Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Read, Listen, and See: Leveraging Multimodal Information Helps Chinese Spell Checking

Chinese Spell Checking (CSC) aims to detect and correct erroneous characters for user-generated text in the Chinese language. Most of the Chinese spelling errors are misused semantically, phonetically or graphically similar characters. Previous attempts noticed this phenomenon and try to use the similarity for this task. However, these methods use either heuristics or handcrafted confusion sets to predict the correct character. In this paper, we propose a Chinese spell checker called ReaLiSe, by directly leveraging the multimodal information of the Chinese characters. The ReaLiSe model tackles the CSC task by (1) capturing the semantic, phonetic and graphic information of the input characters, and (2) selectively mixing the information in these modalities to predict the correct output. Experiments on the SIGHAN benchmarks show that the proposed model outperforms strong baselines by a large margin.
Simple Self-calibrating Polarimeter forMeasuring the Stokes Parameters of Light

A simple, self-calibrating, rotating-waveplate polarimeter is largely insensitive to light intensity fluctuations and is shown to be useful for determining the Stokes parameters of light. This study shows how to minimize the in situ self-calibration time, the measurement time and the measurement uncertainty. The suggested methods are applied to measurements of spatial variations in the linear and circular polarizations of laser light passing through glass plates with a laser intensity dependent birefringence. These are crucial measurements for the ACME electron electric dipole measurements, requiring accuracies in circular and linear polarization fraction of about 0.1% and 0.4%, with laser intensities up to 100 $\text{mW/mm}^2$ incident into the polarimeter.
Consistency of Privacy-Preserving Spectral Clustering under the Stochastic Block Model

The stochastic block model (SBM)—a network model featuring community structure—is often selected as the fundamental setting in which to analyze the theoretical properties of community detection methods. We consider the problem of privacy-preserving spectral clustering of SBMs under ε –edge diﬀerential privacy (DP) for networks, and oﬀer practical interpretations from both the central-DP and local-DP perspectives. Using a randomized response privacy mechanism called the edge-ﬂip mechanism, we take a ﬁrst step toward theoretical analysis of diﬀerentially private community detection by demonstrating conditions under which this strong privacy guarantee can be upheld while achieving spectral clustering convergence rates that match the known rates without privacy. We prove the strongest theoretical results are achievable for dense networks (those with node degree linear in the number of nodes), while weak consistency is achievable under mild sparsity (node degree greater than n − 1 / 2 ). We empirically demonstrate our results on a number of network examples.
Unsupervised Pronoun Resolution via Masked Noun-Phrase Prediction

In this work, we propose Masked Noun-Phrase Prediction (MNPP), a pre-training strategy to tackle pronoun resolution in a fully unsupervised setting. Firstly, We evaluate our pre-trained model on various pronoun resolution datasets without any finetuning. Our method outperforms all previous unsupervised methods on all datasets by large margins. Secondly, we proceed to a few-shot setting where we finetune our pre-trained model on WinoGrande-S and XS separately. Our method outperforms RoBERTa-large baseline with large margins, meanwhile, achieving a higher AUC score after further finetuning on the remaining three official splits of WinoGrande.
Optimal Transport Based Refinement of Physics-Informed Neural Networks

In this paper, we propose a refinement strategy to the well-known Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) based on the concept of Optimal Transport (OT). Conventional black-box PINNs solvers have been found to suffer from a host of issues: spectral bias in fully-connected architectures, unstable gradient pathologies, as well as difficulties with convergence and accuracy. Current network training strategies are agnostic to dimension sizes and rely on the availability of powerful computing resources to optimize through a large number of collocation points. This is particularly challenging when studying stochastic dynamical systems with the Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov Equation (FPKE), a second-order PDE which is typically solved in high-dimensional state space. While we focus exclusively on the stationary form of the FPKE, positivity and normalization constraints on its solution make it all the more unfavorable to solve directly using standard PINNs approaches. To mitigate the above challenges, we present a novel training strategy for solving the FPKE using OT-based sampling to supplement the existing PINNs framework. It is an iterative approach that induces a network trained on a small dataset to add samples to its training dataset from regions where it nominally makes the most error. The new samples are found by solving a linear programming problem at every iteration. The paper is complemented by an experimental evaluation of the proposed method showing its applicability on a variety of stochastic systems with nonlinear dynamics.
Density estimation on low-dimensional manifolds: an inflation-deflation approach

