Active inference and robot control: a case study.

Active inference is a general framework for perception and action that is gaining prominence in computational and systems neuroscience but is less known outside these fields. Here, we discuss a proof-of-principle implementation of the active inference scheme for the control or the 7-DoF arm of a (simulated) PR2 robot. By manipulating visual and proprioceptive noise levels, we show under which conditions robot control under the active inference scheme is accurate. Besides accurate control, our analysis of the internal system dynamics (e.g. the dynamics of the hidden states that are inferred during the inference) sheds light on key aspects of the framework such as the quintessentially multimodal nature of control and the differential roles of proprioception and vision. In the discussion, we consider the potential importance of being able to implement active inference in robots. In particular, we briefly review the opportunities for modelling psychophysiological phenomena such as sensory attenuation and related failures of gain control, of the sort seen in Parkinson's disease. We also consider the fundamental difference between active inference and optimal control formulations, showing that in the former the heavy lifting shifts from solving a dynamical inverse problem to creating deep forward or generative models with dynamics, whose attracting sets prescribe desired behaviours

Availability and cost of major and first-line antiepileptic drugs: a comprehensive evaluation in the capital of Madagascar

International audienceBackground: The prevalence of epilepsy is high in Madagascar (23.5/1000), as is the treatment gap (estimated at 92 %). The health system of the country is underfunded; some AEDs are used, and the national drug policy does not encourage price regulation or the administration of generic agents. We conducted a cross‑sectional study to assess the availability and cost of solid oral AED formulations in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar. Data were gathered from all officially registered pharmacies (according to the drug agency list, updated in 2015) by means of telephone interviews lasting no more than 10 min and conducted by a native Malagasy speaker. With regard to other sources (hospitals, illicit sales) data were obtained at specific visits. The study received ethical approval from the Madagascar Ministry of Health.Findings: A total of 91 of 100 pharmacies (the nine not included were because of an inoperative phone number), two of three public hospitals, and two illegal outlets were investigated. Sodium valproate was available in 84.6 % of the pharmacies, while carbamazepine and phenobarbital were available in 68.1 % and 36.3 % of the pharmacies, respectively, but phenytoin was not available in any supply chain. There were more originator brands than generic for‑mulations, with a higher cost (range 20.3–81.1 %, median 40.7 %) compared to the equivalent generic. The public sys‑tem had only a very limited choice of AED, but offered the lowest costs. Illicit sources were more expensive by 54.3 % for carbamazepine and 62.5 % for phenobarbital. Concerning the annual cost of treatment, the average percentage of the gross national income per capita based on the purchasing power parity was 29.8 %/19.0 % (brand/generic) for sodium valproate, 16.4 %/7.3 % (brand/generic) for carbamazepine, 8.9 %/5.1 % (brand/generic) for phenobarbital.Conclusions: The main sources of AEDs were private pharmacies, but the stocks held were low. The financial burden was still important in the capital of Madagascar, mainly the consequence of a highly developed private sector at the expense of the public sector. Although sodium valproate remains the most expensive solution, it still remains the most available instead of phenobarbital. The most striking feature of this study concerns the cost of AEDs in the infor‑mal sector, mostly used because they are deemed to provide less costly drugs, the opposite was observed there. The assessment of the cost and availability of medicines was easily and quickly implemented. It provided a relevant focus of the situation in areas difficult to investigate, in terms of road network and geographical situation

Clusterin, a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor gene in neuroblastomas

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website. Copyright @ 2009 The Authors.Background - Clusterin expression in various types of human cancers may be higher or lower than in normal tissue, and clusterin may promote or inhibit apoptosis, cell motility, and inflammation. We investigated the role of clusterin in tumor development in mouse models of neuroblastoma. Methods - We assessed expression of microRNAs in the miR-17-92 cluster by real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction in MYCN-transfected SH-SY5Y and SH-EP cells and inhibited expression by transfection with microRNA antisense oligonucleotides. Tumor development was studied in mice (n = 66) that were heterozygous or homozygous for the MYCN transgene and/or for the clusterin gene; these mice were from a cross between MYCN-transgenic mice, which develop neuroblastoma, and clusterin-knockout mice. Tumor growth and metastasis were studied in immunodeficient mice that were injected with human neuroblastoma cells that had enhanced (by clusterin transfection, four mice per group) or reduced (by clusterin short hairpin RNA [shRNA] transfection, eight mice per group) clusterin expression. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results - Clusterin expression increased when expression of MYCN-induced miR-17-92 microRNA cluster in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells was inhibited by transfection with antisense oligonucleotides compared with scrambled oligonucleotides. Statistically significantly more neuroblastoma-bearing MYCN-transgenic mice were found in groups with zero or one clusterin allele than in those with two clusterin alleles (eg, 12 tumor-bearing mice in the zero-allele group vs three in the two-allele group, n = 22 mice per group; relative risk for neuroblastoma development = 4.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.69 to 14.00; P = .005). Five weeks after injection, fewer clusterin-overexpressing LA-N-5 human neuroblastoma cells than control cells were found in mouse liver or bone marrow, but statistically significantly more clusterin shRNA-transfected HTLA230 cells (3.27%, with decreased clusterin expression) than control-transfected cells (1.53%) were found in the bone marrow (difference = 1.74%, 95% CI = 0.24% to 3.24%, P = .026). Conclusions - We report, to our knowledge, the first genetic evidence that clusterin is a tumor and metastasis suppressor gene.Sport Aiding Medical Research for Kids (SPARKS), Great Ormond Street Hospital/National Health Service, the National Cancer Institute and University of Parma

