Improved Coreference Resolution Using Cognitive Insights

Coreference resolution is the task of extracting referential expressions, or mentions, in text and clustering these by the entity or concept they refer to. The sustained research interest in the task reflects the richness of reference expression usage in natural language and the difficulty in encoding insights from linguistic and cognitive theories effectively. In this thesis, we design and implement LIMERIC, a state-of-the-art coreference resolution engine. LIMERIC naturally incorporates both non-local decoding and entity-level modelling to achieve the highly competitive benchmark performance of 64.22% and 59.99% on the CoNLL-2012 benchmark with a simple model and a baseline feature set. As well as strong performance, a key contribution of this work is a reconceptualisation of the coreference task. We draw an analogy between shift-reduce parsing and coreference resolution to develop an algorithm which naturally mimics cognitive models of human discourse processing. In our feature development work, we leverage insights from cognitive theories to improve our modelling. Each contribution achieves statistically significant improvements and sum to gains of 1.65% and 1.66% on the CoNLL-2012 benchmark, yielding performance values of 65.76% and 61.27%. For each novel feature we propose, we contribute an accompanying analysis so as to better understand how cognitive theories apply to real language data. LIMERIC is at once a platform for exploring cognitive insights into coreference and a viable alternative to current systems. We are excited by the promise of incorporating our and further cognitive insights into more complex frameworks since this has the potential to both improve the performance of computational models, as well as our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning human reference resolution

Report and preliminary results of R/V POSEIDON cruise POS539, Varna (Bulgaria) - Varna (Bulgaria) November 6 - November 21, 2019

The R/V POSEIDON cruise POS539 took place in the northwestern basin of the Black Sea (42°30’N to 44°N and 29°E to 31°E). The overarching aim of the campaign was to obtain sediment and water samples, including suspended particle material, from the various redox zones of the Black Sea. The campaign lasted between November 6th and November 21st 2019 and the collected samples were taken in order to investigate the activity and physiology of microorganisms involved in the conversion of nitrogen compounds and degradation of organic carbon under various oxygen conditions. The main topics of the cruise were: (a) to quantify the contribution of archaeal nitrifiers to the nitrogen and carbon cycles, b) to measure the production and consumption of the powerful greenhouse gases CH4 and N2O, c) to record palaeoenvironmental changes in high resolution, and d) to describe the complexity and identity of biopolymers. For this, water and sediment samples were retrieved from 10 discrete shelf and slope stations. First, ‘deep water’ transect was conducted, which included three stations with water depths over 2000 m. The second perpendicular transect encompassed stations that gradually transitioned from the deep parts of the slope towards the shelf (ca. 80 m depth). Additionally, two stations were setup north and south of the shelf transect, respectively, for paleoceanographic studies. Throughout the cruise the weather conditions were overwhelmingly good, only towards the end of the campaign gusty winds of 7 Bft were recorded. The recorded oceanographic conditions were in agreement with the expected water properties at all stations. Station activities were completed on November 20th at 14:00 local board time. On November 21st at 10:30 local time, R/V POSEIDON reached the port of Varna, Bulgaria, thus concluding the POS539 expedition. Analyses and results from the samples and experiments will provide a basis for our understanding of the microbial control on the carbon and nitrogen cycle of the Black Sea.13032

Empirical study of automated dictionary construction for information extraction in three domains

ManuscriptA primary goal of natural language processing researchers is to develop a knowledge-based natural language processing (NLP) system that is portable across domains. However, most knowledge-based NLP systems rely on a domain-specific dictionary of concepts, which represents a substantial knowledge-engineering bottleneck. We have developed a system called AutoSlog that addresses the knowledge-engineering bottleneck for a task called information extraction. AutoSlog automatically creates domain-specific dictionaries for information extraction, given an appropriate training corpus. We have used AutoSlog to create a dictionary of extraction patterns for terrorism, which achieved 98% of the performance of a handcrafted dictionary that required approximately 1500 person-hours to build. In this paper, we describe experiments with AutoSlog in two additional domains: joint ventures and microelectronics. We compare the performance of AutoSlog across the three domains, discuss the lessons learned about the generality of this approach, and present results from two experiments which demonstrate that novice users can generate effective dictionaries using AutoSlog

