Improving cross language information retrieval using corpus based query suggestion approach

Users seeking information may not find relevant information pertaining to their information need in a specific language. But information may be available in a language different from their own, but users may not know that language. Thus users may experience difficulty in accessing the information present in different languages. Since the retrieval process depends on the translation of the user query, there are many issues in getting the right translation of the user query. For a pair of languages chosen by a user, resources, like incomplete dictionary, inaccurate machine translation system may exist. These resources may be insufficient to map the query terms in one language to its equivalent terms in another language. Also for a given query, there might exist multiple correct translations. The underlying corpus evidence may suggest a clue to select a probable set of translations that could eventually perform a better information retrieval. In this paper, we present a cross language information retrieval approach to effectively retrieve information present in a language other than the language of the user query using the corpus driven query suggestion approach. The idea is to utilize the corpus based evidence of one language to improve the retrieval and re-ranking of news documents in the other language. We use FIRE corpora - Tamil and English news collections in our experiments and illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed cross language information retrieval approach.

Combined analysis of grey matter voxel-based morphometry and white matter tract-based spatial statistics in late-life bipolar disorder.

Background: Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in young patients with bipolar disorder indicated the presence of grey matter concentration changes as well as microstructural alterations in white matter in various neocortical areas and the corpus callosum. Whether these structural changes are also present in elderly patients with bipolar disorder with long-lasting clinical evolution remains unclear. Methods: We performed a prospective MRI study of consecutive elderly, euthymic patients with bipolar disorder and healthy, elderly controls. We conducted a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis and a tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis to assess fractional anisotropy and longitudinal, radial and mean diffusivity derived by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Results: We included 19 patients with bipolar disorder and 47 controls in our study. Fractional anisotropy was the most sensitive DTI marker and decreased significantly in the ventral part of the corpus callosum in patients with bipolar disorder. Longitudinal, radial and mean diffusivity showed no significant between-group differences. Grey matter concentration was reduced in patients with bipolar disorder in the right anterior insula, head of the caudate nucleus, nucleus accumbens, ventral putamen and frontal orbital cortex. Conversely, there was no grey matter concentration or fractional anisotropy increase in any brain region in patients with bipolar disorder compared with controls. Limitations: The major limitation of our study is the small number of patients with bipolar disorder. Conclusion: Our data document the concomitant presence of grey matter concentration decreases in the anterior limbic areas and the reduced fibre tract coherence in the corpus callosum of elderly patients with long-lasting bipolar disorder.

Consulta on-line basada en corpus de construcciones con preposición en el texto técnico en inglés y su traducción al español

Basándonos en la recopilación inicial de preposiciones, locuciones preposicionales, términos con preposición dependiente y phrasal verbs utilizados en el texto técnico realizada en otros proyectos anteriores del Departamento de Lingüística Aplicada a la Ciencia y a la Tecnología, el objetivo de este trabajo es completar, organizar, actualizar y dar visibilidad a esta información inicial. Tras realizar un proceso exhaustivo de verificación, unificación, clasificación y ampliación de la información existente, en caso necesario, el listado resultante se utiliza para elaborar un glosario de términos con preposición. El objetivo final de este proyecto es que este glosario esté a disposición de los usuarios, a través de una consulta on-line, en la página del ILLLab (http://illlab.euitt.upm.es/wordpress/), dependiente del Departamento de Lingüística Aplicada a la Ciencia y a la Tecnología. Para incluir en el glosario ejemplos actualizados de textos técnicos, se ha recopilado un corpus lingüístico de textos técnicos, tomando como base diferentes números de la revista IEEE Spectrum, en su edición digital, publicados entre los años 2009 y 2012. El objetivo de esta recopilación es la de ofrecer al consultante diferentes ejemplos de uso en el texto técnico de los distintos términos con preposición que componen el glosario, de manera que pueda acceder de manera rápida y sencilla a ejemplos de uso real de los términos que está buscando, con objeto de clarificar aspectos relacionados con su uso o, en su caso, facilitar su aprendizaje. Toda esta información, tanto el listado de términos con preposición como las frases pertenecientes al corpus recopilado, se incorpora a una base de datos, alojada dentro de la misma página web del ILLLab. A través de un formulario de consulta, a disposición del usuario en dicha página, se pueden obtener todos los términos recopilados que coincidan con los criterios de búsqueda introducidos. El usuario puede realizar dos tipos de búsqueda principales: por preposición o por término completo. Además, puede elegir una búsqueda global (entre todos los términos que integran el glosario) o parcial (en una sola de las categorías en las que se han dividido los diferentes términos, de acuerdo con su función gramatical). Por último, se presentan unas estadísticas de uso de los términos recopilados dentro de los diferentes textos que integran el corpus lingüístico, de manera que pueda establecerse una relación de los que aparecen con más frecuencia en el texto técnico. ABSTRACT. Based on the initial collection of prepositions, prepositional phrases, dependent prepositions and phrasal verbs used in technical texts collected on previous projects in the Department of Applied Linguistics to Science and Technology, the aim of this project is to improve, organize, update and provide visibility to this initial information. Following a process of verification, unification, classification and extension of existing information, if necessary, a glossary of terms with preposition is built. The ultimate objective of this project is to make this glossary available to users through an online consultation in the ILLLab webpage (http://illlab.euitt.upm.es/wordpress/). The administration of tis webpage depends of the Department of Applied Linguistics in Science and Technology. A linguistic corpus of technical texts has been compiled, based on different numbers of the IEEE Spectrum magazine, in its online edition, published between the years 2009 and 2012. The aim of this collection is to provide different examples of use in the technical text for the terms included in the glossary, so that examples of the actual use of the terms consulted can be easily and quickly accessed, in order to clarify doubts regarding their meaning or translation into Spanish and facilitate learning. All this information, both the list of terms with prepositional phrases as well as the corpus developed, is incorporated in a database. Through a searching form, the ILLLab's user may obtain all the terms matching the search criteria entered. The user can perform two types of main search: by preposition or by full term. Additionally, a global search can be selected (including all terms included in the glossary) or a partial one (including only one of the glossary's categories). Finally, some statistics of use are presented according to the various texts included in the corpus, so a relation of the most frequent prepositions in the technical text can be established.

