Incorporating Relation Knowledge into Commonsense Reading Comprehension with Multi-task Learning

This paper focuses on how to take advantage of external relational knowledge to improve machine reading comprehension (MRC) with multi-task learning. Most of the traditional methods in MRC assume that the knowledge used to get the correct answer generally exists in the given documents. However, in real-world task, part of knowledge may not be mentioned and machines should be equipped with the ability to leverage external knowledge. In this paper, we integrate relational knowledge into MRC model for commonsense reasoning. Specifically, based on a pre-trained language model (LM). We design two auxiliary relation-aware tasks to predict if there exists any commonsense relation and what is the relation type between two words, in order to better model the interactions between document and candidate answer option. We conduct experiments on two multi-choice benchmark datasets: the SemEval-2018 Task 11 and the Cloze Story Test. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, which achieves superior performance compared with the comparable baselines on both datasets.Comment: Accepted at CIKM'19, 4 page

Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Parameterizations

Various radiative transfer (RT) schemes are presented in the chapter including four-stream discrete ordinates adding method (4DDA), four-stream harmonic expansion approximation (4SDA) for the solar spectra and absorption approximation (AA), variational iteration method (VIM) for the infrared spectra. 4DDA uses Gaussian quadrature method to deal with the integration in the RT equation. 4SDA considers four-order spherical harmonic expansion in radiative intensity. VIM allows the zeroth-order solution to be identified as AA, and the scattering effect is included in the first-order iteration. By applying 4DDA/4SDA to a realistic atmospheric profile with gaseous transmission considered, it is found that the accuracy of 4DDA/4SDA is superior to two stream spherical harmonic (Eddington approximation) adding method (2SDA) and two-stream discrete ordinates adding method (2DDA), especially for the cloudy conditions. It is shown that the relative errors of 4DDA/4SDA are generally less than 1% in heating rate, while the relative errors of both 2SDA and 2DDA are over 6%. By applying VIM to a full radiation algorithm a gaseous gaseous transmission, it is found that VIM is generally more accurate than the discrete ordinates method (DOM). Computationally, VIM is slightly faster than DOM in the two-stream case but more than twice as fast in the four-stream case. In view of its high overall accuracy and computational efficiency, 4DDA, 4SDA, as well as VIM are well suited in solving radiative transfer in climate models

A Deep Cascade Model for Multi-Document Reading Comprehension

A fundamental trade-off between effectiveness and efficiency needs to be balanced when designing an online question answering system. Effectiveness comes from sophisticated functions such as extractive machine reading comprehension (MRC), while efficiency is obtained from improvements in preliminary retrieval components such as candidate document selection and paragraph ranking. Given the complexity of the real-world multi-document MRC scenario, it is difficult to jointly optimize both in an end-to-end system. To address this problem, we develop a novel deep cascade learning model, which progressively evolves from the document-level and paragraph-level ranking of candidate texts to more precise answer extraction with machine reading comprehension. Specifically, irrelevant documents and paragraphs are first filtered out with simple functions for efficiency consideration. Then we jointly train three modules on the remaining texts for better tracking the answer: the document extraction, the paragraph extraction and the answer extraction. Experiment results show that the proposed method outperforms the previous state-of-the-art methods on two large-scale multi-document benchmark datasets, i.e., TriviaQA and DuReader. In addition, our online system can stably serve typical scenarios with millions of daily requests in less than 50ms.Comment: Accepted at AAAI 201

A Genotyping Array for the Globally Invasive Vector Mosquito, Aedes albopictus

BACKGROUND: Although whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is the preferred genotyping method for most genomic analyses, limitations are often experienced when studying genomes characterized by a high percentage of repetitive elements, high linkage, and recombination deserts. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), for example, has a genome comprising up to 72% repetitive elements, and therefore we set out to develop a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip to be more cost-effective. Aedes albopictus is an invasive species originating from Southeast Asia that has recently spread around the world and is a vector for many human diseases. Developing an accessible genotyping platform is essential in advancing biological control methods and understanding the population dynamics of this pest species, with significant implications for public health. METHODS: We designed a SNP chip for Ae. albopictus (Aealbo chip) based on approximately 2.7 million SNPs identified using WGS data from 819 worldwide samples. We validated the chip using laboratory single-pair crosses, comparing technical replicates, and comparing genotypes of samples genotyped by WGS and the SNP chip. We then used the chip for a population genomic analysis of 237 samples from 28 sites in the native range to evaluate its usefulness in describing patterns of genomic variation and tracing the origins of invasions. RESULTS: Probes on the Aealbo chip targeted 175,396 SNPs in coding and non-coding regions across all three chromosomes, with a density of 102 SNPs per 1 Mb window, and at least one SNP in each of the 17,461 protein-coding genes. Overall, 70% of the probes captured the genetic variation. Segregation analysis found that 98% of the SNPs followed expectations of single-copy Mendelian genes. Comparisons with WGS indicated that sites with genotype disagreements were mostly heterozygotes at loci with WGS read depth \u3c 20, while there was near complete agreement with WGS read depths \u3e 20, indicating that the chip more accurately detects heterozygotes than low-coverage WGS. Sample sizes did not affect the accuracy of the SNP chip genotype calls. Ancestry analyses identified four to five genetic clusters in the native range with various levels of admixture. CONCLUSIONS: The Aealbo chip is highly accurate, is concordant with genotypes from WGS with high sequence coverage, and may be more accurate than low-coverage WGS

