Information redundancy neglect versus overconfidence: a social learning experiment

We study social learning in a continuous action space experiment. Subjects, acting in sequence, state their belief about the value of a good, after observing their predecessors' statements and a private signal. We compare the behavior in the laboratory with the Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium prediction and the predictions of bounded rationality models of decision making: the redundancy of information neglect model and the overconfidence model. The results of our experiment are in line with the predictions of the overconfidence model and at odds with the others'

Timothy Schmidt, trumpet

This senior recital from March 31, 2003 featured Timothy Schmidt (trumpet) assisted by Susan Teicher (piano) and Richard Rossi (organ)

Geographical information retrieval with ontologies of place

Geographical context is required of many information retrieval tasks in which the target of the search may be documents, images or records which are referenced to geographical space only by means of place names. Often there may be an imprecise match between the query name and the names associated with candidate sources of information. There is a need therefore for geographical information retrieval facilities that can rank the relevance of candidate information with respect to geographical closeness of place as well as semantic closeness with respect to the information of interest. Here we present an ontology of place that combines limited coordinate data with semantic and qualitative spatial relationships between places. This parsimonious model of geographical place supports maintenance of knowledge of place names that relate to extensive regions of the Earth at multiple levels of granularity. The ontology has been implemented with a semantic modelling system linking non-spatial conceptual hierarchies with the place ontology. An hierarchical spatial distance measure is combined with Euclidean distance between place centroids to create a hybrid spatial distance measure. This is integrated with thematic distance, based on classification semantics, to create an integrated semantic closeness measure that can be used for a relevance ranking of retrieved objects

Phytopharmacological strategies in the management of type 2 diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease which corresponds to 90% of the worldwide cases of diabetes, mainly due to epigenetic factors such as unhealthy lifestyles. First line therapeutic approaches are based on lifestyle changes, most of the time complemented with medication mostly associated with several side e ects and high costs. As a result, the scientific community is constantly working for the discovery and development of natural therapeutic strategies that provide lower financial impact and minimize side e ects. This review focus on these nature-based therapeutic strategies for prevention and control of T2DM, with a special emphasis on natural compounds that present pharmacological activity as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4), alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, lipase, and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Central Laser Facility at the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Central Laser Facility is located near the middle of the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina. It features a UV laser and optics that direct a beam of calibrated pulsed light into the sky. Light scattered from this beam produces tracks in the Auger optical detectors which normally record nitrogen fluorescence tracks from cosmic ray air showers. The Central Laser Facility provides a "test beam" to investigate properties of the atmosphere and the fluorescence detectors. The laser can send light via optical fiber simultaneously to the nearest surface detector tank for hybrid timing analyses. We describe the facility and show some examples of its many uses.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to 29th ICRC Pune Indi

Testing Zimbardo’s Stanford Time Perspective Inventory (STPI)-Short Form: An Italian study

ABSTRACT. In the present study the psychometric properties of the Stanford Time Perspective Inventory (STPI – short version) are assessed in an Italian sample. Factorial analysis of STPI items was performed on 1507 respondents (965 women and 542 men). Results showed a clear correspondence between factorial components and a priori hypothesized dimensions by evidencing three factors (Future, Hedonistic Present, Fatalistic Present). Italian translation of the STPI indicates a fair degree of internal consistency and good metrological characteristics. The present results parallel those previously reported for an American sample. The present study, however, failed in evidencing the ‘Past’ as a factor in the factor structure. The results are discussed in terms of individual differences with respect to the relationships between demographic variables and temporal dimensions

Child relationships in the middle grades

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Relationship of dietary pattern with body composition and symptoms in patients with COPD