Normalizing Flows (NFs) are universal density estimators based on Neural Networks. However, this universality is limited: the density's support needs to be diffeomorphic to a Euclidean space. In this paper, we propose a novel method to overcome this limitation without sacrificing universality. The proposed method inflates the data manifold by adding noise in the normal space, trains an NF on this inflated manifold, and, finally, deflates the learned density. Our main result provides sufficient conditions on the manifold and the specific choice of noise under which the corresponding estimator is exact. Our method has the same computational complexity as NFs and does not require computing an inverse flow. We also show that, if the embedding dimension is much larger than the manifold dimension, noise in the normal space can be well approximated by Gaussian noise. This allows using our method for approximating arbitrary densities on unknown manifolds provided that the manifold dimension is known.
Impact of Pre-, Intra-and Post-Operative Parameters on In-Hospital Mortality in Patients Undergoing Emergency Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Scarce Single-Center Experience in Resource-Scare Setting

Background In-hospital mortality after emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains an important issue that has needed considerable attention in recent years as the mortality rate is still high and prevention factors are not yet optimal. Our study presents the first largest cohort of emergency CABG from one large institution in Vietnam with the primary aim of comparing a large variety of pre-, intra-and post-operative parameters between in-hospital mortality patients and in-hospital survival patients and investigate risk factors of in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing emergency CABG. Methods We conducted a retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data in patients undergoing emergency CABG at the Hanoi Heart Hospital (Hanoi, Vietnam) from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019. Primary outcome variable was in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 71 patients were included in final analysis. The mean age of the cohort was 68.68 years (± 9.28, range 38–86). The mean weight, height and body mass index were 54.35 kg (± 9.17, range 37–77), 158.96 (±7.64, range 145–179) and 21.48 kg/m2 (±3.08, range 13.59–30.08), respectively. In-hospital mortality rate was 9.86%. Preoperative risk factors for in-hospital mortality included diabetes, decreased ejection fraction (EF), EF below 30%, cardiogenic shock, elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), elevated NT-ProBNP, and Euroscore II. Without grafting with left internal thoracic artery, and prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time were increased intraoperative factors for in-hospital mortality risk. In-hospital mortality’s postoperative risk factors were found to be postextubation respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, ventricular fibrillation, dialysis-requiring acute renal failure, pneumonia, bacterial sepsis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and prolonged mechanical ventilation time. Significant predictors determining in-hospital mortality were known as prolonged CPB time in surgery and postoperative ventricular fibrillation. Conclusion Our hospital mortality rate after emergency CABG was relatively high. An optimal preventive strategy in emergency CABG management should target significant factors combined with other previously identified risk factors to reduce in-hospital mortality.
Colistin Treatment Affects Lipid Composition of Acinetobacter baumannii

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) causes severe and often fatal healthcare-associated infections due partly to antibiotic resistance. There are no studies on A. baumannii lipidomics of susceptible and resistant strains grown at lethal and sublethal concentrations. Therefore, we analyzed the impact of colistin resistance on glycerolipids’ content by using untargeted lipidomics on clinical isolate. Nine lipid sub-classes were annotated, including phosphatidylcholine, rarely detected in the bacterial membrane among 130 different lipid species. The other lipid sub-classes detected are phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), lysophosphatidylethanolamine, hemibismonoacylglycerophosphate, cardiolipin, monolysocardiolipin, diacylglycerol, and triacylglycerol. Under lethal and sublethal concentrations of colistin, significant reduction of PE was observed on the resistant and susceptible strain, respectively. Palmitic acid percentage was higher at colistin at low concentration but only for the susceptible strain. When looking at individual lipid species, the most abundant PE and PG species (PE 34:1 and PG 34:1) are significantly upregulated when the susceptible and the resistant strains are cultivated with colistin. This is, to date, the most exhaustive lipidomics data compilation of A. baumannii cultivated in the presence of colistin. This work is highlighting the plasma membrane plasticity used by this gram-negative bacterium to survive colistin treatment.
Immuno-Electron and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of the Glycocalyx

