An interactive and user-centered computer system to predict physician’s disease judgments in discharge summaries

AbstractPurpose: This article describes a formative natural language processing (NLP) system that is grounded in user-centered design, simplification, and transparency of function. Methods: The NLP system was tasked to classify diseases within patient discharge summaries and is evaluated against clinician judgment during the 2008 i2b2 Shared Task competition. Text classification is performed by interactive, fully supervised learning using rule-based processes and support vector machines (SVMs). Results: The macro-averaged F-score for textual (t) and intuitive (i) classification were 0.614(t) and 0.629(i), while micro-averaged F-scores were recorded at 0.966(t) and 0.954(i) for the competition. These results were comparable to the top 10 performing systems. Discussion: The results of this study indicate that an interactive training method, de novo knowledge base with no external data sources, and simplified text mining processes can achieve a comparably high performance in classifying health-related texts. Further research is needed to determine if the user-centered advantages of a NLP system translate into real world benefits

Problem solving and creativity for undergraduate engineers: process or product?

Many researchers have written about the importance and complexities of developing problem solving skills and encouraging creative thinking and activity in engineering students. Whilst research suggests that established Problem Based Learning techniques are a suitable way for developing these skills it also acknowledges continued deficiencies in encouraging process skills as opposed to products or outcomes. This paper provides highlights of this previous work, and presents findings of action research in order to develop a module to improve and encourage process skills in engineering undergraduates. Lego Mindstorm robots have been used in the module to provide suitable practical activities and to stimulate student motivation

Disorder Averaging and its UV (Dis)Contents

We present a stringy realization of quantum field theory ensembles in $D \le 4$ spacetime dimensions, thus realizing a disorder averaging over coupling constants. When each member of the ensemble is a conformal field theory with a standard semi-classical holographic dual of the same radius, the resulting bulk can be interpreted as a single asymptotically Anti-de Sitter space geometry with a distribution of boundary components joined by wormhole configurations, as dictated by the Hartle-Hawking wave function. This provides a UV completion of a recent proposal by Marolf and Maxfield that there is a high-dimensional Hilbert space for baby universes, but one that is compatible with the proposed Swampland constraints of McNamara and Vafa. This is possible because our construction is really an approximation that breaks down both at short distances, but also at low energies for objects with a large number of microstates. The construction thus provides an explicit set of counterexamples to various claims in the literature that holographic and effective field theory considerations can be reliably developed without reference to any UV completion.Comment: v2: 27 pages, 6 figures, typos corrected, references and clarifications adde

Лечение и профилактика гриппа с использованием биофлавоноидов

На основании аналитического обзора литературы представлены данные об эффективности и безопасности применения биофлавоноидов (лекарственный препарат Протефлазид в виде капель и сироп Иммунофлазид) в схеме лечения и профилактики гриппа. Проанализированные в этой работе научные публикации свидетельствуют об этиологически и патогенетически обоснованном назначении Протефлазида, механизм противогриппозного действия которого основан на угнетении репродукции вирусов гриппа, в том числе пандемического штама A/FM/1/47/H1N1/ за счет механизма ингибирования нейраминидазной активности, индукции синтеза интерферона

SymTrees and Multi-Sector QFTs

The global symmetries of a $D$-dimensional QFT can, in many cases, be captured in terms of a $(D+1)$-dimensional symmetry topological field theory (SymTFT). In this work we construct a $(D+1)$-dimensional theory which governs the symmetries of QFTs with multiple sectors which have connected correlators that admit a decoupling limit. The associated symmetry field theory decomposes into a SymTree, namely a treelike structure of SymTFTs fused along possibly non-topological junctions. In string-realized multi-sector QFTs, these junctions are smoothed out in the extra-dimensional geometry, as we demonstrate in examples. We further use this perspective to study the fate of higher-form symmetries in the context of holographic large $M$ averaging where the topological sectors of different large $M$ replicas become dressed by additional extended operators associated with the SymTree.Comment: 69 pages + appendices + ref

Patterns of Incubation Behavior in Northern Bobwhites (\u3ci\u3eColinus virginianus\u3c/i\u3e)

