A Neuro-Symbolic Approach to Structured Event Recognition

Events are structured entities with multiple components: the event type, the participants with their roles, the outcome, the sub-events etc. A fully end-to-end approach for event recognition from raw data sequence, therefore, should also solve a number of simpler tasks like recognizing the objects involved in the events and their roles, the outcome of the events as well as the sub-events. Ontological knowledge about event structure, specified in logic languages, could be very useful to solve the aforementioned challenges. However, the majority of successful approaches in event recognition from raw data are based on purely neural approaches (mainly recurrent neural networks), with limited, if any, support for background knowledge. These approaches typically require large training sets with detailed annotations at the different levels in which recognition can be decomposed (e.g., video annotated with object bounding boxes, object roles, events and sub-events). In this paper, we propose a neuro-symbolic approach for structured event recognition from raw data that uses "shallow" annotation on the high-level events and exploits background knowledge to propagate this supervision to simpler tasks such as object classification. We develop a prototype of the approach and compare it with a purely neural solution based on recurrent neural networks, showing the higher capability of solving both the event recognition task and the simpler task of object classification, as well as the ability to generalize to events with unseen outcomes

A Neuro-Symbolic Approach for Real-World Event Recognition from Weak Supervision

Events are structured entities involving different components (e.g, the participants, their roles etc.) and their relations. Structured events are typically defined in terms of (a subset of) simpler, atomic events and a set of temporal relation between them. Temporal Event Detection (TED) is the task of detecting structured and atomic events within data streams, most often text or video sequences, and has numerous applications, from video surveillance to sports analytics. Existing deep learning approaches solve TED task by implicitly learning the temporal correlations among events from data. As consequence, these approaches often fail in ensuring a consistent prediction in terms of the relationship between structured and atomic events. On the other hand, neuro-symbolic approaches have shown their capability to constrain the output of the neural networks to be consistent with respect to the background knowledge of the domain. In this paper, we propose a neuro-symbolic approach for TED in a real world scenario involving sports activities. We show how by incorporating simple knowledge involving the relative order of atomic events and constraints on their duration, the approach substantially outperforms a fully neural solution in terms of recognition accuracy, when little or even no supervision is available on the atomic events

Interval Logic Tensor Networks

In this paper, we introduce Interval Real Logic (IRL), a two-sorted logic that interprets knowledge such as sequential properties (traces) and event properties using sequences of real-featured data. We interpret connectives using fuzzy logic, event durations using trapezoidal fuzzy intervals, and fuzzy temporal relations using relationships between the intervals' areas. We propose Interval Logic Tensor Networks (ILTN), a neuro-symbolic system that learns by propagating gradients through IRL. In order to support effective learning, ILTN defines smoothened versions of the fuzzy intervals and temporal relations of IRL using softplus activations. We show that ILTN can successfully leverage knowledge expressed in IRL in synthetic tasks that require reasoning about events to predict their fuzzy durations. Our results show that the system is capable of making events compliant with background temporal knowledge

Training Future Engineers to Be Ghostbusters: Hunting for the Spectral Environmental Radioactivity

Although environmental radioactivity is all around us, the collective public imagination often associates a negative feeling to this natural phenomenon. To increase the familiarity with this phenomenon we have designed, implemented, and tested an interdisciplinary educational activity for pre-collegiate students in which nuclear engineering and computer science are ancillary to the comprehension of basic physics concepts. Teaching and training experiences are performed by using a 4" x 4" NaI(Tl) detector for in-situ and laboratory {\gamma}-ray spectroscopy measurements. Students are asked to directly assemble the experimental setup and to manage the data-taking with a dedicated Android app, which exploits a client-server system that is based on the Bluetooth communication protocol. The acquired {\gamma}-ray spectra and the experimental results are analyzed using a multiple-platform software environment and they are finally shared on an open access Web-GIS service. These all-round activities combining theoretical background, hands-on setup operations, data analysis, and critical synthesis of the results were demonstrated to be effective in increasing students' awareness in quantitatively investigating environmental radioactivity. Supporting information to the basic physics concepts provided in this article can be found at http://www.fe.infn.it/radioactivity/educational

Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in thrombocytopenic dogs

Anaplasma and Ehrlichia spp. are tick-transmitted bacteria of clinical relevance in European dogs. The diagnosis of infection is often difficult due to the wide spectrum of disease caused by them. During infection, reduction in platelet count is considered the most common haematological abnormality, frequently representing the sole alteration in asymptomatic dogs. In this study, the presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Anaplasma and Ehrlichia was investigated in Northern Italy in blood samples from 159 thrombocytopenic dogs using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay amplifying a portion of the heat shock gene (groEL). Obtained amplicons were sequenced and analysed. Two dogs were positive for A. phagocytophilum, while A. platys and E. canis were not detected. None of the PCR-positive dogs were diagnosed at the time of hospital admission, even in the presence of clinical signs and clinicopathological abnormalities potentially related to A. phagocytophilum infection. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the 2 detected strains belonged to the cluster Europe 1 and were different from each other. This study confirms the presence of A. phagocytophilum infections in dogs of Northern Italy, causing clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities that could not be properly diagnosed and treated

Gene variants with suicidal risk in a sample of subjects with chronic migraine and affective temperamental dysregulation