Simple Summary The glycocalyx (GCX) is a hydrated, gel-like layer of biological macromolecules attached to the cell membrane. The GCX acts as a barrier and regulates the entry of external substances into the cell. The function of the GCX is highly dependent on its structure and composition. Pathogenic factors can affect the protective structure of the GCX. We know very little about the three-dimensional organization of the GXC. The tiny and delicate structures of the GCX are difficult to study by microscopic techniques. In this study, we evaluated a method to preserve and label sensitive GCX components with antibodies for high-resolution microscopy analysis. High-resolution microscopy is a powerful tool because it allows visualization of ultra-small components and biological interactions. Our method can be used as a tool to better understand the role of the GCX during the development and progression of diseases, such as viral infections, tumor invasion, and the development of atherosclerosis. Abstract The glycocalyx (GCX), a pericellular carbohydrate rich hydrogel, forms a selective barrier that shields the cellular membrane, provides mechanical support, and regulates the transport and diffusion of molecules. The GCX is a fragile structure, making it difficult to study by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Sample preparation by conventional chemical fixation destroys the GCX, giving a false impression of its organization. An additional challenge is to process the GCX in a way that preserves its morphology and enhanced antigenicity to study its cell-specific composition. The aim of this study was to provide a protocol to preserve both antigen accessibility and the unique morphology of the GCX. We established a combined high pressure freezing (HPF), osmium-free freeze substitution (FS), rehydration, and pre-embedding immunogold labeling method for TEM. Our results showed specific immunogold labeling of GCX components expressed in human monocytic THP-1 cells, hyaluronic acid receptor (CD44) and chondroitin sulfate (CS), and maintained a well-preserved GCX morphology. We adapted the protocol for antigen localization by CLSM and confirmed the specific distribution pattern of GCX components. The presented combination of HPF, FS, rehydration, and immunolabeling for both TEM and CLSM offers the possibility for analyzing the morphology and composition of the unique GCX structure.
Optimal Correction of Adult Spinal Deformities Requires Restoration of Distal Lumbar Lordosis

Purpose The aim of this study is to analyze results according to postoperative pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (PI-LL) mismatch in the management of adult spine deformity (ASD) patients. Recently, it has been reported that in addition to lumbar lordosis amount, lordosis repartition between its proximal and distal parts was crucial. Methods We enrolled 77 consecutive ASD patients who underwent posterior spinal fusion and deformity correction between 2015 and 2018. On preoperative and 1-year follow-up radiographs, we analyzed different parameters such as L1-S1 lumbar lordosis, L1-L4 proximal lordosis (PLL), L4-S1 distal lordosis (DLL), pelvic tilt (PT), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), and PI-LL mismatch. Comparisons were performed according to postoperative PI-LL mismatch (defined as “aligned” when PI-LL was <10°). The relationship between lordosis distribution and postoperative alignment status was investigated. Results On the whole series, average lumbar lordosis, SVA, and PI-LL improved (28.2° vs.43.5°, 82 vs. 51 mm, and 26°vs. 14°, all p < 0.001, respectively). On the other hand, PT remained unchanged (30° vs. 28°, p > 0.05). 35 patients were classified as “aligned” and 42 as “not aligned. ” Patients from the “aligned” group had a significantly lower PI than patients from the “not aligned” group (52° vs. 61°, p=0.009). Postoperative PLL was not different between groups (18° vs. 16° p > 0.05), whereas DLL was significantly higher in the “aligned” group (31° vs. 22°, p=0.003). PI-LL was significantly correlated to DLL (rho = 0.407, p < 0.001) but not with PLL (rho = 0.110, p=0.342). Conclusions Our results revealed that in ASD patients, postoperative malalignment was associated with a lack of DLL restoration. “Not aligned” patients had also a significantly higher pelvic incidence. Specific attention must be paid to restore optimal distal lumbar lordosis in order to set the amount and the distribution of optimal postoperative lumbar lordosis.
Environmental Risk Assessment of Recombinant Viral Vector Vaccines against SARS-Cov-2

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Over the past months, considerable efforts have been put into developing effective and safe drugs and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Various platforms are being used for the development of COVID-19 vaccine candidates: recombinant viral vectors, protein-based vaccines, nucleic acid-based vaccines, and inactivated/attenuated virus. Recombinant viral vector vaccine candidates represent a significant part of those vaccine candidates in clinical development, with two already authorised for use in the European Union and one currently under rolling review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Since recombinant viral vector vaccine candidates are considered as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their regulatory oversight includes besides an assessment of their quality, safety and efficacy, also an environmental risk assessment (ERA). The present article highlights the main characteristics of recombinant viral vector vaccine (candidates) against SARS-CoV-2 in the pipeline and discusses their features from an environmental risk point of view.
Murine Leukemia-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Elicit Antitumor Immune Response

Background Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous lipid bilayer particles secreted by cells. EVs contain proteins, RNA, DNA and other cargo that can have immunomodulatory effects. Cancer-derived EVs have been described as having immunomodulating effects in vivo with immunosuppressive and pro-tumor growth capabilities. However, cancer-derived EVs have also been harnessed and utilized for anti-cancer potential. Methods To assess the immunomodulatory effect of EVs produced by acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, we isolated vesicles secreted by the murine AML cell line, C1498, and investigated their effect on in vitro and in vivo immune responses. Results These leukemia-derived EVs were found to induce increased proliferation of CD3+ cells and enhanced cytolytic activity of CD3+ cells directed toward leukemic cells in vitro. Injection of leukemia-derived EVs into syngeneic naïve mice induced T cell responses in vivo and resulted in enhanced immune responses upon T cell re-stimulation in vitro. Conclusion These findings indicate that C1498-derived EVs have immunomodulatory effects on cell-mediated immune responses that could potentially be utilized to facilitate anti-leukemia immune responses.
Mitochondrial Alterations in Fibroblasts of Early Stage Bipolar Disorder Patients

