Neural Based Statement Classification for Biased Language

Biased language commonly occurs around topics which are of controversial nature, thus, stirring disagreement between the different involved parties of a discussion. This is due to the fact that for language and its use, specifically, the understanding and use of phrases, the stances are cohesive within the particular groups. However, such cohesiveness does not hold across groups. In collaborative environments or environments where impartial language is desired (e.g. Wikipedia, news media), statements and the language therein should represent equally the involved parties and be neutrally phrased. Biased language is introduced through the presence of inflammatory words or phrases, or statements that may be incorrect or one-sided, thus violating such consensus. In this work, we focus on the specific case of phrasing bias, which may be introduced through specific inflammatory words or phrases in a statement. For this purpose, we propose an approach that relies on a recurrent neural networks in order to capture the inter-dependencies between words in a phrase that introduced bias. We perform a thorough experimental evaluation, where we show the advantages of a neural based approach over competitors that rely on word lexicons and other hand-crafted features in detecting biased language. We are able to distinguish biased statements with a precision of P=0.92, thus significantly outperforming baseline models with an improvement of over 30%. Finally, we release the largest corpus of statements annotated for biased language.Comment: The Twelfth ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining, February 11--15, 2019, Melbourne, VIC, Australi

Methods for detecting and mitigating linguistic bias in text corpora

Im Zuge der fortschreitenden Ausbreitung des Webs in alle Aspekte des täglichen Lebens wird Bias in Form von Voreingenommenheit und versteckten Meinungen zu einem zunehmend herausfordernden Problem. Eine weitverbreitete Erscheinungsform ist Bias in Textdaten. Um dem entgegenzuwirken hat die Online-Enzyklopädie Wikipedia das Prinzip des neutralen Standpunkts (Englisch: Neutral Point of View, kurz: NPOV) eingeführt, welcher die Verwendung neutraler Sprache und die Vermeidung von einseitigen oder subjektiven Formulierungen vorschreibt. Während Studien gezeigt haben, dass die Qualität von Wikipedia-Artikel mit der Qualität von Artikeln in klassischen Enzyklopädien vergleichbar ist, zeigt die Forschung gleichzeitig auch, dass Wikipedia anfällig für verschiedene Typen von NPOV-Verletzungen ist. Bias zu identifizieren, kann eine herausfordernde Aufgabe sein, sogar für Menschen, und mit Millionen von Artikeln und einer zurückgehenden Anzahl von Mitwirkenden wird diese Aufgabe zunehmend schwieriger. Wenn Bias nicht eingedämmt wird, kann dies nicht nur zu Polarisierungen und Konflikten zwischen Meinungsgruppen führen, sondern Nutzer auch negativ in ihrer freien Meinungsbildung beeinflussen. Hinzu kommt, dass sich Bias in Texten und in Ground-Truth-Daten negativ auf Machine Learning Modelle, die auf diesen Daten trainiert werden, auswirken kann, was zu diskriminierendem Verhalten von Modellen führen kann. In dieser Arbeit beschäftigen wir uns mit Bias, indem wir uns auf drei zentrale Aspekte konzentrieren: Bias-Inhalte in Form von geschriebenen Aussagen, Bias von Crowdworkern während des Annotierens von Daten und Bias in Word Embeddings Repräsentationen. Wir stellen zwei Ansätze für die Identifizierung von Aussagen mit Bias in Textsammlungen wie Wikipedia vor. Unser auf Features basierender Ansatz verwendet Bag-of-Word Features inklusive einer Liste von Bias-Wörtern, die wir durch das Identifizieren von Clustern von Bias-Wörtern im Vektorraum von Word Embeddings zusammengestellt haben. Unser verbesserter, neuronaler Ansatz verwendet Gated Recurrent Neural Networks, um Kontext-Abhängigkeiten zu erfassen und die Performance des Modells weiter zu verbessern. Unsere Studie zum Thema Crowd Worker Bias deckt Bias-Verhalten von Crowdworkern mit extremen Meinungen zu einem bestimmten Thema auf und zeigt, dass dieses Verhalten die entstehenden Ground-Truth-Label beeinflusst, was wiederum Einfluss auf die Erstellung von Datensätzen für Aufgaben wie Bias Identifizierung oder Sentiment Analysis hat. Wir stellen Ansätze für die Abschwächung von Worker Bias vor, die Bewusstsein unter den Workern erzeugen und das Konzept der sozialen Projektion verwenden. Schließlich beschäftigen wir uns mit dem Problem von Bias in Word Embeddings, indem wir uns auf das Beispiel von variierenden Sentiment-Scores für Namen konzentrieren. Wir zeigen, dass Bias in den Trainingsdaten von den Embeddings erfasst und an nachgelagerte Modelle weitergegeben wird. In diesem Zusammenhang stellen wir einen Debiasing-Ansatz vor, der den Bias-Effekt reduziert und sich positiv auf die produzierten Label eines nachgeschalteten Sentiment Classifiers auswirkt

