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A neural language model trained on a text corpus can be used to induce distributed representations of words, such that similar words end up with similar representations. If the corpus is multilingual, the same model can be used to learn distributed representations of languages, such that similar languages end up with similar representations. We show that this holds even when the multilingual corpus has been translated into English, by picking up the faint signal left by the source languages. However, just as it is a thorny problem to separate semantic from syntactic similarity in word representations, it is not obvious what type of similarity is captured by language representations. We investigate correlations and causal relationships between language representations learned from translations on one hand, and genetic, geographical, and several levels of structural similarity between languages on the other. Of these, structural similarity is found to correlate most strongly with language representation similarity, whereas genetic relationships—a convenient benchmark used for evaluation in previous work—appears to be a confounding factor. Apart from implications about translation effects, we see this more generally as a case where NLP and linguistic typology can interact and benefit one another.

Ocean-going ships were key to rising maritime economies of the Early Modern period, and understanding how they were built is critical to grasp the challenges faced by shipwrights and merchant seafarers. Shipwreck timbers hold material evidence of the dynamic interplay of wood supplies, craftmanship, and evolving ship designs that helped shape the Early Modern world. Here we present the results of dendroarchaeological research carried out onBatavia’s wreck timbers, currently on display at the Western Australian Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle. Built in Amsterdam in 1628 CE and wrecked on its maiden voyage in June 1629 CE in Western Australian waters,Bataviaepitomises Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) shipbuilding. In the 17th century, the VOC grew to become the first multinational trading enterprise, prompting the rise of the stock market and modern capitalism. Oak (Quercussp.) was the preferred material for shipbuilding in northern and western Europe, and maritime nations struggled to ensure sufficient supplies to meet their needs and sustain their ever-growing mercantile fleets and networks. Our research illustrates the compatibility of dendrochronological studies with musealisation of shipwreck assemblages, and the results demonstrate that the VOC successfully coped with timber shortages in the early 17th century through diversification of timber sources (mainly Baltic region, Lübeck hinterland in northern Germany, and Lower Saxony in northwest Germany), allocation of sourcing regions to specific timber products (hull planks from the Baltic and Lübeck, framing elements from Lower Saxony), and skillful woodworking craftmanship (sapwood was removed from all timber elements). These strategies, combined with an innovative hull design and the use of wind-powered sawmills, allowed the Dutch to produce unprecedented numbers of ocean-going ships for long-distance voyaging and interregional trade in Asia, proving key to their success in 17th-century world trade.

AbstractIntroductionUnderstanding symptom patterns in atrial fibrillation (AF) can help in disease management. We report on the application of natural language processing (NLP) to electronic medical records (EMRs) to capture symptom reports in patients with newly diagnosed (incident) AF.Methods and ResultsThis observational retrospective study included adult patients with an index diagnosis of incident AF during January 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, in the Optum datasets. The baseline and follow‐up periods were 1 year before/after the index date, respectively. The primary objective was identification of the following predefined symptom reports: dyspnea or shortness of breath; syncope, presyncope, lightheadedness, or dizziness; chest pain; fatigue; and palpitations. In an exploratory analysis, the incidence rates of symptom reports and cardiovascular hospitalization were assessed in propensity‐matched patient cohorts with incident AF receiving first‐line dronedarone or sotalol. Among 30 447 patients with an index AF diagnosis, the NLP algorithm identified at least 1 predefined symptom in 9734 (31.9%) patients. The incidence rate of symptom reports was highest at 0–3 months post‐diagnosis and lower at >3–6 and >6–12 months (pre‐defined timepoints). Across all time periods, the most common symptoms were dyspnea or shortness of breath, followed by syncope, presyncope, lightheadedness, or dizziness. Similar temporal patterns of symptom reports were observed among patients with prescriptions for dronedarone or sotalol as first‐line treatment.ConclusionThis study illustrates that NLP can be applied to EMR data to characterize symptom reports in patients with incident AF, and the potential for these methods to inform comparative effectiveness.

