été Ethnoveterinary medicine : present and future concepts By dal.novanet.ca Published On :: Fri, 1 May 2020 19:44:43 -0300 Callnumber: OnlineISBN: 9783030322700 (electronic bk.) Full Article
été Enterprise information systems : 21st International Conference, ICEIS 2019, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, May 3-5, 2019, Revised Selected Papers By dal.novanet.ca Published On :: Fri, 1 May 2020 19:44:43 -0300 Author: International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems (21st : 2019 : Ērakleion, Greece)Callnumber: OnlineISBN: 9783030407834 (electronic bk.) Full Article
été Diabetes and Aging-related Complications By dal.novanet.ca Published On :: Fri, 1 May 2020 19:44:43 -0300 Callnumber: OnlineISBN: 9789811043765 978-981-10-4376-5 Full Article
été Diabetes & obesity in women : adolescence, pregnancy, and menopause By dal.novanet.ca Published On :: Fri, 1 May 2020 19:44:43 -0300 Author: Diabetes in women.Callnumber: OnlineISBN: 9781496390547 (paperback) Full Article
été Complete denture prosthodontics : planning and decision-making By dal.novanet.ca Published On :: Fri, 1 May 2020 19:44:43 -0300 Author: Tam protezler. EnglishCallnumber: OnlineISBN: 9783319690322 (electronic bk.) Full Article
été Complete denture prosthodontics : treatment and problem solving By dal.novanet.ca Published On :: Fri, 1 May 2020 19:44:43 -0300 Callnumber: OnlineISBN: 9783319690179 (electronic bk.) Full Article
été InBios receives Emergency Use Authorization for its Smart Detect... By www.prweb.com Published On :: InBios International, Inc. announces the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its diagnostic test that can be used immediately by CLIA...(PRWeb April 08, 2020)Read the full story at https://www.prweb.com/releases/inbios_receives_emergency_use_authorization_for_its_smart_detect_sars_cov_2_rrt_pcr_kit_for_detection_of_the_virus_causing_covid_19/prweb17036897.htm Full Article
été Statistical inference for model parameters in stochastic gradient descent By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Mon, 17 Feb 2020 04:02 EST Xi Chen, Jason D. Lee, Xin T. Tong, Yichen Zhang. Source: The Annals of Statistics, Volume 48, Number 1, 251--273.Abstract: The stochastic gradient descent (SGD) algorithm has been widely used in statistical estimation for large-scale data due to its computational and memory efficiency. While most existing works focus on the convergence of the objective function or the error of the obtained solution, we investigate the problem of statistical inference of true model parameters based on SGD when the population loss function is strongly convex and satisfies certain smoothness conditions. Our main contributions are twofold. First, in the fixed dimension setup, we propose two consistent estimators of the asymptotic covariance of the average iterate from SGD: (1) a plug-in estimator, and (2) a batch-means estimator, which is computationally more efficient and only uses the iterates from SGD. Both proposed estimators allow us to construct asymptotically exact confidence intervals and hypothesis tests. Second, for high-dimensional linear regression, using a variant of the SGD algorithm, we construct a debiased estimator of each regression coefficient that is asymptotically normal. This gives a one-pass algorithm for computing both the sparse regression coefficients and confidence intervals, which is computationally attractive and applicable to online data. Full Article
été Spectral and matrix factorization methods for consistent community detection in multi-layer networks By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Mon, 17 Feb 2020 04:02 EST Subhadeep Paul, Yuguo Chen. Source: The Annals of Statistics, Volume 48, Number 1, 230--250.Abstract: We consider the problem of estimating a consensus community structure by combining information from multiple layers of a multi-layer network using methods based on the spectral clustering or a low-rank matrix factorization. As a general theme, these “intermediate fusion” methods involve obtaining a low column rank matrix by optimizing an objective function and then using the columns of the matrix for clustering. However, the theoretical properties of these methods remain largely unexplored. In the absence of statistical guarantees on the objective functions, it is difficult to determine if the algorithms optimizing the objectives will return good community structures. We investigate the consistency properties of the global optimizer of some of these objective functions under the multi-layer stochastic blockmodel. For this purpose, we derive several new asymptotic results showing consistency of the intermediate fusion techniques along with the spectral clustering of mean adjacency matrix under a high dimensional setup, where the number of nodes, the number of layers and the number of communities of the multi-layer graph grow. Our numerical study shows that the intermediate fusion techniques outperform late fusion methods, namely spectral clustering on aggregate spectral kernel and module allegiance matrix in sparse networks, while they outperform the spectral clustering of mean adjacency matrix in multi-layer networks that contain layers with both homophilic and heterophilic communities. Full Article