Antifungal defense of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is mediated by blocking adhesion and nutrient depletion

Data Availability: All relevant data are available from the Gene Expression Omnibus at the following accession number: GSE97755. Funding: This work was funded by the German Research Council (DFG) Graduation College 685, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A systems approach to the therapy of nosocomial infections caused by Candida albicans: a commensal organism switches to a deadly pathogen/ PTJ (FKZ: 0315409BBMBF), the Dr. Manfred Plempel-foundation, the Dr. Siegried Stettendorf-Foundation, the InfectERA Program (FunComPath; BMBF FKZ 031L0001A), the Integrated Research and Treatment Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC) project CanBac (BMBF, FKZ: 01EO1002), and the German Research Council (DFG) GZ:HE7565/1-1. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Comparative and functional genomics provide insights into the pathogenicity of dermatophytic fungi

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Millions of humans and animals suffer from superficial infections caused by a group of highly specialized filamentous fungi, the dermatophytes, which exclusively infect keratinized host structures. To provide broad insights into the molecular basis of the pathogenicity-associated traits, we report the first genome sequences of two closely phylogenetically related dermatophytes, Arthroderma benhamiae and Trichophyton verrucosum, both of which induce highly inflammatory infections in humans. RESULTS: 97% of the 22.5 megabase genome sequences of A. benhamiae and T. verrucosum are unambiguously alignable and collinear. To unravel dermatophyte-specific virulence-associated traits, we compared sets of potentially pathogenicity-associated proteins, such as secreted proteases and enzymes involved in secondary metabolite production, with those of closely related onygenales (Coccidioides species) and the mould Aspergillus fumigatus. The comparisons revealed expansion of several gene families in dermatophytes and disclosed the peculiarities of the dermatophyte secondary metabolite gene sets. Secretion of proteases and other hydrolytic enzymes by A. benhamiae was proven experimentally by a global secretome analysis during keratin degradation. Molecular insights into the interaction of A. benhamiae with human keratinocytes were obtained for the first time by global transcriptome profiling. Given that A. benhamiae is able to undergo mating, a detailed comparison of the genomes further unraveled the genetic basis of sexual reproduction in this species. CONCLUSIONS: Our results enlighten the genetic basis of fundamental and putatively virulence-related traits of dermatophytes, advancing future research on these medically important pathogens

Maintenance of bone mineral density after implantation of a femoral neck hip prosthesis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Stress shielding of the proximal femur has been observed in a number of conventional cementless implants used in total hip arthroplasty. Short femoral-neck implants are claiming less interference with the biomechanics of the proximal femur. The goal of this study was to investigate the changes of bone-mineral density in the proximal femur and the clinical outcome after implantation of a short femoral-neck prosthesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We prospectively assessed the clinical outcome and the changes of bone mineral density of the proximal femur up to one year after implantation of a short femoral neck prosthesis in 20 patients with a mean age of 47 years (range 17 to 65). Clinical outcome was assessed using the Harris Hip Score. The WOMAC was used as a patient-relevant outcome-measure. The bone mineral density was determined using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, performed 10 days, three months and 12 months after surgery.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Harris Hip Score improved from an average preoperative score of 46 to a postoperative score at 12 months of 89 points, the global WOMAC index from 5,3 preoperatively to 0,8 at 12 months postoperatively. In contrast to conventional implants, the DEXA-scans overall revealed a slight increase of bone mineral density in the proximal femur in the 12 months following the implantation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The short femoral neck stem lead to a distinct bone reaction. This was significantly different when compared to the changes in bone mineral density reported after implantation of conventional implants.</p

Persistence versus escape: Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus fumigatus employ different strategies during interactions with macrophages.

Invasive bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (IBPA) is a life-threatening disease in immunocompromised patients. Although Aspergillus terreus is frequently found in the environment, A. fumigatus is by far the main cause of IBPA. However, once A. terreus establishes infection in the host, disease is as fatal as A. fumigatus infections. Thus, we hypothesized that the initial steps of disease establishment might be fundamentally different between these two species. Since alveolar macrophages represent one of the first phagocytes facing inhaled conidia, we compared the interaction of A. terreus and A. fumigatus conidia with alveolar macrophages. A. terreus conidia were phagocytosed more rapidly than A. fumigatus conidia, possibly due to higher exposure of β-1,3-glucan and galactomannan on the surface. In agreement, blocking of dectin-1 and mannose receptors significantly reduced phagocytosis of A. terreus, but had only a moderate effect on phagocytosis of A. fumigatus. Once phagocytosed, and in contrast to A. fumigatus, A. terreus did not inhibit acidification of phagolysosomes, but remained viable without signs of germination both in vitro and in immunocompetent mice. The inability of A. terreus to germinate and pierce macrophages resulted in significantly lower cytotoxicity compared to A. fumigatus. Blocking phagolysosome acidification by the v-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin increased A. terreus germination rates and cytotoxicity. Recombinant expression of the A. nidulans wA naphthopyrone synthase, a homologue of A. fumigatus PksP, inhibited phagolysosome acidification and resulted in increased germination, macrophage damage and virulence in corticosteroid-treated mice. In summary, we show that A. terreus and A. fumigatus have evolved significantly different strategies to survive the attack of host immune cells. While A. fumigatus prevents phagocytosis and phagolysosome acidification and escapes from macrophages by germination, A. terreus is rapidly phagocytosed, but conidia show long-term persistence in macrophages even in immunocompetent hosts

