Reconciliation of Pre-trained Models and Prototypical Neural Networks in Few-shot Named Entity Recognition

Incorporating large-scale pre-trained models with the prototypical neural networks is a de-facto paradigm in few-shot named entity recognition. Existing methods, unfortunately, are not aware of the fact that embeddings from pre-trained models contain a prominently large amount of information regarding word frequencies, biasing prototypical neural networks against learning word entities. This discrepancy constrains the two models' synergy. Thus, we propose a one-line-code normalization method to reconcile such a mismatch with empirical and theoretical grounds. Our experiments based on nine benchmark datasets show the superiority of our method over the counterpart models and are comparable to the state-of-the-art methods. In addition to the model enhancement, our work also provides an analytical viewpoint for addressing the general problems in few-shot name entity recognition or other tasks that rely on pre-trained models or prototypical neural networks.Comment: Findings of EMNLP 202

Assessment of multi-air emissions: case of particulate matter (dust), SO2, NOx and CO2 from iron and steel industry of China

Industrial activities are generally energy and air emissions intensive, requiring bulky inputs of raw materials and fossil fuels and emitting huge waste gases including particulate matter (PM, or dust), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2), and other substances, which are severely damaging the environment. Many studies have been carried out on the quantification of the concentrations of these air emissions. Although there are studies published on the co-effect of multi-air emissions, a more fair and comprehensive method for assessing the environmental impact of multi-air emissions is still lacking, which can simultaneously consider the flow rate of waste gases, the availability of emitting sources and the concentrations of all emission substances. In this work, a Total Environmental Impact Score (TEIS) approach is proposed to assess the environmental impact of the main industrial processes of an integrated iron and steel site located in the northeast of China. Besides the concentration of each air emission substance, this TEIS approach also combines the flow rate of waste gases and the availability of emitting sources. It is shown that the processes in descending order by the values of TEIS are sintering, ironmaking, steelmaking, thermal power, steel rolling, and coking, with the values of 17.57, 16.68, 10.86, 10.43, 9.60 and 9.27, respectively. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted, indicating that the TEIS order is almost the same with the variation of 10% in the permissible CO2 concentration limit and the weight of each air emission substance. The effects of emitting source availability and waste gas flow rate on the TEIS cannot be neglected in the environmental impact assessment

Synthesis of graphene oxide–methacrylic acid–sodium allyl sulfonate copolymer and its tanning properties

AbstractGraphite oxide nanosheets (GONs) and the copolymer of GONs with methacrylic acid (MAA) and sodium allyl sulfonate (SAS) (poly(GON–MAA–SAS)) were prepared. The GONs in poly(GON–MAA–SAS) are smaller and uniformly dispersed, allowing them to penetrate into collagen fibers of leather and produce better tanning effects than current nano-tanning agents. Tanning effects due to chemical bonding and nanoeffects are elucidated by measuring the shrinkage temperature (Ts) of wet and dry leather. The results indicate that poly(GON–MAA–SAS) could be used alone as a tanning agent to provide excellent mechanical properties, especially good elasticity and softness, although the Ts is slightly lower than that of chrome-tanned leather. Poly(GON–MAA–SAS) in combination with a chrome tanning agent could allow the dosage of the latter to be halved. These results indicate the potential for new nano-tanning agents to reduce the pollution caused by tanning agents

Ultra-Short Wave Communication Squelch Algorithm Based on Deep Neural Network

The squelch problem of ultra-short wave communication under non-stationary noise and low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) in a complex electromagnetic environment is still challenging. To alleviate the problem, we proposed a squelch algorithm for ultra-short wave communication based on a deep neural network and the traditional energy decision method. The proposed algorithm first predicts the speech existence probability using a three-layer Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) with the speech banding spectrum as the feature. Then it gets the final squelch result by combining the strength of the signal energy and the speech existence probability. Multiple simulations and experiments are done to verify the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. We simulate the algorithm in three situations: the typical Amplitude Modulation (AM) and Frequency Modulation (FM) in the ultra-short wave communication under different SNR environments, the non-stationary burst-like noise environments, and the real received signal of the ultra-short wave radio. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm performs better than the traditional squelch methods in all the simulations and experiments. In particular, the false alarm rate of the proposed squelch algorithm for non-stationary burst-like noise is significantly lower than that of traditional squelch methods

Environmental impact assessment of wastewater discharge with multi-pollutants from iron and steel industry