Exosomes Derived From Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells Ameliorate Early Inflammatory Responses Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Although treatment guidelines have been developed, no best treatment option or medicine for this condition exists. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived exosomes have shown lots of promise for the treatment of brain disorders, with some results highlighting the neuroprotective effects through neurogenesis and angiogenesis after TBI. However, studies focusing on the role of exosomes in the early stages of neuroinflammation post-TBI are not sufficient. In this study, we investigated the role of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)-exosomes in attenuating neuroinflammation at an early stage post-TBI and explored the potential regulatory neuroprotective mechanism. We administered 30 μg protein of BMSCs-exosomes or an equal volume of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) via the retro-orbital route into C57BL/6 male mice 15 min after controlled cortical impact (CCI)-induced TBI. The results showed that the administration of BMSCs-exosomes reduced the lesion size and improved the neurobehavioral performance assessed by modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS) and rotarod test. In addition, BMSCs-exosomes inhibited the expression of proapoptosis protein Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX) and proinflammation cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-1β, while enhancing the expression of the anti-apoptosis protein B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2). Furthermore, BMSCs-exosomes modulated microglia/macrophage polarization by downregulating the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (INOS) and upregulating the expression of clusters of differentiation 206 (CD206) and arginase-1 (Arg1). In summary, our result shows that BMSCs-exosomes serve a neuroprotective function by inhibiting early neuroinflammation in TBI mice through modulating the polarization of microglia/macrophages. Further research into this may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for the future treatment of TBI

The Serotonin 5-HT7Dro Receptor Is Expressed in the Brain of Drosophila, and Is Essential for Normal Courtship and Mating

The 5-HT7 receptor remains one of the less well characterized serotonin receptors. Although it has been demonstrated to be involved in the regulation of mood, sleep, and circadian rhythms, as well as relaxation of vascular smooth muscles in mammals, the precise mechanisms underlying these functions remain largely unknown. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is an attractive model organism to study neuropharmacological, molecular, and behavioral processes that are largely conserved with mammals. Drosophila express a homolog of the mammalian 5-HT7 receptor, as well as homologs for the mammalian 5-HT1A, and 5-HT2, receptors. Each fly receptor couples to the same effector pathway as their mammalian counterpart and have been demonstrated to mediate similar behavioral responses. Here, we report on the expression and function of the 5-HT7Dro receptor in Drosophila. In the larval central nervous system, expression is detected postsynaptically in discreet cells and neuronal circuits. In the adult brain there is strong expression in all large-field R neurons that innervate the ellipsoid body, as well as in a small group of cells that cluster with the PDF-positive LNvs neurons that mediate circadian activity. Following both pharmacological and genetic approaches, we have found that 5-HT7Dro activity is essential for normal courtship and mating behaviors in the fly, where it appears to mediate levels of interest in both males and females. This is the first reported evidence of direct involvement of a particular serotonin receptor subtype in courtship and mating in the fly

Application of PXRF in sediment analysis for geochemical prospecting in Dragon Horn area on the southwestern Indian Ridge

Polymetallic sulfides associated with hydrothermal activity near the mid-ocean ridges are importantpotential replacement resources in the future, while their exploration techniques and methods are relatively scarce at present. The Portable X rayFluorescence Spectroscopy(PXRF) is a new technology developed for in situ rapid analysis in field, and it has been applied in outcrops rock geochemical analyzing, and evaluation of soil heavy metal pollution.In this study, we applied PXRF in geochemical composition analyzing of sediments collected from the Dragon Horn area on the Southwest Indian Ridge, to determine possible location of potential hydrothermal actives by the spatial distribution of elements. The results show that sediments in the study area are consist of calcareous sediments, bedrock debris, hydrothermal ore-forming elements, etc.Some samples show relatively high concentrations of hydrothermal ore-forming elements, which are obviously affected by hydrothermal activities. Based on the C-N fractural method, the threshold anomaly of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn and As were determined.According to their spatial distribution characteristics of the above elements, six anomalousareas were identifiedin the study area, three of which were consistent with known identified hydrothermal areas, and the other three anomalous areas may represent undiscovered hydrothermal activities.This study provides new strategies for hydrothermal sulfide exploration on mid ocean ridges