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Idioms are multi-word expressions whose meaning cannot always be deduced from the literal meaning of constituent words. A key feature of idioms that is central to this paper is their peculiar mixture of fixedness and variability, which poses challenges for their retrieval from large corpora using traditional search approaches. These challenges hinder insights into idiom usage, affecting users who are conducting linguistic research as well as those involved in language education. To facilitate access to idiom examples taken from real-world contexts, we introduce an information retrieval system designed specifically for idioms. Given a search query that represents an idiom, typically in its canonical form, the system expands it automatically to account for the most common types of idiom variation including inflection, open slots, adjectival or adverbial modification and passivisation. As a by-product of query expansion, other types of idiom variation captured include derivation, compounding, negation, distribution across multiple clauses as well as other unforeseen types of variation. The system was implemented on top of Elasticsearch, an open-source, distributed, scalable, real-time search engine. Flexible retrieval of idioms is supported by a combination of linguistic pre-processing of the search queries, their translation into a set of query clauses written in a query language called Query DSL, and analysis, an indexing process that involves tokenisation and normalisation. Our system outperformed the phrase search in terms of recall and outperformed the keyword search in terms of precision. Out of the three, our approach was found to provide the best balance between precision and recall. By providing a fast and easy way of finding idioms in large corpora, our approach can facilitate further developments in fields such as linguistics, language education and natural language processing.

Background Wheat is one of the most widely grown crop in temperate climates for food and animal feed. In order to meet the demands of the predicted population increase in an ever-changing climate, wheat production needs to dramatically increase. Spike and grain traits are critical determinants of final yield and grain uniformity a commercially desired trait, but their analysis is laborious and often requires destructive harvest. One of the current challenges is to develop an accurate, non-destructive method for spike and grain trait analysis capable of handling large populations. Results In this study we describe the development of a robust method for the accurate extraction and measurement of spike and grain morphometric parameters from images acquired by X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT). The image analysis pipeline developed automatically identifies plant material of interest in μCT images, performs image analysis, and extracts morphometric data. As a proof of principle, this integrated methodology was used to analyse the spikes from a population of wheat plants subjected to high temperatures under two different water regimes. Temperature has a negative effect on spike height and grain number with the middle of the spike being the most affected region. The data also confirmed that increased grain volume was correlated with the decrease in grain number under mild stress. Conclusions Being able to quickly measure plant phenotypes in a non-destructive manner is crucial to advance our understanding of gene function and the effects of the environment. We report on the development of an image analysis pipeline capable of accurately and reliably extracting spike and grain traits from crops without the loss of positional information. This methodology was applied to the analysis of wheat spikes can be readily applied to other economically important crop species.

Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the United Nations aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. Achieving this goal will require rebuilding the marine life-support systems that deliver the many benefits that society receives from a healthy ocean. Here we document the recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions. Recovery rates across studies suggest that substantial recovery of the abundance, structure and function of marine life could be achieved by 2050, if major pressures—including climate change—are mitigated. Rebuilding marine life represents a doable Grand Challenge for humanity, an ethical obligation and a smart economic objective to achieve a sustainable future. Analyses of the recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions indicate that substantial recovery of the abundance, structure and function of marine life could be achieved by 2050 if major pressures, including climate change, are mitigated.

To investigate maternal antibody levels to varicella in infants <12 months of age in Ontario, Canada. In this study, we included specimens from infants <12 months of age, born at [greater than or equal to]37 weeks gestational age, who had sera collected at The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada) between 2014-2016. We tested sera using a glycoprotein-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (gpELISA). We measured varicella susceptibility (antibody concentration <150mIU/mL) and mean varicella antibody concentration, and assessed the probability of susceptibility and concentration between one and 11 months of age using multivariable logistic regression and Poisson regression. We found that 32% of 196 included specimens represented infants susceptible to varicella at one month of age, increasing to nearly 80% at three months of age. At six months of age, all infants were susceptible to varicella and the predicted mean varicella antibody concentration declined to 62 mIU/mL (95% confidence interval 40, 84), well below the threshold of protection. We found that varicella maternal antibody levels wane rapidly in infants, leaving most infants susceptible by four months of age. Our findings have implications for the timing of first dose of varicella-containing vaccine, infection control measures, and infant post-exposure prophylaxis recommendations.

This work investigates the risk to Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) from a novel light rail vehicle using the pedestrian impact scenario outlined in CEN/TR 17420. At a 20 km/h impact speed, a maximum head impact criterion (HIC15) value of 15.9 was obtained for a 50th-percentile anthropometric test device (ATD), with this value increasing to 120.2 at 30 km/h impact speed. Both results are within the CEN/TR 17420 prescribed limit of 1000. In both cases, the vehicle does not fully comply with CEN/TR 17420 recommendations due to insufficient lateral displacement of the ATD post-impact. A vehicle front-end design—which would be exempt from the CEN/TR 17420 impact testing—was designed and tested to the same framework. Despite being formally exempt from testing, the design also did not fully comply with CEN/TR 17420 lateral displacement requirements. Critical evaluation of the CEN/TR 17420 framework is presented, leading to recommendations about how updated frameworks should take a pragmatic approach in how they define VRUs, and the measurement criteria used for assessing VRU risk in collisions. Discussions are presented considering whether alternative frameworks, such as the Bus Safety Standard, should be applicable to assess the safety of the novel light rail vehicle.