The iron and steel industry discharges large quantities of wastewater. The environmental impact of the wastewater is traditionally assessed from the quantitative aspect. However, the water quality of discharged wastewater plays a more significant role in damaging the natural environment. Moreover, comprehensive assessment of multi-pollutants in wastewater from both quality and quantity is still a gap. In this work, a total environmental impact score (TEIS) is defined to assess the environmental impact of wastewater discharge, by considering the volume of wastewater and the quality of main processes. To implement the comprehensively qualitative and quantitative assessment, a field monitoring and measurement of wastewater discharge volume and the quality is conducted to acquire pH, suspend solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total iron (TFe), and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). The sequence of TEIS values is obtained as steelmaking > ironmaking > sintering > hot rolling > coking > cold rolling and TN > COD > SS > pH > Cr(VI) > TFe. The TEIS of the investigated steel plant is 26.27. The leading process lies in steelmaking with a TEIS of 19.98. The dominant pollutant is TN with a TEIS of 15.00. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to validate the feasibility and generalisability of the TEIS

The nuclear factor-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate reduces polyinosinic-polycytidilic acid-induced immune response in pregnant rats and the behavioral defects of their adult offspring

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epidemiological studies have indicated that maternal infection during pregnancy may lead to a higher incidence of schizophrenia in the offspring. It is assumed that the maternal infection increases the immune response, leading to neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring. Maternal polyinosinic-polycytidilic acid (PolyI:C) treatment induces a wide range of characteristics in the offspring mimicking some schizophrenia symptoms in humans. These observations are consistent with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined whether suppression of the maternal immune response could prevent neurodevelopmental disorders in adult offspring. PolyI:C or saline was administered to early pregnant rats to mimic maternal infection, and the maternal immune response represented by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) was used to suppress the maternal immune response. Neurodevelopmental disorders in adult offspring were examined by prepulse inhibition (PPI), passive avoidance, and active avoidance tests.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PolyI:C administration to early pregnant rats led to elevated serum cytokine levels as shown by massive increases in serum TNF-α and IL-10 levels. The adult offspring showed defects in prepulse inhibition, and passive avoidance and active avoidance tests. PDTC intervention in early pregnant rats suppressed cytokine increases and reduced the severity of neurodevelopmental defects in adult offspring.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings suggest that PDTC can suppress the maternal immune response induced by PolyI:C and partially prevent neurodevelopmental disorders of adult offspring.</p

Association between Ghrelin gene (GHRL) polymorphisms and clinical response to atypical antipsychotic drugs in Han Chinese schizophrenia patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ghrelin (<it>GHRL</it>) is a pivotal peptide regulator of food intake, energy balance, and body mass. Weight gain (WG) is a common side effect of the atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) used to treat schizophrenia (SZ). Ghrelin polymorphisms have been associated with pathogenic variations in plasma lipid concentrations, blood pressure, plasma glucose, and body mass index (BMI). However, it is unclear whether <it>GHRL </it>polymorphisms are associated with WG due to AAPs. Furthermore, there is no evidence of an association between <it>GHRL </it>polymorphisms and SZ or the therapeutic response to AAPs. We explored these potential associations by genotyping <it>GHRL </it>alleles in SZ patients and controls. We also examined the relation between these SNPs and changes in metabolic indices during AAP treatment in SZ subgroups distinguished by high or low therapeutic response.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four SNPs (Leu72Met, -501A/C, -604 G/A, and -1062 G > C) were genotyped in 634 schizophrenia patients and 606 control subjects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no significant differences in allele frequencies, genotype distributions, or the distributions of two SNP haplotypes between SZ patients and healthy controls (<it>P </it>> 0.05). There was also no significant difference in symptom reduction between genotypes after 8 weeks of AAP treatment as measured by positive and negative symptom scale scores (PANSS). However, the -604 G/A polymorphism was associated with a greater BMI increase in response to AAP administration in both APP responders and non-responders as distinguished by PANSS score reduction (<it>P </it>< 0.001). There were also significant differences in WG when the responder group was further subdivided according to the specific AAP prescribed (<it>P </it>< 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These four <it>GHRL </it>gene SNPs were not associated with SZ in this Chinese Han population. The -604 G/A polymorphism was associated with significant BW and BMI increases during AAP treatment. Patients exhibiting higher WG showed greater improvements in positive and negative symptoms than patients exhibiting lower weight gain or weight loss.</p

Solute Carrier Family 1 (SLC1A1) Contributes to Susceptibility and Psychopathology Symptoms of Schizophrenia in the Han Chinese Population

