Learning what to read: Focused machine reading

Recent efforts in bioinformatics have achieved tremendous progress in the machine reading of biomedical literature, and the assembly of the extracted biochemical interactions into large-scale models such as protein signaling pathways. However, batch machine reading of literature at today's scale (PubMed alone indexes over 1 million papers per year) is unfeasible due to both cost and processing overhead. In this work, we introduce a focused reading approach to guide the machine reading of biomedical literature towards what literature should be read to answer a biomedical query as efficiently as possible. We introduce a family of algorithms for focused reading, including an intuitive, strong baseline, and a second approach which uses a reinforcement learning (RL) framework that learns when to explore (widen the search) or exploit (narrow it). We demonstrate that the RL approach is capable of answering more queries than the baseline, while being more efficient, i.e., reading fewer documents.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, 1 algorithm, 2 tables, accepted to EMNLP 201

Understanding the spiral structure of the Milky Way using the local kinematic groups

We study the spiral arm influence on the solar neighbourhood stellar kinematics. As the nature of the Milky Way (MW) spiral arms is not completely determined, we study two models: the Tight-Winding Approximation (TWA) model, which represents a local approximation, and a model with self-consistent material arms named PERLAS. This is a mass distribution with more abrupt gravitational forces. We perform test particle simulations after tuning the two models to the observational range for the MW spiral arm properties. We explore the effects of the arm properties and find that a significant region of the allowed parameter space favours the appearance of kinematic groups. The velocity distribution is mostly sensitive to the relative spiral arm phase and pattern speed. In all cases the arms induce strong kinematic imprints for pattern speeds around 17 km/s/kpc (close to the 4:1 inner resonance) but no substructure is induced close to corotation. The groups change significantly if one moves only ~0.6 kpc in galactocentric radius, but ~2 kpc in azimuth. The appearance time of each group is different, ranging from 0 to more than 1 Gyr. Recent spiral arms can produce strong kinematic structures. The stellar response to the two potential models is significantly different near the Sun, both in density and kinematics. The PERLAS model triggers more substructure for a larger range of pattern speed values. The kinematic groups can be used to reduce the current uncertainty about the MW spiral structure and to test whether this follows the TWA. However, groups such as the observed ones in the solar vicinity can be reproduced by different parameter combinations. Data from velocity distributions at larger distances are needed for a definitive constraint.Comment: 18 pages, 21 figures, 4 tables; acccepted for publication in MNRA

Spontaneous CP Symmetry Breaking at the Electroweak Scale

We present a top-condensation model in which the CP symmetry is spontaneously broken at the electroweak scale due to the condensation of two composite Higgs doublets. In particular the CP-violating phase of the CKM matrix is generated. A simpler model where only one quark family is included is also discussed. In this case, for a general four-fermion interaction ($G_{tb}\neq 0$), the particle spectrum is the one of the one Higgs doublet model.Comment: 25 pages, LaTeX. References and comment adde

Exponential torsion growth for random 3-manifolds

We show that a random 3-manifold with positive first Betti number admits a tower of cyclic covers with exponential torsion growth

Forming Disk Galaxies in Lambda CDM Simulations

We used fully cosmological, high resolution N-body + SPH simulations to follow the formation of disk galaxies with rotational velocities between 135 and 270 km/sec in a Lambda CDM universe. The simulations include gas cooling, star formation, the effects of a uniform UV background and a physically motivated description of feedback from supernovae. The host dark matter halos have a spin and last major merger redshift typical of galaxy sized halos as measured in recent large scale N--Body simulations. The simulated galaxies form rotationally supported disks with realistic exponential scale lengths and fall on both the I-band and baryonic Tully Fisher relations. An extended stellar disk forms inside the Milky Way sized halo immediately after the last major merger. The combination of UV background and SN feedback drastically reduces the number of visible satellites orbiting inside a Milky Way sized halo, bringing it in fair agreement with observations. Our simulations predict that the average age of a primary galaxy's stellar population decreases with mass, because feedback delays star formation in less massive galaxies. Galaxies have stellar masses and current star formation rates as a function of total mass that are in good agreement with observational data. We discuss how both high mass and force resolution and a realistic description of star formation and feedback are important ingredients to match the observed properties of galaxies.Comment: Revised version after the referee's comments. Conclusions unchanged. 2 new plots. MNRAS in press. 20 plots. 21 page

