What is Quantum? Unifying Its Micro-Physical and Structural Appearance

We can recognize two modes in which 'quantum appears' in macro domains: (i) a 'micro-physical appearance', where quantum laws are assumed to be universal and they are transferred from the micro to the macro level if suitable 'quantum coherence' conditions (e.g., very low temperatures) are realized, (ii) a 'structural appearance', where no hypothesis is made on the validity of quantum laws at a micro level, while genuine quantum aspects are detected at a structural-modeling level. In this paper, we inquire into the connections between the two appearances. We put forward the explanatory hypothesis that, 'the appearance of quantum in both cases' is due to 'the existence of a specific form of organisation, which has the capacity to cope with random perturbations that would destroy this organisation when not coped with'. We analyse how 'organisation of matter', 'organisation of life', and 'organisation of culture', play this role each in their specific domain of application, point out the importance of evolution in this respect, and put forward how our analysis sheds new light on 'what quantum is'.Comment: 10 page

The Tacit ‘Quantum’ of Meeting the Aesthetic Sign; Contextualize, Entangle, Superpose, Collapse or Decohere

The semantically ambiguous nature of the sign and aspects of non-classicality of elementary matter as described by quantum theory show remarkable coherent analogy. We focus on how the ambiguous nature of the image, text and art work bears functional resemblance to the dynamics of contextuality, entanglement, superposition, collapse and decoherence as these phenomena are known in quantum theory. These quantumlike properties in linguistic signs have previously been identified in formal descritions of e.g. concept combinations and mental lexicon representations and have been reported on in the literature. In this approach the informationalized, communicated, mediatized conceptual configuration—of e.g. the art work—in the personal reflected mind behaves like a quantum state function in a higher dimensional complex space, in which it is time and again contextually collapsed and further cognitively entangled (Aerts et al. in Found Sci 4:115–132, 1999; in Lect Notes Comput Sci 7620:36–47, 2012). The observer–consumer of signs becomes the empowered ‘produmer’ (Floridi in The philosophy of information, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011) creating the cognitive outcome of the interaction, while loosing most of any ‘classical givenness’ of the sign (Bal and Bryson in Art Bull 73:174–208, 1991). These quantum-like descriptions are now developed here in four example aesthetic signs; the installation Mist room by Ann Veronica Janssens (2010), the installation Sections of a happy moment by David Claerbout (2010), the photograph The Falling Man by Richard Drew (New York Times, p. 7, September 12, 2001) and the documentary Huicholes. The Last Peyote Guardians by Vilchez and Stefani (2014). Our present work develops further the use of a previously developed quantum model for concept representation in natural language. In our present approach of the aesthetic sign, we extend to individual—idiosyncratic—observer contexts instead of socially shared group contexts, and as such also include multiple idiosyncratic creation of meaning and experience. This irreducible superposition emerges as the core feature of the aesthetic sign and is most critically embedded in the ‘no-interpretation’ interpretation of the documentary signal

On staying grounded and avoiding Quixotic dead ends

The 15 articles in this special issue on The Representation of Concepts illustrate the rich variety of theoretical positions and supporting research that characterize the area. Although much agreement exists among contributors, much disagreement exists as well, especially about the roles of grounding and abstraction in conceptual processing. I first review theoretical approaches raised in these articles that I believe are Quixotic dead ends, namely, approaches that are principled and inspired but likely to fail. In the process, I review various theories of amodal symbols, their distortions of grounded theories, and fallacies in the evidence used to support them. Incorporating further contributions across articles, I then sketch a theoretical approach that I believe is likely to be successful, which includes grounding, abstraction, flexibility, explaining classic conceptual phenomena, and making contact with real-world situations. This account further proposes that (1) a key element of grounding is neural reuse, (2) abstraction takes the forms of multimodal compression, distilled abstraction, and distributed linguistic representation (but not amodal symbols), and (3) flexible context-dependent representations are a hallmark of conceptual processing

Inverse association of NSAID use and ovarian cancer in relation to oral contraceptive use and parity

