Investigating Zero- and Few-shot Generalization in Fact Verification

In this paper, we explore zero- and few-shot generalization for fact verification (FV), which aims to generalize the FV model trained on well-resourced domains (e.g., Wikipedia) to low-resourced domains that lack human annotations. To this end, we first construct a benchmark dataset collection which contains 11 FV datasets representing 6 domains. We conduct an empirical analysis of generalization across these FV datasets, finding that current models generalize poorly. Our analysis reveals that several factors affect generalization, including dataset size, length of evidence, and the type of claims. Finally, we show that two directions of work improve generalization: 1) incorporating domain knowledge via pretraining on specialized domains, and 2) automatically generating training data via claim generation.Comment: AACL-IJCNLP 2023 (main conference, long paper

Fabrication of palladium/graphene oxide composite by plasma reduction at room temperature

Pd nanoparticles were fabricated on graphene oxide (GO) using a deposition-precipitation method with a glow discharge plasma reduction at room temperature. Argon was employed as the plasma-generating gas. The novel plasma method selectively reduces the metal ions. The graphene oxide has no change with this plasma reduction according to the Fourier transform infrared analysis. The Pd nanoparticles on the GO were uniformly distributed with an average diameter of 1.6 nm. The functional groups on the GO not only prevent Pd nanoparticles from further aggregation but also provide a strong hydrophilic property to the Pd/GO composite, which can form stable colloidal dispersions in water

Dechlorination of Chloral Hydrate by Pseudomonas putida LF54 which Possesses Biofilm Adhesin Protein LapA

Because of the lack of enzymes in critical steps of catabolic pathways, low-molecular-weight halogenated compounds are often recalcitrant to biodegradation. In our previous study, we isolated Pseudomonas sp. LF54 (LF54), the first bacterium that has been shown to use chloral hydrate (CH) as sole carbon source by an assimilation pathway in which dechlorination is the critical step. In this study, we identified a transposon (Tn) mutant that can render LF54 defective in CH dechlorination. The molecular characterization of Tn mutants revealed that the transposon insertion sites map to lapA. Sequence analyses verified the existence of lapA in LF54. Additionally, induced expression of lapA in the conditional lapA mutant of LF54 further verified that defective lapA expression renders LF54 defective in dechlorination. Recent studies have revealed that the largest cell-surface-associated protein LapA, a biofilm adhesin, is able to initiate biofilm formation. This function was also verified in the induced conditional lapA mutant and in LF54. Furthermore, we also found out that the defective lapA mutant rendered the variation of bacterial motility. LapA, the largest biofilm adhesin protein of P. putida, which influences CH dechlorination and flagella motility, is a novel discovery not previously reported

Pathologic complete response of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach after chemo-immunotherapy: A rare case report and literature review

BackgroundHepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach (HAS) is a highly malignant subtype of gastric carcinoma with specific clinicopathological features and extremely poor prognosis. We present an exceedingly rare case of complete response after chemo-immunotherapy.Case DescriptionA 48-year-old woman with highly elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level was found to have HAS verified by pathological examination based on gastroscopy. Computed tomography scan was done and TNM staging of the tumor was T4aN3aMx. Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry was performed, revealing a negative PD-L1 expression. Chemo-immunotherapy including oxaliplatin plus S-1 and PD-1 inhibitor terelizumab was given to this patient for 2 months until the serum AFP level decreased from 748.5 to 12.9 ng/mL and the tumor shrank. D2 radical gastrectomy was then performed and histopathology of the resected specimen revealed that the cancerous cells had disappeared. Pathologic complete response (pCR) was achieved and no evidence of recurrence has been found after 1 year of follow-up.ConclusionsWe, for the first time, reported an HAS patient with negative PD-L1 expression who achieved pCR from the combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Although no consensus has been reached regarding the therapy, it might provide a potential effective management strategy for HAS patient

Experimental study on mechanical properties of filling-bulk ce-menting combination body