This study explored the relationship of dietary patterns with body composition and symptoms in patients with COPD. Data collection included: dietary pattern – n. meals/day; period of the day of highest food intake (morning [6 AM–12 PM], afternoon [12–18 PM], and evening [18 PM–6 AM]); the time interval between meals (3-4h, 5-6h, 9-10h), and daily energy and nutrient intake using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (last 12 months); body composition – body mass index (BMI), % fat mass (%FM), % fat-free mass (%FFM), % total muscle mass (%MM), fat-free mass index (FFMI) and visceral fat index (VAT) (SECA mBCA 525); symptoms – dyspnoea (modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale, mMRC), fatigue (Checklist of Individual Strength, CIS20-P total score), impact of COPD (COPD Assessment Test, CAT). Pearson’s (r) or Spearman’s (ρ) correlations were conducted. 18 patients participated (16 males, 68±7 years old, FEV1 43±20% predicted, BMI 25±5kg/m2, FFMI 18±3kg/m2). Most participants reported having 3-4 meals/day (n=14, 78%) with a 3-4-hour interval (n=15, 83%). Moderate correlations were found between %FM and carbohydrates (ρ=-.501) and between FFMI and monosaturated fat (r=.476) (p.05). Energy and nutrient intake are related to COPD symptoms and body composition. The nature of these relationships should be explored.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

First karyological analysis of the endemic malagasy phantom gecko matoatoa brevipes (Squamata: Gekkonidae)

The genus Matoatoa includes two Malagasy endemic species, M. brevipes and M. spannringi. Due to their cryptic behaviour, the two species are known only from a handful of specimens and have been included in few molecular studies. Here we carried out a molecular barcoding analysis using a fragment of the mitochondrial NADH dehy-drogenase subunit 2 (ND2) and the first chromosomal analysis of M. brevipes. The molecular analysis confirmed the identity of the studied samples as M. brevipes. However, the level of genetic divergence (4% uncorrected p-distance) between our samples and other sequences of M. brevipes, suggests previously unrecognised diversity within the spe-cies. The karyotype of M. brevipes is composed of 2n = 34 chromosomes: the first pair is metacentric, while all the other pairs are telocentric and gradually decreasing in length (Arm Number, AN = 36). C-banding revealed little evidence of centromeric heterochromatin, while NOR-associated heterochromatin was found on the telomeres of a medi-um sized telocentric pair. No heteromorphic chromosome pairs were found in the karyotype of the species, suggesting that putative sex chromosomes are at an early stage of differentiation. Karyological comparisons with closely related species were performed with Christinus marmoratus, and representatives of the genera Phelsuma, Ebenavia, Paroedura and Uroplatus. Comparisons across genera suggest that chromosome diversification in this group of geckos probably occurred by means of chromosome fusions and inversions, leading to a reduction of the chromosome number and the formation of biarmed elements in different species

Chromosome diversity and evolution in helicoide a (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora): A synthesis from original and literature data

We performed a molecular and a comparative cytogenetic analysis on different Helicoidea species and a review of all the available chromosome data on the superfamily to provide an updated assessment of its karyological diversity. Standard karyotyping, banding techniques, and Fluorescence in situ hybridization of Nucleolus Organizer Region loci (NOR-FISH) were performed on fifteen species of three families: two Geomitridae, four Hygromiidae and nine Helicidae. The karyotypes of the studied species varied from 2n = 44 to 2n = 60, highlighting a high karyological diversity. NORs were on a single chromosome pair in Cernuella virgata and on multiple pairs in four Helicidae, representing ancestral and derived conditions, respectively. Heterochromatic C-bands were found on pericentromeric regions of few chromosomes, being Q-and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) negative. NOR-associated heterochromatin was C-banding and chromomycin A3 (CMA3) positive. Considering the available karyological evidence on Helicoidea and superimposing the chromosome data gathered from different sources on available phylogenetic inferences, we describe a karyotype of 2n = 60 with all biarmed elements as the ancestral state in the superfamily. From this condition, an accumulation of chromosome translocations led to karyotypes with a lower chromosome number (2n = 50–44). This process occurred independently in different lineages, while an augment of the chromosome number was detectable in Polygyridae. Chromosome inversions were also relevant chromosome rearrangements in Helicoidea, leading to the formation of telocentric elements in karyotypes with a relatively low chromosome count