Sense representations for Portuguese: experiments with sense embeddings and deep neural language models

Sense representations have gone beyond word representations like Word2Vec, GloVe and FastText and achieved innovative performance on a wide range of natural language processing tasks. Although very useful in many applications, the traditional approaches for generating word embeddings have a strict drawback: they produce a single vector representation for a given word ignoring the fact that ambiguous words can assume different meanings. In this paper, we explore unsupervised sense representations which, different from traditional word embeddings, are able to induce different senses of a word by analyzing its contextual semantics in a text. The unsupervised sense representations investigated in this paper are: sense embeddings and deep neural language models. We present the first experiments carried out for generating sense embeddings for Portuguese. Our experiments show that the sense embedding model (Sense2vec) outperformed traditional word embeddings in syntactic and semantic analogies task, proving that the language resource generated here can improve the performance of NLP tasks in Portuguese. We also evaluated the performance of pre-trained deep neural language models (ELMo and BERT) in two transfer learning approaches: feature based and fine-tuning, in the semantic textual similarity task. Our experiments indicate that the fine tuned Multilingual and Portuguese BERT language models were able to achieve better accuracy than the ELMo model and baselines.

     

An International Collaborative Study on Trypsin Inhibitor Assay for Legumes,Cereals, and Related Products

For determining trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) in soy products, the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Method Ba 12-75 has been used. It measures differences in absorbance at 410 nm of bovine trypsin activity toward a synthetic substrate (Nα-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide) in the absence and presence of an inhibitor. Recently, a significantly improved method was developed (JAOCS, 2019, 96:635–645), featuring 5 mL of total assay volume, enzyme-last sequence, and single inhibitor level in duplicate. It is proposed as the AOCS Method Ba 12a-2020. As a part of the AOCS method approval process, a collaborative study involving 12 international laboratories was conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The study involved measuring TIA in 10 selected test samples plus a blind duplicate. They included soybeans, pulses, cereals, and their processed products (flours, concentrates, and isolates). After rigorous statistical treatment of the data, only three outliers were removed from the data of two samples. Repeatability relative standard deviations (RSDr) for the 11 samples ranged from 0.99% to 5.52%. Reproducibility RSD (RSD_R) ranged from 7.07% to 22.92%, with seven samples having RSD_R around 10% or less. The remaining four samples had very low TIA, and their RSD_R values ranged from 13.34% to 22.92%. The study has demonstrated reliable performance of the proposed AOCS method. Several collaborators carried out additional experiments addressing some aspects of the method, leading to further refinements. The proposed method is undergoing evaluation by the AOCS Uniform Methods Committee for adoption as an Official Method for measuring TIA in various legume and grain products.     

Evaluation of the removal of n-butanol vapor by the poly(lactic acid)-zeolite-TiO2 composite and formation of by-products

The use of polymeric films incorporated with zeolite-TiO₂ composites associated with UV radiation can be an alternative in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through the adsorption and photodegradation processes. This study produced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films incorporated with 13× zeolite, TiO₂, and 13×-TiO₂ zeolite composite to remove n-butanol and evaluate the by-products generated in the process. The results showed that 13× zeolite and TiO₂ added individually or as a composite to PLA, gave the polymer matrix a significant increase in the removal capacity of n-butanol. The best performance was presented by the zeolite-TiO₂, composite, confirming a synergistic effect. However, the formation of CO and CO₂ exceeded the expected values, with the verification that the polymeric matrix underwent photodegradation action by TiO₂. The polymeric film only containing zeolite is the most suitable for the removal of VOCs, as it did not present degradation of the PLA, generating a lower concentration of by-products.     

Simple approach for the plasma treatment of polymeric membranes and investigation of the aging effect

The modification of the surface characteristics after treatment with plasma in polymeric materials, such as the aging phenomenon, calls the attention of research in the area of nonthermal plasma technology. In this work, a direct treatment with dielectric-barrier discharge plasma was used on the surfaces of ultrafiltration membranes. The measurements of the contact angle with water, attenuated total reflectance accessory, zeta potential, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-MEV were performed on the surfaces to verify changes after plasma treatment and to understand the occurrence and timing of the plasma aging effect. In the analysis of the membrane performance, hydraulic permeation and protein retention tests were performed. The results showed an improvement in wettability and hydrophilic properties in the post-treated membranes. The study of reversibility/aging of the post-plasma surface is important for research that deals with the modification of polymeric membranes. Changes in surface morphology, topography and wettability of the membranes were observed up to seven days after treatment, with a tendency to return to the initial characteristics of the membranes.     

Master batch approach for developing PVDF/EVA/CNT nanocomposites with co-continuous morphology and improved electrical conductivity

Conducting polymer composites constituted by co-continuous poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/ ethylene- vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) blends with multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) were prepared by melt mixing using different procedures. The effect of the master batch approach on the conductivity, morphology, mechanical, thermal and rheological properties of PVDF/EVA/CNT nanocomposites was compared with that based on one step mixing strategy. The selective extraction experiments revealed that CNT was preferentially localized in the EVA phase in all situations, even when PVDF@CNT master batch was employed. Nanocomposites prepared with EVA@CNT master batch displayed higher conductivity, whose value reached around 10⁻¹ S m⁻¹ with the addition of 0.56 vol% of CNT. The better electrical performance was attributed to the better distribution of the filler, as indicated by transmission electron microscopy and rheological behavior. The electrical and rheological behavior were also investigated as a function of the CNT content.     