été Detecting relevant changes in the mean of nonstationary processes—A mass excess approach By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 22:03 EDT Holger Dette, Weichi Wu. Source: The Annals of Statistics, Volume 47, Number 6, 3578--3608.Abstract: This paper considers the problem of testing if a sequence of means $(mu_{t})_{t=1,ldots ,n}$ of a nonstationary time series $(X_{t})_{t=1,ldots ,n}$ is stable in the sense that the difference of the means $mu_{1}$ and $mu_{t}$ between the initial time $t=1$ and any other time is smaller than a given threshold, that is $|mu_{1}-mu_{t}|leq c$ for all $t=1,ldots ,n$. A test for hypotheses of this type is developed using a bias corrected monotone rearranged local linear estimator and asymptotic normality of the corresponding test statistic is established. As the asymptotic variance depends on the location of the roots of the equation $|mu_{1}-mu_{t}|=c$ a new bootstrap procedure is proposed to obtain critical values and its consistency is established. As a consequence we are able to quantitatively describe relevant deviations of a nonstationary sequence from its initial value. The results are illustrated by means of a simulation study and by analyzing data examples. Full Article
été Statistical inference for autoregressive models under heteroscedasticity of unknown form By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 22:03 EDT Ke Zhu. Source: The Annals of Statistics, Volume 47, Number 6, 3185--3215.Abstract: This paper provides an entire inference procedure for the autoregressive model under (conditional) heteroscedasticity of unknown form with a finite variance. We first establish the asymptotic normality of the weighted least absolute deviations estimator (LADE) for the model. Second, we develop the random weighting (RW) method to estimate its asymptotic covariance matrix, leading to the implementation of the Wald test. Third, we construct a portmanteau test for model checking, and use the RW method to obtain its critical values. As a special weighted LADE, the feasible adaptive LADE (ALADE) is proposed and proved to have the same efficiency as its infeasible counterpart. The importance of our entire methodology based on the feasible ALADE is illustrated by simulation results and the real data analysis on three U.S. economic data sets. Full Article
été Randomized incomplete $U$-statistics in high dimensions By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 22:03 EDT Xiaohui Chen, Kengo Kato. Source: The Annals of Statistics, Volume 47, Number 6, 3127--3156.Abstract: This paper studies inference for the mean vector of a high-dimensional $U$-statistic. In the era of big data, the dimension $d$ of the $U$-statistic and the sample size $n$ of the observations tend to be both large, and the computation of the $U$-statistic is prohibitively demanding. Data-dependent inferential procedures such as the empirical bootstrap for $U$-statistics is even more computationally expensive. To overcome such a computational bottleneck, incomplete $U$-statistics obtained by sampling fewer terms of the $U$-statistic are attractive alternatives. In this paper, we introduce randomized incomplete $U$-statistics with sparse weights whose computational cost can be made independent of the order of the $U$-statistic. We derive nonasymptotic Gaussian approximation error bounds for the randomized incomplete $U$-statistics in high dimensions, namely in cases where the dimension $d$ is possibly much larger than the sample size $n$, for both nondegenerate and degenerate kernels. In addition, we propose generic bootstrap methods for the incomplete $U$-statistics that are computationally much less demanding than existing bootstrap methods, and establish finite sample validity of the proposed bootstrap methods. Our methods are illustrated on the application to nonparametric testing for the pairwise independence of a high-dimensional random vector under weaker assumptions than those appearing in the literature. Full Article
été BART with targeted smoothing: An analysis of patient-specific stillbirth risk By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Wed, 15 Apr 2020 22:05 EDT Jennifer E. Starling, Jared S. Murray, Carlos M. Carvalho, Radek K. Bukowski, James G. Scott. Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 14, Number 1, 28--50.Abstract: This article introduces BART with Targeted Smoothing, or tsBART, a new Bayesian tree-based model for nonparametric regression. The goal of tsBART is to introduce smoothness over a single target covariate $t$ while not necessarily requiring smoothness over other covariates $x$. tsBART is based on the Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) model, an ensemble of regression trees. tsBART extends BART by parameterizing each tree’s terminal nodes with smooth functions of $t$ rather than independent scalars. Like BART, tsBART captures complex nonlinear relationships and interactions among the predictors. But unlike BART, tsBART guarantees that the response surface will be smooth in the target covariate. This improves interpretability and helps to regularize the estimate. After introducing and benchmarking the tsBART model, we apply it to our motivating example—pregnancy outcomes data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Our aim is to provide patient-specific estimates of stillbirth risk across gestational age $(t)$ and based on maternal and fetal risk factors $(x)$. Obstetricians expect stillbirth risk to vary smoothly over gestational age but not necessarily over other covariates, and tsBART has been designed precisely to reflect this structural knowledge. The results of our analysis show the clear superiority of the tsBART model for quantifying stillbirth risk, thereby providing patients and doctors with better information for managing the risk of fetal mortality. All methods described here are implemented in the R package tsbart . Full Article
