Regreso al humanismo en la arquitectura

Tener la posibilidad real de asumir un "punto de vista" en el mundo a través de la arquitectura es más que suficiente. Una vez más, la arquitectura necesita arquitectos que todavía estén en contacto con la conciencia cultural de incluir al hombre en la arquitectura; es decir, arquitectos que no deseen "despojar a la arquitectura de sí misma", sino que, como expresaba Johann Wolfgang Goethe en 1786 al visitar el Salone del Palazzo della Ragione en Padua, deseen de la manera más apacible remitirle nuevamente dentro de sí misma

A simple nonparametric estimator of a monotone regression function

In this paper a new method for monotone estimation of a regression function is proposed. The estimator is obtained by the combination of a density and a regression estimate and is appealing to users of conventional smoothing methods as kernel estimators, local polynomials, series estimators or smoothing splines. The main idea of the new approach is to construct a density estimate from the estimated values ˆm(i/N) (i = 1, . . . ,N) of the regression function to use these “data” for the calculation of an estimate of the inverse of the regression function. The final estimate is then obtained by a numerical inversion. Compared to the conventially used techniques for monotone estimation the new method is computationally more efficient, because it does not require constrained optimization techniques for the calculation of the estimate. We prove asymptotic normality of the new estimate and compare the asymptotic properties with the unconstrained estimate. In particular it is shown that for kernel estimates or local polynomials the monotone estimate is first order asymptotically equivalent to the unconstrained estimate. We also illustrate the performance of the new procedure by means of a simulation study. --isotonic regression,order restricted inference,Nadaraya-Watson estimator,local linear regression

A note on nonparametric estimation of the effective dose in quantal bioassay

For the common binary response model we propose a direct method for the nonparametric estimation of the effective dose level ED? (0Binary response model,effective dose level,nonparametric regression,isotonic regression,order restricted inference,local linear regression

A note on nonparametric estimation of the effective dose in quantal bioassay

For the common binary response model we propose a direct method for the nonparametric estimation of the effective dose level ED? (0 < ? < 1). The estimator is obtained by the composition of a nonparametric estimate of the quantile response curve and a classical density estimate. The new method yields a simple and reliable monotone estimate of the effective dose level curve ? ? ED? and is appealing to users of conventional smoothing methods as kernel estimators, local polynomials, series estimators or smoothing splines. Moreover it is computationally very efficient, because it does not require a numerical inversion of a monotonized estimate of the quantile dose response curve. We prove asymptotic normality of the new estimate and compare it with an available alternative estimate (based on a monotonized nonparametric estimate of the dose response curve and the calculation of the inverse function) by means of a simulation study

A simple nonparametric estimator of a monotone regression function

In this paper a new method for monotone estimation of a regression function is proposed. The estimator is obtained by the combination of a density and a regression estimate and is appealing to users of conventional smoothing methods as kernel estimators, local polynomials, series estimators or smoothing splines. The main idea of the new approach is to construct a density estimate from the estimated values ˆm(i/N) (i = 1, . . . ,N) of the regression function to use these “data” for the calculation of an estimate of the inverse of the regression function. The final estimate is then obtained by a numerical inversion. Compared to the conventially used techniques for monotone estimation the new method is computationally more efficient, because it does not require constrained optimization techniques for the calculation of the estimate. We prove asymptotic normality of the new estimate and compare the asymptotic properties with the unconstrained estimate. In particular it is shown that for kernel estimates or local polynomials the monotone estimate is first order asymptotically equivalent to the unconstrained estimate. We also illustrate the performance of the new procedure by means of a simulation study

General-Sum Multi-Agent Continuous Inverse Optimal Control

IEEE Modelling possible future outcomes of robot-human interactions is of importance in the intelligent vehicle and mobile robotics domains. Knowing the reward function that explains the observed behaviour of a human agent is advantageous for modelling the behaviour with Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). However, learning the rewards that determine the observed actions from data is complicated by interactions. We present a novel inverse reinforcement learning(IRL) algorithm that can infer the reward function in multi-agent interactive scenarios. In particular, the agents may act boundedly rational (i.e., sub-optimal), a characteristic that is typical for human decision making. Additionally, every agent optimizes its own reward function which makes it possible to address non-cooperative setups. In contrast to other methods, the algorithm does not rely on reinforcement learning during inference of the parameters of the reward function. We demonstrate that our proposed method accurately infers the ground truth reward function in two-agent interactive experiments

Designed Azolopyridinium Salts Block Protective Antigen Pores In Vitro and Protect Cells from Anthrax Toxin

Background:Several intracellular acting bacterial protein toxins of the AB-type, which are known to enter cells by endocytosis, are shown to produce channels. This holds true for protective antigen (PA), the binding component of the tripartite anthrax-toxin of Bacillus anthracis. Evidence has been presented that translocation of the enzymatic components of anthrax-toxin across the endosomal membrane of target cells and channel formation by the heptameric/octameric PA63 binding/translocation component are related phenomena. Chloroquine and some 4-aminoquinolones, known as potent drugs against Plasmodium falciparium infection of humans, block efficiently the PA63-channel in a dose dependent way.Methodology/Principal Findings:Here we demonstrate that related positively charged heterocyclic azolopyridinium salts block the PA63-channel in the μM range, when both, inhibitor and PA63 are added to the same side of the membrane, the cis-side, which corresponds to the lumen of acidified endosomal vesicles of target cells. Noise-analysis allowed the study of the kinetics of the plug formation by the heterocycles. In vivo experiments using J774A.1 macrophages demonstrated that the inhibitors of PA63-channel function also efficiently block intoxication of the cells by the combination lethal factor and PA63 in the same concentration range as they block the channels in vitro.Conclusions/Significance:These results strongly argue in favor of a transport of lethal factor through the PA63-channel and suggest that the heterocycles used in this study could represent attractive candidates for development of novel therapeutic strategies against anthrax. © 2013 Beitzinger et al