Natural Question Research Articles

Synthetic Model Combination: A new machine-learning method for pharmacometric model ensembling.

When aiming to make predictions over targets in the pharmacological setting, a data-focused approach aims to learn models based on a collection of labeled examples. Unfortunately, data sharing is not always possible, and this can result in many different models trained on disparate populations, leading to the natural question of how best to use and combine them when making a new prediction. Previous work has focused on global model selection or ensembling, with the result of a single final model across the feature space. Machine-learning models perform notoriously poorly on data outside their training domain, however, due to a problem known as covariate shift, and so we argue that when ensembling models the weightings for individual instances must reflect their respective domains-in other words, models that are more likely to have seen information on that instance should have more attention paid to them. We introduce a method for such an instance-wise ensembling of models called Synthetic Model Combination (SMC), including a novel representation learning step for handling sparse high-dimensional domains. We demonstrate the use of SMC on an example with dosing predictions for vancomycin, although emphasize the applicability of the method to any scenario involving the use of multiple models.

QuEHRy: a question answering system to query electronic health records.

We propose a system, quEHRy, to retrieve precise, interpretable answers to natural language questions from structured data in electronic health records (EHRs). We develop/synthesize the main components of quEHRy: concept normalization (MetaMap), time frame classification (new), semantic parsing (existing), visualization with question understanding (new), and query module for FHIR mapping/processing (new). We evaluate quEHRy on 2 clinical question answering (QA) datasets. We evaluate each component separately as well as holistically to gain deeper insights. We also conduct a thorough error analysis for a crucial subcomponent, medical concept normalization. Using gold concepts, the precision of quEHRy is 98.33% and 90.91% for the 2 datasets, while the overall accuracy was 97.41% and 87.75%. Precision was 94.03% and 87.79% even after employing an automated medical concept extraction system (MetaMap). Most incorrectly predicted medical concepts were broader in nature than gold-annotated concepts (representative of the ones present in EHRs), eg, Diabetes versus Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent. The primary performance barrier to deployment of the system is due to errors in medical concept extraction (a component not studied in this article), which affects the downstream generation of correct logical structures. This indicates the need to build QA-specific clinical concept normalizers that understand EHR context to extract the "relevant" medical concepts from questions. We present an end-to-end QA system that allows information access from EHRs using natural language and returns an exact, verifiable answer. Our proposed system is high-precision and interpretable, checking off the requirements for clinical use.

AUTOMATIC QUESTION GENERATION SYSTEM BASED NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING USING PYTHON

Natural Language Processing has seen a surge in research on Automatic Question Generation (AQG) in recent times. AQG has proven to be an effective tool for Computer-Assisted Assessments by reducing the costs of manual question construction and generating a continuous stream of new questions. These questions are usually in the format of "WH" or reading comprehension type questions. To ensure natural and diverse questions, they must be semantically distinct based on their assessment level while maintaining consistency in their answers. This is particularly crucial in industries like education and publishing. In our research paper, we introduce a novel approach for generating diverse question sequences and answers using a new module called the "Focus Generator". This module is integrated into an existing "encoder-decoder" model to guide the decoder in generating questions based on selected focus contents. To generate answer tags, we employ a keyword generation algorithm and a pool of candidate focus from which we select the top three based on their level of information. The selected focus content is then utilized to generate semantically distinct questions.

On the Higher Nash Blow-Up Derivation Lie Algebras of Isolated Hypersurface Singularities

It is a natural question to ask whether there is any Lie algebra that completely characterize simple singularities? The higher Nash blow-up derivation Lie algebras Lkl(V) associated to isolated hypersurface singularities defined to be the Lie algebra of derivations of the local Artinian algebra Mnl(V):=Ol/⟨F,Jn⟩, i.e., Lkl(V)=Der(Mnl(V)). In this paper, we construct a new conjecture for the complete characterization of simple hypersurface singularities using the Lie algebras Lkl(V) under certain condition and prove it true for Lkl(V) when k,l=2.

