Approximate Judgement Aggregation

In this paper we analyze judgement aggregation problems in which a group of agents independently votes on a set of complex propositions that has some interdependency constraint between them (e.g., transitivity when describing preferences). We consider the issue of judgement aggregation from the perspective of approximation. That is, we generalize the previous results by studying approximate judgement aggregation. We relax the main two constraints assumed in the current literature, Consistency and Independence and consider mechanisms that only approximately satisfy these constraints, that is, satisfy them up to a small portion of the inputs. The main question we raise is whether the relaxation of these notions significantly alters the class of satisfying aggregation mechanisms. The recent works for preference aggregation of Kalai, Mossel, and Keller fit into this framework. The main result of this paper is that, as in the case of preference aggregation, in the case of a subclass of a natural class of aggregation problems termed `truth-functional agendas', the set of satisfying aggregation mechanisms does not extend non-trivially when relaxing the constraints. Our proof techniques involve Boolean Fourier transform and analysis of voter influences for voting protocols. The question we raise for Approximate Aggregation can be stated in terms of Property Testing. For instance, as a corollary from our result we get a generalization of the classic result for property testing of linearity of Boolean functions.judgement aggregation, truth-functional agendas, computational social choice, computational judgement aggregation, approximate aggregation, inconsistency index, dependency index

Keeping Children Healthy - How the Effects of Normative Messages on Parent Intentions vary with Social Normative Beliefs and Personality

This dissertation describes studies which apply theory from the fields of communication and social psychology to create and test persuasive messages aimed at increasing parental intention to provide healthy nutrition and perform sun protection behaviors for their children. These behaviors have been shown to be significantly associated with the risk of developing cancer later in life. The experiments tested whether the manipulation of the observability of a health behavior and exposure to normative (i.e. stresses injunctive norms) or attitudinally focused messages (i.e. stresses health benefits of the behavior), could influence the normative route to intention to perform preventive health behaviors. The first study randomized participants to a behavioral scenario in which the health behavior is described as occurring in an observable or non-observable setting. The effects of observability were tested in the contexts of nutrition and sun protection behaviors. A second study tested the effect of normative compared with attitudinal messages on the relative weight given to attitudes and norms in forming intention to perform preventive health behaviors among parents of young children. This study also tested the interaction between two individual level traits - other-directedness and identification with other parents - and exposure to normatively focused messages. For sun protection behaviors, observability primed the influence of social norms on intention. Among parents who reported lower levels of social norms, observability reduced intention to practice sun protection behaviors. Among parents who reported higher levels of social norms, observability increased intention. In addition, among participants exposed to a normative message about nutrition, identification with other parents was shown to moderate the effects of message type on intention to serve one’s child healthy foods. Results also showed some evidence to support an interaction between self-consciousness and exposure to message type among parents surveyed about nutrition. Parents who were more attuned to their own beliefs and values when forming intentions (i.e. high in self-consciousness) were more vulnerable to the effects of attitudinally focused messages about nutrition than parents who were low in this trait. Possible explanations for the findings, as well as implications for future research are discussed

Mortality rates in Israel from causes amenable to health care, regional and international comparison

BACKGROUND: Mortality from causes amenable to health care is a valuable indicator of quality of the health care system, which can be used to assess inter-regional differences and trends over time. This study investigates these mortality rates in Israel over time, and compares inter-regional and international rates in recent years. RESULTS: Age-adjusted amenable mortality rates have been decreasing steadily in Israel, by 31% for males and 28% for females between 1998–2000 and 2007–2009. Amenable mortality was lower in the center of the country than in the Northern, Southern, and Haifa districts. The proportion of mortality from circulatory diseases was highest in the North and Haifa districts and from cancer in the Tel-Aviv and Central districts. A higher proportion of infectious diseases was seen in the Southern district. In comparison with amenable mortality rates in 20 European countries, Israel ranked 8(th) lowest for males and 12(th) lowest for females, in 2008. The rate was lower than in Britain, Ireland, and Portugal; lower than in Germany, Spain, Austria, and Finland for males; and higher than France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy. But Israel ranked higher in the decrease in amenable mortality rates between 2001 and 2007 for females than males in a 19 country comparison. Genitourinary diseases were a larger component in Israel than other countries and circulatory diseases were smaller. CONCLUSION: The indicator of amenable mortality shows improvement in health outcomes over the years, but continuing improvement is needed in health care and education, in particular in the periphery of Israel and for females

B7-H3-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cells for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has continued to pose an immense clinical challenge that, despite decades of research elucidating its complex tumor biology and development of various therapeutic modalities, still holds a grim survival to all patients. The molecular heterogeneity of GBM within and across tumors, as well as its immunosuppressive environments have been the most challenging obstacles to overcome in this disease, and so far they remain insurmountable. In this dissertation, I lay out advances this field has made in the understanding of the cell and microenvironmental biology of GBM, with particular emphasis on molecular and immunological heterogeneity, and in the therapeutic approaches for GBM. My colleagues and I show that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is particularly suited to make a difference in patients lives, assuming an appropriate antigen is targeted. We generated B7-H3-directed CAR T cells and demonstrate that they eliminate GBM cell lines and patient-derived GBM cells enriched with cancer stem cells across all GBM molecular subtypes both in vitro and in vivo. Our data indicates that B7-H3 is a particularly attractive antigen for this approach because of its ubiquitously high expression within and across most tumors. Given our results, we recommend that B7-H3-directed CAR T cells be investigated further for GBM treatment.Doctor of Philosoph

Panel I

“How? Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Still Tomorrow How?” Elements of Elegy in Faulkner\u27s As I Lay Dying, Absalom, Absalom!, and Requiem for a Nun / Nehama Baker, Tel-Aviv University Backwater Rising, Men Sinking Down: Reading Faulkner\u27s Old Man with the Delta Blues / Tim A. Ryan, Northern Illinois University On Plots and Monsters in The Unvanquished / Irene Visser, University of Groninge