Forensic Linguistics function in Evidentiary and Investigative Contexts

Recently, forensic linguistics has been an arena of significance in many fields of study especially in judicial systems, legal and forensic matters, investigation, and open-source intelligence across the globe. The term typically refers to legal and professional analysis of recorded or written language by experts (forensic linguists) to provide expert and correct interpretation. It is particularly used in legal matters especially in the court and criminal justice systems. In the court system, forensic linguistics is heavily applied to examine language evidence – either recorded in voice or handwritten in civil matters or crimes. The analysis or examination is carried out for two major reasons. First, the analysis is utilized when relevant investigations are carried out with a focus to help in identifying witnesses or suspects in specific cases or scenes, or the determination of the significance of writing or utterance to a case. Secondly, forensic linguistics plays a pivotal role when written or spoken language samples are presented to a court as evidence. In such contexts, forensic linguists provide expert testimonies of correct interpretation of the samples. As such, language analysis is significant in any judicial matters and systems provided the questionable language constitutes crimes. In most cases, crimes such as threats, hate speech, bribery, hate literature, coercion among others necessitate the use of a linguist expert for correct and most importantly professional interpretation. Evidently, the concept of forensic linguistics is ascribed to provide the truth from recorded speeches or voices and written languages in the face of a crime or relevant legal investigation matters. This paper will posit on the different ways and methods that forensic linguistics is applied to investigate and provide professional interpretation of recorded and written languages in evidentiary and investigative contexts.

Twenty Years On: RECIST as a Biomarker of Response in Solid Tumours an EORTC Imaging Group – ESOI Joint Paper

Response evaluation criteria in solid tumours (RECIST) v1.1 are currently the reference standard for evaluating efficacy of therapies in patients with solid tumours who are included in clinical trials, and they are widely used and accepted by regulatory agencies. This expert statement discusses the principles underlying RECIST, as well as their reproducibility and limitations. While the RECIST framework may not be perfect, the scientific bases for the anticancer drugs that have been approved using a RECIST-based surrogate endpoint remain valid. Importantly, changes in measurement have to meet thresholds defined by RECIST for response classification within thus partly circumventing the problems of measurement variability. The RECIST framework also applies to clinical patients in individual settings even though the relationship between tumour size changes and outcome from cohort studies is not necessarily translatable to individual cases. As reproducibility of RECIST measurements is impacted by reader experience, choice of target lesions and detection/interpretation of new lesions, it can result in patients changing response categories when measurements are near threshold values or if new lesions are missed or incorrectly interpreted. There are several situations where RECIST will fail to evaluate treatment-induced changes correctly; knowledge and understanding of these is crucial for correct interpretation. Also, some patterns of response/progression cannot be correctly documented by RECIST, particularly in relation to organ-site (e.g. bone without associated soft-tissue lesion) and treatment type (e.g. focal therapies). These require specialist reader experience and communication with oncologists to determine the actual impact of the therapy and best evaluation strategy. In such situations, alternative imaging markers for tumour response may be used but the sources of variability of individual imaging techniques need to be known and accounted for. Communication between imaging experts and oncologists regarding the level of confidence in a biomarker is essential for the correct interpretation of a biomarker and its application to clinical decision-making. Though measurement automation is desirable and potentially reduces the variability of results, associated technical difficulties must be overcome, and human adjudications may be required.

Monitoring protein unfolding transitions by NMR-spectroscopy

NMR-spectroscopy has certain unique advantages for recording unfolding transitions of proteins compared e.g. to optical methods. It enables per-residue monitoring and separate detection of the folded and unfolded state as well as possible equilibrium intermediates. This allows a detailed view on the state and cooperativity of folding of the protein of interest and the correct interpretation of subsequent experiments. Here we summarize in detail practical and theoretical aspects of such experiments. Certain pitfalls can be avoided, and meaningful simplification can be made during the analysis. Especially a good understanding of the NMR exchange regime and relaxation properties of the system of interest is beneficial. We show by a global analysis of signals of the folded and unfolded state of GB1 how accurate values of unfolding can be extracted and what limits different NMR detection and unfolding methods. E.g. commonly used exchangeable amides can lead to a systematic under determination of the thermodynamic protein stability. We give several perspectives of how to deal with more complex proteins and how the knowledge about protein stability at residue resolution helps to understand protein properties under crowding conditions, during phase separation and under high pressure.

What Has Changed in European Concept of Undertaking? From „FENIN“ to „EASY PAY“

Competition is the main self-regulatory principle of the market in general, internal market included. Competition law has the form of general clauses making its application dependant on the correct interpretation of general concepts. Core competition rules of the Functional Treaty („TFEU“) are addressed to undertakings; undertaking thus belongs to key concepts of competition law. Interpretation of this concept is decisive for the scope of competition rules application. So, the article explores different approaches of the case law to the interpretation of the concept of undertaking based on economic activity. It compares the FENIN doctrine and the new functional test of separability developed in EASY PAY. It drives attention to the impact of this new test for the evaluation of procurement activities under competition scrutiny.

