A typical reconstruction limit of compressed sensing based on Lp-norm minimization

We consider the problem of reconstructing an $N$-dimensional continuous vector \bx from $P$ constraints which are generated by its linear transformation under the assumption that the number of non-zero elements of \bx is typically limited to $\rho N$ ($0\le \rho \le 1$). Problems of this type can be solved by minimizing a cost function with respect to the $L_p$-norm ||\bx||_p=\lim_{\epsilon \to +0}\sum_{i=1}^N |x_i|^{p+\epsilon}, subject to the constraints under an appropriate condition. For several $p$, we assess a typical case limit $\alpha_c(\rho)$, which represents a critical relation between $\alpha=P/N$ and $\rho$ for successfully reconstructing the original vector by minimization for typical situations in the limit $N,P \to \infty$ with keeping $\alpha$ finite, utilizing the replica method. For $p=1$, $\alpha_c(\rho)$ is considerably smaller than its worst case counterpart, which has been rigorously derived by existing literature of information theory.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Clinical Impact of a Novel Interprofessional Dental and Pharmacy Student Tobacco Cessation Education Program on Dental Patients

Objectives: • To compare the difference between IPE care and standard care (SC) groups regarding dental patients\u27 perceptions of knowledge gained about tobacco cessation, intentions to quit tobacco use, and quit attempts at follow-up. • To evaluate perceptions of IPE care. Background: Based on the link between tobacco use and oral health and the frequent contact between dental providers and patients, the dental clinic is an ideal setting to address tobacco use.1 • Many dentists feel unprepared providing tobacco cessation education, particularly pharmacologic treatment options.1-3 • Pharmacists promote safe and effective pharmacologic treatment options for tobacco dependence and patients’ perceptions toward pharmacist-provided tobacco cessation education have been positive.4-6 • A novel interprofessional education (IPE) program involving dental and pharmacy students may address the need for tobacco cessation education in the dental clinic setting

Typical performance of low-density parity-check codes over general symmetric channels

Typical performance of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes over a general binary-input output-symmetric memoryless channel is investigated using methods of statistical mechanics. Theoretical framework for dealing with general symmetric channels is provided, based on which Gallager and MacKay-Neal codes are studied as examples of LDPC codes. It has been shown that the basic properties of these codes known for particular channels, including the property to potentially saturate Shannon's limit, hold for general symmetric channels. The binary-input additive-white-Gaussian-noise channel and the binary-input Laplace channel are considered as specific channel noise models.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX4; an error in reference correcte

Tunneling Violates Special Relativity

Experiments with evanescent modes and tunneling particles have shown that i) their signal velocity may be faster than light, ii) they are described by virtual particles, iii) they are nonlocal and act at a distance, iv) experimental tunneling data of phonons, photons, and electrons display a universal scattering time at the tunneling barrier front, and v) the properties of evanescent, i.e. tunneling modes is not compatible with the special theory of relativity

Tunnel vision, false memories, and intrusive memories following exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test

Most research examining the impact of stress on learning and memory has exposed participants to a stressor and measured how it affects learning and memory for unrelated material (e.g., list of words). Such work has been helpful, but it has not been the most translational to the human condition. When considering phenomena such as intrusive memories in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or an eyewitness\u27s memory for a crime, it is most useful to know what an individual remembers about the stress experience itself, not unrelated information. In prior work, investigators used a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) to quantify participant memory for the stressor. We aimed to replicate this work by examining participant memory for the TSST and extend on it by quantifying false and intrusive memories that result from TSST exposure. Forty-six undergraduate students from Ohio Northern University were exposed to the TSST or the friendly-TSST (f-TSST). The TSST required participants to deliver a ten-minute speech in front of two lab panel members as part of a mock job interview; the f-TSST required participants to casually converse with the panel members about their interests and hobbies. In both conditions, the panel members interacted with (central) or did not interact with (peripheral) several objects sitting on a desk in front of them. Participants’ anxiety levels were assessed before and after the TSST or f-TSST, and saliva samples were collected to assay for cortisol. The next day, participants’ memory for the objects that were present on Day 1 was assessed with recall and recognition tests. We also quantified participants’ intrusive memories for each task by having them complete an intrusive memory questionnaire on Days 2, 4, 6, and 8. Participants exposed to the TSST exhibited greater recall of central objects than participants exposed to the f-TSST. There were no differences observed for the recall of peripheral objects or for recognition memory. Interestingly, TSST exposure increased false recall in males, but reduced it in females. Females exposed to the TSST also showed greater evidence of intrusive memories than males exposed to the TSST. Consistent with prior work, these findings show that stress enhances memory for the central details of a stressful experience. They also extend on prior work by showing that stressful experiences sex-dependently impact the manifestation of false and intrusive memories. This is the first study of which we are aware to quantify intrusive memory formation with the TSST; the modified TSST paradigm may be useful in understanding differential susceptibility to intrusive memory formation and the development of PTSD

