Structure-sensitive semantic matching for aggregate question answering over knowledge base

Aggregate question answering essentially returns answers for given questions by obtaining query graphs with unique dependencies between values and corresponding objects. Word order dependency, as the key to uniquely identify dependency of the query graph, reflects the dependencies between the words in the question. However, due to the semantic gap caused by the expression difference between questions encoded with word vectors and query graphs represented with logical formal elements, it is not trivial to match the correct query graph for the question. Most existing approaches design more expressive query graphs for complex questions and rank them just by directly calculating their similarities, ignoring the semantic gap between them. In this paper, we propose a novel Structure-sensitive Semantic Matching(SSM) approach that learns aligned representations of dependencies in questions and query graphs to eliminate their gap. First, we propose a cross-structure matching module to bridge the gap between two modalities(i.e., textual question and query graph). Then, we propose an entropy-based gated AQG filter to remove the structural noise caused by the uncertainty of dependencies. Finally, we present a two-channel query graph representation that fuses the semantics of abstract structure and grounding content of the query graph explicitly. Experimental results show that SSM could learn aligned representations of questions and query graphs to eliminate the gaps between their dependencies, and improves up to 12% (F1 score) on aggregation questions of two benchmark datasets.     

Influence of α′‐/α‐crystal polymorphism on properties of poly(l‐lactic acid)

Poly(l ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) is a biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic polyester produced from renewable sources, widely used for biomedical devices, in food packaging and in agriculture. It is a semicrystalline polymer, and as such its properties are strongly affected by the developed semicrystalline morphology. As a function of the crystallization temperature, PLLA can form different crystal modifications, namely α′‐crystals below about 120 °C and α‐crystals at higher temperatures. The α′ modification is therefore of special importance as it may be the preferred polymorph developing at processing‐relevant conditions. It is a metastable modification which typically transforms into the more stable α‐crystals on annealing at elevated temperature. The structure, kinetics of formation and thermodynamics of α′‐ and α‐crystals of PLLA are reviewed in this contribution, together with the effect of α′‐/α‐crystal polymorphism on the properties of PLLA. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nanotechnology‐based wastewater treatment

Water contamination is a global challenge impacting both the environment and human health with significant economic and social costs. The growing scarcity of usable water resources requires effective treatment of wastewater. In this context, developing cheaper, safer and more efficient wastewater treatment technologies are the need of the hour. One promising approach that several studies have reported success has been the usage of nanomaterials in water and waste water management. The rapid progress of research in nanomaterial sciences has shown their growing potential; however, there has not been a great amount of information available on their implementation. This review focuses on developments in nanotechnology that hold strong potential for wastewater treatment. The review covers key techniques in nanomaterial‐based water treatments including adsorption, filtration and photocatalysis with recent examples showing how to improve their properties and efficiencies according to the need.     

Effects of upholstery materials on the burning behavior of real‐scale residential upholstered furniture mock‐ups

Fire spread and growth on real‐scale four cushion mock‐ups of residential upholstered furniture (RUF) were investigated with the goal of identifying whether changes in five classes of materials (barrier, flexible polyurethane foam, polyester fiber wrap, upholstery fabric, and sewing thread), referred to as factors, resulted in statistically significant changes in burning behavior. A fractional factorial experimental design plus practical considerations yielded a test matrix with 20 material combinations. Experiments were repeated a minimum of two times. Measurements included fire spread rates derived from video recordings and heat release rates (HRRs). A total of 13 experimental parameters (3 based on the videos and 10 on the HRR results), referred to as responses, characterized the measurements. Statistical analyses based on Main Effects Plots (main effects) and Block Plots (main effects and factor interactions) were used. The results showed that three of the factors resulted in statistically significant effects on varying numbers of the 13 responses. The Barrier and Fabric factors had the strongest main effects with roughly comparable magnitudes. Foam was statistically significant for fewer of the responses and its overall strength was weaker than for Barrier and Fabric. No statistically significant main effects were identified for Wrap or Thread. Multiple two‐term interactions between factors were identified as being statistically significant. The Barrier*Fabric interaction resulted in the highest number of and strongest statistically significant effects. The existence of two‐term interactions means that it will be necessary to consider their effects in approaches designed to predict the burning behavior of RUF.     

数字签名技术在医院电子病历中的设计与应用

为推进病历数字化发展,并确保其信息的安全性,将以HIS电子病历系统为基础,采用安信数字签名技术和PKI或PMI系统搭建相信并加以任用的授权服务,经过针对实际的PKC和CA的确认、委托与管控构建整体的数字签名平台,完成电子病历数字签名功能设计,以加强电子文件的完整性、真实性和不可抵赖性。最后以某医院的XML结构化的电子病历系统为基础进行项目实施,完成了医护人员通过HIS的快速身份认证,和准确地数字签名。     

Categorical observers for metamerism

A method is proposed to generate categorical colour observer functions (individual colour matching functions) for any field size based on the CIE 2006 system of physiological observer functions. The method combines proposed categorical observer techniques of Sarkar et al with a physiologically-based individual observer model of Asano et al and a clustering technique to produce the optimal set of categorical observers. The number of required categorical observers varies depending on an application with as many as 50 required to predict individual observers' matches when a laser projector is viewed. However, 10 categorical observers are sufficient to represent colour-normal populations for personalized colour imaging. The proposed and recommended categorical observers represent a robust and inclusive technique to examine and quantify observer metamerism in any application of colorimetry.     

Off‐grid DoA estimation method of wideband signals

In this paper, an off‐grid direction of arrival (DoA) estimation method is proposed for wideband signals. This method is based on the sparse representation (SR) of the array covariance matrix. Similar to the time domain DoA estimation methods, the correlation function of the sources was assumed to be the same and known. A new measurement vector is obtained using the lower‐left triangular elements of the covariance matrix. The DoAs are estimated by quantizing the entire range of continuous angle space into discrete grid points. However, the exact DoAs may be located between two grid points; therefore, this estimation has errors. The accuracy of DoA estimation is improved by the minimization of the difference between the new measurement vector and its estimated values. Simulation results revealed that the proposed method can enhance the DoA estimation accuracy of wideband signals.