Selection of adequate optimization criteria in chromatographic separations

Computer-assisted optimization of chromatographic separations is still a fruitful activity. In fact, advances in computerized data handling should make the application of systematic optimization strategies much easier. However, in most contemporary applications, the optimization criterion is not considered to be a key issue (Vanbel, J Pharm Biomed, 21:603–610, 1999). In this paper, an update of the importance of selecting adequate criteria in chromatographic separation is presented

Interactive translation prediction versus conventional post-editing in practice: a study with the CasMaCat workbench

[EN] We conducted a field trial in computer-assisted professional translation to compare interactive translation prediction (ITP) against conventional post-editing (PE) of machine translation (MT) output. In contrast to the conventional PE set-up, where an MT system first produces a static translation hypothesis that is then edited by a professional (hence "post-editing"), ITP constantly updates the translation hypothesis in real time in response to user edits. Our study involved nine professional translators and four reviewers working with the web-based CasMaCat workbench. Various new interactive features aiming to assist the post-editor/translator were also tested in this trial. Our results show that even with little training, ITP can be as productive as conventional PE in terms of the total time required to produce the final translation. Moreover, translation editors working with ITP require fewer key strokes to arrive at the final version of their translation.This work was supported by the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement No 287576 (CasMaCat ).Sanchis Trilles, G.; Alabau, V.; Buck, C.; Carl, M.; Casacuberta Nolla, F.; Garcia Martinez, MM.; Germann, U.... (2014). Interactive translation prediction versus conventional post-editing in practice: a study with the CasMaCat workbench. Machine Translation. 28(3-4):217-235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10590-014-9157-9S217235283-4Alabau V, Leiva LA, Ortiz-Martínez D, Casacuberta F (2012) User evaluation of interactive machine translation systems. In: Proceedings of the 16th Annual Conference of the European Association for Machine Translation, pp 20–23Alabau V, Buck C, Carl M, Casacuberta F, García-Martínez M, Germann U, González-Rubio J, Hill R, Koehn P, Leiva L, Mesa-Lao B, Ortiz-Martínez D, Saint-Amand H, Sanchis-Trilles G, Tsoukala C (2014) Casmacat: A computer-assisted translation workbench. In: Proceedings of the 14th Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics, pp 25–28Alves F, Vale D (2009) Probing the unit of translation in time: aspects of the design and development of a web application for storing, annotating, and querying translation process data. Across Lang Cultures 10(2):251–273Bach N, Huang F, Al-Onaizan Y (2011) Goodness: A method for measuring machine translation confidence. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, pp 211–219Barrachina S, Bender O, Casacuberta F, Civera J, Cubel E, Khadivi S, Lagarda AL, Ney H, Tomás J, Vidal E, Vilar JM (2009) Statistical approaches to computer-assisted translation. Comput Linguist 35(1):3–28Brown PF, Della Pietra SA, Della Pietra VJ (1993) The mathematics of statistical machine translation: parameter estimation. Comput Linguist 19(2):263–311Callison-Burch C, Koehn P, Monz C, Post M, Soricut R, Specia L (2012) Findings of the 2012 workshop on statistical machine translation. In: Proceedings of the Seventh Workshop on Statistical Machine Translation, pp 10–51Carl M (2012a) The CRITT TPR-DB 1.0: A database for empirical human translation process research. In: Proceedings of the AMTA 2012 Workshop on Post-Editing Technology and Practice, pp 1–10Carl M (2012b) Translog-II: a program for recording user activity data for empirical reading and writing research. In: Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation, pp 4108–4112Carl M (2014) Produkt- und Prozesseinheiten in der CRITT Translation Process Research Database. In: Ahrens B (ed) Translationswissenschaftliches Kolloquium III: Beiträge zur Übersetzungs- und Dolmetschwissenschaft (Köln/Germersheim). Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main, pp 247–266Carl M, Kay M (2011) Gazing and typing activities during translation : a comparative study of translation units of professional and student translators. Meta 56(4):952–975Doherty S, O’Brien S, Carl M (2010) Eye tracking as an MT evaluation technique. Mach Transl 24(1):1–13Elming J, Carl M, Balling LW (2014) Investigating user behaviour in post-editing and translation using the Casmacat workbench. In: O’Brien S, Winther Balling L, Carl M, Simard M, Specia L (eds) Post-editing of machine translation: processes and applications. Cambridge Scholar Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, pp 147–169Federico M, Cattelan A, Trombetti M (2012) Measuring user productivity in