Active learning-assisted neutron spectroscopy with log-Gaussian processes

Neutron scattering experiments at three-axes spectrometers (TAS) investigate magnetic and lattice excitations by measuring intensity distributions to understand the origins of materials properties. The high demand and limited availability of beam time for TAS experiments however raise the natural question whether we can improve their efficiency and make better use of the experimenter’s time. In fact, there are a number of scientific problems that require searching for signals, which may be time consuming and inefficient if done manually due to measurements in uninformative regions. Here, we describe a probabilistic active learning approach that not only runs autonomously, i.e., without human interference, but can also directly provide locations for informative measurements in a mathematically sound and methodologically robust way by exploiting log-Gaussian processes. Ultimately, the resulting benefits can be demonstrated on a real TAS experiment and a benchmark including numerous different excitations.

Opinion evolution among friends and foes: The deterministic majority rule

The influence of the social relationships of an individual on the individual's opinions (about a topic, a product, or whatever else) is a well known phenomenon and it has been widely studied. This paper considers a network of positive (i.e. trusting) or negative (distrusting) social relationships where every individual has an initial positive or negative opinion (about a topic, a product, or whatever else) that changes over time, at discrete time-steps, due to the influences each individual gets from its neighbors. Here, the influence of a trusted neighbor is consistent with the neighbor's opinion, while the influence of a distrusted neighbor is opposite to the neighbor's opinion. At any time, an individual gets one of the two opinions if, at that time, the majority of its neighbors influences the individual to behave so. Given an initial opinion configuration for all the individual, natural questions in this setting are if a given arrival opinion configuration or an equilibrium opinion configuration will ever be reached or if all individuals in a given set will ever get the same (positive) opinion at the same time. All such questions will be proved to result in problems that are tractable if all the relationships are symmetric (that is, the underlying signed graph is undirected), and that are PSpace-complete if the underlying graph is directed even when all the relationships are positive.

Medical Treatments and Social Mobility

Economists have long been interested in understanding the relationship between health and socioeconomic outcomes. Existing research consistently links poor health during early childhood to worse well-being in the long-run, including health, educational attainment, and labor market outcomes (Almond and Currie, 2011; Almond, Currie, and Duque, 2018; Currie et al., 2010). Growing evidence also indicates that child health shocks affect the socio-economic outcomes of other family members, such as parental labor supply (Gunnsteinsson and Steingrimsdottir, 2019; Breivik and Costa-Ramón, 2022; Eriksen et al., 2021; Adhvaryu et al., 2022), parental health (Burton, Lethbridge, and Phipps, 2008; Adhvaryu et al., 2022), and sibling academic achievement (Black et al., 2021). A natural question then is whether medical care aimed at improving childhood health may alleviate or eliminate these negative long-run consequences.

The Nature of Samples for Comparative Research Obtained in Accordance with Article 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation

Questions of the procedural nature of samples for comparative research, the possibility of obtaining and further using them in the investigation and resolution of a criminal case, obtaining samples for comparative research before initiating a criminal case, the limits of the use of coercion in obtaining samples for comparative research, the specifics of legal relations arising when obtaining samples for comparative research from living persons, depending on the procedural situation the person from whom the samples are received, the circle of participants in this procedural (investigative action) requires their own understanding and resolution. This article analyzes some of these issues from the point of view of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts of the Russian Federation, highlights the opinions of scientists who at various times dealt with the problems of obtaining samples for comparative research in criminal proceedings. Conclusions are drawn about the procedural nature of samples for comparative research, about the possibility of using coercion in obtaining them and the criteria for the admissibility of coercion, about the procedural status of participants in obtaining samples for comparative research, about the evidentiary value of samples obtained by operational search.