Multimodal Mri-based Study In Patients With Spg4 Mutations.

Mutations in the SPG4 gene (SPG4-HSP) are the most frequent cause of hereditary spastic paraplegia, but the extent of the neurodegeneration related to the disease is not yet known. Therefore, our objective is to identify regions of the central nervous system damaged in patients with SPG4-HSP using a multi-modal neuroimaging approach. In addition, we aimed to identify possible clinical correlates of such damage. Eleven patients (mean age 46.0 ± 15.0 years, 8 men) with molecular confirmation of hereditary spastic paraplegia, and 23 matched healthy controls (mean age 51.4 ± 14.1years, 17 men) underwent MRI scans in a 3T scanner. We used 3D T1 images to perform volumetric measurements of the brain and spinal cord. We then performed tract-based spatial statistics and tractography analyses of diffusion tensor images to assess microstructural integrity of white matter tracts. Disease severity was quantified with the Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale. Correlations were then carried out between MRI metrics and clinical data. Volumetric analyses did not identify macroscopic abnormalities in the brain of hereditary spastic paraplegia patients. In contrast, we found extensive fractional anisotropy reduction in the corticospinal tracts, cingulate gyri and splenium of the corpus callosum. Spinal cord morphometry identified atrophy without flattening in the group of patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia. Fractional anisotropy of the corpus callosum and pyramidal tracts did correlate with disease severity. Hereditary spastic paraplegia is characterized by relative sparing of the cortical mantle and remarkable damage to the distal portions of the corticospinal tracts, extending into the spinal cord.

Pharmacological Characterization Of The Relaxation Induced By The Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Activator, Bay 60-2770 In Rabbit Corpus Cavernosum.

To characterize the relaxation induced by the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activator, BAY 60-2770 in rabbit corpus cavernosum. Penis from male New Zealand rabbits were removed and fours strips of corpus cavernosum (CC) were obtained. Concentration-response curves to BAY 60-2770 were carried out in the absence and presence of inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase, L-NAME (100 μM), sGC, ODQ (10 μM) and phosphodiestarase type 5, tadalafil (0.1 μM). The potency (pEC50) and maximal response (Emax) values were determined. Second, electrical-field stimulation (EFS)-induced contraction or relaxation was realized in the absence and presence of BAY 60-2770 (0.1 or 1 μM) alone or in combination of ODQ (10 μM). In the case of EFS-induced relaxation two protocols were realized: 1) ODQ (10 μM) was first incubated for 20 min and then BAY 60-2770 (1 μM) was added for another 20 min (ODQ + BAY 60-2770). In different CC strips, BAY 60-2770 was incubated for 20 min followed by another 20 min with ODQ (BAY 60-2770 + ODQ). The intracellular levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were also determined. BAY 60-2770 potently relaxed rabbit CC with pEC50 and Emax values of 7.58 ± 0.19 and 81 ± 4%, respectively. The inhibitors ODQ (n=7) or tadalafil (n=7) produced 4.2- and 6.3-leftward shifts, respectively in BAY 60-2770-induced relaxation without interfering on the Emax values. The intracellular levels of cGMP were augmented after stimulation with BAY 60-2770 (1 μM) alone, whereas its co-incubation with ODQ produced even higher levels of cGMP. The EFS-induced contraction was reduced in the presence of BAY 60-2770 (1 μM) and this inhibition was even greater when BAY 60-2770 was co-incubated with ODQ. The nitrergic stimulation induced CC relaxation, which was abolished in the presence of ODQ. BAY 60-2770 alone increased the amplitude of relaxation. Co-incubation of ODQ and BAY 60-2770 did not alter the relaxation in comparison with ODQ alone. Interestingly, when BAY 60-2770 was incubated prior to ODQ, EFS-induced relaxation was partly restored in comparison with ODQ alone or ODQ + BAY 60-2770. Considering that the relaxation induced by the sGC activator, BAY 60-2770 was increased after sGC oxidation and unaltered in the absence of nitric oxide, these class of substances are advantageous over sGC stimulators or PDE5 inhibitors for the treatment in those patients with erectile dysfunction and high endothelial damage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Morphological features and vascularization study of caprine cyclic corpus luteum

Corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine gland that regulates either the estrous cycle and pregnancy. It presents extreme dependency on the adequate blood supply. This work aims to evaluate goat corpus luteum (CL) vascular density (VD) over the estrous cycle. For that purpose, 20 females were submitted to estrus synchronization/ovulation treatment using a medroxyprogesterone intra-vaginal sponge as well as intramuscular (IM) application of cloprostenol and equine chorionic gonadotrophine (eCG). After sponge removal, estrus was identified at about 72hs. Once treatment was over, female goats were then subdivided into 4 groups (n=5 each) and slaughtered on days 2, 12, 16 and 22 after ovulation (p.o). Ovaries were collected, withdrawn and weighted. CL and ovaries had size and area recorded. Blood samples were collected and the plasma progesterone (P4) was measured through RIA commercial kits. The VD was 24.42±6.66, 36.26±5.61, 8.59±2.2 and 3.97±1.12 vessels/mm² for days 2, 12, 16 and 22 p.o, respectively. Progesterone plasma concentrations were 0.49±0.08, 2.63±0.66, 0.61±0.14 and 0.22±0.04ng/ml for days 2, 12, 16 e 22 p.o, respectively. Studied parameters were affected by the estrous cycle phase. Values greater than 12 p.o were observed. In the present work we observed that ovulation occurred predominantly in the right ovary (70% of the animals), which in turn presented bigger measures than the contra lateral one. There is a meaningful relationship between the weight and size of the ovary and these of CL (r=0.87, r=0.70, respectively, p<0.05). It is possible to conclude that morphology of goat's ovaries and plasma progesterone concentration changed according to estrous cycle stages. We propose these parameters can be used as indicators of CL functional activity.

An empirical evaluation of imputation accuracy for association statistics reveals increased type-I error rates in genome-wide associations

Background: Genome wide association studies (GWAS) are becoming the approach of choice to identify genetic determinants of complex phenotypes and common diseases. The astonishing amount of generated data and the use of distinct genotyping platforms with variable genomic coverage are still analytical challenges. Imputation algorithms combine directly genotyped markers information with haplotypic structure for the population of interest for the inference of a badly genotyped or missing marker and are considered a near zero cost approach to allow the comparison and combination of data generated in different studies. Several reports stated that imputed markers have an overall acceptable accuracy but no published report has performed a pair wise comparison of imputed and empiric association statistics of a complete set of GWAS markers. Results: In this report we identified a total of 73 imputed markers that yielded a nominally statistically significant association at P < 10(-5) for type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and compared them with results obtained based on empirical allelic frequencies. Interestingly, despite their overall high correlation, association statistics based on imputed frequencies were discordant in 35 of the 73 (47%) associated markers, considerably inflating the type I error rate of imputed markers. We comprehensively tested several quality thresholds, the haplotypic structure underlying imputed markers and the use of flanking markers as predictors of inaccurate association statistics derived from imputed markers. Conclusions: Our results suggest that association statistics from imputed markers showing specific MAF (Minor Allele Frequencies) range, located in weak linkage disequilibrium blocks or strongly deviating from local patterns of association are prone to have inflated false positive association signals. The present study highlights the potential of imputation procedures and proposes simple procedures for selecting the best imputed markers for follow-up genotyping studies.

