A study of voice and articulation difficulties of high school students in suburban Boston

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

INFRAWEBS semantic web service development on the base of knowledge management layer

The paper gives an overview about the ongoing FP6-IST INFRAWEBS project and describes the main layers and software components embedded in an application oriented realisation framework. An important part of INFRAWEBS is a Semantic Web Unit (SWU) – a collaboration platform and interoperable middleware for ontology-based handling and maintaining of SWS. The framework provides knowledge about a specific domain and relies on ontologies to structure and exchange this knowledge to semantic service development modules. INFRAWEBS Designer and Composer are sub-modules of SWU responsible for creating Semantic Web Services using Case-Based Reasoning approach. The Service Access Middleware (SAM) is responsible for building up the communication channels between users and various other modules. It serves as a generic middleware for deployment of Semantic Web Services. This software toolset provides a development framework for creating and maintaining the full-life-cycle of Semantic Web Services with specific application support

Ig Superfamily Ligand and Receptor Pairs Expressed in Synaptic Partners in Drosophila

Information processing relies on precise patterns of synapses between neurons. The cellular recognition mechanisms regulating this specificity are poorly understood. In the medulla of the Drosophila visual system, different neurons form synaptic connections in different layers. Here, we sought to identify candidate cell recognition molecules underlying this specificity. Using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we show that neurons with different synaptic specificities express unique combinations of mRNAs encoding hundreds of cell surface and secreted proteins. Using RNA-seq and protein tagging, we demonstrate that 21 paralogs of the Dpr family, a subclass of immunoglobulin (Ig)-domain containing proteins, are expressed in unique combinations in homologous neurons with different layer-specific synaptic connections. Dpr interacting proteins (DIPs), comprising nine paralogs of another subclass of Ig-containing proteins, are expressed in a complementary layer-specific fashion in a subset of synaptic partners. We propose that pairs of Dpr/DIP paralogs contribute to layer-specific patterns of synaptic connectivity

On Transfer of Adversarial Robustness from Pretraining to Downstream Tasks

As large-scale training regimes have gained popularity, the use of pretrained models for downstream tasks has become common practice in machine learning. While pretraining has been shown to enhance the performance of models in practice, the transfer of robustness properties from pretraining to downstream tasks remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that the robustness of a linear predictor on downstream tasks can be constrained by the robustness of its underlying representation, regardless of the protocol used for pretraining. We prove (i) a bound on the loss that holds independent of any downstream task, as well as (ii) a criterion for robust classification in particular. We validate our theoretical results in practical applications, show how our results can be used for calibrating expectations of downstream robustness, and when our results are useful for optimal transfer learning. Taken together, our results offer an initial step towards characterizing the requirements of the representation function for reliable post-adaptation performance

Der Einfluss des Rauchens und des Koffeinkonsums auf die Entgiftungsfunktion der Leber untersucht mittels eines [13C2]Aminopyrin- und eines [Trimethyl-13C3]Coffein-Atemgastests

Nikotin und Koffein sind 2 Substanzen, die im Alltag vieler Menschen eine große Rolle spielen. Daher sind die Wirkungen und vor allem Wechselwirkungen beider Substanzen für die Medizin von hoher Bedeutung. Mit Hilfe von nicht-invasiven 13CO2-Atemgastests wird in dieser Arbeit der Einfluss von Koffein und Nikotin auf die Entgiftungsfunktion der Leber untersucht. Dazu wurden gesunde Probanden rekrutiert, die sich im Merkmal Nikotinabstinenz vs. Nikotinkonsum unterschieden. Die Probanden durchliefen jeweils drei Testtage mit Phasen des Koffeinkonsums und der Koffeinabstinenz

Quantitative neuroanatomy for connectomics in Drosophila.

Neuronal circuit mapping using electron microscopy demands laborious proofreading or reconciliation of multiple independent reconstructions. Here, we describe new methods to apply quantitative arbor and network context to iteratively proofread and reconstruct circuits and create anatomically enriched wiring diagrams. We measured the morphological underpinnings of connectivity in new and existing reconstructions of Drosophila sensorimotor (larva) and visual (adult) systems. Synaptic inputs were preferentially located on numerous small, microtubule-free 'twigs' which branch off a single microtubule-containing 'backbone'. Omission of individual twigs accounted for 96% of errors. However, the synapses of highly connected neurons were distributed across multiple twigs. Thus, the robustness of a strong connection to detailed twig anatomy was associated with robustness to reconstruction error. By comparing iterative reconstruction to the consensus of multiple reconstructions, we show that our method overcomes the need for redundant effort through the discovery and application of relationships between cellular neuroanatomy and synaptic connectivity.Funding came from the HHMI Janelia Visiting Scientist program (AC), Swiss National Science Foundation grant 31003A 132969 (AC), HHMI, and the Institute of Neuroinformatics of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from eLife via http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12059.00

Spiritualität als Beziehung: Das Gott-Mensch-Verhältnis unter der Perspektive der Relational Models Theory

Eine bedeutsame Perspektive auf Spiritualität ist die der Beziehungsgestaltung zwischen Gott und Mensch. Die Relational Models Theory ermöglicht, die Sprache über diese Beziehung vier grundlegenden menschlichen Beziehungsverhältnissen zuzuordnen. Im Neuen Testament sowie in modernen Spiritualitätsentwürfen wird die Gott-Mensch-Beziehung demnach primär sowohl durch eine Sprache der Nähe als auch der Autorität bzw. Größe umschrieben. Diese Spannweite wird durch die Transzendenz Gottes sowie die Inkarnation Jesu plausibel. Andere Beziehungsmuster, die auf der Gleichwertigkeit oder aber eine Kosten-Nutzen-Kalkulation zwischen beiden Parteien aufbauen, können nur sekundär identifiziert werden. Insgesamt zeigt sich, dass Relationale Spiritualität nach biblischer Tradition einen dynamischen und vielgestaltigen Charakter aufweist, dabei aber nicht beliebig wird. Kritik an bestimmten Praktiken und Ansätzen tritt meist dann auf, wenn die Spannweite ungesund hin zu einer Seite aufgelöst wird