été On Bayesian new edge prediction and anomaly detection in computer networks By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Wed, 27 Nov 2019 22:01 EST Silvia Metelli, Nicholas Heard. Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 4, 2586--2610.Abstract: Monitoring computer network traffic for anomalous behaviour presents an important security challenge. Arrivals of new edges in a network graph represent connections between a client and server pair not previously observed, and in rare cases these might suggest the presence of intruders or malicious implants. We propose a Bayesian model and anomaly detection method for simultaneously characterising existing network structure and modelling likely new edge formation. The method is demonstrated on real computer network authentication data and successfully identifies some machines which are known to be compromised. Full Article
été A latent discrete Markov random field approach to identifying and classifying historical forest communities based on spatial multivariate tree species counts By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Wed, 27 Nov 2019 22:01 EST Stephen Berg, Jun Zhu, Murray K. Clayton, Monika E. Shea, David J. Mladenoff. Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 4, 2312--2340.Abstract: The Wisconsin Public Land Survey database describes historical forest composition at high spatial resolution and is of interest in ecological studies of forest composition in Wisconsin just prior to significant Euro-American settlement. For such studies it is useful to identify recurring subpopulations of tree species known as communities, but standard clustering approaches for subpopulation identification do not account for dependence between spatially nearby observations. Here, we develop and fit a latent discrete Markov random field model for the purpose of identifying and classifying historical forest communities based on spatially referenced multivariate tree species counts across Wisconsin. We show empirically for the actual dataset and through simulation that our latent Markov random field modeling approach improves prediction and parameter estimation performance. For model fitting we introduce a new stochastic approximation algorithm which enables computationally efficient estimation and classification of large amounts of spatial multivariate count data. Full Article
été A semiparametric modeling approach using Bayesian Additive Regression Trees with an application to evaluate heterogeneous treatment effects By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Wed, 16 Oct 2019 22:03 EDT Bret Zeldow, Vincent Lo Re III, Jason Roy. Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 3, 1989--2010.Abstract: Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) is a flexible machine learning algorithm capable of capturing nonlinearities between an outcome and covariates and interactions among covariates. We extend BART to a semiparametric regression framework in which the conditional expectation of an outcome is a function of treatment, its effect modifiers, and confounders. The confounders are allowed to have unspecified functional form, while treatment and effect modifiers that are directly related to the research question are given a linear form. The result is a Bayesian semiparametric linear regression model where the posterior distribution of the parameters of the linear part can be interpreted as in parametric Bayesian regression. This is useful in situations where a subset of the variables are of substantive interest and the others are nuisance variables that we would like to control for. An example of this occurs in causal modeling with the structural mean model (SMM). Under certain causal assumptions, our method can be used as a Bayesian SMM. Our methods are demonstrated with simulation studies and an application to dataset involving adults with HIV/Hepatitis C coinfection who newly initiate antiretroviral therapy. The methods are available in an R package called semibart. Full Article
