Empowering Multi-step Reasoning across Languages via Tree-of-Thoughts

Chain-of-Thought (CoT) prompting empowers the reasoning abilities of Large Language Models (LLMs), eliciting them to solve complex reasoning tasks step-by-step. However, with the success of CoT methods, the ability to deliver multi-step reasoning remains limited to English due to the imbalance in the distribution of the pre-training data, making the other languages a barrier. In this work, we propose a Cross-lingual multi-step reasoning approach, aiming to align reasoning processes across different languages. In particular, our method, through a Self-consistent Cross-lingual prompting mechanism inspired by the Tree-of-Thoughts approach, delivers multi-step reasoning paths in different languages that, during the steps, lead to the final solution. Our experimental evaluations show that our method significantly outperforms existing prompting methods, reducing the number of interactions and achieving state-of-the-art performance

HANS, are you clever? Clever Hans Effect Analysis of Neural Systems

Instruction-tuned Large Language Models (It-LLMs) have been exhibiting outstanding abilities to reason around cognitive states, intentions, and reactions of all people involved, letting humans guide and comprehend day-to-day social interactions effectively. In fact, several multiple-choice questions (MCQ) benchmarks have been proposed to construct solid assessments of the models' abilities. However, earlier works are demonstrating the presence of inherent "order bias" in It-LLMs, posing challenges to the appropriate evaluation. In this paper, we investigate It-LLMs' resilience abilities towards a series of probing tests using four MCQ benchmarks. Introducing adversarial examples, we show a significant performance gap, mainly when varying the order of the choices, which reveals a selection bias and brings into discussion reasoning abilities. Following a correlation between first positions and model choices due to positional bias, we hypothesized the presence of structural heuristics in the decision-making process of the It-LLMs, strengthened by including significant examples in few-shot scenarios. Finally, by using the Chain-of-Thought (CoT) technique, we elicit the model to reason and mitigate the bias by obtaining more robust models

A Trip Towards Fairness: Bias and De-Biasing in Large Language Models

An outbreak in the popularity of transformer-based Language Models (such as GPT (Brown et al., 2020) and PaLM (Chowdhery et al., 2022)) has opened the doors to new Machine Learning applications. In particular, in Natural Language Processing and how pre-training from large text, corpora is essential in achieving remarkable results in downstream tasks. However, these Language Models seem to have inherent biases toward certain demographics reflected in their training data. While research has attempted to mitigate this problem, existing methods either fail to remove bias altogether, degrade performance, or are expensive. This paper examines the bias produced by promising Language Models when varying parameters and pre-training data. Finally, we propose a de-biasing technique that produces robust de-bias models that maintain performance on downstream tasks

Preliminary geochemical characterization of the Mts. Simbruini karst aquifer (Central Italy)

Mts. Simbruini karst aquifer feeds important springs whose capture contributes to the water supply of Rome City. To improve the geochemical characterization of this aquifer, we analyzed 36 groundwater samples, 29 from springs and 7 from shallow wells, collected in 1996 and 2019. Atomic adsorption spectroscopy, tritration, ionic chromatography and mass spectrometry were the used analytical methods. Ground waters are bicarbonate alkaline-earth type and HCO3 dominance confirms that the aquifer is hosted in carbonate rocks. Total alkalinity vs. cations plot indicates that CO2 driven weathering controls the water chemistry. The probability plots of HCO3, cations and Ca2+ +Mg2+ indicate four groundwater populations with the less represented one (9 samples) characterized by the highest PCO2 values (>0.3 atm). Most anomalous values of the dissolved PCO2 are from springs located near the center of the studied area. Four samples have negative values of d13CCO2 (about -22‰ vs. PDB), indicating its organic origin, but two other samples have positive values (1.6 and 2.6 ‰ vs. PDB), similar to those observed in the CO2 of deep origin discharged at the close Colli Albani volcano. Therefore, geochemical evidence indicates that the Mts. Simbruini aquifer is locally affected by the input of deep originated CO2, likely rising up along fractures, interacting with a recharge of meteoric origin, as evidenced by its d2H and d18O isotopic signatures

Chemical composition and biological activities of essential oils from Origanum vulgare genotypes belonging to the carvacrol and thymol chemotypes

