Improving online machine translation systems

In (Mellebeek et al., 2005), we proposed the design, implementation and evaluation of a novel and modular approach to boost the translation performance of existing, wide-coverage, freely available machine translation systems, based on reliable and fast automatic decomposition of the translation input and corresponding composition of translation output. Despite showing some initial promise, our method did not improve on the baseline Logomedia1 and Systran2 MT systems. In this paper, we improve on the algorithm presented in (Mellebeek et al., 2005), and on the same test data, show increased scores for a range of automatic evaluation metrics. Our algorithm now outperforms Logomedia, obtains similar results to SDL3 and falls tantalisingly short of the performance achieved by Systran

Death as a new life - funeral rituals in Islam

Niniejsza praca porusza temat obrzędów funeralnych w islamie opisanych na podstawie Sunny oraz Koranu. Każdy z trzech rozdziałów ma za zadanie opisać różne etapy w procesie przygotowania zmarłego oraz jego bliskich do ceremonii pochówku. W pierwszym z nich starałam się przedstawić czynności jakie umierający człowiek powinien wykonać jeszcze przed swoich odejściem. Rozdział drugi traktuje o przygotowaniu zwłok do złożenia w grobie oraz o obowiązkach jakie względem ciała i ducha zmarłego powinni dopełnić jego współbracia w wierze. Ostatnia część mówi o samej ceremonii pogrzebowej oraz zwyczajach popogrzebowych w religii muzułmańskiej. Chciałam również zwrócić uwagę na samo podejście do zjawiska śmierci w islamie, które różne jest od pojmowania i rozumienia go w kulturze zachodu. Praca nie wyczerpuje poruszanego w niej, rozległego tematu zwyczajów pogrzebowych w islamie, które wciąż ulegają dynamicznym zmianom. Jednakże moim celem było przedstawienie czytelnikowi pewnych, na stałe związanych z tą religią, tradycji funeralnych, głęboko zakorzenionych w historii i kulturze.This thesis raises the issue of funeral rituals in Islam according to Quran and Sunnah. Each of three chapters describes different stage in the process of preparation the deceased and his family to burial ceremony. First of them shows the steps that should be taken by dying man before moment of death. Next one deals with preparation of the body and also responsibilities brothers and sisters in faith towards body and soul of the deceased. The last part talks about burial ceremony and after burial customs and traditions in islamic religion. The purpose of this study was also to show relation between Muslims and the phenomenon of death, which is different from understanding it in Western culture.It must be remembered that funeral rites are still changing especially now -in times of technological development. However, my goal was to provide the reader with some permanently associated with the religion, funeral practices that are deeply rooted in history and culture

Dimethylarginines in Children after Anti-Neoplastic Treatment

Background and Objectives: According to a recent Cochrane systematic review, renal impairment can develop in 0–84% of childhood cancer survivors in the future. The renal function impairment in this patient group can be related to nephrectomy, nephrotoxic agents therapy, abdominal radiotherapy, and combinations of these treatment methods. In this study, in a population of patients after anti-neoplastic therapy, with particular emphasis on patients after Wilms’ tumour treatment, we compared new substances which play role in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) pathogenesis (asymmetric dimethylarginine—ADMA, symmetric dimethylarginine—SDMA) with standard renal function markers (e.g., creatinine and cystatin C in serum, creatinine in urine, etc.) to assess the usefulness of the former. Materials and Methods: Eighty-four children, without CKD, bilateral kidney tumours, congenital kidney defects, or urinary tract infections, with a minimum time of 1 year after ending anti-neoplastic treatment, aged between 17 and 215 months, were divided into three groups: group 1—patients after nephroblastoma treatment (n = 21), group 2—after other solid tumours treatment (n = 44), and group 3—after lymphoproliferative neoplasms treatment (n = 19). The patients’ medical histories were taken and physical examinations were performed. Concentrations of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, cystatin C, C-reactive protein (CRP), ADMA, and SDMA in blood and albumin in urine were measured, and a general urine analysis was performed. The SDMA/ADMA ratio, albumin–creatine ratio, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were calculated. eGFR was estimated by three equations recommended to the paediatric population by the KDIGO from 2012: the Schwartz equation (eGFR1), equation with creatinine and urea nitrogen (eGFR2), and equation with cystatin C (eGFR3). Results: Both the eGFR1 and eGFR2 values were significantly lower in group 1 than in group 3 (eGFR1: 93.3 (83.1–102.3) vs. 116.5 (96.8–126.9) mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.02; eGFR2: 82.7 (±14.4) vs. 94.4 (±11.9) mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.02). Additionally, there were weak positive correlations between SDMA and creatinine (p p p p p Conclusions: The usefulness of ADMA and SDMA in the diagnosis of renal functional impairment should be assessed in further studies. eGFR, calculated according to equations recommended for children, should be used in routine paediatric practice

N-Methyl-2-thiocytisine

The rings of the three-ring cytisine system in the title compound [systematic name: (1R,5S)-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydro-1,5-methano-8H-pyrido[1,2-a][1,5]diazocine-8-thione], C12H16N2S, have planar [maximum deviation 0.0170 (7) Å], half-chair and chair conformations. In the crystal structure, relatively short and directional C—H...π interactions and weaker secondary C—H...S contacts join the molecules into helical chains along the [001] direction

Assessment of Metabolic Syndrome and Kidney and Heart Function in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Background: The survivors of childhood cancer suffer from a number of long-term side effects. These include atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) that develop earlier in adulthood than in the rest of the population. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic factors of developing atherosclerosis before the development of symptomatic CVD. Methods: A total of 141 children that were 7–18 years old were examined; there were 116 survivors of childhood malignancies (hematopoietic and lymphoproliferative malignancies—52; neuroblastoma—22; Wilms tumor—24; other solid tumors—18) and 25 healthy controls. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure measurements, ultrasonography of the abdomen, echocardiography, and laboratory tests were performed. Results: There were no significant differences in gender distribution, time from the end of the treatment, weight, BMI, prevalence of central obesity, blood pressure and resistive index of the renal arteries, lipid profile, or glucose and fibrinogen levels. Patients with solid tumors had a significantly lower height and worse renal function. Patients with hematological malignancies significantly presented the lowest shortening fraction of the left ventricle. The salusin β levels were significantly higher in the control group than among the patients. Conclusions: The type and severity of side effects are closely related to the type of neoplasm and the treatment that has been undergone. Careful observation and regular follow-up are necessary