été Stratonovich type integration with respect to fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter less than $1/2$ By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Mon, 27 Apr 2020 04:02 EDT Jorge A. León. Source: Bernoulli, Volume 26, Number 3, 2436--2462.Abstract: Let $B^{H}$ be a fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter $Hin (0,1/2)$ and $p:mathbb{R} ightarrow mathbb{R}$ a polynomial function. The main purpose of this paper is to introduce a Stratonovich type stochastic integral with respect to $B^{H}$, whose domain includes the process $p(B^{H})$. That is, an integral that allows us to integrate $p(B^{H})$ with respect to $B^{H}$, which does not happen with the symmetric integral given by Russo and Vallois ( Probab. Theory Related Fields 97 (1993) 403–421) in general. Towards this end, we combine the approaches utilized by León and Nualart ( Stochastic Process. Appl. 115 (2005) 481–492), and Russo and Vallois ( Probab. Theory Related Fields 97 (1993) 403–421), whose aims are to extend the domain of the divergence operator for Gaussian processes and to define some stochastic integrals, respectively. Then, we study the relation between this Stratonovich integral and the extension of the divergence operator (see León and Nualart ( Stochastic Process. Appl. 115 (2005) 481–492)), an Itô formula and the existence of a unique solution of some Stratonovich stochastic differential equations. These last results have been analyzed by Alòs, León and Nualart ( Taiwanese J. Math. 5 (2001) 609–632), where the Hurst paramert $H$ belongs to the interval $(1/4,1/2)$. Full Article
été From Westphalia to South Australia : the story of Franz Heinrich Ernst Siekmann / by Peter Brinkworth. By www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au Published On :: Siekmann, Francis Heinrich Ernst, 1830-1917. Full Article
été Slow tain to Auschwitz : memoirs of a life in war and peace / Peter Kraus. By www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au Published On :: Kraus, Peter -- Biography. Full Article
été Bayesian Quantile Regression with Mixed Discrete and Nonignorable Missing Covariates By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Thu, 19 Mar 2020 22:02 EDT Zhi-Qiang Wang, Nian-Sheng Tang. Source: Bayesian Analysis, Volume 15, Number 2, 579--604.Abstract: Bayesian inference on quantile regression (QR) model with mixed discrete and non-ignorable missing covariates is conducted by reformulating QR model as a hierarchical structure model. A probit regression model is adopted to specify missing covariate mechanism. A hybrid algorithm combining the Gibbs sampler and the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm is developed to simultaneously produce Bayesian estimates of unknown parameters and latent variables as well as their corresponding standard errors. Bayesian variable selection method is proposed to recognize significant covariates. A Bayesian local influence procedure is presented to assess the effect of minor perturbations to the data, priors and sampling distributions on posterior quantities of interest. Several simulation studies and an example are presented to illustrate the proposed methodologies. Full Article
été Additive Multivariate Gaussian Processes for Joint Species Distribution Modeling with Heterogeneous Data By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Thu, 19 Mar 2020 22:02 EDT Jarno Vanhatalo, Marcelo Hartmann, Lari Veneranta. Source: Bayesian Analysis, Volume 15, Number 2, 415--447.Abstract: Species distribution models (SDM) are a key tool in ecology, conservation and management of natural resources. Two key components of the state-of-the-art SDMs are the description for species distribution response along environmental covariates and the spatial random effect that captures deviations from the distribution patterns explained by environmental covariates. Joint species distribution models (JSDMs) additionally include interspecific correlations which have been shown to improve their descriptive and predictive performance compared to single species models. However, current JSDMs are restricted to hierarchical generalized linear modeling framework. Their limitation is that parametric models have trouble in explaining changes in abundance due, for example, highly non-linear physical tolerance limits which is particularly important when predicting species distribution in new areas or under scenarios of environmental change. On the other hand, semi-parametric response functions have been shown to improve the predictive performance of SDMs in these tasks in single species models. Here, we propose JSDMs where the responses to environmental covariates are modeled with additive multivariate Gaussian processes coded as linear models of coregionalization. These allow inference for wide range of functional forms and interspecific correlations between the responses. We propose also an efficient approach for inference with Laplace approximation and parameterization of the interspecific covariance matrices on the Euclidean space. We demonstrate the benefits of our model with two small scale examples and one real world case study. We use cross-validation to compare the proposed model to analogous semi-parametric single species models and parametric single and joint species models in interpolation and extrapolation tasks. The proposed model outperforms the alternative models in all cases. We also show that the proposed model can be seen as an extension of the current state-of-the-art JSDMs to semi-parametric models. Full Article