machine translation enhanced computer assisted translation. In: Proceedings of the Tenth Biennial Conference of the Association for Machine Translation in the AmericasFlournoy R, Duran C (2009) Machine translation and document localization at adobe: From pilot to production. In: Proceedings of MT Summit XIIGreen S, Heer J, Manning CD (2013) The efficacy of human post-editing for language translation. In: Proceedings of SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp 439–448Guerberof A (2009) Productivity and quality in mt post-editing. In: Proceedings of MT Summit XII-Workshop: Beyond Translation Memories: New Tools for Translators MTGuerberof A (2012) Productivity and quality in the post-editing of outputs from translation memories and machine translation. Ph.D. ThesisJust MA, Carpenter PA (1980) A theory of reading: from eye fixations to comprehension. Psychol Rev 87(4):329Koehn P (2009a) A process study of computer-aided translation. Mach Transl 23(4):241–263Koehn P (2009b) A web-based interactive computer aided translation tool. In: Proceedings of ACL-IJCNLP 2009 Software Demonstrations, pp 17–20Krings HP (2001) Repairing texts: empirical investigations of machine translation post-editing processes, vol 5. Kent State University Press, KentLacruz I, Shreve GM, Angelone E (2012) Average pause ratio as an indicator of cognitive effort in post-editing: a case study. In: Proceedings of the AMTA 2012 Workshop on Post-Editing Technology and Practice, pp 21–30Langlais P, Foster G, Lapalme G (2000) Transtype: A computer-aided translation typing system. In: Proceedings of the 2000 NAACL-ANLP Workshop on Embedded Machine Translation Systems, pp 46–51Leiva LA, Alabau V, Vidal E (2013) Error-proof, high-performance, and context-aware gestures for interactive text edition. In: Proceedings of the 2013 annual conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems, pp 1227–1232Montgomery D (2004) Introduction to statistical quality control. Wiley, HobokenO’Brien S (2009) Eye tracking in translation process research: methodological challenges and solutions, Copenhagen Studies in Language, vol 38. Samfundslitteratur, Copenhagen, pp 251–266Ortiz-Martínez D, Casacuberta F (2014) The new Thot toolkit for fully automatic and interactive statistical machine translation. In: Proceedings of the 14th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Computational Linguistics: System Demonstrations, pp 45–48Plitt M, Masselot F (2010) A productivity test of statistical machine translation post-editing in a typical localisation context. 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Reduced levels of intracellular calcium releasing in spermatozoa from asthenozoospermic patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Asthenozoospermia is one of the most common findings present in infertile males characterized by reduced or absent sperm motility, but its aetiology remains unknown in most cases. In addition, calcium is one of the most important ions regulating sperm motility. In this study we have investigated the progesterone-evoked intracellular calcium signal in ejaculated spermatozoa from men with normospermia or asthenozoospermia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human ejaculates were obtained from healthy volunteers and asthenospermic men by masturbation after 4–5 days of abstinence. For determination of cytosolic free calcium concentration, spermatozoa were loaded with the fluorescent ratiometric calcium indicator Fura-2.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Treatment of spermatozoa from normospermic men with 20 micromolar progesterone plus 1 micromolar thapsigargin in a calcium free medium induced a typical transient increase in cytosolic free calcium concentration due to calcium release from internal stores. Similar results were obtained when spermatozoa were stimulated with progesterone alone. Subsequent addition of calcium to the external medium evoked a sustained elevation in cytosolic free calcium concentration indicative of capacitative calcium entry. However, when progesterone plus thapsigargin were administered to spermatozoa from patients with asthenozoospermia, calcium signal and subsequent calcium entry was much smaller compared to normospermic patients. As expected, pretreatment of normospermic spermatozoa with both the anti-progesterone receptor c262 antibody and with progesterone receptor antagonist RU-38486 decreased the calcium release induced by progesterone. Treatment of spermatozoa with cytochalasin D or jasplakinolide decreased the calcium entry evoked by depletion of internal calcium stores in normospermic patients, whereas these treatments proved to be ineffective at modifying the calcium entry in patients with asthenozoospermia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that spermatozoa from asthenozoospermic patients present a reduced responsiveness to progesterone.</p

Anthracological evidence suggests naturalness of Pinus pinaster in inland southwestern Iberia