BACKGROUND: Risk factors for suicide are at least partially heritable and functional polymorphisms of targeted genes have been suggested to be implicated in the pathogenesis of this phenomenon. However, other studies examining the association between specific gene variants and suicide revealed inconsistent findings. We aims to evaluate the possible association between MAO-A3, CYP1A2*1F and GNB3 gene variants, hopelessness and suicidal risk in a sample of subjects with chronic migraine and affective temperamental dysregulation. METHODS: 56 women were genotyped for MAO-A3, CYP1A2*1F and GNB3 gene variants. Participants were also assessed using Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and the Suicidal History Self-Rating Screening Scale (SHSS). RESULTS: Patients with higher total scores on affective dysregulated temperaments are more likely to have higher BHS (11.27 +/- 5.54 vs. 5.73 +/- 3.81; t19.20 = -3.57; p = 9 indicating high levels of hopelessness. No association was found between MAO-A3, CYP1A2*1F and GNB3 gene variants and suicidal risk as assessed by BHS and SHSS. CONCLUSIONS: This study did not sustain the association between MAO-A3, CYP1A2*1F and GNB3 gene variants and increased suicidal risk in patients with chronic migraine and affective temperamental dysregulation. Further studies investigating the gene-environment interaction or focusing on other genetic risk factors involved in suicidal behaviour are needed

A prática de consumo de chefes de família que vivem em situaçao de pobreza : estudo sobre a comunidade Paz e Bem - Gurapuava - PR

Orientador: Oliveira, Marcio Sergio Batista Silveira deInclui anexosDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Humanas, Letras e Artes, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia. Defesa: Curitiba, 2003Inclui bibliografiaÁrea de concentraçao: Trabalho e ruralidadesResumo: O presente estudo procurou refletir sobre a relação entre pobreza e consumo, abordando a pobreza como fenômeno intrínseco à sociedade capitalista e concebendo o consumo como prática objetiva, de satisfação de necessidades materiais, e simbólica, de satisfação de necessidades imatenais Foi explorado o caráter social e ilimitado do consumo, enfatizando-o como veículo de distinção social. O objetivo básico do trabalho foi verificar como funciona a dimensão simbólica do consumo, ou o seu caráter ilimitado, na situação de pobreza. O trabalho incluiu como etapa fundamental, a pesquisa de campo na Comunidade Paz e Bem, situada no município de Guarapuava, região centro-oeste do Estado do Paraná. A pesquisa analisou o padrão de consumo das famílias residentes na comunidade, bem como os interesses e perspectivas de consumo dos respectivos chefes de família. Para tanto, foram entrevistados 100 chefes de família, que responderam a um questionário contendo perguntas, cujas respostas foram posteriormente tabuladas e analisadas. Assim, traçou-se o perfil socioeconômico das famílias, bem como o seu padrão de consumo médio. A renda per capita verificada permitiu classificar as famílias na situação de pobreza, e a prática de consumo efetiva observada, bem como os desejos de consumo registrados, permitiram reconhecer a persistência da dimensão simbólica da atividade de consumo em grupos de baixa renda.Abstract: The present study it looked for to reflect on the relation between poverty and consumption, approaching the poverty as intrinsic phenomenon to the society capitalist and conceiving the consumption as practical objective, of satisfaction of material necessities, and symbolic, of satisfaction of incorporeal necessities was explored the social and limitless character of the consumption, emphasizing it as vehicle of social distinction. The basic objective of the work was to verify as the symbolic dimension of the consumption functions, or its limitless character, in the poverty situation. The work included as basic stage, the research of field in the Community Peace and Good, situated in the city of Guarapuava, in the State of the Paraná. The research analyzed the standard of consumption of the resident families in the community, as well as the interests and perspectives of consumption of the respective heads of family. For in such a way, 100 heads of family had been interviewed, who had answered to a questionnaire contend questions, whose answers later had been tabulated and analyzed. Thus, the socioeconomico profile of the families was traced, as well as its standard of average consumption. The verified per capita income allowed to classify the families in the poverty situation, and the practical one of consumption accomplishes observed, as well as the registered desires of consumption, had allowed to recognize the persistence of the symbolic dimension of the activity of consumption in groups of low income

A categoria institucional total e o fenômeno da institucionalização da infância no Brasil

Este trabalho apresenta o abrigo como entidade de atendimento à criança, situando-o na trajetória histórica de atenção à infância no Brasil; remete esse modelo institucional ao Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (Lei nº 8.069/1990) e analisa a rotina de atendimento dos abrigos no Brasil, com ênfase na dicotomia existente entre as exigências do Estatuto e o padrão predominante, bem como nas suas conseqüências sobre a identidade e o processo de socialização do público alvo

Meaning-centered therapy in Ukraine's war refugees. An attempt to cope with the absurd?

No abstract availabl

Biohybrid Electrospun Membrane for the Filtration of Ketoprofen Drug from Water

A current challenge in materials science and biotechnology is to express a specific and controlled functionality on the large interfacial area of a nanostructured material to create smart biohybrid systems for targeted applications. Here, we report on a biohybrid system featuring poly(vinyl alcohol) as the supporting synthetic polymer and bovine serum albumin as the biofunctional element. The optimal processing conditions to produce these self-standing composite membranes are determined, and the composition and distribution of the bioactive agent within the polymeric matrices are analyzed. A post-processing cross-linking using glutaraldehyde enables this functional membrane to be used as a chemical filter in aqueous environments. By demonstrating that our mats can remove large amounts of ketoprofen from water, we show that the combination of a BSA-induced biofunctionality with a nanostructured fibrous material allows for the development of an efficient biohybrid filtering device for the large and widely used family of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The crystal structure of the complex between BSA and ketoprofen is determined for the first time and confirms the interaction between the two species