été Determinantal Point Process Mixtures Via Spectral Density Approach By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Mon, 13 Jan 2020 04:00 EST Ilaria Bianchini, Alessandra Guglielmi, Fernando A. Quintana. Source: Bayesian Analysis, Volume 15, Number 1, 187--214.Abstract: We consider mixture models where location parameters are a priori encouraged to be well separated. We explore a class of determinantal point process (DPP) mixture models, which provide the desired notion of separation or repulsion. Instead of using the rather restrictive case where analytical results are partially available, we adopt a spectral representation from which approximations to the DPP density functions can be readily computed. For the sake of concreteness the presentation focuses on a power exponential spectral density, but the proposed approach is in fact quite general. We later extend our model to incorporate covariate information in the likelihood and also in the assignment to mixture components, yielding a trade-off between repulsiveness of locations in the mixtures and attraction among subjects with similar covariates. We develop full Bayesian inference, and explore model properties and posterior behavior using several simulation scenarios and data illustrations. Supplementary materials for this article are available online (Bianchini et al., 2019). Full Article
été Detecting Structural Changes in Longitudinal Network Data By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Mon, 13 Jan 2020 04:00 EST Jong Hee Park, Yunkyu Sohn. Source: Bayesian Analysis, Volume 15, Number 1, 133--157.Abstract: Dynamic modeling of longitudinal networks has been an increasingly important topic in applied research. While longitudinal network data commonly exhibit dramatic changes in its structures, existing methods have largely focused on modeling smooth topological changes over time. In this paper, we develop a hidden Markov network change-point model (HNC) that combines the multilinear tensor regression model (Hoff, 2011) with a hidden Markov model using Bayesian inference. We model changes in network structure as shifts in discrete states yielding particular sets of network generating parameters. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method correctly detects the number, locations, and types of changes in latent node characteristics. We apply the proposed method to international military alliance networks to find structural changes in the coalition structure among nations. Full Article
été Hierarchical Normalized Completely Random Measures for Robust Graphical Modeling By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Thu, 19 Dec 2019 22:10 EST Andrea Cremaschi, Raffaele Argiento, Katherine Shoemaker, Christine Peterson, Marina Vannucci. Source: Bayesian Analysis, Volume 14, Number 4, 1271--1301.Abstract: Gaussian graphical models are useful tools for exploring network structures in multivariate normal data. In this paper we are interested in situations where data show departures from Gaussianity, therefore requiring alternative modeling distributions. The multivariate $t$ -distribution, obtained by dividing each component of the data vector by a gamma random variable, is a straightforward generalization to accommodate deviations from normality such as heavy tails. Since different groups of variables may be contaminated to a different extent, Finegold and Drton (2014) introduced the Dirichlet $t$ -distribution, where the divisors are clustered using a Dirichlet process. In this work, we consider a more general class of nonparametric distributions as the prior on the divisor terms, namely the class of normalized completely random measures (NormCRMs). To improve the effectiveness of the clustering, we propose modeling the dependence among the divisors through a nonparametric hierarchical structure, which allows for the sharing of parameters across the samples in the data set. This desirable feature enables us to cluster together different components of multivariate data in a parsimonious way. We demonstrate through simulations that this approach provides accurate graphical model inference, and apply it to a case study examining the dependence structure in radiomics data derived from The Cancer Imaging Atlas. Full Article
été A Conversation with Peter Diggle By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Fri, 11 Oct 2019 04:03 EDT Peter M. Atkinson, Jorge Mateu. Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 3, 504--521.Abstract: Peter John Diggle was born on February 24, 1950, in Lancashire, England. Peter went to school in Scotland, and it was at the end of his school years that he found that he was good at maths and actually enjoyed it. Peter went to Edinburgh to do a maths degree, but transferred halfway through to Liverpool where he completed his degree. Peter studied for a year at Oxford and was then appointed in 1974 as a lecturer in statistics at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he gained his PhD, and was promoted to Reader in 1983. A sabbatical at the Swedish Royal College of Forestry gave him his first exposure to real scientific data and problems, prompting a move to CSIRO, Australia. After five years with CSIRO where he was Senior, then Principal, then Chief Research Scientist and Chief of the Division of Mathematics and Statistics, he returned to the UK in 1988, to a Chair at Lancaster University. Since 2011 Peter has held appointments at Lancaster and Liverpool, together with honorary appointments at Johns Hopkins, Columbia and Yale. At Lancaster, Peter was the founder and Director of the Medical Statistics Unit (1995–2001), University Dean for Research (1998–2001), EPSRC Senior Fellow (2004–2008), Associate Dean for Research at the School of Health and Medicine (2007–2011), Distinguished University Professor, and leader of the CHICAS Research Group (2007–2017). A Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society since 1974, he was a Member of Council (1983–1985), Joint Editor of JRSSB (1984–1987), Honorary Secretary (1990–1996), awarded the Guy Medal in Silver (1997) and the Barnett Award (2018), Associate Editor of Applied Statistics (1998–2000), Chair of the Research Section Committee (1998–2000), and President (2014–2016). Away from work, Peter enjoys music, playing folk-blues guitar and tenor recorder, and listening to jazz. His running days are behind him, but he can just about hold his own in mixed-doubles badminton with his family. His boyhoood hero was Stirling Moss, and he retains an enthusiasm for classic cars, not least his 1988 Porsche 924S. His favorite authors are George Orwell, Primo Levi and Nigel Slater. This interview was done prior to the fourth Spatial Statistics conference held in Lancaster, July 2017 where a session was dedicated to Peter celebrating his contributions to statistics. Full Article
été Two-Sample Instrumental Variable Analyses Using Heterogeneous Samples By projecteuclid.org Published On :: Thu, 18 Jul 2019 22:01 EDT Qingyuan Zhao, Jingshu Wang, Wes Spiller, Jack Bowden, Dylan S. Small. Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 2, 317--333.Abstract: Instrumental variable analysis is a widely used method to estimate causal effects in the presence of unmeasured confounding. When the instruments, exposure and outcome are not measured in the same sample, Angrist and Krueger ( J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 87 (1992) 328–336) suggested to use two-sample instrumental variable (TSIV) estimators that use sample moments from an instrument-exposure sample and an instrument-outcome sample. However, this method is biased if the two samples are from heterogeneous populations so that the distributions of the instruments are different. In linear structural equation models, we derive a new class of TSIV estimators that are robust to heterogeneous samples under the key assumption that the structural relations in the two samples are the same. The widely used two-sample two-stage least squares estimator belongs to this class. It is generally not asymptotically efficient, although we find that it performs similarly to the optimal TSIV estimator in most practical situations. We then attempt to relax the linearity assumption. We find that, unlike one-sample analyses, the TSIV estimator is not robust to misspecified exposure model. Additionally, to nonparametrically identify the magnitude of the causal effect, the noise in the exposure must have the same distributions in the two samples. However, this assumption is in general untestable because the exposure is not observed in one sample. Nonetheless, we may still identify the sign of the causal effect in the absence of homogeneity of the noise. Full Article
été Heteromodal Cortical Areas Encode Sensory-Motor Features of Word Meaning By www.jneurosci.org Published On :: 2016-09-21T09:33:18-07:00 The capacity to process information in conceptual form is a fundamental aspect of human cognition, yet little is known about how this type of information is encoded in the brain. Although the role of sensory and motor cortical areas has been a focus of recent debate, neuroimaging studies of concept representation consistently implicate a network of heteromodal areas that seem to support concept retrieval in general rather than knowledge related to any particular sensory-motor content. We used predictive machine learning on fMRI data to investigate the hypothesis that cortical areas in this "general semantic network" (GSN) encode multimodal information derived from basic sensory-motor processes, possibly functioning as convergence–divergence zones for distributed concept representation. An encoding model based on five conceptual attributes directly related to sensory-motor experience (sound, color, shape, manipulability, and visual motion) was used to predict brain activation patterns associated with individual lexical concepts in a semantic decision task. When the analysis was restricted to voxels in the GSN, the model was able to identify the activation patterns corresponding to individual concrete concepts significantly above chance. In contrast, a model based on five perceptual attributes of the word form performed at chance level. This pattern was reversed when the analysis was restricted to areas involved in the perceptual analysis of written word forms. These results indicate that heteromodal areas involved in semantic processing encode information about the relative importance of different sensory-motor attributes of concepts, possibly by storing particular combinations of sensory and motor features. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present study used a predictive encoding model of word semantics to decode conceptual information from neural activity in heteromodal cortical areas. The model is based on five sensory-motor attributes of word meaning (color, shape, sound, visual motion, and manipulability) and encodes the relative importance of each attribute to the meaning of a word. This is the first demonstration that heteromodal areas involved in semantic processing can discriminate between different concepts based on sensory-motor information alone. This finding indicates that the brain represents concepts as multimodal combinations of sensory and motor representations. Full Article