We examined the association between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and ovarian cancer by potential effect modifiers, parity and oral contraceptive use, in a population-based case–control study conducted in Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Women reported prior use of NSAIDs and information on risk factors in a telephone interview. A total of 487 invasive ovarian cancer cases and 2653 control women aged 20–74 years were included in the analysis. After adjustment for age, state of residence and other covariates, ever use of NSAIDs was inversely associated with ovarian cancer in never users of oral contraceptives (odds ratio (OR)=0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42–0.80) but not for ever users (OR=0.98, 95% CI 0.71–1.35) (P-interaction=0.03). A reduced risk with NSAID use was also noted in nulliparous women (OR=0.47, 95% CI 0.27–0.82) but not among parous women (OR=0.81, 95% CI 0.64–1.04) (P-interaction=0.05). These results suggest that use of NSAIDs were beneficial to women at greatest risk for ovarian cancer

My Employer’s Prestige, My Prestige

Employer branding is an essential component that attracts potential candidates to companies. Social media, particularly employer rating platforms, provide many opportunities to present a company’s employer brand. Individuals use these platforms to collect information and evaluations about potential employers and companies could utilise these platforms to present themselves favourably. Based on social capital theory, this study examined the variables of support and benefit as reasons why individuals share information about their employers on employer rating platforms. The influence of demographic factors on the use of these platforms was also investigated. Data was collected from 309 respondents via an online survey, and analysed using the t-test, Spearman’s correlation, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the least significant difference (LSD) method. Only descriptive statistics, distribution of responses, and statistically significant results are presented

Clinically Applicable Segmentation of Head and Neck Anatomy for Radiotherapy: Deep Learning Algorithm Development and Validation Study

BACKGROUND: Over half a million individuals are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year globally. Radiotherapy is an important curative treatment for this disease, but it requires manual time to delineate radiosensitive organs at risk. This planning process can delay treatment while also introducing interoperator variability, resulting in downstream radiation dose differences. Although auto-segmentation algorithms offer a potentially time-saving solution, the challenges in defining, quantifying, and achieving expert performance remain. OBJECTIVE: Adopting a deep learning approach, we aim to demonstrate a 3D U-Net architecture that achieves expert-level performance in delineating 21 distinct head and neck organs at risk commonly segmented in clinical practice. METHODS: The model was trained on a data set of 663 deidentified computed tomography scans acquired in routine clinical practice and with both segmentations taken from clinical practice and segmentations created by experienced radiographers as part of this research, all in accordance with consensus organ at risk definitions. RESULTS: We demonstrated the model's clinical applicability by assessing its performance on a test set of 21 computed tomography scans from clinical practice, each with 21 organs at risk segmented by 2 independent experts. We also introduced surface Dice similarity coefficient, a new metric for the comparison of organ delineation, to quantify the deviation between organ at risk surface contours rather than volumes, better reflecting the clinical task of correcting errors in automated organ segmentations. The model's generalizability was then demonstrated on 2 distinct open-source data sets, reflecting different centers and countries to model training. CONCLUSIONS: Deep learning is an effective and clinically applicable technique for the segmentation of the head and neck anatomy for radiotherapy. With appropriate validation studies and regulatory approvals, this system could improve the efficiency, consistency, and safety of radiotherapy pathways

Does time of surgery influence the rate of false-negative appendectomies?:A retrospective observational study of 274 patients

Background Multiple disciplines have described an “after-hours effect” relating to worsened mortality and morbidity outside regular working hours. This retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate whether diagnostic accuracy of a common surgical condition worsened after regular hours. Methods Electronic operative records for all non-infant patients (age > 4 years) operated on at a single centre for presumed acute appendicitis were retrospectively reviewed over a 56-month period (06/17/2012–02/01/2017). The primary outcome measure of unknown diagnosis was compared between those performed in regular hours (08:00–17:00) or off hours (17:01–07:59). Pre-clinical biochemistry and pre-morbid status were recorded to determine case heterogeneity between the two groups, along with secondary outcomes of length of stay and complication rate. Results Out of 289 procedures, 274 cases were deemed eligible for inclusion. Of the 133 performed in regular hours, 79% were appendicitis, compared to 74% of the 141 procedures performed off hours. The percentage of patients with an unknown diagnosis was 6% in regular hours compared to 15% off hours (RR 2.48; 95% CI 1.14–5.39). This was accompanied by increased numbers of registrars (residents in training) leading procedures off hours (37% compared to 24% in regular hours). Pre-morbid status, biochemistry, length of stay and post-operative complication rate showed no significant difference. Conclusions This retrospective study suggests that the rate of unknown diagnoses for acute appendicitis increases overnight, potentially reflecting increased numbers of unnecessary procedures being performed off hours due to poorer diagnostic accuracy. Reduced levels of staffing, availability of diagnostic modalities and changes to workforce training may explain this, but further prospective work is required. Potential solutions may include protocolizing the management of common acute surgical conditions and making more use of non-resident on call senior colleagues

