Bias Mitigation for Capturing Potentially Illegal Hate Speech Schäfer, Johannes
Datenbank-Spektrum : Zeitschrift für Datenbanktechnologie : Organ der Fachgruppe Datenbanken der Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V,
2023/3, Volume:
23, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Hate speech is a persistent issue in social media. Researchers have analyzed and developed detection methods for hate speech on the basis of example data, even though the phenomenon is only rather ...vaguely defined. This paper provides an approach to identify hate speech in terms of German laws, which are used as a basis for annotation guidelines applied to real world data. We annotate six labels in a corpus of 1,385 German short text messages: four subcategories of illegal hate speech, offensive language and a neutral class. We consider hate speech expressions as illegal if the linguistic content could be interpreted in a given context possibly violating a specific law. This interpretation and a check by lawyers would be the next step which is not yet included in our annotation. In this paper, I report on strategies to avoid certain biases in data for illegal hate speech. These strategies may serve as a model for building a larger dataset. In experiments, I investigate the capability of a Transformer-based neural network model to learn our classification. The results show that this multiclass classification is still difficult to learn, probably due to the small size of the dataset. I suggest that it is crucial to be aware of data biases and to apply bias mitigation techniques when training hate speech detection systems on such data. Data and scripts of the experiments are made publicly available.
Aiming at the identification of the key bitter peptides in fermented foods, a new approach, coined “sensoproteomics”, was developed and applied to fresh cheese samples differing in bitter taste ...intensity. By means of MPLC fractionation of the water-soluble cheese extracts in combination with taste dilution analysis, complex fractions with intense bitter taste were located and then screened by UPLC–MS/MS for the entire repertoire of ∼1600 candidate peptides, extracted from a literature meta-analysis on dairy products, by using a total of 120 selected reaction monitoring methods computed in silico. A total of 340 out of the 1600 peptides were found in the cheese samples, among which 17 peptides were identified as candidate bitter peptides by considering only peptides that were located in the bitter-tasting MPLC fractions (signal-to-noise ratio: ≥10) with a fold-change of ≥3 when comparing the less bitter to the more bitter cheese sample and that were validated by comparison with the synthetic reference peptides. While EIVPNSphosVEQK (αs1-CN70–78) and INTIASGEPT (κ-CN122–131) did not exhibit any bitter taste up to 2000 μmol/L, 15 of the 17 target peptides showed bitter taste thresholds ranging from 30 (ARHPHPHLSFM, κ-CN96–106) to 690 μmol/L (IQKEDVPS, αs1-CN81–88). Finally, quantitative peptide analysis followed by calculation of dose-overthreshold factors revealed a primary contribution of MAPKHKEMPFPKYPVEPF (β-CN102–119) and ARHPHPHLSFM (κ-CN96–106) to the perceived bitter taste of the fresh cheese samples. Finally, the evolution of the bitter peptides throughout two different fresh cheese manufacturing processes was quantitatively recorded.
The objects of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) case studies are often individual components or individual products. Studies focusing on larger industrial manufacturing systems are relatively rare. The ...purpose of this case study was to assess environmental and cost-related performance of an updated complex manufacturing system for glass containers (i.e. jars, glass bottles, etc.) compared to the predecessor manufacturing system. The objective was also to identify the most relevant drivers for the environmental and the cost profile of the system solution in application context by the means of Life Cycle Assessment, as well as Life Cycle Costing (LCC). The results were then to be displayed in an Eco-Care-Matrix (ECM) in order to quantitatively visualize the improvements when comparing the updated manufacturing system to the previous one and they were to be discussed in terms of (i) ecodesign levers, (ii) efficiency of the LCA process and (iii) their relevance for the speed and cost of the decision-making process. The LCA results of the production stage of the optimized components showed that the largest contributors to the potential environmental impact of the manufacturing system are the motors due to their material composition, number and mass. The use stage was subsequently recognized as the dominant life cycle stage with Global Warming Potential (GWP) as the leading indicator, due to the long service life (20 years) and the corresponding energy consumption. The analysis of a produced glass bottle's GWP showed that it was reduced by about 40% through optimizing the production system. The LCC showed that the modernization pays off after about five years of service life and that the decision for making an investment should not only be based on the required capital expenditure (CAPEX). Rather, operation expenditure (OPEX) should also be considered in order to reflect the savings gained from lower operating costs, which compensate relatively quickly any higher initial expenditure or initial investment. In order to apply Life Cycle Assessment on larger-scale industrial systems, smart and pragmatic LCA modeling approaches have to be developed and adopted, balancing accuracy of results against efficiency in achieving them. An adequate ecological-and-economic assessment tool would reduce the time and effort when making decisions in this context.