Race, Gender and Beauty: The Effect of Information Provision on Online Hiring Biases

We conduct a study of hiring bias on a simulation platform where we ask Amazon MTurk participants to make hiring decisions for a mathematically intensive task. Our findings suggest hiring biases against Black workers and less attractive workers, and preferences towards Asian workers, female workers and more attractive workers. We also show that certain UI designs, including provision of candidates’ information at the individual level and reducing the number of choices, can significantly reduce discrimination. However, provision of candidate’s information at the subgroup level can increase discrimination. The results have practical implications for designing better online freelance marketplaces.National Science Foundation Grant IIS-2001851National Science Foundation Grant IIS-2000782National Science Foundation Grant IIS-1939606Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153289/1/Leung et al. 2020.pdfDescription of Leung et al. 2020.pdf : Mainfil

Interaction of the naphthopyrone producing strain <i>A. terreus wA</i> with macrophages.

<p>Unless stated otherwise, the alveolar macrophage cell line MH-S was used. (A) Phagocytosis of pre-swollen <i>A. terreus wA</i> compared to <i>A. terreus</i> wild type and <i>A. fumigatus</i> (mean+standard deviation of three independent experiments analyzed by 1-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test; * P<0.05; ** P<0.01). During the first hour phagocytosis of <i>A. terreus wA</i> is delayed, but reaches the level of the wild type after 2 h of co-incubation. (B, C) Relative cytotoxicity (LDH release) mediated by <i>A. terreus wA</i> compared to <i>A. terreus</i> wild type and <i>A. fumigatus</i> (mean+standard deviation of three independent experiments analyzed by 1-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test; * P<0.05). (B) MH-S cells. (C) Human monocyte-derived macrophages. (D) Acidification of phagolysosomes containing <i>A. terreus wA</i> conidia. Representative fluorescence microscopy pictures are shown. Blue: DAPI (nucleus); green: FITC labeled conidia; red: Lysotracker DND99. The white bars represent 10 µm. The staining revealed no phagolysosome specific signal in the red channel (conidia are not visible) 3 h and 8 h after infection. (E) Brightfield microscopy of <i>A. terreus</i> and <i>A. terreus wA</i> 12 h after infection. <i>A. terreus wA</i> escapes much faster from macrophages than the wild type and starts to form a mycelium layer. (F) Effect of bafilomycin compared to untreated macrophages on relative cytotoxicity (LDH release) mediated by <i>A. terreus wA</i> (mean+standard deviation from three independent experiments, unpaired, two-tailed t-test; ** P<0.01). (G) Brightfield microscopy of <i>A. terreus wA</i> 24 h after infection of untreated and bafilomycin-treated macrophages. With bafilomycin nearly all macrophages have been lysed by <i>A. terreus wA</i>.</p

Phagocytosis rates and surface exposure of galactomannan and β-1,3-glucan on resting and swollen <i>A. terreus</i> and <i>A. fumigatus</i> conidia.

<p><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0031223#s2" target="_blank">Results</a> are shown for <i>A. terreus</i> SBUG844 and <i>A. fumigatus</i> CBS144.89. (A, B) Phagocytosis of conidia by alveolar macrophages (MH-S cell line). Phagocytosis rates are shown as mean+SD from three independent experiments. Statistical analysis was performed using 1-way ANOVA. * P<0.05, ** P<0.01, *** P<0.001. (A) Phagocytosis of resting and pre-swollen conidia after 0.5, 3 and 8 h of co-incubation. (B) Phagocytosis of pre-swollen conidia over 12 h. (C) FACS analysis of galactomannan and (D) β-1,3-glucan exposure. Histograms (one representative result from three independent experiments is shown) and scatter plots of median fluorescence intensity are shown (mean ± SD, three independent experiments). Statistical analysis was performed using paired t-test. * P<0.05; ** P<0.01; *** P<0.001. Dashed and dotted lines in the histogram show the respective isotype controls while the full lines represent specific fluorescence for <i>A. fumigatus</i> (thin) and <i>A. terreus</i> (thick).</p