means of an integrated dataset, comprising deep-towed TOBI sidescan sonar, swath-bathymetry, TOPAS high-resolution seismics and sediment gravity cores. The Almería Margin is a complex system dominated by volcanic and tectonic features shaped by recent sedimentary processes, in which a regional hemipelagic sedimentation is intercalated by sporadic gravitative events. The aim of this work is twofold. The first objective is to recognize the sedimentary and tectonic features that shape the Almeria Margin. The main morpho-sedimentary and morpho-structural elements observed are: the Almería canyon/channel Turbidite System, the Dalías Tributary Valley System, landslides, active faults and folds and volcanic banks. The second aim is to explore and quantify the surface and subsurface seafloor parameters that characterize the backscatter of the study area. Sedimentary, geomorphological and biological elements that play a role in the acoustic signature of the Almería Margin were detected. Nevertheless, it should be noted that seafloor acoustic backscatter is also affected by geometrical and instrumental factors. Despite the wide variability of the environments studied, a low average acoustic backscatter reflects a diffused draping of hemipelagic sedimentation in the area. Higher backscatter values were observed at the top of some volcanic banks, along the Almería canyon, and in the shallower sector of the Dalías tributary valley system. The influence of subseafloor properties in the acoustic signature of the area was revealed by backscatter-grain size correlations, which were carried out for different depth intervals in sediment cores collected in the Almería Turbidite System. A poor relationship was found between backscatter and superficial silty sediments of the area, whereas a higher correlation resulted in the upper 50 cm. The presence of subsurface turbidites in the cores associated with the higher backscatter values suggests volume interface scattering of these sandy layers as a controlling factor of the acoustic signature obtained in the Almería Margin. On the other hand, in rough settings such as the ones observed in the Dalías Tributary Valley System, topographic relief of up to 1–1.5 m strongly interacted with the TOBI acoustic pulse. This suggests that large-scale roughness is an additional parameter that characterizes the acoustic strength of the area. Extremely high reflective patches distributed along some of the volcanic banks (Chella and Pollux Banks) for depths ranging from 230 to 470 m coincide with areas where carbonate cold water coral mounds develop. In the TOBI images, coral facies reach the maximum value of acoustic backscatter, which is probably related to the rough morphology of coral ecosystems. The position of coral mounds in the banks suggests that the occurrence of strong bottom currents and reduced sedimentary inputs are environmental factors that favour their settling and development in the Almería MarginThe authors acknowledge the support of the MCYT Acción Especial HITS (REN2000-2150-E), European Commission European Access of Seafloor Survey Systems EASSS-III programme (HPRI-CT99-0047), MEC (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia) post-doctoral funding (Ayudas para la movilidad de Investigadores extranjeros — SB2004-0082), Spanish national Projects IMPULS (REN2003-05996MAR), EVENT (CGL2006-12861-C02-02), SAGAS (CTM2005-08071-C03-02), WESTMED (01-ELC-EMA22F), and funding by Generalitat de Catalunya, research group SGR2001-0081Peer reviewe

High-resolution seaflor mapping and Tobi 30 Khz backscatter variability of the Almería margin (Alboran Sea)

Martech 2007 International Workshop on Marine Technology, 15-16 november 2007, Vilanova i la Geltrú, SpainPeer reviewe

Prevalence and natural history of potential celiac disease in at-family-risk infants prospectively investigated from birth.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency and the natural history of potential (serology positive/Marsh 0-1 histology) celiac disease (CD) in children with a family risk of CD and factors associated with potential instead of overt (serology positive/Marsh 2-3 histology) CD expression. STUDY DESIGN: Two-year follow-up study of 96 children (57 females; mean age: 29 \ub1 12 months) prospectively investigated from birth with: (1) a CD-affected first-degree relative; (2) positivity of serum IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) or IgG antigliadin and IgA deficiency; and (3) the results of small intestinal biopsy. Children with potential CD were advised to remain on a gluten containing diet, repeat the celiac antibodies every 6 months, and to have an intestinal biopsy performed in case of persistently high anti-tTG level. Factors discriminating between potential and overt CD were analyzed by decision tree analysis based on the C4.5 algorithm. RESULTS: Twenty-four children had potential and 72 overt CD. The stronger predictors of potential CD were lack of symptoms, anti-tTG level lower than 11-fold the upper normal limit, age lower than 24 months, and breastfeeding longer than 8 months. Eighteen out of 21 (86%) patients with potential CD continuing a gluten-containing diet became antibody negative, 1/21 (5%) developed overt CD, and 2/21 (9%) had fluctuating antibodies levels after 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of potential CD and the percentage of short-term loss of CD-related-antibodies are high in infants at-family-risk for CD. In symptomless children with a positive celiac serology, the decision of performing an intestinal biopsy should be preceded by a period of repeated serological testing

Similar occurrence of febrile episodes reported in non-atopic children at three to five years of age after prebiotics supplemented infant formula

This is a follow up study of a multicenter randomised placebo-controlled trial in seven centres in five West European countries. The RCT assessed the effect of infant formula supplemented with a mixture of prebiotics (with neutral short-chain and long-chain oligosaccharides and pectin-derived acidic oligosaccharides) during infancy in term-born children (n=1130). In the follow-up study 672 children (60% of the study population) participated: 232 (56%) from the prebiotics group (PG), 243 (58%) from the control group (CG), and 197 (66%) from the non-randomised breast-fed group (BG). The primary outcome was the occurrence of febrile episodes at three to five years of age prospectively documented by the parents: in the PG 1.17 (interquartile range 0.50-2.08) episodes per year versus 1.20 (0.52-2.57) in the CG; and 1.48 (0.65-2.60) in the BG. This specific prebiotics mixture given during infancy in healthy non-atopic subjects does not decrease febrile episodes and therefore seems not to prevent infection between their third and fifth birthday