Polimi at CLinkaRT: a Conditional Random Field vs a BERT-based approach

In the context of the EVALITA 2023 challenge, we present the models we have developed for the CLinkaRT task, which aims to identify medical examinations and their corresponding results in Italian clinical documents. We propose two distinct approaches: one utilising a Conditional Random Field (CRF), a probabilistic graphical model traditionally used for Named Entity Recognition, and the other based on BERT, the transformer-based model that is currently state-of-the-art for many Natural Language Processing tasks. Both models incorporate external knowledge from publicly available medical resources and are enhanced with heuristic rules to establish associations between exams and results. Our comparative analysis elects the CRF-based model as the winner, securing the third position in the competition ranking, but the BERT-based model demonstrated competitive performance

Use of winemaking by-products as an ingredient for tomato puree : the effect of particle size on product quality

Formulations of tomato puree with grape skin fibres (Chardonnay variety) having varying particle sizes were studied. The contents of flavonoids (by HPLC\u2013DAD) and proanthocyanidins (n-butanol/HCl assay), reducing capacity (ferric ion reducing antioxidant power, FRAP) and anti-glycation activity by a bovine serum albumin (BSA)/fructose model system were analysed in vitro. A liking test was performed with consumers. Stabilization was carried out by either an intensive autoclave treatment or an optimised microwave-treatment achieving 6D-reduction of the target microorganism (Alicylobacillus acidoterrestris). In the fortified tomato purees, the solubility of proanthocyanidins decreased, but was partly restored by autoclave treatment, which also caused deglycosylation of flavonol glycosides. Microwave treatment did not show any effect on phenolics. The reducing capacity and ability to inhibit protein glycation greatly increased in the fortified purees. The particle sizes of solids in the formulations played a major role with respect to the consumers\u2019 liking, with the smallest fraction showing maximum ratings

Clustering Italian medical texts: a case study on referrals

In the medical domain, there is a large amount of valuable information that is stored in textual format. These unstructured data have long been ignored, due to the difficulties of introducing them in statistical models, but in the last years, the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) has seen relevant improvements, with models capable of achieving relevant results in various tasks, including information extraction, classification and clustering. NLP models are typically language-specific and often domain-specific, but most of the work to date has been focused on the English language, especially in the medical domain. In this work, we propose a pipeline for clustering Italian medical texts, with a case study on clinical questions reported in referral

Hilbert Series for Flavor Invariants of the Standard Model

The Hilbert series is computed for the lepton flavor invariants of the Standard Model with three generations including the right-handed neutrino sector needed to generate light neutrino masses via the see-saw mechanism. We also compute the Hilbert series of the quark flavor invariants for the case of four generations.Comment: 6 page

Immunometabolic status of covid-19 cancer patients

Cancer patients appear to be more likely to be diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This is supported by the understanding of immuno-metabolic pathways that intersect patients with infection and cancer. However, data derived by case series and retrospective studies do not offer a coherent interpretation, since data from China suggest an increased risk of COVID-19, while data from the United States and Italy show a prevalence of COVID-19 in cancer patients comparable with the general population. Noteworthy, cancer and COVID-19 exploit distinct patterns of macrophage activation that promote disease progression in the most severe forms. In particular, the alternative activation of M2-polarized macrophages plays a crucial role in cancer progression. In contrast, the macrophage-activation syndrome appears as the source of M1-related cytokine storm in severe COVID-19 disease, thus indicating macrophages as a source of distinct inflammatory states in the two diseases, nonethe-less as a common therapeutic target. New evidence indicates that NAMPT/NAD metabolism can direct both innate immune cell effector functions and the homeostatic robustness, in both cancer and infection. Moreover, a bidirectional relationship exists between the metabolism of NAD and the protective role that angiotensin converting enzyme 2, the COVID-19 receptor, can play against hyperinflammation. Within this immunometabolic framework, the review considers possible inter-ference mechanisms that viral infections and tumors elicit on therapies and provides an overview for the management of patients with cancer affected by COVID-19, particularly for the balance of risk and benefit when planning normally routine cancer treatments and follow-up appointments

Suspended Multifunctional Nanocellulose as Additive for Mortars

Cellulose derivatives have found significant applications in composite materials, mainly because of the increased mechanical performance they ensure. When added to cement-based materials, either in the form of nanocrystals, nanofibrils or micro/nanofibers, cellulose acts on the mixture with fresh and hardened properties, affecting rheology, shrinkage, hydration, and the resulting mechanical properties, microstructure, and durability. Commercial cotton wool was selected as starting material to produce multifunctional nanocelluloses to test as additives for mortars. Cotton wool was oxidized to oxidized nanocellulose (ONC), a charged nanocellulose capable of electrostatic interaction, merging cellulose and nanoparticles properties. Oxidized nanocellulose (ONC) was further functionalized by a radical-based mechanism with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and with a mixture of GMA and the crosslinking agent ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) affording ONC-GMA and ONC-GMA-EGDMA, both multifunctional-charged nanocellulose merging cellulose and bound acrylates properties. In this work, only ONC was found to be properly suitable for suspension and addition to a commercial mortar to assess the variation in mechanical properties and water-mortar interactions as a consequence of the modified microstructure obtained. The addition of oxidized nanocellulose caused an alteration of mortar porosity, with a decreased percentage of porosity and pore size distribution shifted towards smaller pores, with a consequent increase in compressive resistance, decrease in water absorption coefficient, and increased percentage of micropores present in the material, indicating a potential improvement in mortar durability