Harpacticoida (Crustacea, Copepoda) across a longitudinal transect of the Vema Fracture Zone and along a depth gradient in the Puerto Rico trench

The aim of this study was the investigation of abundance, composition and biodiversity of benthic deep-sea Harpacticoida (Crustacea, Copepoda) in the Verna Fracture Zone (VFZ) and Puerto Rico trench. The study revealed a clear East-West gradient in total abundance of Harpacticoida with a westward decrease in abundances in the VFZ and significant differences in the community composition in the Eastern (East Verna) and Western Atlantic basin (West Verna) on family and genus level. The Puerto Rico trench and its upper slope did not only differ in abundance, but were distinct with respect to community composition on family and genus level. Thus, the upper slope might be considered as an ecotone, a transition zone where a rapid distinction of species composition occurs. In our study fiarea, 837 adult harpacticoid specimens could be assigned to 16 families and 1 subfamily. The most abundant families found were Ameiridae Boeck, 1865, Pseudotachidiidae Lang, 1936 and Ectinosomatidae Sars, 1903. Genera and species were investigated within selected families (Argestidae Por, 1986, Cletodidae T. Scott, 1905, Canthocamptidae Brady, 1880 and Zosimeidae Seifried, 2003) where 11 genera, and 73 species could be discriminated. Within the selected families, the genera Zosime Boeck, 1873 and Mesocletades Sars, 1909 were dominant. In the study area, a high number of singletons was detected, which might be endemic to the respective region. Furthermore, a low total number of species in the trench was observed which was attributed to frequent disturbances in the dynamic environment of the Puerto Rico trench (e.g. turbidites or seismic activity) and high adaptability of specialists and opportunists to these disturbances

Fluid-rock interaction at the backstop to the Mediterranean Ridge Accretionary Complex South of Crete : R/V SONNE Cruise Report SO278 : Emden (Germany), 12.10.2020 - Emden (Germany), 01.12.2020 : FRINGE

The research cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean (GPF-18-2-40) originally planned on RV METEOR was relocated to RV SONNE (Fig. 1.2) due to the reduced number of scientists as part of the corona pandemic. The main objective of the Bremen Ocean Cluster expedition (DFG, EXC2077) was to investigate the interactions between the seabed and ocean water in Greek waters, whereby the plate tectonic constellation of a broad collision zone represents a special tectonic drive. A secondary goal was the sampling of the Sartori mud volcano, which is being processed in Italian waters as part of a separate DFG project and for which the GPF granted an additional permit for ship time (GPF 20-1_054). The expedition began on 12 October in Emden/Germany and ended on 01 December 2020, in Emden. Investigations on mud volcanoes were carried out divided into 3 working areas (Fig. 1.1, the Sartori mud volcano in the Calabrian arc, the so-called Cobblestone Area, the Olimpi mud volcano field including the United Nation Ridge). With the MARUM AUV SEAL (Fig. 1.3) 11 dives were successfully carried out to create high-resolution detailed maps of certain seafloor structures. A total of 38 gravity cores (Fig. 1.4), 30 multicorers (Fig. 1.5) and 4 minicorers were used for sampling sediments and 6 CTD stations for sampling methane in the water column. Furthermore, 10 profiles were carried out with the heat flow lance and 5 observation profiles with the on-board OFOS. In four different provinces, 16 mud volcanoes were examined, 10 of which are characterized by pore waters that show a distinct freshening, while three mud volcanoes, Napoli, Heraklion and Gelendzhik, are characterized by very high salt concentrations. The salt accumulations in these structures are derived from the Messinian salt deposits in the subbed, from which salty brines arise through subrosion, which interact in various ways with the mud volcanoes. The study areas were selected based on preliminary surveys and morphological structures and increased backscatter patterns from multibeam mapping carried out over 3580 nautical miles in Italian and Greek waters.32