Multiply connected wandering domains of meromorphic functions: the pursuit of uniform internal dynamics

AbstractRecently, Benini et al showed that, in simply connected wandering domains of entire functions, all pairs of orbits behave in the same way relative to the hyperbolic metric, thus giving us our first insight into the general internal dynamics of such domains. The author proved in a recent paper [G. R. Ferreira. Multiply connected wandering domains of meromorphic functions: internal dynamics andconnectivity. J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 106 (2022), 1897–1919] that the same is not true for multiply connected wandering domains, a natural question is how inhomogeneous multiply connected wandering domains can be. We give an answer to this question, in that we show that uniform dynamics inside an open subset of the domain generalizes to the whole wandering domain. As an application of this result, we construct the first example of a meromorphic function with a semi-contracting infinitely connected wandering domain.

Contrastive training of a multimodal encoder for medical visual question answering

Models for Visual Question Answering (VQA) on medical images aim to answer diagnostically relevant natural language questions with basis on visual contents. In this article, we propose a novel approach to address this problem, which combines a strong image encoder based on EfficientNetV2 with a multimodal encoder based on the RealFormer architecture. Our model is pre-trained through a strategy that includes a contrastive objective, and the final fine-tuning to the VQA task uses a loss function that specifically addresses class imbalance. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our approach on the VQA-Med dataset from ImageCLEF 2019, showcasing the potential benefits of combining multimodal pre-training with recent advances in terms of neural network architectures.

SU(6) gauge-Higgs grand unification: minimal viable models and flavor

Gauge-Higgs grand unification theories are models of gauge-Higgs unification that extend the electroweak group into a simple group that includes the color symmetry. The minimal option is a gauge-Higgs grand unification based on the SU(6) gauge group, mirroring SU(5) grand unification in 4D while providing a solution to the hierarchy problem. We explore different minimal and realistic novel incarnations of SU(6) gauge-Higgs grand unification. We submit the setup to the various flavor hierarchies observed in nature and, utilizing the power of the fifth dimension, identify an embedding that provides a compelling model of quarks and leptons that naturally explains the mass hierarchies and the CKM/PMNS structure. We perform a detailed study of quark- and lepton-flavor constraints (which are intimately related due to the GUT nature) together with an analysis of the Higgs potential which arises at the loop level. Electroweak precision constraints on the model are discussed and the rich scalar sector is analyzed. Future flavor constraints from upcoming experiments will provide a stringent test for this class of models, while a scalar singlet and leptoquark provide unique targets for current and future collider experiments to probe this solution to various open questions in nature.

Optimality of T-gate for generating magic resource

In the stabilizer formalism of fault-tolerant quantum computation, stabilizer states serve as classical objects, while magic states (non-stabilizer states) are a kind of quantum resource (called magic resource) for promoting stabilizer circuits to universal quantum computation. In this framework, the T-gate is widely used as a non-Clifford gate which generates magic resource from stabilizer states. A natural question arises as whether the T-gate is in some sense optimal for generating magic resource. We address this issue by employing an intuitive and computable quantifier of magic based on characteristic functions (Weyl transforms) of quantum states. We demonstrate that the qubit T-gate, as well as its qutrit extension, the qutrit T-gate, are indeed optimal for generating magic resource among the class of diagonal unitary operators. Moreover, up to Clifford equivalence, the T-gate is essentially the only gate having such an optimal property. This reveals some intrinsic optimal features of the T-gate. We further compare the T-gate with general unitary gates for generating magic resource.

Privacy-Preserving Link Prediction in Multiple Private Networks

In many cases, a network may be dispersedly recorded by different participants and each participant is one part of the original network, and no one is willing to share its data due to commercial competition. Therefore, each participant forms an independent private network, and they form a “ multiple private networks” regarding the original network. Existing methods only use the structure of private network itself to predict missing links, leading to underutilized information and deteriorated prediction accuracy. One natural question arises: how to integrate the information of multiple private networks by formulating a security protocol, so as to help each private network to better predict missing links in its own network without disclosing its structure to others. To this end, we propose an SMPC-LP method based on secure multiparty computation (SMPC) to solve this problem. The method fuses the information of each private network without disclosing their inputs, and then, the similarity score of each node pair is jointly calculated, achieving enhanced link prediction performance in each private network. The experimental results show that the SMPC-LP method can better predict the missing links than the methods only using the information of the one private network, without violating data privacy agreement.