Great Apes' Risk-Taking Strategies in a Decision Making Task

We investigate decision-making behaviour in all four non-human great ape species. Apes chose between a safe and a risky option across trials of varying expected values. All species chose the safe option more often with decreasing probability of success. While all species were risk-seeking, orangutans and chimpanzees chose the risky option more often than gorillas and bonobos. Hence all four species' preferences were ordered in a manner consistent with normative dictates of expected value, but varied predictably in their willingness to take risks

Effects of backpacking holidays in Australia on alcohol, tobacco and drug use of UK residents

BACKGROUND: Whilst alcohol and drug use among young people is known to escalate during short holidays and working breaks in international nightlife resorts, little empirical data are available on the impact of longer backpacking holidays on substance use. Here we examine changes in alcohol, tobacco and drug use when UK residents go backpacking in Australia. METHODS: Matched information on alcohol and drug use in Australia and the UK was collected through a cross sectional cohort study of 1008 UK nationals aged 18–35 years, holidaying in Sydney or Cairns, Australia, during 2005. RESULTS: The use of alcohol and other drugs by UK backpackers visiting Australia was common with use of illicit drugs being substantially higher than in peers of the same age in their home country. Individuals showed a significant increase in frequency of alcohol consumption in Australia compared to their behaviour in the UK with the proportion drinking five or more times per week rising from 20.7% (UK) to 40.3% (Australia). Relatively few individuals were recruited into drug use in Australia (3.0%, cannabis; 2.7% ecstasy; 0.7%, methamphetamine). However, over half of the sample (55.0%) used at least one illicit drug when backpacking. Risk factors for illicit drug use while backpacking were being regular club goers, being male, Sydney based, travelling without a partner or spouse, having been in Australia more than four weeks, Australia being the only destination on their vacation and drinking or smoking five or more days a week. CONCLUSION: As countries actively seek to attract more international backpacker tourists, interventions must be developed that target this population's risk behaviours. Developing messages on drunkenness and other drug use specifically for backpackers could help minimise their health risks directly (e.g. adverse drug reactions) and indirectly (e.g. accidents and violence) as well as negative impacts on the host country

Silencing Dkk1 expression rescues dexamethasone-induced suppression of primary human osteoblast differentiation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a major signaling cascade in bone biology, playing a key role in bone development and remodeling. The objectives of this study were firstly, to determine the effects of dexamethasone exposure on Wnt/β-catenin signaling at an intracellular and transcriptional level, and secondly, to assess the phenotypic effects of silencing the Wnt antagonist, Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) in the setting of dexamethasone exposure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Primary human osteoblasts were exposed in vitro to 10^-8M dexamethasone over a 72 h time course. The phenotypic marker of osteoblast differentiation was analyzed was alkaline phosphatase activity. Intracellular β-catenin trafficking was assessed using immunoflourescence staining and TCF/LEF mediated transcription was analyzed using a Wnt luciferase reporter assay. Dkk1 expression was silenced using small interfering RNA (siRNA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Primary human osteoblasts exposed to dexamethasone displayed a significant reductions in alkaline phosphatase activity over a 72 h time course. Immunoflourescence analaysis of β-catenin localization demonstrated a significant reduction in intracytosolic and intranuclear β-catenin in response to dexamethasone exposure. These changes were associated with a reduction of TCF/LEF mediated transcription. Silencing Dkk1 expression in primary human osteoblasts exposed to dexamethasone resulted in an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity when compared to scrambled control.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a key role in regulating glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis <it>in vitro</it>. Silencing Dkk1 expression rescues dexamethasone-induced suppression of primary human osteoblast differentiation. Targeting of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway offers an exciting opportunity to develop novel anabolic bone agents to treat osteoporosis and disorders of bone mass.</p