To the Editor: Regarding the March 2011 Etymologia on Pseudoterranova azarasi (1), we think that someone literally missed the boat on the derivation of Pseudoterranova. Although the Greco-Latin amalgam, Pseudoterranova, translates to “false new earth,” the generic name of the organism refers to the ship, the Terra Nova, which Robert Falcon Scott captained en route to Antarctica exactly 100 years ago in his ill-fated attempt to be the first person to reach the South Pole. During the Antarctic summer of 1911–12, while Scott and 4 companions trudged toward the South Pole, the ship’s surgeon, Edward Leicester Atkinson, who remained with the Terra Nova, dissected polar fish, birds, and sea mammals, looking for parasites. Atkinson found an unusual nematode in a shark, and in 1914, he, along with parasitologist Robert Thomson Leiper of the London School of Tropical Medicine, commemorated the ship by conferring the name Terranova antarctica upon this newly discovered creature (2). The genus Pseudoterranova was established by Aleksei Mozgovoi in 1951 for a somewhat similar nematode obtained from a pygmy sperm whale. Pseudoterranova azarasi, the subject of the Etymologia, was originally described in 1942 as Porrocecum azarasi, but recent molecular work, as described by Arizono et al. (3) and Mattiucci and Nascetti (4), showed that this nematode is part of a large species complex within Pseudoterranova. Thus, it has been transferred to this genus as part of the P. decipiens species complex. The nomenclatural specifics are complex and arcane. However, in this centennial year of the Terra Nova expedition, we think it is worthwhile to remember the historic origins of these names.

Artículo EDITORIAL Frente. Sostener. Food Syst., 23 de enero de 2023Sec. Tierra, medios de vida y seguridad alimentaria Volumen 7 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1128513 Article ÉDITORIAL Front. Sustain. Food Syst., 23 janvier 2023Sec. Terre, moyens de subsistance et sécurité alimentaire Volume 7 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1128513 EDITORIAL article Front. Sustain. Food Syst., 23 January 2023Sec. Land, Livelihoods and Food Security Volume 7 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1128513 مقالة افتتاحية Front. Sustain. Food Syst.، 23 يناير 2023Sec. الأرض وسبل العيش والأمن الغذائي المجلد 7 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1128513

Analyses of large-scale population structure of pathogens enable the identification of migration patterns, diversity reservoirs or longevity of populations, the understanding of current evolutionary trajectories and the anticipation of future ones. This is particularly important for long-distance migrating fungal pathogens such as Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici (PST), capable of rapid spread to new regions and crop varieties. Although a range of recent PST invasions at continental scales are well documented, the worldwide population structure and the center of origin of the pathogen were still unknown. In this study, we used multilocus microsatellite genotyping to infer worldwide population structure of PST and the origin of new invasions based on 409 isolates representative of distribution of the fungus on six continents. Bayesian and multivariate clustering methods partitioned the set of multilocus genotypes into six distinct genetic groups associated with their geographical origin. Analyses of linkage disequilibrium and genotypic diversity indicated a strong regional heterogeneity in levels of recombination, with clear signatures of recombination in the Himalayan (Nepal and Pakistan) and near-Himalayan regions (China) and a predominant clonal population structure in other regions. The higher genotypic diversity, recombinant population structure and high sexual reproduction ability in the Himalayan and neighboring regions suggests this area as the putative center of origin of PST. We used clustering methods and approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) to compare different competing scenarios describing ancestral relationship among ancestral populations and more recently founded populations. Our analyses confirmed the Middle East-East Africa as the most likely source of newly spreading, high-temperature-adapted strains; Europe as the source of South American, North American and Australian populations; and Mediterranean-Central Asian populations as the origin of South African populations. Although most geographic populations are not markedly affected by recent dispersal events, this study emphasizes the influence of human activities on recent long-distance spread of the pathogen. Author Summary Domestication of ecosystems, climate change and expanding global trade have accelerated the pace of disease emergence, caused by their introduction into new areas with susceptible hosts or the spread of new damaging pathogen genotypes. The wheat yellow rust pathogen (PST) is a pathogen with recent reports of invasions, significantly affecting worldwide wheat production. However, its origin and ancient migration routes remained unclear and the source areas of newly spreading strains were largely unknown. This information is important to understand the trajectories of current invasions and forecast the future spread, and more generally develop risk-assessment models of pathogen emergence. We analyzed a set of worldwide representative isolates of PST, which enabled to identify six different area-specific populations. Using population genetics tools, we identified its centre of diversity in the Himalayan and near Himalayan region. We also identified the source of the recently emerged populations; Middle East-East Africa as the source of high-temperature-adapted strains spreading worldwide; Europe as the source of American and Australian populations; and Mediterranean-Central Asian populations as the origin of South African populations. We demonstrate the influence of human activities on the recent long-distance spread of the disease, though most geographic populations are not markedly affected by recent dispersal events.