été Allometric Analysis Detects Brain Size-Independent Effects of Sex and Sex Chromosome Complement on Human Cerebellar Organization By www.jneurosci.org Published On :: 2017-05-24 Catherine MankiwMay 24, 2017; 37:5221-5231Development Plasticity Repair Full Article
été Readiness Potential and Neuronal Determinism: New Insights on Libet Experiment By www.jneurosci.org Published On :: 2018-01-24 Karim FifelJan 24, 2018; 38:784-786Journal Club Full Article
été {alpha}-Band Electroencephalographic Activity over Occipital Cortex Indexes Visuospatial Attention Bias and Predicts Visual Target Detection By www.jneurosci.org Published On :: 2006-09-13 Gregor ThutSep 13, 2006; 26:9494-9502BehavioralSystemsCognitive Full Article
été How AI Can Improve Customer Retention By www.crmbuyer.com Published On :: 2020-03-21T04:00:00-07:00 Customer attrition and churn are not new problems. Anyone who has spent time in the sales world has heard statistics around the cost of acquiring a new customer. It can be five to 25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. Improving customer retention by just 5 percent can increase profits by 25-95 percent, depending on your industry and company size. Full Article
été Neural Circuit Dynamics for Sensory Detection By www.jneurosci.org Published On :: 2020-04-22T09:29:41-07:00 We consider the question of how sensory networks enable the detection of sensory stimuli in a combinatorial coding space. We are specifically interested in the olfactory system, wherein recent experimental studies have reported the existence of rich, enigmatic response patterns associated with stimulus onset and offset. This study aims to identify the functional relevance of such response patterns (i.e., what benefits does such neural activity provide in the context of detecting stimuli in a natural environment). We study this problem through the lens of normative, optimization-based modeling. Here, we define the notion of a low-dimensional latent representation of stimulus identity, which is generated through action of the sensory network. The objective of our optimization framework is to ensure high-fidelity tracking of a nominal representation in this latent space in an energy-efficient manner. It turns out that the optimal motifs emerging from this framework possess morphologic similarity with prototypical onset and offset responses observed in vivo in locusts (Schistocerca americana) of either sex. Furthermore, this objective can be exactly achieved by a network with reciprocal excitatory–inhibitory competitive dynamics, similar to interactions between projection neurons and local neurons in the early olfactory system of insects. The derived model also makes several predictions regarding maintenance of robust latent representations in the presence of confounding background information and trade-offs between the energy of sensory activity and resultant behavioral measures such as speed and accuracy of stimulus detection. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A key area of study in olfactory coding involves understanding the transformation from high-dimensional sensory stimulus to low-dimensional decoded representation. Here, we examine not only the dimensionality reduction of this mapping but also its temporal dynamics, with specific focus on stimuli that are temporally continuous. Through optimization-based synthesis, we examine how sensory networks can track representations without prior assumption of discrete trial structure. We show that such tracking can be achieved by canonical network architectures and dynamics, and that the resulting responses resemble observations from neurons in the insect olfactory system. Thus, our results provide hypotheses regarding the functional role of olfactory circuit activity at both single neuronal and population scales. Full Article
été This is a test do not deleteme By www.fao.org Published On :: Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT This is a test do not deleteme Full Article
été U.K. Storms Unearth Bones From Historic Scottish Cemetery—and Archaeologists Are Worried By www.smithsonianmag.com Published On :: Thu, 12 Mar 2020 17:40:03 +0000 The burial site, which contains remains from both the Picts and the Norse, is at risk of disappearing due to coastal erosion Full Article
été China Plans to Lift Lockdown on Wuhan, Where COVID-19 Was First Detected By www.smithsonianmag.com Published On :: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 16:48:35 +0000 With no new infections reported in Hubei province in recent days, restrictions are easing up—but experts worry about possible 'second wave' of cases Full Article
été How To Watch April’s Lyrid Meteor Shower From Home By www.smithsonianmag.com Published On :: Thu, 16 Apr 2020 18:38:47 +0000 Though not as plentiful as the Perseids in summer, the Lyrids can serve up some serious fireballs Full Article
été One Hundred Years After Influenza Killed His Twin Brother, WWII Veteran Dies of COVID-19 By www.smithsonianmag.com Published On :: Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:23:28 +0000 In the days before his death, the New York man spoke often of his lost twin and the lessons humanity seemed not to have learned Full Article