In order to study the influence of caved rocks in the goaf on the backfilling body in the backfilling mining, uniaxial compression test are carried out on the backfilling body-cemented granular body combination with different granular heights, discrete element lithology and backfilling body strength. The uniaxial compression failure of the combination body specimen is monitored in real time by using the three-dimensional acoustic emission positioning technology. The deformation and failure corresponding to the AE events in the loading process is characterized by combining the time parameters of AE events with the starting time points of the four stages of the stress-strain curve. Based on this, the failure model for the interface of the combination body is established. The results show that the height of granular is negatively correlated with the strength of the combination body, and the uniaxial compressive strength of the combination body with the backfilling height ratio of 1:4 is only 55.0 % of that of the single backfilling body. The discrete element lithology and the strength of backfilling body are positively correlated with the strength of the combination body. Although high-strength backfilling body can improve the uniaxial compressive strength of the combination body, the higher the strength of filling body in the combination body, the more serious the strength reduction of the combination body. When the particle lithology in cemented bulk is siltstone with low strength, the uniaxial compressive strength of the combination body is only 42.9% of that of single combination body. The siltstone with smaller compressive strength will have a fracture plane due to shear failure during the failure, and the limestone with larger compressive strength can withstand shear load by using the shear strength of the granular particles. When the cementing matrix in the cemented granular fails or the particles in the cemented granular are broken, the interface of the backfilling body and the cemented granular undergoes non-uniform compression deformation, resulting in the stress concentration on the backfilling body on the interface damaged by the cemented granular, resulting in the shear failure of the upper backfilling body locally, and the failure of backfilling body is the contribution of both axial stress and non-uniform deformation of the interface

Analysis of Prognostic Risk Factors Determining Poor Functional Recovery After Comprehensive Rehabilitation Including Motor-Imagery Brain-Computer Interface Training in Stroke Patients: A Prospective Study

Objective: Upper limb (UL) motor function recovery, especially distal function, is one of the main goals of stroke rehabilitation as this function is important to perform activities of daily living (ADL). The efficacy of the motor-imagery brain-computer interface (MI-BCI) has been demonstrated in patients with stroke. Most patients with stroke receive comprehensive rehabilitation, including MI-BCI and routine training. However, most aspects of MI-BCI training for patients with subacute stroke are based on routine training. Risk factors for inadequate distal UL functional recovery in these patients remain unclear; therefore, it is more realistic to explore the prognostic factors of this comprehensive treatment based on clinical practice. The present study aims to investigate the independent risk factors that might lead to inadequate distal UL functional recovery in patients with stroke after comprehensive rehabilitation including MI-BCI (CRIMI-BCI).Methods: This prospective study recruited 82 patients with stroke who underwent CRIMI-BCI. Motor-imagery brain-computer interface training was performed for 60 min per day, 5 days per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was improvement of the wrist and hand dimensionality of Fugl-Meyer Assessment (δFMA-WH). According to the improvement score, the patients were classified into the efficient group (EG, δFMA-WH > 2) and the inefficient group (IG, δFMA-WH ≤ 2). Binary logistic regression was used to analyze clinical and demographic data, including aphasia, spasticity of the affected hand [assessed by Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS-H)], initial UL function, age, gender, time since stroke (TSS), lesion hemisphere, and lesion location.Results: Seventy-three patients completed the study. After training, all patients showed significant improvement in FMA-UL (Z = 7.381, p = 0.000**), FMA-SE (Z = 7.336, p = 0.000**), and FMA-WH (Z = 6.568, p = 0.000**). There were 35 patients (47.9%) in the IG group and 38 patients (52.1%) in the EG group. Multivariate analysis revealed that presence of aphasia [odds ratio (OR) 4.617, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.435–14.860; p < 0.05], initial FMA-UL score ≤ 30 (OR 5.158, 95% CI 1.150–23.132; p < 0.05), and MAS-H ≥ level I+ (OR 3.810, 95% CI 1.231–11.790; p < 0.05) were the risk factors for inadequate distal UL functional recovery in patients with stroke after CRIMI-BCI.Conclusion: We concluded that CRIMI-BCI improved UL function in stroke patients with varying effectiveness. Inferior initial UL function, significant hand spasticity, and presence of aphasia were identified as independent risk factors for inadequate distal UL functional recovery in stroke patients after CRIMI-BCI

A compendium of genetic regulatory effects across pig tissues

The Farm Animal Genotype-Tissue Expression (FarmGTEx) project has been established to develop a public resource of genetic regulatory variants in livestock, which is essential for linking genetic polymorphisms to variation in phenotypes, helping fundamental biological discovery and exploitation in animal breeding and human biomedicine. Here we show results from the pilot phase of PigGTEx by processing 5,457 RNA-sequencing and 1,602 whole-genome sequencing samples passing quality control from pigs. We build a pig genotype imputation panel and associate millions of genetic variants with five types of transcriptomic phenotypes in 34 tissues. We evaluate tissue specificity of regulatory effects and elucidate molecular mechanisms of their action using multi-omics data. Leveraging this resource, we decipher regulatory mechanisms underlying 207 pig complex phenotypes and demonstrate the similarity of pigs to humans in gene expression and the genetic regulation behind complex phenotypes, supporting the importance of pigs as a human biomedical model.</p