All Through the Love of You!

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Passage Re-Ranking in Live QA NLP Pipelines with BERT

Passage ranking and document ranking are two common tasks in NLP. Many state of the art pipelines use BM25 to retrieve passages. The top results of this ranking are then re-ranked using a BERT transformer trained on the MS MARCO Passage data set. This system and variations have proved highly effective. In addition, questions and answers using BERT are also well explored topics. However, these systems are fundamentally limited by speed and resource consumption requirements. Given an arbitrary corpus and a collection of pre-trained models, we would like to prove that it is possible to create a live Question Answering machine without fine tuning for a particular topic. In particular, we employ a BERT re-ranker to find the first acceptable fit to pass to our QA transformer. This approach is fundamentally different from past research in that it is focused on first fit and not best fit. The goal of this research is to allow anyone to employ off the shelf components to create an effective, interactive question answering system

Flexible, High-Speed, Small Satellite Production

Planet’s first mission is to image the entire land mass of the Earth every day in an effort to make global change visible, accessible, and actionable. To do this, Planet designs and builds highly capable Earth-imaging satellites and today operates the largest Earth-imaging fleet in history. To support this mission, Planet had to develop an adaptable concurrent product development cycle associated with a unique assembly and manufacturing line to support the quick production and delivery of satellites. This paper introduces how Planet achieved that objective by building multiple spacecraft design iterations concurrently and how Planet orchestrates a production line for speed, flexibility, and high throughput of satellite delivery in just over a few weeks

Current Approaches to Seasonal to Interannual Climate Predictions

This review paper presents an assessment of the current state of knowledge and capability in seasonal climate prediction at the end of the 20th century. The discussion covers the full range of issues involved in climate forecasting, including (1) the theory and empirical evidence for predictability; (2) predictions of surface boundary conditions, such as sea surface temperatures (SSTs) that drive the predictable part of the climate; (3) predictions of the climate; and (4) a brief consideration of the application of climate forecasts. Within this context, the research of the coming decades that seeks to address shortcomings in each area is described

Current approaches to season-to-interannual climate prediction

This review paper presents an assessment of the current state of knowledge and capability in seasonal climate prediction at the end of the 20th century. The discussion covers the full range of issues involved in climate forecasting, including (1) the theory and empirical evidence for predictability; (2) predictions of surface boundary conditions, such as sea surface temperatures (SSTs) that drive the predictable part of the climate; (3) predictions of the climate; and (4) a brief consideration of the application of climate forecasts. Within this context, the research of the coming decades that seeks to address shortcomings in each area is described

Pore Perfection vs. Defect Design: Examining the Complex Relation-ship Between Pore Structure and Carbon Dioxide Adsorption in Zr-Based MOFs

This work examines the relationship between defects, pore size, and pore functionalization as it pertains to the enthalpy of adsorption between carbon dioxide and zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (UiO-66 and UiO-67). When UiO-66 is synthesized without defects, carbon dioxide adsorption is more exothermic relative to when UiO-66 contains de-fects (–24.3 vs. –20.9 kJ/mol). We repeated the experiments with pristine/defective UiO-67 and observed the opposite trend (–16.9 vs. –21 kJ/mol), albeit less exothermic. Dehydrating the cluster of pristine/defective UiO-66 (–21 kJ/mol) and UiO-67 (–14 kJ/mol) the adsorption capabilities decreased considerably. This work indicates that there is a hierarchy of adsorption interactions that can work independently or in tandem to increase the enthalpy of adsorption. These include the small tetra-hedral pore of UiO-66, hydrogen bonding, and dispersion interaction enhanced by the electron-withdrawing Zr(IV). Post-synthetic modification of the node with methanol/methoxy groups had a strong effect on the defect containing UiO-66. In this MOF, the pore sizes appeared nearly identical to the pristine UiO-66 and contained an enthalpy adsorption of –28 kJ/mol; this is the highest value obtained in this work

Lactate-proton co-transport and its contribution to interstitial acidification during hypoxia in isolated rat spinal roots

Exposure of nervous tissue to hypoxia results in interstitial acidification. There is evidence for concomitant decrease in extracellular pH to the increase in tissue lactate. In the present study, we used double-barrelled pH-sensitive microelectrodes to investigate the link between lactate transport and acid-base homeostasis in isolated rat spinal roots. Addition of different organic anions to the bathing solution at constant bath pH caused transient alkaline shifts in extracellular pH; withdrawal of these compounds resulted in transient acid shifts in extracellular pH. With high anion concentrations (30 mM), the largest changes in extracellular pH were observed with propionate >l-lactate ≈ pyruvate >62; 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate. Changes in extracellular pH induced by 10 mMl- andd-lactate were of similar size. Lactate transport inhibitors α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and 4,4′-dibenzamidostilbene-2,2′-disulphonic acid significantly reducedl-lactate-induced extracellular pH shifts without affecting propionate-induced changes in extracellular pH. Hypoxia produced an extracellular acidification that was strongly reduced in the presence of α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and 4,4′-dibenzamidostilbene-2,2′-disulphonic acid. In contrast, amiloride and 4,4′-di-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulphonate were without effect on hypoxia-induced acid shifts. The results indicate the presence of a lactate-proton co-transporter in rat peripheral nerves. This transport system and not Na+/H+ or C1−/HCO−3 exchange seems to be the dominant mechanism responsible for interstitial acidification during nerve hypoxia