В.С. Соловьев и А.Н. Островский: творческие сближения и отталкивания как отражение эпохи перемен

The problem of the influence of the ideas of Vl.S. Solovyov on the theatrical art of the Silver Age was considered in the articles by Y.D. Kuzin, N.O. Osipova, E.S. Shevchenko, N.G. Yurina, O.A. Dashevskaya, O.K. Strashkova, I.B. Rodnyanskaya. The attention of all researchers was focused on the dramatic experiments of Vl.S. Solovyov, in which both elements of the theater of the medieval and the nineteenth century were found. In the synthesis of these elements, the researchers saw the prototype of the early twentieth century theater. In this article, the question of possible creative intersections of Vl.S. Solovyov and A.N. Ostrovsky is asked for the first time. The material for the study was the work of Vl.S. Solovyov of the 1880–1890 and “late” plays by A.N. Ostrovsky. Special attention is paid to the analysis of such texts by Vl.S. Solovyov, as “Readings on God-manhood”, “The General Meaning of Art”, “The Meaning of Love”, and from the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky, in addition to the “late” ones (from “Dowry” to “Not of this world”), the text of “Thunderstorms” is used. With a general ontological approach in understanding the essence of the problem, when carrying out analytical procedures, methods such as historical and cultural (to comprehend the specifics of the era), biographical (to reproduce significant facts from the life of Vl.S. Solovyov and A.N. Ostrovsky), cultural-philosophical (when analyzing texts). The article discusses the specific features of the era of the 1870s in Russia, a response to which became the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky and “Readings on God-Mankin” by Vl.S. Solovyov. The reasons for Vl.S. Solovyov to the elements of theatrical aesthetics are explained, these elements are compared with the theoretical and practical considerations of A.N. Ostrovsky. As a result, the author of the article argues that despite the similarity of views, which was facilitated by the era, there were fundamental differences. These differences are associated with a different approach to the use of elements of theatrical aesthetics: practical in the plays and texts of A.N. Ostrovsky and theoretical and philosophical in the texts of Vl.S. Solovyov. In the “late” plays of A.N. Ostrovsky, questions of a philosophical nature were raised, the answers to which could be found in the texts of Vl.S. Solovyov.

Crystal growth, characterization and electronic band structure of TiSeS

Layered semimetallic van der Waals material $\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ has attracted a lot of attention because of interplay of a charge density wave (CDW) state and superconductivity. Its sister compound ${\mathrm{TiS}}_{2}$, being isovalent to $\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ and having the same crystal structure, shows a semiconducting behavior. The natural question rises---what happens at the transition point in $\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{S}}_{x}$, which is expected for x close to one. Here we report the growth and characterization of TiSeS single crystals and the study of the electronic structure using density functional theory (DFT) and angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES). We show that TiSeS single crystals have the same morphology as $\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$. Transport measurements reveal a metallic state; no evidence of CDW was found. DFT calculations suggest that the electronic band structure in TiSeS is similar to that of $\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$, but the electron and hole pockets in TiSeS are much smaller. The ARPES results are in good agreement with the calculations.

Infectious viruses from transfected SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA.