Statistics of opinion domains of the majority-vote model on a square lattice

The existence of juxtaposed regions of distinct cultures in spite of the fact that people's beliefs have a tendency to become more similar to each other's as the individuals interact repeatedly is a puzzling phenomenon in the social sciences. Here we study an extreme version of the frequency-dependent bias model of social influence in which an individual adopts the opinion shared by the majority of the members of its extended neighborhood, which includes the individual itself. This is a variant of the majority-vote model in which the individual retains its opinion in case there is a tie among the neighbors' opinions. We assume that the individuals are fixed in the sites of a square lattice of linear size L and that they interact with their nearest neighbors only. Within a mean-field framework, we derive the equations of motion for the density of individuals adopting a particular opinion in the single-site and pair approximations. Although the single-site approximation predicts a single opinion domain that takes over the entire lattice, the pair approximation yields a qualitatively correct picture with the coexistence of different opinion domains and a strong dependence on the initial conditions. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations indicate the existence of a rich distribution of opinion domains or clusters, the number of which grows with L(2) whereas the size of the largest cluster grows with ln L(2). The analysis of the sizes of the opinion domains shows that they obey a power-law distribution for not too large sizes but that they are exponentially distributed in the limit of very large clusters. In addition, similarly to other well-known social influence model-Axelrod's model-we found that these opinion domains are unstable to the effect of a thermal-like noise.

Protein fold recognition without Boltzmann statistics or explicit physical basis

We present a fast method for finding optimal parameters for a low-resolution (threading) force field intended to distinguish correct from incorrect folds for a given protein sequence. In contrast to other methods, the parameterization uses information from >10(7) misfolded structures as well as a set of native sequence-structure pairs. In addition to testing the resulting force field's performance on the protein sequence threading problem, results are shown that characterize the number of parameters necessary for effective structure recognition.

Critical values for unit root and cointegration test statistics - the use of response surface equations

This note considers the value of surface response equations which can be used to calculate critical values for a range of unit root and cointegration tests popular in applied economic research.

Accelerating seismic energy release and evolution of event time and size statistics: Results from two heterogeneous cellular automaton models

The evolution of event time and size statistics in two heterogeneous cellular automaton models of earthquake behavior are studied and compared to the evolution of these quantities during observed periods of accelerating seismic energy release Drier to large earthquakes. The two automata have different nearest neighbor laws, one of which produces self-organized critical (SOC) behavior (PSD model) and the other which produces quasi-periodic large events (crack model). In the PSD model periods of accelerating energy release before large events are rare. In the crack model, many large events are preceded by periods of accelerating energy release. When compared to randomized event catalogs, accelerating energy release before large events occurs more often than random in the crack model but less often than random in the PSD model; it is easier to tell the crack and PSD model results apart from each other than to tell either model apart from a random catalog. The evolution of event sizes during the accelerating energy release sequences in all models is compared to that of observed sequences. The accelerating energy release sequences in the crack model consist of an increase in the rate of events of all sizes, consistent with observations from a small number of natural cases, however inconsistent with a larger number of cases in which there is an increase in the rate of only moderate-sized events. On average, no increase in the rate of events of any size is seen before large events in the PSD model.

Volume reduction of the corpus callosum and its relationship with deficits in interhemispheric transfer of information in recent-onset psychosis

The present study aimed to investigate the presence of corpus callosum (CC) volume deficits in a population-based recent-onset psychosis (ROP) sample, and whether CC volume relates to interhemispheric communication deficits. For this purpose, we used voxel-based morphometry comparisons of magnetic resonance imaging data between ROP (n = 122) and healthy control (n = 94) subjects. Subgroups (38 ROP and 39 controls) were investigated for correlations between CC volumes and performance on the Crossed Finger Localization Test (CFLT). Significant CC volume reductions in ROP subjects versus controls emerged after excluding substance misuse and non-right-handedness. CC reductions retained significance in the schizophrenia subgroup but not in affective psychoses subjects. There were significant positive correlations between CC volumes and CFLT scores in ROP subjects, specifically in subtasks involving interhemispheric communication. From these results, we can conclude that CC volume reductions are present in association with ROP. The relationship between such deficits and CFLT performance suggests that interhemispheric communication impairments are directly linked to CC abnormalities in ROP. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Severe hemorrhagic corpus luteum complicating anticoagulation in antiphospholipid syndrome

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a disorder of coagulation that causes thrombosis as well as pregnancy-related complications, occurring due to the autoimmune production of antibodies against phospholipid. Full anticoagulation is the cornerstone therapy in patients with thrombosis history, and this can lead to major bleeding. During a 3-year period, 300 primary and secondary APS patients were followed up at the Rheumatology Division of the authors` University Hospital. Of them, 255 (85%) were women and 180 (60%) were of reproductive age. Three of them (1%) had severe hemorrhagic corpus luteum while receiving long-term anticoagulation treatment and are described in this report. All of them were taking warfarin, had elevated international normalized ratio (> 4.0) and required prompt blood transfusion and emergency surgery. Therefore, we strongly recommend that all women with APS under anticoagulation should have ovulation suppressed with either intramuscular depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate or oral desogestrel. Lupus (2011) 20, 523-526.