Women's Movements, the State and Democratization in Chile

Summary This article examines one attempt by feminists to engage with the state through an analysis of SERNAM, the Chilean women's bureau established in 1990 by the centre left civilian government. It argues that it is impossible to understand SERNAM's achievements without placing the analysis in the wider context of the Chilean transition to democracy, characterized by negotiated pacts and the lack of a radical agenda for change. Some Chilean feminists decided that it was essential to influence the unfolding political process through the political parties of the centre left. SERNAM was established as a result of their activities but has found it easier to achieve outcomes fitting in with the agenda of the government, i.e. associated with poverty alleviation, rather than measures which threaten to alter gender relations directly. RESUME Les mouvements des femmes, l'état, et la démocratisation au Chili Cet article examine comment les féministes ont tenté d'engager l'état et d'être engagées par lui, en offrant une analyse du SERNAM, le Bureau chilien des femmes fondé en 1990 par le gouvenement civil de centre?gauche. L'article propose qu'il est impossible de comprendre le niveau de succès du SERNAM sans que l'analyse se fasse dans le contexte plus large de la transition du Chili vers la démocratie, transition caractérisée par des pactes négociés et par le manque d'un programme de changement radical. Certaines féministes chiliennes ont décidé qu'il était essentiel d'influencer le déroulement du processus politique par le biais des partis politiques de centre?gauche. C'est grâce à leurs activités que le SERNAM a été fondé or cette organisation a trouvé qu'il était plus facile d'atteindre des objectifs qui s'alliaient au programme du gouvernement, c?à?d. qui s'alliaient à l'allégement de la pauvreté, que des mesures qui menacent de modifier directement les rapports entre les genres. RESUMEN Los movimientos femeninos, el Estado y la democratización en Chile El artículo examina el intento por parte de grupos feministas de insertarse en el Estado a través de un análisis de SERNAM, El Departamento Chileno de la Mujer, creado en 1990 por el gobierno civil de centro izquierda. Se argumenta que es imposible apreciar los logros del SERNAM sin ubicar el análisis dentro del contexto mas amplio de la transición a la democracia en el país, caracterizada por pactos negociados y por la falta de una agenda radical para el cambio. Alguas feministas chilenas consideraron esencial influenciar al naciente proceso político a través de los partidos de centro izquierda. SERNAM fue establecido como resultado de esas actividades pero hasta ahora ha encontrado más fácil alcanzar objetivos acordes a la agenda del gobierno, por ejemplo el alivio de la pobreza, que intentar otras medidas que amenacen alterar las relaciones de género de una forma más directa

On stratification for spaces with Noetherian mod pp cohomology

Let $X$ be a topological space with Noetherian mod $p$ cohomology and let $C^*(X;\mathbb{F}_p)$ be the commutative ring spectrum of $\mathbb{F}_p$-valued cochains on $X$. The goal of this paper is to exhibit conditions under which the category of module spectra on $C^*(X;\mathbb{F}_p)$ is stratified in the sense of Benson, Iyengar, Krause, providing a classification of all its localizing subcategories. We establish stratification in this sense for classifying spaces of a large class of topological groups including Kac--Moody groups as well as whenever $X$ admits an $H$-space structure. More generally, using Lannes' theory we prove that stratification for $X$ is equivalent to a condition that generalizes Chouinard's theorem for finite groups. In particular, this relates the generalized telescope conjecture in this setting to a question in unstable homotopy theory