SARS-CoV-2 emerged at the end of 2019, and like other novel pathogens causing severe symptoms, WHO recommended heightened biosafety measures for laboratories working with the virus. The positive-stranded genomic RNA of coronaviruses has been known to be infectious since the 1970s, and overall, all experiments with the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 propagation are carried out in higher containment level laboratories. However, as SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been routinely handled in BSL-2 laboratories, the question of the true nature of RNA infectiousness has risen along with discussion of appropriate biosafety measures. Here, we studied the ability of native SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA to produce infectious viruses when transfected into permissive cells and discussed the biosafety control measures related to these assays. In transfection assays large quantities of genomic vRNA of SARS-CoV-2 was required for a successful production of infectious viruses. However, the quantity of vRNA alone was not the only factor, and especially when the transfected RNA was derived from infected cells, even small amounts of genomic vRNA was enough for an infection. Virus replication was found to start rapidly after transfection, and infectious viruses were detected in the cell culture media at 24h post-transfection. In addition, silica membrane-based kits were shown to be as good as traditional TRI-reagent based methods in extracting high-quality, 30kb-long genomic vRNA. Taken together, our data indicates that all transfection experiments with samples containing genomic SARS-CoV-2 RNA should be categorized as a propagative work and the work should be conducted only in a higher containment BSL-3 laboratory.

A Model for Birdwatching and other Chronological Sampling Activities

In many real life situations one has m types of random events happening in chronological order within a time interval and one wishes to predict various milestones about these events or their subsets. An example is birdwatching. Suppose we can observe up to m different types of birds during a season. At any moment a bird of type i is observed with some probability. There are many natural questions a birdwatcher may have: how many observations should one expect to perform before recording all types of birds? Is there a time interval where the researcher is most likely to observe all species? Or, what is the likelihood that several species of birds will be observed at overlapping time intervals? Our paper answers these questions using a new model based on random interval graphs. This model is a natural follow up to the famous coupon collector’s problem.

The i-extended zero-divisor graphs of idealizations

Let R be a commutative ring with zero-divisors [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be a positive integer. The [Formula: see text]-extended zero-divisor graph of [Formula: see text], denoted by [Formula: see text], is the (simple) graph with vertex set [Formula: see text], the set of nonzero zero-divisors of [Formula: see text], and two distinct nonzero zero-divisors [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are adjacent whenever there exist two positive integers [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The [Formula: see text]-extended zero-divisor graph of [Formula: see text] is well studied in 10. In this paper, we characterize the [Formula: see text]-extended zero-divisor graphs of idealizations [Formula: see text] (where [Formula: see text] is an [Formula: see text]-module). Namely, we study in detail the behavior of the filtration [Formula: see text] as well as the relations between its terms. We also characterize the girth and the diameter of [Formula: see text] and we give answers to several interesting and natural questions that arise in this context.

Uniqueness of the discrete Fourier transform

The discrete Fourier transform has the fundamental property of carrying convolution into componentwise product. A natural question is whether it is the only one with this ability. The answer is positive in some sense. This uniqueness is little known and its proof [1] might be difficult to access for users of mathematics, engineers and physicists. The ambition of this communication is to rewrite the proof of this fundamental property of uniqueness in a detailed way for a varied scientific audience.

Effective Guessing Has Unlikely Consequences

A classic result of Paul, Pippenger, Szemerédi and Trotter states that {textsf {DTIME}}(n) subsetneq {textsf {NTIME}}(n). The natural question then arises: could the inclusion {textsf {DTIME}}(t(n)) subseteq {textsf {NTIME}}(n) hold for some superlinear time-constructible function t(n)? If such a function t(n) does exist, then there also exist effective nondeterministic guessing strategies to speed up deterministic computations. In this work, we prove limitations on the effectiveness of nondeterministic guessing to speed up deterministic computations by showing that the existence of effective nondeterministic guessing strategies would have unlikely consequences. In particular, we show that if a subpolynomial amount of nondeterministic guessing could be used to speed up deterministic computation by a polynomial factor, then {textsf {P}}~ subsetneq {textsf {NTIME}}(n). Furthermore, even achieving a logarithmic speedup at the cost of making every step nondeterministic would show that SAT ∈NTIME(n) under appropriate encodings. Of possibly independent interest, under such encodings we also show that SAT can be decided in O(nlogn) steps on a nondeterministic multitape Turing machine, improving on the well-known O(n(logn)c) bound for some constant but undetermined exponent c ≥ 1.