Le souffle dans les pratiques de yoga. Prana, corps, culture matérielle et processus de subjectivation

À partir de terrains ethnologiques menés auprès de pratiquants et de professeurs de yoga en France, en Suisse romande et en Inde, cet article propose de s’interroger sur les spécificités de l’apprentissage de techniques de respiration et les conceptions du corps et du souffle qui en découlent. Il s’agit aussi de savoir si le prāṇa peut s’appréhender comme une culture matérielle. La notion sanskrite de prāṇa renvoie à deux significations : une « force vitale » ou un « souffle/une respiration », mais aujourd’hui, il est aussi compris comme une « énergie ». Le sujet apprend, par le biais de techniques, à le maîtriser, à le réguler. Pourtant, à l’inverse, par son action physiologique et éventuellement symbolique, voire spirituelle, le prāṇa agit sur le corps du sujet. Par l’attention portée à la respiration, il participe à l’émergence d’une conception holiste du corps. Comment l’apprentissage de techniques de respiration amène-t-il les sujets à changer leur relation avec le corps, voire avec leur environnement

Aïda Kanafani-Zahar, Liban. Le vivre ensemble (Hsoun, 1994-2000)

Dans cet ouvrage, Aïda Kanafani-Zahar analyse très finement, par une observation au plus près des habitants d’un village biconfessionnel libanais, Hsoun, les possibilités du vivre ensemble des chi’ites et des maronites. Pour cela, elle remonte dans l’histoire de la région et replace le contemporain dans la continuité d’une histoire longue de cinq siècles ; histoire des luttes de pouvoirs, du mandat puis de l’indépendance. Elle explique également les spécificités religieuses des deux communaut..

KANAFANI-ZAHAR (Aïda), Le Mouton et le mûrier – Rituel du sacrifice dans la montagne libanaise

Quel lien existe-t-il entre le mouton et le mûrier, entre l’animal et le végétal ? Pour résoudre cette énigme, il est nécessaire de se transporter dans le Liban des années cinquante par la lecture du très joli livre d’A.K.-Z., Le Mouton et le mûrier, illustré par des photographies de l’auteur et de vieilles cartes postales. Le mûrier est cultivé pour l’élevage du ver à soie ; la production de soie, produit de luxe, permet aux paysans la constitution de réserves d’argent. Le mouton est engrais..

Isabelle Leblic, éd., De l'adoption. Des pratiques de filiation différentes

L'adoption est devenue, depuis une quinzaine d'années, un objet récurrent d'étude dans le champ de l'anthropologie et de la sociologie de la parenté. Si les pratiques de circulation d'enfants dans diverses sociétés traditionnelles ont fait l'objet de nombreux travaux, la très forte croissance des pratiques d'adoption en Occident (et notamment d'adoptions internationales) conduit à recentrer les recherches contemporaines sur la circulation d'enfants dans des sociétés traditionnelles, dont est ..

Un esprit sain dans un corps sain.

À partir des années 2000, le yoga connaît un succès croissant et s’est transformé pour mettre l’accent sur l’expérience corporelle, l’épanouissement personnel, éléments caractéristiques du bien-être dans le contexte sociohistorique actuel. Si les contributions en sciences sociales témoignent d’un intérêt récent pour le bien-être, rares sont les études qui se penchent spécifiquement sur les liens entre yoga et bien-être. Grâce à des terrains ethnographiques et des entretiens menés auprès de pratiquants et de professeurs de yoga en France, en Suisse romande et en Inde, cet article interroge la manière dont les pratiquants incorporent ou non ce bien-être. Comment passe-t-on du bien-être comme obligation sociale à une intériorisation par les individus ? Partant des représentations du yoga dans les médias, cet article revient sur les raisons historiques et sociales qui ont conduit à une requalification de cette discipline. Pourtant, les réalités du terrain montrent des itinéraires de pratiques plus hétérogènes. Selon l’implication dans la pratique du yoga moderne, les glaneurs mettent l’accent sur l’épanouissement dans le bien-être, alors que ceux qui s’astreignent le plus à une maîtrise de leur corps, de leurs actions (les enthousiastes et les passionnés) valorisent plutôt la santé et/ou la spiritualité