Second law, entropy production, and reversibility in thermodynamics of information

We present a pedagogical review of the fundamental concepts in thermodynamics of information, by focusing on the second law of thermodynamics and the entropy production. Especially, we discuss the relationship among thermodynamic reversibility, logical reversibility, and heat emission in the context of the Landauer principle and clarify that these three concepts are fundamentally distinct to each other. We also discuss thermodynamics of measurement and feedback control by Maxwell's demon. We clarify that the demon and the second law are indeed consistent in the measurement and the feedback processes individually, by including the mutual information to the entropy production.Comment: 43 pages, 10 figures. As a chapter of: G. Snider et al. (eds.), "Energy Limits in Computation: A Review of Landauer's Principle, Theory and Experiments

The Effects of Mental Health First Aid Preparation on Nursing Student Self-Efficacy in their Response to Mental Health Issues

Background: Past studies show a high prevalence of nursing students experience depressive symptoms at varying levels of severity. Teaching nursing students early in their studies how to recognize these symptoms in themselves, their peers, or clients, and how to take appropriate action, may promote better outcomes. Studies in Australia and England have found that Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) increases nursing students’ self-confidence when supporting those experiencing mental health crises. Limited Canadian studies regarding MHFA training exist. Purpose: To examine the effect of MHFA training on the self-efficacy of nursing students to deliver mental health first aid in a clinical setting and among peers. Methods: Participants for this study included 22 volunteer first- or second-year students from a three-year accelerated Canadian Baccalaureate nursing program. Each volunteer answered three demographic questions and ranked their confidence level on a 100-point scale to perform five situation-specific MHFA actions for each of two scenarios (peer and clinical). Questionnaires were completed by participants before and after attending a two-day, 14-hour training course on MHFA. Results: Paired t-tests performed on each questionnaire item revealed significant increases in confidence levels to perform situation-specific mental health first aid actions for each scenario from pre- to post-training. Cronbach’s alpha results show acceptable internal reliability for the five-item questionnaires (pre- and post-test for each scenario). Conclusion: Mental Health First Aid training appears to improve the self-efficacy of nursing students to deliver MHFA actions to clients and peers experiencing mental health crises. Résumé Contexte : Des études antérieures ont révélé qu’un nombre élevé d’étudiantes et étudiants en sciences infirmières éprouvent des symptômes de dépression avec différents niveaux de sévérité. Enseigner dès le début de leurs études à reconnaître ces symptômes chez eux-mêmes, leurs pairs et leurs patients, et comment agir dans ces situations, pourrait favoriser de meilleurs résultats. Des études menées en Australie et en Angleterre auprès d’étudiantes et étudiants en sciences infirmières ont montré qu’une formation en premiers soins en santé mentale (PSSM) renforce leur confiance en eux lorsqu’ils sont confrontés à une personne aux prises avec un problème de santé mentale. Les études canadiennes sur la formation en PSSM sont limitées. But : Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer l’impact d’une formation en PSSM sur le sentiment d’auto-efficacité d’étudiantes et étudiants en sciences infirmières dans la prestation de premiers soins en santé mentale en milieu clinique et auprès de leurs pairs. Méthodes : L’échantillon de cette étude était composé de 22 étudiantes et étudiants bénévoles, inscrits en première ou deuxième année du baccalauréat accéléré de trois ans en sciences infirmières au Canada. Tous les participants ont répondu à trois questions démographiques et ont évalué leur niveau de confiance sur une échelle de 100 points, pour effectuer cinq actions de PSSM spécifiques à une situation pour chacun des deux scénarios (entre pairs et clinique). Les questionnaires ont été remplis avant et après la participation à une formation de deux jours (14 heures) en PSSM. Résultats : Des tests t appariés réalisés pour chaque élément du questionnaire ont révélé une augmentation significative des niveaux de confiance de démontrer des actions spécifiques de premiers soins en santé mentale pour chacun des scénarios, entre le test pré- et post-formation. Les résultats de l’indice alpha de Cronbach révèlent une fiabilité interne acceptable pour les questionnaires à cinq éléments (pré- et post-test, pour chaque scénario). Conclusion : Il semble que la formation en PSSM ait un impact positif sur le sentiment d’auto-efficacité des étudiantes et étudiants en sciences infirmières, les rendant plus aptes à intervenir efficacement auprès des patients et des pairs qui vivent une crise de santé mentale