The study of well-preserved archaeological charcoals in the pre-Roman Iron Age settlement of Castillejos II (Badajoz, Spain) is used to reconstruct environmental conditions and land-use practices in vegetation landscapes in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula before the arrival of Roman civilization. The results support that, while evergreen Quercus forests dominated during the Holocene, Pinus pinaster existed as a natural element of southwestern Iberian Peninsula vegetation. Although its presence could be linked to anthropogenic disturbance or fire history, it is suggested that P. pinaster populations survived during the Holocene in the region, mixed with oaks or in monospecific stands in mountain enclaves. This hypothesis contrasts with previous assumptions that P. pinaster was not autochthonous in the area

Factors affecting survival in Mediterranean populations of the Eurasian eagle owl

The survival rate is a key parameter for population management and the monitoring of populations. Thus, an analysis of survival rate variations and the factors influencing the same is essential for understanding population dynamics. Here, we study the factors determining the survival and the causes of mortality of the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) in two Spanish Mediterranean populations (Murcia and Seville) where the species has a high population density and breeding success; yet its survival rates and the factors that affect them are unknown. Between 2003 and 2010, 63 breeding owls were captured and radio-tracked. Three monthly (quarterly) survival rates were estimated using known-fate models in the program MARK. The mean overall annual survival rate was 0.776 (95 % CI: 0.677, 0.875). We observed survival differences between sexes, and between the breeding and non-breeding periods, although no overwhelming support was found for any particular model. We concluded that (i) females have a lower survival rate than males, probably due to their larger home ranges, which increase the risk of mortality; (ii) the survival rates of both sexes were lower during the non-breeding period; and (iii) the causes of mortality differed significantly between the two populations, gunshot being the main cause in Seville and electrocution in Murcia.Peer Reviewe

Assessment of sperm quality traits in relation to fertility in boar semen

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several studies have been published where sperm plasma membrane integrity correlated to fertility. In this study we describe a simple fluorometer-based assay where we monitored the fluorescence intensity of artificially membrane-ruptured spermatozoa with a fixed time staining with fluorescent DNA dyes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Membrane-impermeant fluorescent dyes Hoechst 33258 (H258) and propidium iodide (PI) were used to measure the fluorescence of the nucleus in artificially membrane ruptured spermatozoa and membrane-permeant dye Hoechst 33342 (H342) was used to measure fluorescence of intact spermatozoa. The concentration of spermatozoa in insemination doses varied from 31.2 × 10⁶/ml to 50 × 10⁶/ml and the average value was 35 × 10⁶/ml. Each boar was represented by three consecutive ejaculates, collected at weekly intervals. Nonreturn rate within 60 days of first insemination (NR %) and litter size (total number of piglets born) of multiparous farrowings were used as fertility measures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sperm fluorescence intensity of H258 and H342, but not the fluorescence intensity of PI-stained spermatozoa correlated significantly with the litter size of multiparous farrowings, values being r = - 0.68 (P < 0.01) for H258, r = - 0.69 (P < 0.01) for H342 and r = - 0.38, (P = 0.11) for PI.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The increase in fluorescence values of membrane-ruptured H258 and unruptured H342-stained spermatozoa in boar AI doses can be associated with smaller litter size after AI. This finding indicates that the fluorescence properties of the sperm nucleus could be used to select for AI doses with greater fertilizing potential.</p

Caring for Caregivers (C4C): study protocol for a pilot feasibility randomised control trial of Positive Written Disclosure for older adult caregivers of people with psychosis

Background: The caregivers of people who experience psychosis are themselves at risk of developing physical and mental health problems. This risk is increased for older adult caregivers who also have to manage the lifestyle and health changes associated with ageing. As a consequence, older adult caregivers are in particular need of support; we propose a Written Emotional Disclosure (WED) intervention, called Positive Written Disclosure (PWD). Methods/design: This is a pilot randomised controlled trial of PWD compared to a neutral writing control and a no writing condition. We aim to recruit 60 participants, 20 in each arm. This study will utilise a mixed-methods approach and collect quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) data. Quantitative data will be collected at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months post baseline. Participants who complete a writing task (PWD or neutral writing control) will be invited to complete an exit interview to discuss their experiences of the intervention and study. The study is supported by a patient and public involvement group. Discussion: The results of this trial will determine whether a definitive trial is justified. If so, the quantitative and qualitative findings will be used to refine the intervention and study protocols