Development of the multilingual semantic annotation system

This paper reports on our research to generate multilingual semantic lexical resources and develop multilingual semantic annotation software, which assigns each word in running text to a semantic category based on a lexical semantic classification scheme. Such tools have an important role in developing intelligent multilingual NLP, text mining and ICT systems. In this work, we aim to extend an existing English semantic annotation tool to cover a range of languages, namely Italian, Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese, by bootstrapping new semantic lexical resources via automatically translating existing English semantic lexicons into these languages. We used a set of bilingual dictionaries and word lists for this purpose. In our experiment, with minor manual improvement of the automatically generated semantic lexicons, the prototype tools based on the new lexicons achieved an average lexical coverage of 79.86% and an average annotation precision of 71.42% (if only precise annotations are considered) or 84.64% (if partially correct annotations are included) on the three languages. Our experiment demonstrates that it is feasible to rapidly develop prototype semantic annotation tools for new languages by automatically bootstrapping new semantic lexicons based on existing ones

Reptilia, Squamata, Serpentes, Typhlopidae, <i>Typhlops amoipira</i> Rodrigues and Juncá, 2002: Range extension and new state record

This article provides a new record for Typhlops amoipira from municipality of Bonito de Minas, state of MinasGerais. The record extends its distribution about 500 km southern from the type locality at Ibiraba, state of Bahia. Thecollection site is also located on the left bank of the São Francisco River, and is dominated by cerrado sensu stricto with sandysoils, Veredas and riparian forests, in a transitional region between Cerrado and Caatinga biomes. This record confirms thatthe occurrence of T. amoipira goes beyond the borders of the Caatinga biome

2015 ACVIM Small Animal Consensus Statement on Seizure Management in Dogs

This report represents a scientific and working clinical consensus statement on seizure management in dogs based on current literature and clinical expertise. The goal was to establish guidelines for a predetermined, concise, and logical sequential approach to chronic seizure management starting with seizure identification and diagnosis (not included in this report), reviewing decision‐making, treatment strategies, focusing on issues related to chronic antiepileptic drug treatment response and monitoring, and guidelines to enhance patient response and quality of life. Ultimately, we hope to provide a foundation for ongoing and future clinical epilepsy research in veterinary medicine

Lexical coverage evaluation of large-scale multilingual semantic lexicons for twelve languages

The last two decades have seen the development of various semantic lexical resources such as WordNet (Miller, 1995) and the USAS semantic lexicon (Rayson et al., 2004), which have played an important role in the areas of natural language processing and corpus-based studies. Recently, increasing efforts have been devoted to extending the semantic frameworks of existing lexical knowledge resources to cover more languages, such as EuroWordNet and Global WordNet. In this paper, we report on the construction of large-scale multilingual semantic lexicons for twelve languages, which employ the unified Lancaster semantic taxonomy and provide a multilingual lexical knowledge base for the automatic UCREL semantic annotation system (USAS). Our work contributes towards the goal of constructing larger-scale and higher-quality multilingual semantic lexical resources and developing corpus annotation tools based on them. Lexical coverage is an important factor concerning the quality of the lexicons and the performance of the corpus annotation tools, and in this experiment we focus on evaluating the lexical coverage achieved by the multilingual lexicons and semantic annotation tools based on them. Our evaluation shows that some semantic lexicons such as those for Finnish and Italian have achieved lexical coverage of over 90% while others need further expansion

Ecology and evolution of seed dormancy in campos rupestres

Ciclos reprodutivos de plantas adultas terminam com a dispersão de sementes, enquanto o estabelecimento de seus descendentes se inicia com a germinação de sementes. A dormência regula o tempo de germinação de sementes, permitindo que cada um desses eventos da vida da planta aconteça sob condições favoráveis. Usamos um conjunto de dados na escala de comunidade para testar hipóteses de ecologia e evolução na ocorrência de dormência em sementes. Relatamos a ocorrência de dormência primária em plantas de campos rupestres, pertencentes às savanas brasileiras (cerrado). Reunimos dados originais (1) experimentais de germinação e viabilidade de 26 espécies e (2) de pesquisa bibliográfica sobre a ocorrência de dormência e viabilidade em sementes de campos rupestres. A frequência de sementes de campos rupestres dormentes foi determinada e contrastada com frequências relatadas para savanas e para todo o mundo. Examinamos os processos ecológicos e filogenéticos que conduzem a evolução da dormência das sementes. Nosso levantamento resultou em 231 populações pertencentes a 27 famílias de plantas. Frequências de ausência de dormência foram acentuadamente diferentes entre campos rupestres e savanas, e reportamos que o campo rupestre é a vegetação com a maior proporção de sementes não-dormentes no mundo. A análise filogenética sugeriu uma evolução convergente na ocorrência de dormência, evidenciada pela distribuição aleatória dessa característica em todos os principais clados. No entanto, nenhuma das correlações ecológicas investigadas aqui - período de dispersão de sementes, microhabitat, forma de vida ou modo de dispersão – influenciou na ocorrência de dormência. Um maior número de populações de campos rupestres dispersa sementes durante período favorável, indicando que o controle sobre o período de dispersão, e não a dormência das sementes, garante que a germinação ocorra em condições favoráveis. Relatamos também uma grande variação na viabilidade das sementes entre taxa, o que aponta para uma capacidade desigual de reprodução sexual. Peculiaridades de campos rupestres referentes aos padrões de ecologia de semente podem estar relacionadas com estabilidade geologica e infertilidade de solo desses ambientes.Reproductive cycles of adult plants end with seed dispersal, whereas the establishment of their offspring begins with seed germination. Seed dormancy enables each of these life events to happen under favorable conditions by regulating the timing of germination. Here we used a community-level dataset to test hypotheses on the ecology and evolution of seed dormancy. We report the occurrence of primary dormancy in plants growing in campos rupestres, Neotropical grasslands of the Brazilian savanna (i.e. cerrado). We (1) provide original data from germination and viability experiments of 26 species and (2) surveyed the literature for information on dormancy occurrence and viability of campos rupestres seeds. Seed dormancy occurrence in campos rupestres was determined and contrasted with reported frequencies from savannas and worldwide. Ecological and phylogenetic processes driving the evolution of seed dormancy were examined. We gathered data from 231 populations of 27 plant families. Frequencies of nondormancy markedly differed among campos rupestres and savannas, with campos rupestres showing the highest proportion of nondormancy across all vegetations in the world. Phylogenetic analysis suggested a convergent evolution in dormancy occurrence, as evidenced by its random distribution across all major clades. However, none of the ecological correlates investigated here – season of seed dispersal, microhabitat, life form or dispersion mode – seems to influence seed dormancy occurrence. A greater number of campos rupestres populations dispersed seeds during favorable period, indicating that control over timing of seed dispersal rather than seed dormancy assures germination to occur under favorable conditions. We also report a wide variation on seed viability between taxa, pointing to uneven ability for sexual reproduction. Campos rupestres peculiarities regarding patterns of seed ecology could be related to geological stability and infertile soils of these environments.CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoFAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisCAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superio