Patterns of incubation and nesting behavior for many species of birds, especially those with cryptic nests, have been difficult to obtain due to logistical and technological limitations. As a result, little is known about the daily attendance rhythms and behavioral patterns of many species, including the Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), despite this species being one of the most studied birds in the world. Incubation represents parental investment in offspring, and a multitude of factors may affect investment behaviors, including reproductive ecology, sex and age of parent, habitat quality, clutch age, and timing in the nesting season. Most Northern Bobwhite nests are incubated by a single adult, most often by females, but also by some males. We assessed the nest attendance patterns and parental investment in bob-white clutches (n 118) using continuous near-infrared video of nests being incubated by male or female bobwhites. We found that incubating parents took 0 –3 recesses per day. A single recess was most common for 87% of nest-days, and most of these were during mid-day to late afternoon (12:00 19:00). Mean total daily recess time was 182 min (95% CI: 98–264) for nests that hatched and 224 min (95% CI: 140–308) for nests that failed. We observed no difference between sexes in the number or length of recesses taken, but females initiated recess later in the day (median start time 15:00) than males (median start time 14:00). We found that nest recess length decreased as the clutch got older and increased as the nesting season progressed. Video surveillance systems proved to be a use-ful tool for observing and quantifying patterns of incubation behavior in a ground-nesting species with cryptic nests

Patterns of Incubation Behavior in Northern Bobwhites (\u3ci\u3eColinus virginianus\u3c/i\u3e)

Patterns of incubation and nesting behavior for many species of birds, especially those with cryptic nests, have been difficult to obtain due to logistical and technological limitations. As a result, little is known about the daily attendance rhythms and behavioral patterns of many species, including the Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), despite this species being one of the most studied birds in the world. Incubation represents parental investment in offspring, and a multitude of factors may affect investment behaviors, including reproductive ecology, sex and age of parent, habitat quality, clutch age, and timing in the nesting season. Most Northern Bobwhite nests are incubated by a single adult, most often by females, but also by some males. We assessed the nest attendance patterns and parental investment in bob-white clutches (n 118) using continuous near-infrared video of nests being incubated by male or female bobwhites. We found that incubating parents took 0 –3 recesses per day. A single recess was most common for 87% of nest-days, and most of these were during mid-day to late afternoon (12:00 19:00). Mean total daily recess time was 182 min (95% CI: 98–264) for nests that hatched and 224 min (95% CI: 140–308) for nests that failed. We observed no difference between sexes in the number or length of recesses taken, but females initiated recess later in the day (median start time 15:00) than males (median start time 14:00). We found that nest recess length decreased as the clutch got older and increased as the nesting season progressed. Video surveillance systems proved to be a use-ful tool for observing and quantifying patterns of incubation behavior in a ground-nesting species with cryptic nests

On the action of the anti-absence drug ethosuximide in the rat and cat thalamus

The action of ethosuximide (ETX) on Na+, K+, and Ca2+ currents and on tonic and burst-firing patterns was investigated in rat and cat thalamic neurons in vitro by using patch and sharp microelectrode recordings. In thalamocortical (TC) neurons of the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), ETX (0.75-1 mM) decreased the noninactivating Na+ current, INaP, by 60% but had no effect on the transient Na+ current. In TC neurons of the rat and cat LGN, the whole-cell transient outward current was not affected by ETX (up to 1 mM), but the sustained outward current was decreased by 39% at 20 mV in the presence of ETX (0.25-0.5 mM): this reduction was not observed in a low Ca2+ (0.5 mM) and high Mg2+ (8 mM) medium or in the presence of Ni2+ (1 mM) and Cd2+ (100 µm). In addition, ETX (up to 1 mM) had no effect on the low-threshold Ca2+ current, I T, of TC neurons of the rat ventrobasal (VB) thalamus and LGN and in neurons of the rat nucleus reticularis thalami nor on the high-threshold Ca2+ current in TC neurons of the rat LGN. Sharp microelectrode recordings in TC neurons of the rat and cat LGN and VB showed that ETX did not change the resting membrane potential but increased the apparent input resistance at potentials greater than -60 mV, resulting in an increase in tonic firing. In contrast, ETX decreased the number of action potentials in the burst evoked by a low-threshold Ca2+ potential. The frequency of the remaining action potentials in a burst also was decreased, whereas the latency of the first action potential was increased. Similar effects were observed on the burst firing evoked during intrinsic δ oscillations. These results indicate an action of ETX on / NaP and on the Ca2+-activated K+ current, which explains the decrease in burst firing and the increase in tonic firing, and, together with the lack of action on low- and high-threshold Ca2+ currents, the results cast doubts on the hypothesis that a reduction of / τ in thalamic neurons underlies the therapeutic action of this anti-absence medicine