Long-term effect of diesel degradation on polyoxymethylene at different temperatures

Diesel is an important fuel, partly because of the longevity and cleanliness of diesel engines. Often, polymers are in direct contact with diesel and understanding compatibility is critical. Polyoxymethylene (POM) is a thermoplastic used to manufacture automotive fuel pump gears and rotors due to its low coefficient of friction and thermal and dimensional stability. In this study, tensile tests were performed on plain and glass fiber reinforced (POM and POMGF) after immersion in diesel at different temperatures (−10°C, 23°C, and 60°C) for 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, and 10 000 hour. A mathematical model was developed using data from just three tensile stress-strain curves obtained at two different fluid temperatures and three different immersion times. Model and experimental results show good agreement with one another for all conditions tested.     

Thermal dehydrochlorination of pure PVC polymer: Part I—thermal degradation kinetics by thermogravimetric analysis

Thermal degradation of PVC occurs in two stages, with each stage subdivided into two substages. The first refers to the dehydrochlorination, where hydrochloric acid is formed, and giving polyene structures. Hitherto, the degradation mechanism and action of hydrochloric acid as a catalyst during the dehydrochlorination stage are poorly known. Recently, the importance of the tacticity has gained attention for its influence on the dehydrochlorination mechanism. The present work focused on the dehydrochlorination stage, studying the molecular structure by FTIR analysis and the kinetic parameters by TGA analysis in Nitrogen atmosphere, based on three mathematical methods: Friedman, Kissinger, and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa. The sample was a pure homopolymer obtained by suspension polymerization. The dehydrochlorination kinetics follows a first order reaction model and occurs by nucleation and growth. The dehydrochlorination begins with the loss of very labile chlorine atoms present in defective and isotactic molecular segments. The formed HCl acts as a catalyst in the degradation. Following 40% conversion, a drop in Ea is observed. After that, chlorine atoms present in syndiotactic and atactic sequences, are released and, added to the large number of polyene chain sequences, and an increase in Ea is observed up to 60% conversion, where the dehydrochlorination stage is concluded.     

Analysis of surface integrity for minimum quantity lubricant—MQL in grinding

The quality of machined components is currently of high interest, for the market demands mechanical components of increasingly high performance, not only from the standpoint of functionality but also from that of safety. Components produced through operations involving the removal of material display surface irregularities resulting not only from the action of the tool itself, but also from other factors that contribute to their superficial texture. This texture can exert a decisive influence on the application and performance of the machined component. This article analyzes the behavior of the minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) technique and compares it with the conventional cooling method. To this end, an optimized fluid application method was devised using a specially designed nozzle, by the authors, through which a minimum amount of oil is sprayed in a compressed air flow, thus meeting environmental requirements. This paper, therefore, explores and discusses the concept of the MQL in the grinding process. The performance of the MQL technique in the grinding process was evaluated based on an analysis of the surface integrity (roughness, residual stress, microstructure and microhardness). The results presented here are expected to lead to technological and ecological gains in the grinding process using MQL.     

Ti-6Al-4V钛合金相颗粒粗化动力学及形貌变化

以Ti-6Al-4V钛合金为例，研究了韧性双相合金不同温度保时相颗粒变化情况。结果表明，在α相颗粒粗化的同时，还伴随着α相形貌由“短棒状”向等轴状转变。在800℃和600℃保温时，α相颗粒粗化机制均为Al原子从其他α相颗粒中沿晶界或相界以一维扩散的方式转移到粗化的相颗粒上来。α相颗粒形貌的改变，分为两个阶段，第一阶段为颗粒内部物质的转移为主；第二阶段为其他α相颗粒物质沿晶界或相界扩散到颗粒比较短的方向上以使该颗粒等轴化。对于800℃保温，第一阶段为颗粒内部Al原子以晶格扩散的方式转移；600℃时，颗粒内物质的转移则沿晶界或相界以一维扩散为主。     

基于改进快速鲁棒性特征的导弹视频特征匹配

利用电视制导导弹视频图像确定导弹落点,从而开展精确目标毁伤评估研究,是目前全新的一种评估手段。图像特征匹配是利用视频图像确定导弹落点的关键步骤。针对导弹视频图像的特点及其作战应用,在特征匹配阶段,依据准确性和实时性两个原则,对快速鲁棒性特征算法做了两方面的改进:一是限制特征点提取区域,定义了图像区域限制算子;二是限制特征点数量,利用算法阈值和随机抽样一致性算法对特征点进行限制。实验结果表明,提出的算法对典型视频片段进行处理,较原算法在匹配时间上平均减少12.6%,匹配准确率平均提升13.4%,较尺度不变特征变换算法匹配时间平均提升了74.9%,同时,有效消除伪匹配点。通过对三段视频进行测试仿真,改进算法在整体上较原算法的匹配时间加快14.9%,且通用性较强,适用于视频图像的特征点匹配。