Objective: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a common and complex psychiatric disorder that has a significant genetic component. The glutamate hypothesis describes one possible pathogenesis of SZ. The solute carrier family 1 gene (SLC1A1) is one of several genes thought to play a critical role in regulating the glutamatergic system and is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of SZ. In this study, we identify polymorphisms of the SLC1A1 gene that may confer susceptibility to SZ in the Han Chinese population. Methods: We genotyped 36 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using Illumina GoldenGate assays on a BeadStation 500G Genotyping System in 528 paranoid SZ patients and 528 healthy controls. Psychopathology was rated by the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. Results: Significant associations were found in genotype and allele frequencies for SNPs rs10815017 (p = 0.002, 0.030, respectively) and rs2026828 (p = 0.020, 0.005, respectively) between SZ and healthy controls. There were significant associations in genotype frequency at rs6476875 (p = 0.020) and rs7024664 (p = 0.021) and allele frequency at rs3780412 (p = 0.026) and rs10974573 (p = 0.047) between SZ and healthy controls. Meanwhile, significant differences were found in genotype frequency at rs10815017 (p = 0.015), rs2026828 (p = 0.011), and rs3780411 (p = 0.040) in males, and rs7021569 in females (p = 0.020) between cases and controls when subdivided by gender. Also, significant differences were found in allele frequency at rs2026828 (p = 0.003), and rs7021569 (p = 0.045) in males, and rs10974619 in females (p = 0.044). However, those associations disappeared after Bonferroni\u27s correction (p\u27s \u3e 0.05). Significant associations were found in the frequencies of four haplotypes (AA, CA, AGA, and GG) between SZ and healthy controls (chi (2) = 3.974, 7.433, 4.699, 4.526, p = 0.046, 0.006, 0.030, 0.033, respectively). There were significant associations between rs7032326 genotypes and PANSS total, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology in SZ (p = 0.002, 0.011, 0.028, 0.008, respectively). Conclusion: The present study provides further evidence that SLC1A1 may be not a susceptibility gene for SZ. However, the genetic variations of SLC1A1 may affect psychopathology symptoms

Common and Specific Functional Activity Features in Schizophrenia, Major Depressive Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder

Objectives: Schizophrenia (SZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BD) are serious mental disorders with distinct diagnostic criteria. They share common clinical and biological features. However, there are still only few studies on the common and specific brain imaging changes associated with the three mental disorders. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the common and specific functional activity and connectivity changes in SZ, MDD, and BD.Methods: A total of 271 individuals underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging: SZ (n = 64), MDD (n = 73), BD (n = 41), and healthy controls (n = 93). The symptoms of SZ patients were evaluated by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to evaluate the symptoms of MDD patients. The BDI, BAI, and Young Mania Rating Scale were used to evaluate the symptoms of MDD and BD patients. In addition, we compared the fALFF and functional connectivity between the three mental disorders and healthy controls using two sample t-tests.Results: Significantly decreased functional activity was found in the right superior frontal gyrus, middle cingulate gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and decreased functional connectivity (FC) of the insula was found in SZ, MDD, and BD. Specific fALFF changes, mainly in the ventral lateral pre-frontal cortex, striatum, and thalamus were found for SZ, in the left motor cortex and parietal lobe for MDD, and the dorsal lateral pre-frontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex in BD.Conclusion: Our findings of common abnormalities in SZ, MDD, and BD provide evidence that salience network abnormality may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of these three mental disorders. Meanwhile, our findings also indicate that specific alterations in SZ, MDD, and BD provide neuroimaging evidence for the differential diagnosis of the three mental disorders

Application of the Pipeline Embolization Device for Giant Vertebrobasilar Dissecting Aneurysms in Pediatric Patients

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the pipeline embolization device (PED) for the treatment of pediatric giant vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms (VBDAs).Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our institutional clinical database and identified 2,706 patients who presented with a diagnosis of intracranial aneurysms from January 2016 to June 2018. Among this group, 153 patients were diagnosed with VBDAs, and 54 of these patients underwent PED therapy. The PED technique was used in four patients who were 18 years old or younger at the time of presentation (two males, two females; mean age 9.25 years; age range 8–11 years).Results: All four included pediatric patients were managed with the PED. One patient (25%) was treated with the PED alone, while three (75%) were treated with the PED and coils. One patient died from brainstem infarction or compression of the brainstem, while follow-up of the other three patients revealed favorable outcomes. The mass effect was reduced in cases 1, 2, and 3 on follow-up MRI performed 6 months after the PED procedure.Conclusions: PEDs could be feasible in the treatment of pediatric giant VBDAs. However, the safety and efficacy of this method have not been clarified in this special pediatric population, and long-term follow-up is still necessary