The economy of attention in the age of (mis)information

In this work we present a thorough quantitative analysis of information consumption patterns of qualitatively different information on Facebook. Pages are categorized, according to their topics and the communities of interests they pertain to, in a) alternative information sources (diffusing topics that are neglected by science and main stream media); b) online political activism; and c) main stream media. We find similar information consumption patterns despite the very different nature of contents. Then, we classify users according to their interaction patterns among the different topics and measure how they responded to the injection of 2788 false information (parodistic imitations of alternative stories). We find that users prominently interacting with alternative information sources ? i.e. more exposed to unsubstantiated claims ? are more prone to interact with intentional and parodistic false claim

Probing molecular absorption under slow light propagation using a photonic crystal waveguide

High-resolution infrared absorption spectroscopy of acetylene gas is demonstrated in dispersion-engineered photonic crystal waveguides under slow light propagation. Individual absorption profiles are obtained for both TE and TM polarizations for group indices ranging from 1.5 to 6.7. Experimental enhancement factors of 0.31 and 1.00 are obtained for TE and TM polarization, respectively, and are confirmed by time-domain simulations. We experimentally demonstrate that molecular absorption is a function of the electric field distribution outside the photonic crystal slab and the group index under structural slow-light illumination

Conserved pseudoknots in lncRNA MEG3 are essential for stimulation of the p53 pathway

Funding Information: Work in the Marcia lab is partly funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-15-CE11-0003-01), the Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le Sida et les H?patites Virales (ANRS, ECTZ18552), and ITMO Cancer (18CN047-00). The Marcia lab uses the platforms of the Grenoble Instruct Center (ISBG UMS 3518 CNRS-CEA-UJF-EMBL) with support from FRISBI (ANR-10-INSB-05-02) and GRAL (ANR-10-LABX-49-01) within the Grenoble Partnership for Structural Biology (PSB). IBS acknowledges integration into the Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble (IRIG, CEA). This work acknowledges the AFM platform at the IBS.Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulatory molecules, but unlike with other RNAs, the direct link between their tertiary structure motifs and their function has proven elusive. Here we report structural and functional studies of human maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3), a tumor suppressor lncRNA that modulates the p53 response. We found that, in an evolutionary conserved region of MEG3, two distal motifs interact by base complementarity to form alternative, mutually exclusive pseudoknot structures (“kissing loops”). Mutations that disrupt these interactions impair MEG3-dependent p53 stimulation in vivo and disrupt MEG3 folding in vitro. These findings provide mechanistic insights into regulation of the p53 pathway by MEG3 and reveal how conserved motifs of tertiary structure can regulate lncRNA biological function.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

039: Platelet reactivity predicts both ischemic and bleeding events at one year follow-up in acute coronary syndome patients receiving prasugrel

There are evidences of a link between platelet reactivity inhibition and thrombotic and bleeding events. We have previously demonstrated that PR after prasugrel loading dose (LD) predicts short-term thrombotic events. We aimed to further investigate the relationship between PR under prasugrel and one-year thrombotic and bleeding events.MethodPatients were prospectively included in this multicentre study if they had a successful PCI for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and received prasugrel. Vasodilator-Stimulated Phosphoprotein (VASP index) was measured after prasugrel LD. Endpoint included the rate of thrombotic events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis) and bleeding events (TIMI) at one year.ResultsThree hundreds and one patients were enrolled. Nine patients (3%) were lost to follow-up at one year. The rates of thrombotic and bleeding events at one year were 7.5 and 6.8% respectively. The mean VASP index after a 60mg LD of prasugrel was 34}23% and 76 patients (25%) were considered as having high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR). Patients with HTPR had a higher rate of thrombotic events compared to good responders (19.7 vs 3.1%;p<0.001). Patients with a minor or major non-CABG related TIMI bleeding had lower PR compared to patients with no bleeding events (21}18 vs 35}23%;p=0.008). In multivariate analysis, the VASP index predicted both thrombotic and bleeding events (OR: 1.44 (95% CI: 1.2–1.72; p<0.001 and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.59–0.96;p=0.024 (respectively, per 10% increase)).ConclusionPlatelet reactivity measurement after prasugrel LD predicts both ischemic and bleedings events at one year follow-up for ACS patients undergoing PCI

kLog: A Language for Logical and Relational Learning with Kernels

We introduce kLog, a novel approach to statistical relational learning. Unlike standard approaches, kLog does not represent a probability distribution directly. It is rather a language to perform kernel-based learning on expressive logical and relational representations. kLog allows users to specify learning problems declaratively. It builds on simple but powerful concepts: learning from interpretations, entity/relationship data modeling, logic programming, and deductive databases. Access by the kernel to the rich representation is mediated by a technique we call graphicalization: the relational representation is first transformed into a graph --- in particular, a grounded entity/relationship diagram. Subsequently, a choice of graph kernel defines the feature space. kLog supports mixed numerical and symbolic data, as well as background knowledge in the form of Prolog or Datalog programs as in inductive logic programming systems. The kLog framework can be applied to tackle the same range of tasks that has made statistical relational learning so popular, including classification, regression, multitask learning, and collective classification. We also report about empirical comparisons, showing that kLog can be either more accurate, or much faster at the same level of accuracy, than Tilde and Alchemy. kLog is GPLv3 licensed and is available at http://klog.dinfo.unifi.it along with tutorials

New Insights on the Management of Wildlife Diseases Using Multi-State Recapture Models: The Case of Classical Swine Fever in Wild Boar

The understanding of host-parasite systems in wildlife is of increasing interest in relation to the risk of emerging diseases in livestock and humans. In this respect, many efforts have been dedicated to controlling classical swine fever (CSF) in the European Wild Boar. But CSF eradication has not always been achieved even though vaccination has been implemented at a large-scale. Piglets have been assumed to be the main cause of CSF persistence in the wild since they appeared to be more often infected and less often immune than older animals. However, this assumption emerged from laboratory trials or cross-sectional surveys based on the hunting bags.In the present paper we conducted a capture-mark-recapture study in free-ranging wild boar piglets that experienced both CSF infection and vaccination under natural conditions. We used multi-state capture recapture models to estimate the immunization and infection rates, and their variations according to the periods with or without vaccination. According to the model prediction, 80% of the infected piglets did not survive more than two weeks, while the other 20% quickly recovered. The probability of becoming immune did not increase significantly during the summer vaccination sessions, and the proportion of immune piglets was not higher after the autumn vaccination.Given the high lethality of CSF in piglets highlighted in our study, we consider unlikely that piglets could maintain the chain of CSF virus transmission. Our study also revealed the low efficacy of vaccination in piglets in summer and autumn, possibly due to the low palatability of baits to that age class, but also to the competition between baits and alternative food sources. Based on this new information, we discuss the prospects for the improvement of CSF control and the interest of the capture-recapture approach for improving the understanding of wildlife diseases