Sediment accumulation and carbon burial in four hadal trench systems

Hadal trenches are considered to act as depocenters for organic material, although pathways for the material transport and deposition rates are poorly constrained. Here we assess focusing, deposition and accumulation of material and organic carbon in four hadal trench systems underlying different surface ocean productivities; the eutrophic Atacama and Kuril-Kamchatka trenches, the mesotrophic Kermadec trench and the oligotrophic Mariana Trench. The study is based on the distributions of naturally occurring 210Pbex, 137Cs and total organic carbon from recovered sediment cores and by applying previously quantified benthic mineralization rates. Periods of steady deposition and discreet mass-wasting deposits were identified from the profiles and the latter were associated with historic recorded seismic events in the respective regions. During periods without mass wasting, the estimated focusing factors along trench axes were elevated, suggesting more or less continuous downslope focusing of material toward the interior of the trenches. The estimated organic carbon deposition rates during these periods exhibited extensive site-specific variability, but were generally similar to values encountered at much shallower settings such as continental slopes and margins. Organic carbon deposition rates during periods of steady deposition were not mirrored by surface ocean productivity, but appeared confounded by local bathymetry. The inclusion of deposition mediated by mass-wasting events enhanced the sediment and organic carbon accumulations for the past ∼ 150 years by up to a factor of ∼ 4. Thus, due to intensified downslope material focusing and infrequent mass-wasting events, hadal trenches are important sites for deposition and sequestration of organic carbon in the deep sea

Benthic foraminifera as geochemical and micropaleontological proxies for redox conditions in the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone

Determination of the pore density in Bolivina spissa from the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone in respect to oxygen and nitrate availability. First applications of the pore dansity as an environmental proxy. Analysis of the redox sensitive elements manganese and iron in foraminiferal calcite from the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone in respect to redox conditions with ICP-MS and SIM

Impacts of land developments and land use changes on urban stormwater management

With the rapid urbanization happening around the world, the nature of the natural hydrological cycle has been changed and it causes many adverse effects like urban flooding, erosion and degradation of water quality in urban areas. Due to the increasing population, urbanization will continue rapidly and this increases impervious lands which generate more runoff. Anthropogenic climate change has influenced the strength of storm events and reduced the recurrent intervals. Current urban stormwater management systems are becoming increasingly lacking with rapidly increasing demands and climatic effects. Groundwater has been found as a key factor in creating inadequacy in urban drainage to carry stormwater runoff in catchments having a shallow groundwater table. Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) and modifications to urban stormwater management systems (USWMSs) according to the best management practices (BMP) should be implemented after systematic analysis to overcome the situation.This study has focused on assessing urban land development activities and changing patterns of land use in urban areas as the main anthropogenic stress on urban hydrology. In addition, the adaptation to natural phenomenon such as climate change has been studied. A numerical hydrological model was used to analyse the behaviour of catchments and their characteristics. Urban flood identification and prevention was one of the major concerns of this study. Several urban stormwater drainage systems have been assessed under three case studies.The stormwater drainage system of Canning Vale Central catchment, which is one of the urban catchments in Western Australia, has been assessed by using numerical modelling in case study number one. The model was developed by using existing mapped data and data collected from an ongoing telemetric observation system and several field visits. Surface runoff has been routed by using different modelling techniques such as hydrological surface runoff and two-dimensional (2D) surface runoff modelling. Groundwater has been treated as a critical issue during the modelling. The effects of land use changes and their sensitivity to the USWMS have been assessed. Necessary recommendations to improve the USWMS and mitigate localised flood issues have been given. Flood vulnerability maps have been developed to identify the critical areas where there is the potential to be flooded under different Average Recurrent Interval (ARI) events. These flood vulnerability maps will be used by the local authorities to develop recommendations and guidelines for future developments of infrastructure during land development and subdivision works.The urban ungauged catchment of Victoria Park in Western Australia has been assessed by using a 2D surface runoff routing model. The catchment has built flood storage areas (stormwater basins) and the inadequacy of them in protecting against recent storm events has caused local concern. The area has been developed rapidly in recent decades and land use has been changed to more impervious surfaces than was expected at the time the basins were designed. These changes to the land use—together with anthropogenic climate change—has caused runoff from rapid storms to exceed the basin top water level. The catchment‘s existing stormwater basins‘ capacities were assessed against different ARI events during case study number two. Flood vulnerability maps and water level contours have been developed to identify the possible inundations and flood depths of basins and surrounding areas.The overall study is based on hydrological modelling of different USWMSs and urban hydrology. Land use change was considered as the main anthropogenic stress upon urban hydrological catchments. Factors such as encountering groundwater in stormwater drainage have been analysed to support the study. Recommendations based on WSUD and BMPs have been given to mitigate the adverse effects of urban land use changes to urban stormwater management

Xavier University Newswire

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