Over-expression of Eph and ephrin genes in advanced ovarian cancer: ephrin gene expression correlates with shortened survival

BACKGROUND: Increased expression of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their ephrin ligands has been implicated in tumor progression in a number of malignancies. This report describes aberrant expression of these genes in ovarian cancer, the commonest cause of death amongst gynaecological malignancies. METHODS: Eph and ephrin expression was determined using quantitative real time RT-PCR. Correlation of gene expression was measured using Spearman's rho statistic. Survival was analysed using log-rank analysis and (was visualised by) Kaplan-Meier survival curves. RESULTS: Greater than 10 fold over-expression of EphA1 and a more modest over-expression of EphA2 were observed in partially overlapping subsets of tumors. Over-expression of EphA1 strongly correlated (r = 0.801; p < 0.01) with the high affinity ligand ephrin A1. A similar trend was observed between EphA2 and ephrin A1 (r = 0.387; p = 0.06). A striking correlation of both ephrin A1 and ephrin A5 expression with poor survival (r = -0.470; p = 0.02 and r = -0.562; p < 0.01) was observed. Intriguingly, there was no correlation between survival and other clinical parameters or Eph expression. CONCLUSION: These data imply that increased levels of ephrins A1 and A5 in the presence of high expression of Ephs A1 and A2 lead to a more aggressive tumor phenotype. The known functions of Eph/ephrin signalling in cell de-adhesion and movement may explain the observed correlation of ephrin expression with poor prognosis

A Community-Based Study of Factors Associated with Continuing Transmission of Lymphatic Filariasis in Leogane, Haiti

Seven rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) have been administered in Leogane, Haiti, an area hyperendemic for lymphatic filariasis (LF). Sentinel site surveys showed that the prevalence of microfilaremia was reduced to <1% from levels as high as 15.5%, suggesting that transmission had been reduced. A separate 30-cluster survey of 2- to 4-year-old children was conducted to determine if MDA interrupted transmission. Antigen and antifilarial antibody prevalence were 14.3% and 19.7%, respectively. Follow-up surveys were done in 6 villages, including those selected for the cluster survey, to assess risk factors related to continued LF transmission and to pinpoint hotspots of transmission. One hundred houses were mapped in each village using GPS-enabled PDAs, and then 30 houses and 10 alternates were chosen for testing. All individuals in selected houses were asked to participate in a short survey about participation in MDA, history of residence in Leogane and general knowledge of LF. Survey teams returned to the houses at night to collect blood for antigen testing, microfilaremia and Bm14 antibody testing and collected mosquitoes from these communities in parallel. Antigen prevalence was highly variable among the 6 villages, with the highest being 38.2% (Dampus) and the lowest being 2.9% (Corail Lemaire); overall antigen prevalence was 18.5%. Initial cluster surveys of 2- to 4-year-old children were not related to community antigen prevalence. Nearest neighbor analysis found evidence of clustering of infection suggesting that LF infection was focal in distribution. Antigen prevalence among individuals who were systematically noncompliant with the MDAs, i.e. they had never participated, was significantly higher than among compliant individuals (p<0.05). A logistic regression model found that of the factors examined for association with infection, only noncompliance was significantly associated with infection. Thus, continuing transmission of LF seems to be linked to rates of systematic noncompliance