This study aims to evaluate whether mitochondrial changes occur in the early stages of bipolar disorder (BD). Using fibroblasts derived from BD patients and matched controls, the levels of proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics (fission and fusion) were evaluated by Western Blot analysis. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was studied using the fluorescent probe TMRE. Mitochondrial morphology was analyzed with the probe Mitotracker Green and mitophagy was evaluated by quantifying the co-localization of HSP60 (mitochondria marker) and LC3B (autophagosome marker) by immunofluorescence. Furthermore, the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and the glycolytic capacity of controls and BD patients-derived cells were also studied using the Seahorse technology. BD patient-derived fibroblasts exhibit fragmented mitochondria concomitantly with changes in mitochondrial dynamics and biogenesis in comparison with controls. Moreover, a decrease in the MMP and increased mitophagy was observed in fibroblasts obtained from BD patients when compared with control cells. Impaired energetic metabolism due to inhibition of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) and subsequent ATP depletion, associated with glycolysis stimulation, was also a feature of BD fibroblasts. Overall, these results support the fact that mitochondrial disturbance is an early event implicated in BD pathophysiology that might trigger neuronal changes and modification of brain circuitry.
Detection and Comparison of Bioactive Compounds in Different Extracts of Two Hazelnut Skin Varieties, Tonda Gentile Romana and Tonda Di Giffoni, Using a Metabolomics Approach

Agro-wastes are one of the major sources for nutritional and therapeutic benefits along with other beneficial properties. Dark brown pellicular pericarp (skin or testa), covering the hazelnut seed, is removed before consumption after the roasting of a kernel. Defatted skins of both hazelnut varieties, Tonda Gentile Romana and Tonda di Giffoni, were profiled by a metabolomics-based approach and this was used to discriminate between these two different hazelnut cultivars. In particular, an untargeted metabolomic extract from hazelnut by-products was investigated by UHPLC-Mass spectrometry followed by multivariate statistics analysis, and significant qualitative and quantitative metabolic differences were observed between them. Samples were also assessed for their total phenolic and antioxidant capacity using two different assays. Although no significant differences were found in total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity, the Flavone, Flavonol, Flavonoid, and Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis pathway was significantly higher in the Romana rather than in the Giffoni variety, whereas Myricetin and Syringetin compounds were more representative in Giffoni cultivars. These results indicated that hazelnut skin, especially from the Romana variety, could potentially be used as an ingredient in healthy food. Healthy food is a new food category with an expanding demand from future generations.
Enhancement of Fear Extinction Memory and Resistance to Age-Related Cognitive Decline in Butyrylcholinesterase Knockout Mice and (R)-Bambuterol Treated Mice

Simple Summary Fear extinction is the driving mechanism to reduce the fear response, and it is the basis of exposure-based cognitive-behavioral therapy. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) seems to be involved in regulating cognitive function, and its relationship with fear extinction memory has not been reported. BChE knockout mice and wild-type mice with administration of (R)-bambuterol, a BChE inhibitor, were used in this study. In addition to immunohistochemistry and metabolite analysis using mass spectrometry imaging, the influence of age on the conditioned fear test, Morris water maze experiment, and open field test were carefully evaluated. Our results showed that BChE inhibition accelerates the fear extinction memory in mice and delays the cognitive decline in the early stages of aging. Abstract Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is detected in plaques preferentially in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may be associated with stress disorders. However, the physiological function of BChE in the central nervous system remains to be further investigated. BChE knockout (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) mice with orally or intranasal administration of (R)-bambuterol were used to explore the effect of BChE on behavior changes. (R)-bambuterol is a specific and reversible inhibitor of BChE. The behavior changes were evaluated and compared among 3–10 month old mice. Our finding showed that BChE KO and (R)-bambuterol administration enhanced episodic memory, including fear conditioning memory and fear extinction memory in fear conditioning and fear extinction test. BChE KO and (R)-bambuterol administered mice rescued age-related spatial memory and general activity in the water maze test and open field test. The brain metabolomics were imaged using a desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI). The image of DESI-MS demonstrated that glutamine content increased in the brain of BChE KO mice. In conclusion, this study found that inhibition of BChE ameliorated episodic and spatial memories. This study also suggested that (R)-bambuterol as a BChE inhibitor has the potential application in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and early cognitive decline.