Exploring the differences in SPC convective outlook interpretation using categorical and numeric information

While previous work has shown the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) convective outlooks accurately capture meteorological outcomes, evidence suggests stakeholders and the public may misinterpret the categorical words currently used in the product. This work attempts to address this problem by investigating public reactions to alternative information formats that include numeric information: (1) numeric risk levels (i.e., “Level 2 of 5”) and (2) numeric probabilities (i.e., “a 5% chance”). In addition, it explores how different combinations of the categorical labels with numeric information may impact public reactions to the product. Survey data comes from the 2020 Severe Weather and Society Survey, a nationally representative survey of US adults. Participants were shown varying combinations of the information formats of interest, and then rated their concern about the weather and the likelihood of changing plans in response to the given information. Results indicate that providing numeric information (in the form of levels or probabilities) increases the likelihood of participants correctly interpreting the convective outlook information relative to categorical labels alone. Including the categorical labels increases misinterpretation, regardless of whether numeric information was included alongside the labels. Finally, findings indicate participants’ numeracy (or their ability to understand and work with numbers) had an impact on correct interpretation of the order of the outlook labels. Although there are many challenges to correctly interpreting the SPC convective outlook, using only numeric labels instead of the current categorical labels may be a relatively straightforward change that could improve public interpretation of the product.

Drug-Induced QT Interval Prolongation

The correct measurement of the QT interval (using the QT correction formulas, preferably Fridericia and Framingham) as well as a correct interpretation of the causes and of the clinical consequences of a QT prolongation is very important in clinical practice. Drug-induced long QT syndrome (DILQTS) is one of the most common causes of LQTS. In the diagnosis and management of the DILQTS, it can be useful to follow the three-step rule presented in this article: detailed pharmacological anamnesis and correct ECG interpretation; database search and clinical interpretation; confirmatory test.

Hypermedia and Recursive Mediatization of the Corporate News

The article analyzes some trends in the dynamics of deep mediatization processes. The phenomenon of saturation of standard formats for presenting news with unexpected references, which transform the communication system, is revealed. For the correct interpretation of the discovered phenomena, the concept of hypermedia is used as an aspect of deep mediatization of the relationship between the company and its stakeholders. The model of recursive communication is concretized. The central point is the thesis about the self-applicability of the recursive method of studying the communication field. The influence of digital platforms algorithms on the daily practices of users has been investigated. The conclusions are formulated from an ecological point of view, highlighting the importance of creating an effective environment for corporate relations. The author believes that the transition to trans-disciplinary methods of researching the problems of deep mediatization in the digital era is inevitable. The role of philosophical reflection in determining the key areas of research is especially emphasized.

Validation of De Novo Peptide Sequences with Bottom-Up Tag Convolution

De novo sequencing is indispensable for the analysis of proteins from organisms with unknown genomes, novel splice variants, and antibodies. However, despite a variety of methods developed to this end, distinguishing between the correct interpretation of a mass spectrum and a number of incorrect alternatives often remains a challenge. Tag convolution is computed for a set of peptide sequence tags of a fixed length k generated from the input tandem mass spectra and can be viewed as a generalization of the well-known spectral convolution. We demonstrate its utility for validating de novo peptide sequences by using a set of those generated by the algorithm PepNovo+ from high-resolution bottom-up data sets for carbonic anhydrase 2 and the Fab region of alemtuzumab and indicate its further potential applications.

The Thread metaphor in the linguistic imaginary of folklore

The Thread Metaphor in the Linguistic Imaginary of Folklore. In our study, we analyse the conceptualization of the idea of creation in the linguistic imaginary of traditional Romanian communities, with the help of certain metaphors from the sphere of household industry, namely the thread, the linen, the towel, the handkerchief, the kerchief, the girdle and others. By exploring a number of theories from the field of cognitive linguistics and ethnolinguistics, we research not only the manners of representing genesis, but also those of other forms of “creation”, such as creating human connections, both between the living and between the living and the dead. To this end, we follow certain linguistic data that encode the concept of creation, identified in folkloric texts, such as dirges, incantations, carols, fairytales, or cosmogonic legends. For their correct interpretation, we invoke their relation with popular beliefs, with ritual practices or elements of material patrimony, without which we would not be able to understand the deepest meanings. Finally, the results of the analysis highlight the significance of the seed-thread, as a core-metaphor responsible for the production of several types of creation, at different levels of existence. The thread metaphor supports the imaginary scheme of warping and weaving, which has modelled the representations about the birth of the vast canvas of the world. By analysing the multiple items, the connections and correlations created with the thread’s help, we can better understand that the folkloric world is itself a vast canvas whose threads often remain visible only to the initiated. Keywords: creation, cosmogony, thread, linen, towel, handkerchief, kerchief, girdle, footbridge, bridge, connection.

Autopsy dissection techniques and investigations in deaths due to COVID-19 triggered fungal infections - A diagnostic review

The COVID-19 pandemic, which originated from Wuhan, China, has rapidly spread worldwide, including India. As India grappled with the second wave, COVID-triggered fungal infection has suddenly risen tremendously, raising a sense of panic in the country. The fungal infection in COVID-19 includes Mucormycosis and Aspergillosis, as common fungal infections primarily affecting rhino-orbital structures. Many research papers have published postmortem findings in autopsies conducted on COVID-19 decedents, thereby helping to understand this contagious disease's pathogenesis. But, with the arrival of COVID-triggered fungal infection, which is a crucial invasive disease responsible for fatality, very few research papers have commented on the postmortem findings of invasive fungal infections affecting the rhino-orbital and craniocerebral structures in COVID-19 deaths. Therefore, the role of invasive fungal infection due to COVID-19 illness must be established in the causation of deaths in COVID-19 patients. This review research deals with autopsy dissection techniques and possible postmortem findings of invasive fungal infections involving the nasal and paranasal sinuses and orbital structures in COVID-19 deaths. The findings of fungal infection affecting nasal and paranasal systems may not differ in live patients and in a deceased; however, it is essential that correct interpretation of the postmortem findings aided by pre-or post-autopsy investigations is necessary to establish the role of covid triggered fungal infection in such deaths.