The water vapour sorption behaviour of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) and Scots pine that was densified, thermally-modified, or subjected to a combination of thermal modification and densification has been investigated. It was found that all modifications resulted in a decrease in the equilibrium moisture content of the wood samples throughout the hygroscopic range. The water vapour sorption isotherms were reproducible for the unmodified wood samples, but changed between the first and subsequent sorption cycles for the densified, thermally-modified and for wood subjected to a combination of the two treatments. This is the first time that changes in the sorption isotherm between the first and subsequent cycles have been reported for thermally-modified wood. Irrespective of the wood treatment the difference between the adsorption and desorption isotherm loops (sorption hysteresis) was the same and greater than that observed for the unmodified wood sample. After the first sorption cycle, the hysteresis decreased to the values observed for the unmodified wood, even though the isotherms were different. The sorption kinetic behaviour was also investigated and found to be accurately described using the parallel exponential kinetics (PEK) model. The PEK model describes the dynamic sorption behaviour in terms of a fast and slow kinetic process and this has been interpreted in terms of two Kelvin-Voigt elements coupled in series (i.e. relaxation-limited kinetics).

The mechanical properties of unidirectional flax fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester resin composites were studied with particular emphasis on their tensile deformation behaviour. These materials displayed characteristic non-linear behaviour when loaded parallel to the axis of the fibre, with a distinct knee preceding a drop in stiffness. Further deformation resulted in strain hardening behaviour. Load cycling and acoustic emissions analysis were used to investigate the nature of the knee and it was found that this corresponded with yielding behaviour in the composite. A well-defined yield point could be identified, which in composites of around 60% fibre volume fraction, occurred at a strain of some 0.12% and a tensile stress of 32 MPa. Varying the interfacial properties, through chemical modification of the fibre prior to lamination, was found to have a marked effect upon the onset of yielding and the yield point itself, as well as the deformation and fracture behaviour of the laminate. It is considered that this behaviour is intimately linked to the straining behaviour of the fibre as well as the fibre–matrix interaction and hypotheses to explain the observed behaviour are presented.

The modification of wood involves extra processing over and above what is associated with un-modified material and this will involve an associated environmental impact. There is now a body of information on this due to the presence in the public domain of a number of environmental product declarations (EPDs). Using these data, it is possible to determine what the extra impact associated with the modification is. The process of modification results in a life extension of the product, which has implications regarding the storage of sequestered atmospheric carbon in the harvested wood products (HWP) materials’ pool and also extended maintenance cycles (e.g., longer periods between applying coatings). Furthermore, the life extension benefits imparted by wood modification need to be compared with the use of other technologies, such as conventional wood preservatives. This paper analysed the published data from a number of sources (peer-reviewed literature, published EPDs, databases) to compare the impacts associated with different modification technologies. The effect of life extension was examined by modelling the carbon flow dynamics of the HWP pool and determining the effect of different life extension scenarios. Finally, the paper examined the impact of different coating periods, and the extensions thereof, imparted by the use of different modified wood substrates.

Maladaptive proximal tubular (PT) epithelial cells have been implicated in progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), however the complexity of epithelial cell states within the fibrotic niche remains incompletely understood. Hence, we integrated snRNA and ATAC-seq with high-plex single-cell molecular imaging to generate a spatially-revolved multiomic atlas of human kidney disease. We demonstrate that in injured kidneys, a subset of HAVCR1 + VCAM1 + PT cells acquired an inflammatory phenotype, upregulating genes encoding chemokines, pro-fibrotic and senescence-associated proteins and adhesion molecules including ICAM1 . Spatial transcriptomic and multiplex-immunofluorescence determined that specifically these VCAM1 + ICAM1 + inflammatory PT cells localised to the fibrotic niche. Ligand-receptor analysis highlighted paracrine signaling from inflammatory PT cells mediating leucocyte recruitment and myofibroblast activation. Loss of HNF4α and activation of NF-κβ and AP-1 transcription factors epigenetically imprinted the inflammatory phenotype. Targeting inflammatory tubular cells by administering an AP-1 inhibitor or senolytic agent ameliorated inflammation and fibrosis in murine models of kidney injury, hence these cells may be a tractable target in CKD. The complexity of epithelial cell states in the fibrotic niche in the context of chronic kidney disease remains incompletely understood. Here the authors integrate snRNA and ATAC-seq with high-plex single-cell molecular imaging to generate a spatially-revolved multiomic atlas of human kidney disease.