International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force consensus proposal: Medical treatment of canine epilepsy in Europe

In Europe, the number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) licensed for dogs has grown considerably over the last years. Nevertheless, the same questions remain, which include, 1) when to start treatment, 2) which drug is best used initially, 3) which adjunctive AED can be advised if treatment with the initial drug is unsatisfactory, and 4) when treatment changes should be considered. In this consensus proposal, an overview is given on the aim of AED treatment, when to start long-term treatment in canine epilepsy and which veterinary AEDs are currently in use for dogs. The consensus proposal for drug treatment protocols, 1) is based on current published evidence-based literature, 2) considers the current legal framework of the cascade regulation for the prescription of veterinary drugs in Europe, and 3) reflects the authors’ experience. With this paper it is aimed to provide a consensus for the management of canine idiopathic epilepsy. Furthermore, for the management of structural epilepsy AEDs are inevitable in addition to treating the underlying cause, if possible

O rap e o funk na socialização da juventude

The text proposes to discuss the importance of youngster music bands in the socialization processes experienced by poor youngsters from the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, problematizing the weight and meaning of belonging to a music band in the life of each one of them. The article focuses on the members of three rap bands and three funk duos, attempting to analyze their cultural experiences and the meaning that those practices acquire within the social processes that constitute them as subjects. That entails understanding how they elaborate on their experiences related with their music style and the meanings their attribute to it in their social context of poor youngsters. The discussion points out that young rappers and funkers find few spaces in the institutions of the adult world where they can build up references and values through which they could constitute themselves as subjects. The rap and funk styles take on a central place in the lives of these youngsters by means of the forms of sociability that those styles build, the music they create, and the cultural events they promote. Those styles have made possible to those youngsters practices, relations, and symbols through which they create their own spaces, representing a reference in the elaboration and experience of their situation as youngsters, apart from allowing the construction of positive identities and self-esteem.O texto se propõe a discutir a importância dos grupos musicais juvenis nos processos de socialização vivenciados por jovens pobres na periferia de Belo Horizonte, problematizando o peso e o significado de ser membro de um grupo musical no conjunto da vida de cada um. Tem como foco os integrantes de três grupos de rap e três duplas de funk, procurando analisar as suas experiências culturais e o sentido que tais práticas adquirem no conjunto dos processos sociais que os constituem como sujeitos. Significa compreender como eles elaboram as suas vivências em torno do estilo, e os significados que atribuem a elas, no contexto social onde se inserem como jovens pobres. A discussão aponta que os jovens rappers e funkeiros encontram poucos espaços nas instituições do mundo adulto para construir referências e valores por meio dos quais possam se construir como sujeitos. Os estilos rap e funk assumem uma centralidade na vida desses jovens por intermédio das formas de sociabilidade que constroem, da música que criam, e dos eventos culturais que promovem. Esses estilos possibilitaram e vem possibilitando a esses jovens práticas, relações e símbolos por meio dos quais criam espaços próprios, significando uma referência na elaboração e vivência da sua condição juvenil, além de proporcionar a construção de uma auto-estima e identidades positivas

Youth, socialization and school

Las reflexiones que presento en este texto se inscriben en una línea de estudios sobre las relaciones entre juventud y escuela, abordada desde el enfoque de las teorías de la socialización. Se puede constatar la constitución de un campo de estudios sobre juventud y educación en Brasil, con avances significativos tanto en las temáticas como en los abordajes, situación evidenciada en dos estados del arte realizados.Traducción: María Elena Martínez.Dossier: Nuevas juventudes, socialización y escolarización: perspectivas de la investigación socioeducativaDepartamento de Ciencias de la Educació