•Eco-efficiency tools can be used for developing integrated product-service system (IPSS).•Due to the complexity of IPSS simplified LCA approaches are needed.•Eco-Innovations in IPSS should take the application into account.•Operation expenditure should be considered when deciding on investments.
The bovine endopeptidase cathepsin D was investigated regarding its temperature-dependent inactivation and ability to form bitter peptides within a spiked model fresh cheese. Cathepsin D was found to ...be more susceptible than other milk endogenous peptidases to temperature treatments in skim milk. Inactivation kinetics revealed decimal reduction times of 5.6 min to 10 s in a temperature range from 60 to 80°C. High temperature and ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatments from 90 to 140°C completely inactivated cathepsin D within 5 s. A residual cathepsin D activity of around 20% was detected under pasteurization conditions (72°C for 20 s). Therefore, investigations were done to estimate the effect of residual cathepsin D activity on taste in a model fresh cheese. The UHT-treated skim milk was spiked with cathepsin D and acidified with glucono-δ-lactone to produce a model fresh cheese. A trained bitter-sensitive panel was not able to distinguish cathepsin D–spiked model fresh cheeses from the control model fresh cheeses in a triangle test. Model fresh cheese samples were also analyzed for known bitter peptides derived from casein fractions using a HPLC–tandem mass spectrometry (MS) approach. In accordance with the sensory evaluation, the MS analyses revealed that the bitter peptides investigated within the cathepsin D–spiked model fresh cheese were not found or were below the limit of detection. Even though cathepsin D may be present during the fermentation of pasteurized milk, it does not seem to be responsible for bitter peptide formation from milk proteins on its own.
Typhus group rickettsiosis is caused by the vectorborne bacteria Rickettsia typhi and R. prowazekii. R. typhi, which causes murine typhus, the less severe endemic form of typhus, is transmitted by ...fleas; R. prowazekii, which causes the severe epidemic form of typhus, is transmitted by body lice. To examine the immunology of human infection with typhus group rickettsiae, we retrospectively reviewed clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory changes, and travel destinations of 28 patients who had typhus group rickettsiosis diagnosed by the German Reference Center for Tropical Pathogens, Hamburg, Germany, during 2010–2017. Immunofluorescence assays of follow-up serum samples indicated simultaneous seroconversion of IgM, IgA, and IgG or concurrence in the first serum sample. Cytokine levels peaked during the second week of infection, coinciding with organ dysfunction and seroconversion. For 3 patients, R. typhi was detected by species-specific nested quantitative PCR. For all 28 patients, R. typhi was the most likely causative pathogen.
The popularity of fat‐free fermented concentrated milk products, such as fresh cheeses and high‐protein yogurt, has increased over the recent years, attributed to greater availability and ...improvements in taste and texture. These improvements have been achieved through modifications and new developments in processing technologies, for example, higher heat treatment intensities and incorporating different membrane filtration technologies. Though numerous processing parameters are discussed in the literature, as well as reasons behind the developments, detailed examinations of how process modifications affect the final textural attributes of these products are lacking. To draw links between processing parameters and texture, we review the literature on fat‐free fermented concentrated milk products from the perspective of fermented milk protein‐based microgel particles as the basic structural unit. At each main processing step, relationships between process parameters, micro‐ and macrostructural and sensory (textural) properties are discussed.An overview of particle characteristics that drive structural changes at each processing step is developed in relation to textural characteristics. Using this approach of assessing relationships between structural characteristics of concentrated dispersions of fat‐free fermented milk protein‐based microgel particles and processing parameters provides a basic context for the selection of optimal parameters to achieve a desired texture.
BACKGROUNDDuring the second COVID-19 wave, a large COVID-19 outbreak happened at a 90-bed geriatric palliative care hospital in December 2020, whereby 32 % of the healthcare personnel (HCP) and 29 ...patients became infected within 23 days and 13 patients died. The bed occupancy rate dropped to 20 %. Drastically enhanced hygiene measures directly after outbreak detection could stop further nosocomial infections among patients but were less effective among HCP. OBJECTIVEOutbreak investigation and detection of risk factors for infection in HCP. MATERIAL AND METHODSAnonymous online survey among HCP from January and February 2021 investigating potential risk factors for PCR positive infections (poorly fitting FFP2 masks, close contacts with positive patients, team meetings with positive HCP). RESULTSOf 184 HCP, 96 completed the survey (52.2 %), including 38 who became infected. Of the HCP 8 remained asymptomatic/oligosymptomatic, 30 HCP became ill for a median of 10 days and in 2 continuously. Factors associated with an infection were close contacts with positive patients in a time-dependent manner despite wearing an FFP2 mask (OR 6.0; 95 % CI 1.6-22). Out of 88 HCP 55 described poorly fitting FFP2 masks. An infection was mostly attributed to a longer contact with positive, sometimes restless patients. The overall exhausting working situation was repeatedly mentioned. CONCLUSIONA COVID outbreak within the care-intense geriatric context is challenging to control especially among HCP. Longer patient contacts and limited compliance by patients counteracts strict hygiene measures. Vulnerability of HCP and patients requires additional preventive interventions by rapidly effective vaccinations and has to be a priority for health policy.
