Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Using a Two-Step Neural Network Architecture

The World Wide Web holds a wealth of information in the form of unstructured texts such as customer reviews for products, events and more. By extracting and analyzing the expressed opinions in customer reviews in a fine-grained way, valuable opportunities and insights for customers and businesses can be gained. We propose a neural network based system to address the task of Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis to compete in Task 2 of the ESWC-2016 Challenge on Semantic Sentiment Analysis. Our proposed architecture divides the task in two subtasks: aspect term extraction and aspect-specific sentiment extraction. This approach is flexible in that it allows to address each subtask independently. As a first step, a recurrent neural network is used to extract aspects from a text by framing the problem as a sequence labeling task. In a second step, a recurrent network processes each extracted aspect with respect to its context and predicts a sentiment label. The system uses pretrained semantic word embedding features which we experimentally enhance with semantic knowledge extracted from WordNet. Further features extracted from SenticNet prove to be beneficial for the extraction of sentiment labels. As the best performing system in its category, our proposed system proves to be an effective approach for the Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis

CD44+ cancer stem-like cells in EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

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Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Using a Two-Step Neural Network Architecture

Jebbara S, Cimiano P. Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Using a Two-Step Neural Network Architecture. In: Presented at the European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC). 2016

Giant hepatocellular adenoma as cause of severe abdominal pain: a case report

The authors describe the case of a large hepatocellular adenoma diagnosed in a 30-year old woman who came to us complaining of acute pain in the upper abdominal quadrants. The patient had been taking an oral contraceptive pill for the last ten years. We present the clinical features, the diagnostic work-up and the treatment prescribed

Nanostructured 3D Constructs Based on Chitosan and Chondroitin Sulphate Multilayers for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Nanostructured three-dimensional constructs combining layer-by-layer technology (LbL) and template leaching were processed and evaluated as possible support structures for cartilage tissue engineering. Multilayered constructs were formed by depositing the polyelectrolytes chitosan (CHT) and chondroitin sulphate (CS) on either bidimensional glass surfaces or 3D packet of paraffin spheres. 2D CHT/CS multi-layered constructs proved to support the attachment and proliferation of bovine chondrocytes (BCH). The technology was transposed to 3D level and CHT/CS multi-layered hierarchical scaffolds were retrieved after paraffin leaching. The obtained nanostructured 3D constructs had a high porosity and water uptake capacity of about 300%. Dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) showed the viscoelastic nature of the scaffolds. Cellular tests were performed with the culture of BCH and multipotent bone marrow derived stromal cells (hMSCs) up to 21 days in chondrogenic differentiation media. Together with scanning electronic microscopy analysis, viability tests and DNA quantification, our results clearly showed that cells attached, proliferated and were metabolically active over the entire scaffold. Cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM) formation was further assessed and results showed that GAG secretion occurred indicating the maintenance of the chondrogenic phenotype and the chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs

Fractional quantum Hall effect in a quantum point contact at filling fraction 5/2

Recent theories suggest that the excitations of certain quantum Hall states may have exotic braiding statistics which could be used to build topological quantum gates. This has prompted an experimental push to study such states using confined geometries where the statistics can be tested. We study the transport properties of quantum point contacts (QPCs) fabricated on a GaAs/AlGaAs two dimensional electron gas that exhibits well-developed fractional quantum Hall effect, including at bulk filling fraction 5/2. We find that a plateau at effective QPC filling factor 5/2 is identifiable in point contacts with lithographic widths of 1.2 microns and 0.8 microns, but not 0.5 microns. We study the temperature and dc-current-bias dependence of the 5/2 plateau in the QPC, as well as neighboring fractional and integer plateaus in the QPC while keeping the bulk at filling factor 3. Transport near QPC filling factor 5/2 is consistent with a picture of chiral Luttinger liquid edge-states with inter-edge tunneling, suggesting that an incompressible state at 5/2 forms in this confined geometry

Cryptococcus gattii Virulence Composite: Candidate Genes Revealed by Microarray Analysis of High and Less Virulent Vancouver Island Outbreak Strains

Human and animal cryptococcosis due to an unusual molecular type of Cryptococcus gattii (VGII) emerged recently on Vancouver Island, Canada. Unlike C. neoformans, C. gattii causes disease mainly in immunocompetent hosts, despite producing a similar suite of virulence determinants. To investigate a potential relationship between the regulation of expression of a virulence gene composite and virulence, we took advantage of two subtypes of VGII (a and b), one highly virulent (R265) and one less virulent (R272), that were identified from the Vancouver outbreak. By expression microarray analysis, 202 genes showed at least a 2-fold difference in expression with 108 being up- and 94 being down-regulated in strain R265 compared with strain R272. Specifically, expression levels of genes encoding putative virulence factors (e.g. LAC1, LAC2, CAS3 and MPK1) and genes encoding proteins involved in cell wall assembly, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were increased in strain R265, whereas genes involved in the regulation of mitosis and ergosterol biosynthesis were suppressed. In vitro phenotypic studies and transcription analysis confirmed the microarray results. Gene disruption of LAC1 and MPK1 revealed defects in melanin synthesis and cell wall integrity, respectively, where CAS3 was not essential for capsule production. Moreover, MPK1 also controls melanin and capsule production and causes a severe attenuation of the virulence in a murine inhalational model. Overall, this study provides the basis for further genetic studies to characterize the differences in the virulence composite of strains with minor evolutionary divergences in gene expression in the primary pathogen C. gattii, that have led to a major invasive fungal infection outbreak

Molecular Analysis of Precursor Lesions in Familial Pancreatic Cancer

PMCID: PMC3553106This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-homeostasis is altered in small and non-small cell lung cancer cell lines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Knowledge of differences in the cellular physiology of malignant and non-malignant cells is a prerequisite for the development of cancer treatments that effectively kill cancer without damaging normal cells. Calcium is a ubiquitous signal molecule that is involved in the control of proliferation and apoptosis. We aimed to investigate if the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca²⁺-homeostasis is different in lung cancer and normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The intracellular Ca²⁺-signaling was investigated using fluorescence microscopy and the expression of Ca²⁺-regulating proteins was assessed using Western Blot analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In a Small Cell Lung Cancer (H1339) and an Adeno Carcinoma Lung Cancer (HCC) cell line but not in a Squamous Cell Lung Cancer (EPLC) and a Large Cell Lung Cancer (LCLC) cell line the ER Ca²⁺-content was reduced compared to NHBE. The reduced Ca²⁺-content correlated with a reduced expression of SERCA 2 pumping calcium into the ER, an increased expression of IP₃R releasing calcium from the ER, and a reduced expression of calreticulin buffering calcium within the ER. Lowering the ER Ca²⁺-content with CPA led to increased proliferation NHBE and lung cancer cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The significant differences in Ca²⁺-homeostasis between lung cancer and NHBE cells could represent a new target for cancer treatments.</p