The remarkable biological activities of oregano essential oils (EOs) have recently prompted a host of studies aimed at exploring their potential innovative applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The chemical composition and biological activities of EOs from two Origanum vulgare genotypes, widely cultivated in Sicily and not previously studied for their biological properties, were characterized. Plants of the two genotypes, belonging to the carvacrol (CAR) and thymol (THY) chemotypes and grown in different cultivation environments, were considered for this study. The chemical profiles, including the determination of enantiomeric distribution, of the EOs, obtained by hydrodistillation from dried leaves and flowers, were investigated by GC-MS. Biological activity was evaluated as antimicrobial properties against different pathogen indicator strains, while intestinal barrier integrity, reduction in pathogen adhesion and anti-inflammatory actions were assayed in the intestinal Caco-2 cell line. The chemical profile of the CAR genotype was less complex and characterized by higher levels of the most active compound, i.e., carvacrol, when compared to the THY genotype. The enantiomeric distribution of chiral constituents did not vary across genotypes, while being markedly different from that observed in Origanum vulgare genotypes from other geographical origins. In general, all EOs showed high antimicrobial activity, both in vitro and in a food matrix challenge test. Representative EOs from the two genotypes resulted not altering epithelial monolayer sealing only for concentrations lower than 0.02%, were able to reduce the adhesion of selected pathogens, but did not exert relevant anti-inflammatory effects. These results suggest their potential use as control agents against a wide spectrum of foodborne pathogens

The seismic sequence of 30 May - 9 June 2016 in the geothermal site of Torre Alfina (central Italy) and related variations in soil gas emissions

In the framework of a medium-enthalpy geothermal exploitation project, seismicity and soil gas emissions have been monitored in the area of Castel Giorgio-Torre Alfina since 2014. A dedicated local seismic network deepened the knowledge of the natural local seismicity in terms of source mechanisms, high-quality event localization and magnitude estimation. From November 2014 to May 2016, 846 seismic events were recorded, with a magnitude range of Md 0.1-2.8 and hypocentres 4-8 km depth. On 30th May 2016 a Mw 4.3 earthquake occurred near Castel Giorgio, followed by almost 1700 aftershocks; the moment tensor solution depicts a WNW-ESE oriented normal fault. An overview of the epicentral distributions since 2014, highlights that the active tectonic structures are NE-SW and WNW-ESE orientated. The diffuse soil CO2 flux is monitored since 2013 in six target areas located around the future production and reinjection wells, in order to assess the level of background natural degassing. In all target areas the maximum value of soil CO2 flux has been recorded during the 2016 seismic sequence. However, the values of δ13C of the emitted CO2 indicated a shallow biological origin of the gas. At Torre Alfina, the Solfanare natural gas emission, with a CO2 dominated gas, has same composition of the gas hosted in the geothermal reservoir. Here, high values of diffuse soil CO2 flux were recorded. During the 2016 seismic sequence, the Solfanare gas was continuously analysed by an automatic gas- chromatographic station. Results show that apart from small perturbations, no significant compositional variations were recorded. The significant contribution of CLVD and isotropic components suggest a possible opening of fluid cracks below the geothermal reservoir hosted in fractured Mesozoic limestones. The seismo-tectonic scenario indicates that the Solfanare fault was not activated. Kinematics and orientation of the activated faults suggest a relationship with the Bolsena caldera collapsePublishedNapoli, Italy1IT. Reti di monitoraggi

Association of MiR-126 with Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptides, a Marker for Malignant Mesothelioma

BACKGROUND: Improved detection methods for diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) are essential for early and reliable detection as well as treatment. Since recent data point to abnormal levels of microRNAs (miRNAs) in tumors, we hypothesized that a profile of deregulated miRNAs may be a marker of MPM and that the levels of specific miRNAs may be used for monitoring its progress. METHODS AND RESULTS: miRNAs isolated from fresh-frozen biopsies of MPM patients were tested for the expression of 88 types of miRNA involved in cancerogenesis. Most of the tested miRNAs were downregulated in the malignant tissues compared with the normal tissues. Of eight significantly downregulated, three miRNAs were assayed in cancerous tissue and adjacent non-cancerous tissue sample pairs collected from 27 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded MPM tissues by quantitative RT-PCR. Among the miRNAs tested, only miR-126 significantly remained downregulated in the malignant tissues. Furthermore, the performance of the selected miR-126 as biomarker was evaluated in serum samples of asbestos-exposed subjects and MPM patients and compared with controls. MiR-126 was not affected by asbestos exposure, whereas it was found strongly associated with VEGF serum levels. Levels of miR-126 in serum, and its levels in patients' serum in association with a specific marker of MPM, SMRPs, correlate with subjects at high risk to develop MPM. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: We propose miR-126, in association with SMRPs, as a marker for early detection of MPM. The identification of tumor biomarkers used alone or, in particular, in combination could greatly facilitate the surveillance procedure for cohorts of subjects exposed to asbestos