Expanding the genetic code is an important aim of synthetic biology, but some organisms developed naturally expanded genetic codes long ago over the course of evolution. Less than 1% of all sequenced ...genomes encode an operon that reassigns the stop codon UAG to pyrrolysine (Pyl), a genetic code variant that results from the biosynthesis of Pyl-tRNA ᴾʸˡ. To understand the selective advantage of genetically encoding more than 20 amino acids, we constructed a markerless tRNA ᴾʸˡ deletion strain of Methanosarcina acetivorans ( Δ pylT ) that cannot decode UAG as Pyl or grow on trimethylamine. Phenotypic defects in the Δ pylT strain were evident in minimal medium containing methanol. Proteomic analyses of wild type (WT) M. acetivorans and Δ pylT cells identified 841 proteins from >7,000 significant peptides detected by MS/MS. Protein production from UAG-containing mRNAs was verified for 19 proteins. Translation of UAG codons was verified by MS/MS for eight proteins, including identification of a Pyl residue in PylB, which catalyzes the first step of Pyl biosynthesis. Deletion of tRNA ᴾʸˡ globally altered the proteome, leading to >300 differentially abundant proteins. Reduction of the genetic code from 21 to 20 amino acids led to significant down-regulation in translation initiation factors, amino acid metabolism, and methanogenesis from methanol, which was offset by a compensatory (100-fold) up-regulation in dimethyl sulfide metabolic enzymes. The data show how a natural proteome adapts to genetic code reduction and indicate that the selective value of an expanded genetic code is related to carbon source range and metabolic efficiency.
Significance Expanding the genetic code is an important aim of synthetic biology, but some organisms developed naturally expanded genetic codes over the course of evolution. To understand the selective advantage of genetically encoding more than 20 amino acids, we investigated the proteome-wide response to reducing the genetic code of Methanosarcina acetivorans from 21 to 20 amino acids. The data show how a natural proteome adapts to genetic code reduction and indicate that the selective value of an expanded genetic code is related to carbon source range and metabolic efficiency.
Clathrin-mediated synaptic vesicle (SV) recycling involves the spatiotemporally controlled assembly of clathrin coat components at phosphatidylinositiol (4, 5)-bisphosphate PI(4,5)P₂-enriched ...membrane sites within the periactive zone. Such spatiotemporal control is needed to coordinate SV cargo sorting with clathrin/AP2 recruitment and to restrain membrane fission and synaptojanin-mediated uncoating until membrane deformation and clathrin coat assembly are completed. The molecular events underlying these control mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that the endocytic SH3 domain-containing accessory protein intersectin 1 scaffolds the endocytic process by directly associating with the clathrin adaptor AP2. Acute perturbation of the intersectin 1-AP2 interaction in lamprey synapses in situ inhibits the onset of SV recycling. Structurally, complex formation can be attributed to the direct association of hydrophobic peptides within the intersectin 1 SH3A-B linker region with the "side sites" of the AP2 α- and β-appendage domains. AP2 appendage association of the SH3A-B linker region inhibits binding of the inositol phosphatase synaptojanin 1 to intersectin 1. These data identify the intersectin-AP2 complex as an important regulator of clathrin-mediated SV recycling in synapses.
Human factors research has identified mental models as a key component for the effective sharing and organization of knowledge. The challenge lies in the development and application of tools that ...help team members to arrive at a shared understanding of a situation. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a semi-structured briefing on the management of a simulated airway emergency.
37 interprofessional teams were asked to perform a simulated rapid-sequence induction in the simulator. Teams were presented with a "cannot ventilate, cannot oxygenate" scenario that ultimately required a cricothyroidotomy. Study group (SG) teams were asked to perform a briefing prior to induction, while controls (CG) were asked to perform their usual routine.
We observed no difference in the mean time until cricothyroidotomy (SG 8:31 CG 8:16, p = 0.36). There was a significant difference in groups' choice of alternative means of oxygenation: While SG teams primarily chose supraglottic airway devices, controls initially reverted to mask ventilation (p = 0.005). SG teams spent significantly less time with this alternative airway device and were quicker to advance in the airway algorithm.
Our study addresses effects on team coordination through a shared mental model as effected by a briefing prior to anesthesia induction. We found measurable improvements in airway management during those stages of the difficult airway algorithm explicitly discussed in the briefing. For those, time spent was shorter and participants were quicker to advance in the airway algorithm.
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