[11C]flumazenil Binding Is Increased in a Dose-Dependent Manner with Tiagabine-Induced Elevations in GABA Levels

Evidence indicates that synchronization of cortical activity at gamma-band frequencies, mediated through GABA-A receptors, is important for perceptual/cognitive processes. To study GABA signaling in vivo, we recently used a novel positron emission tomography (PET) paradigm measuring the change in binding of the benzodiazepine (BDZ) site radiotracer [11C]flumazenil associated with increases in extracellular GABA induced via GABA membrane transporter (GAT1) blockade with tiagabine. GAT1 blockade resulted in significant increases in [11C]flumazenil binding potential (BPND) over baseline in the major functional domains of the cortex, consistent with preclinical studies showing that increased GABA levels enhance the affinity of GABA-A receptors for BDZ ligands. In the current study we sought to replicate our previous results and to further validate this approach by demonstrating that the magnitude of increase in [11C]flumazenil binding observed with PET is directly correlated with tiagabine dose. [11C]flumazenil distribution volume (VT) was measured in 18 healthy volunteers before and after GAT1 blockade with tiagabine. Two dose groups were studied (n = 9 per group; Group I: tiagabine 0.15 mg/kg; Group II: tiagabine 0.25 mg/kg). GAT1 blockade resulted in increases in mean (± SD) [11C]flumazenil VT in Group II in association cortices (6.8±0.8 mL g−1 vs. 7.3±0.4 mL g−1;p = 0.03), sensory cortices (6.7±0.8 mL g−1 vs. 7.3±0.5 mL g−1;p = 0.02) and limbic regions (5.2±0.6 mL g−1 vs. 5.7±0.3 mL g−1;p = 0.03). No change was observed at the low dose (Group I). Increased orbital frontal cortex binding of [11C]flumazenil in Group II correlated with the ability to entrain cortical networks (r = 0.67, p = 0.05) measured via EEG during a cognitive control task. These data provide a replication of our previous study demonstrating the ability to measure in vivo, with PET, acute shifts in extracellular GABA

Incorporating Microporous Zn3 and Zn2Cd MOFs into Pebax/PVDF Mixed Matrix Membranes for Improved Carbon Dioxide Separation Performance

A pair of related metal–organic frameworks (Zn3 and Zn2Cd) developed in our group were incorporated into Pebax 30R51 and PVDF Kynar 761 polymers to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). These MOFs were chosen due to the carbon dioxide molecular sieving ability of Zn3, and the slightly larger pore aperture of Zn2Cd that allows carbon dioxide and larger gases to enter the pores. For Pebax-based MMMs, this work demonstrated an over two-fold and four-and-a-half-fold increase in carbon dioxide permeability for Zn3- (15 wt %) and Zn2Cd-containing (10 wt %) MMMs over the pristine polymer. Separation selectivity (CO2:N2) of 4.21 and 7.33 were observed for Zn3 and Zn2Cd (10 wt %). For PVDF-based MMMs, the incorporation of Zn3 and Zn2Cd (10 wt %) increased the carbon dioxide permeability approximately two- and three-fold. The CO2/N2 selectivity of the PVDF membranes increased 73% (1.01 to 1.86) and 68% (1.01 to 1.68) when 15 wt % Zn3 and Zn2Cd were incorporated into PVDF. The improved performance of Pebax over PVDF based MMMs is attributed to matching the permeability of the polymer bulk phase (Pebax over PVDF) and the dispersed phase (Zn3 and Zn2Cd). The lower permeability allows the MOF, which has slow kinetics associated with molecular sieving, to participate in the permeation process better. With regards to Zn3 vs Zn2Cd, while Zn3 acts as a molecular sieve and Zn2Cd does not, we hypothesize that the faster diffusion of carbon dioxide gas in Zn2Cd can outcompete the lower nitrogen gas permeability and molecular sieving properties of Zn3. However, we expect that further increasing the pore aperture would increase the permeabilities of nitrogen gas such that differences in diffusion kinetics due to molecular size would be unimportant

Paper II: Calibration of the Swift ultraviolet/optical telescope

The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) is one of three instruments onboard the Swift observatory. The photometric calibration has been published, and this paper follows up with details on other aspects of the calibration including a measurement of the point spread function with an assessment of the orbital variation and the effect on photometry. A correction for large scale variations in sensitivity over the field of view is described, as well as a model of the coincidence loss which is used to assess the coincidence correction in extended regions. We have provided a correction for the detector distortion and measured the resulting internal astrometric accuracy of the UVOT, also giving the absolute accuracy with respect to the International Celestial Reference System. We have compiled statistics on the background count rates, and discuss the sources of the background, including instrumental scattered light. In each case we describe any impact on UVOT measurements, whether any correction is applied in the standard pipeline data processing or whether further steps are recommended.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 15 pages, 21 figures, 4 table