Studio delle emissioni di gas in aree vulcaniche e geotermiche : implicazioni strutturali, geotermiche e di pericolosità

Le ricerche svolte per questa tesi hanno riguardato principalmente lo studio delle emissioni diffuse di CO2 dal suolo in aree vulcaniche attive e in aree vulcaniche recenti di interesse geotermico. Quando necessario le misure di flusso diffuso di CO2 sono state integrate da analisi chimico-isotopiche del gas, per accertarne l'origine. Nelle zone geotermiche del Lazio (Latera e la Caldara di Manziana) la composizione chimica del gas delle manifestazioni fredde è stata utilizzata per valutare le condizioni fisiche, quindi T-P, della sorgente. Nelle zone di forte emissione di gas è stata misurata la concentrazione in aria di CO2 e H2S per valutarne la pericolosità, utilizzando anche una tecnica laser (TDL). Nelle aree indagate dei Monti Sabatini (Caldara di Manziana e Palidoro) è stata utilizzata una nuova tecnica (piattaforma galleggiante) per misurare il flusso viscoso da polle d'acqua con gas gorgogliante. A Stromboli, il probabile rilascio precoce di CO2 connesso alla depressurizzazione del magma profondo, ha orientato una serie di ricerche a studiare eventi anomali del rilascio di CO2 come possibile precursore vulcanico. Infatti, anomalie nella quantità di CO2 disciolta nelle acque termali alla base del vulcano, nell'emissione diffusa di CO2 nell'area vicina al cratere e nel rapporto CO2/SO2 del gas della plume emessa dai crateri, sono state osservate prima di importanti eventi eruttivi. Le ricerche sul flusso di CO2 dal suolo descritte in questa tesi, dimostrano che oltre alla plume craterica, un significativo rilascio di CO2 avviene anche in maniera diffusa dalla parte sommitale, dai fianchi e dalla base subaerea del vulcano, attraverso fratture profonde. Una prospezione molto dettagliata del flusso di CO2 dall'area craterica del vulcano Turrialba in Costa Rica (840 misure su 0, 78 Km2 ) ha permesso di accertare la presenza di un degassamento molto importante (309 ton/giorno di CO2), e di identificare le principali strutture degassanti sia all'interno dell'area craterica, sia all'esterno, sulla faglia dell'Ariete. Un risultato importante delle ricerche sul flusso di CO2 dal suolo di Latera è che queste si sono rilevate molto importanti per individuare dalla superficie la presenza in profondità di un serbatoio geotermico attivo che rilascia vapore e gas. In effetti un degassamento anomalo di CO2 è stato trovato sopra l'alto strutturale di Latera, dove sono ubicati tutti i pozzi produttivi, mentre i valori del flusso di CO2 sono compresi nel background naturale dell'area, nella zona dove i pozzi non hanno trovato permeabilità, risultando improduttivi. Alcuni calcoli sulla quantità di liquido geotermico associata al rilascio di CO2 dal suolo indicano un potenziale energetico assai superiore ai 26 MW della capacità installata negli impianti purtroppo oggi chiusi. Dettagliate campagne di misura del flusso di CO2 dal suolo sono state effettuate sia nella Caldara di Manziana che a Palidoro. Nella prima zona è stata stimata un'emissione diffusa di CO2 di 118 ton/giorno a cui vanno aggiunte altre 20 ton/giorno di flusso viscoso. Per la prima volta è stato stimato il flusso di H2S che è stato stimato a 2.55 ton/giorno (flusso diffuso) e a 0.15 ton/giorno (flusso viscoso). Le misure di concentrazione in aria di CO2 e H2S con TDL hanno mostrato che è l'H2S che raggiunge in vari punti concentrazioni pericolose, fino a valori letali (1000 ppm) vicino al suolo