été Archivists Find the Oldest Record of Human Death by Meteorite By www.smithsonianmag.com Published On :: Mon, 27 Apr 2020 16:02:25 +0000 The 1888 historical account is likely the first ever confirmed case of a human being struck dead by an interstellar interloper Full Article
été 'A warming feeling' : Alberta veterinarian granted travel exemption to practice in the N.W.T. By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Sat, 9 May 2020 00:17:22 EDT The government of the Northwest Territories has made an exemption on border restrictions for a veterinarian from Alberta to practice in the territory, after he received public and political support. Full Article News/Canada/North
été Differential Detergent Lysis of Cellular Fractions for Immunoprecipitation By cshprotocols.cshlp.org Published On :: 2020-02-03T06:30:10-08:00 Differential detergent fractionation of cells is a rapid method for extraction of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins in preparation of an immunoprecipitation. This method can be applied for use of adherent or suspension cells and can significantly reduce nonspecific background in an immunoprecipitation by separation of cellular compartments into individual fractions. The lysis of cells by differential detergents permits the rapid extraction of proteins from the cytoplasm (digitonin), the cytoplasmic membranes, and organelles (Triton X-100), and nucleoplasm (Tween/DOC), facilitated through the use of distinct extraction buffers. Cytoplasmic and nuclear matrix proteins as well as DNA are left behind during the detergent-based extraction. Full Article
été Bradford Assay for Determining Protein Concentration By cshprotocols.cshlp.org Published On :: 2020-04-01T06:30:11-07:00 The Bradford assay is a quick and fairly sensitive method for measuring the concentrations of proteins. It is based on the shift in absorbance maximum of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 dye from 465 to 595 nm following binding to denatured proteins in solution. Full Article
été Two-Step Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) Engineering: Electroporation of Competent BAC Host Cells with the Recombinant Shuttle Vector By cshprotocols.cshlp.org Published On :: 2020-04-01T06:30:11-07:00 Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones are rendered electrocompetent and transformed with the recombinant shuttle vector, pLD53SCAB/AB-box. Cointegrates are selected by growth on chloramphenicol and ampicillin to ensure recombination of the shuttle vector into the BAC. Full Article
été 21-year navy veteran among Northwood residents to die of COVID-19 By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Fri, 8 May 2020 09:44:57 EDT The last time Charlene Chiddenton saw her father in person was on March 7 — visitor restrictions at long-term care homes during the pandemic had kept them apart — and less than two months later, she was saying goodbye to her father by video call. Full Article News/Canada/Nova Scotia
été Meet the interpreter behind the voice By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Thu, 7 May 2020 12:29:00 EDT Carmen Figueroa Sotelo has been interpreting all the news conferences for English audiences since the beginning of the pandemic in Quebec Full Article News/Canada/Montreal
été Pete Rose had bats corked in '84, former Expos groundskeeper says By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Tue, 5 May 2020 11:33:11 EDT A former groundskeeper for the Expos recently told the Montreal Gazette that Pete Rose, who played less than a full season with the team, routinely had an Olympic Stadium staffer cork his bats in 1984. Full Article Sports/Baseball/MLB
été How to Detect the Age-Old Traditions of Folklore in Today’s COVID-19 Misinformation By www.smithsonianmag.com Published On :: Tue, 14 Apr 2020 13:00:00 +0000 Smithsonian folklorist James Deutsch says the fast spread of stories and memes are cultural expressions that build cohesion and support Full Article
été Decorate a guitar, skateboard, or bike to help veterans, foster children – AZFamily By rss-newsfeed.india-meets-classic.net Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 22:16:00 +0000 Decorate a guitar, skateboard, or bike to help veterans, foster children AZFamily Full Article IMC News Feed
été Victory over death in a cemetery - Zimbabwe By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 25 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000 An OM team has a rare opportunity to share the Gospel with the Doma people at the funeral of a senior member of the community. Full Article
été Veteran forward Kelly Babstock returns home, joining Toronto's NWHL team By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Sat, 2 May 2020 14:23:15 EDT Veteran forward Kelly Babstock signed with the new Toronto franchise of the National Women's Hockey League on Saturday. The two-time all-star has 27 goals and 60 points in 65 games over four seasons. Full Article Sports/Hockey
été Maple Leafs sign veteran European defenceman Mikko Lehtonen By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Mon, 4 May 2020 10:41:49 EDT The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Finnish defenceman Mikko Lehtonen to a one-year, entry-level contract for the 2020-21 season, the club announced Monday. Full Article Sports/Hockey/NHL