313 research outputs found
Generalized Permutohedra from Probabilistic Graphical Models
A graphical model encodes conditional independence relations via the Markov
properties. For an undirected graph these conditional independence relations
can be represented by a simple polytope known as the graph associahedron, which
can be constructed as a Minkowski sum of standard simplices. There is an
analogous polytope for conditional independence relations coming from a regular
Gaussian model, and it can be defined using multiinformation or relative
entropy. For directed acyclic graphical models and also for mixed graphical
models containing undirected, directed and bidirected edges, we give a
construction of this polytope, up to equivalence of normal fans, as a Minkowski
sum of matroid polytopes. Finally, we apply this geometric insight to construct
a new ordering-based search algorithm for causal inference via directed acyclic
graphical models.Comment: Appendix B is expanded. Final version to appear in SIAM J. Discrete
Mat
Differentially Private Model Selection with Penalized and Constrained Likelihood
In statistical disclosure control, the goal of data analysis is twofold: The
released information must provide accurate and useful statistics about the
underlying population of interest, while minimizing the potential for an
individual record to be identified. In recent years, the notion of differential
privacy has received much attention in theoretical computer science, machine
learning, and statistics. It provides a rigorous and strong notion of
protection for individuals' sensitive information. A fundamental question is
how to incorporate differential privacy into traditional statistical inference
procedures. In this paper we study model selection in multivariate linear
regression under the constraint of differential privacy. We show that model
selection procedures based on penalized least squares or likelihood can be made
differentially private by a combination of regularization and randomization,
and propose two algorithms to do so. We show that our private procedures are
consistent under essentially the same conditions as the corresponding
non-private procedures. We also find that under differential privacy, the
procedure becomes more sensitive to the tuning parameters. We illustrate and
evaluate our method using simulation studies and two real data examples
Defect-induced perturbations of atomic monolayers on solid surfaces
We study long-range morphological changes in atomic monolayers on solid
substrates induced by different types of defects; e.g., by monoatomic steps in
the surface, or by the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM), placed at some
distance above the substrate. Representing the monolayer in terms of a suitably
extended Frenkel-Kontorova-type model, we calculate the defect-induced density
profiles for several possible geometries. In case of an AFM tip, we also
determine the extra force exerted on the tip due to the tip-induced
de-homogenization of the monolayer.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
On the driven Frenkel-Kontorova model: I. Uniform sliding states and dynamical domains of different particle densities
The dynamical behavior of a harmonic chain in a spatially periodic potential
(Frenkel-Kontorova model, discrete sine-Gordon equation) under the influence of
an external force and a velocity proportional damping is investigated. We do
this at zero temperature for long chains in a regime where inertia and damping
as well as the nearest-neighbor interaction and the potential are of the same
order. There are two types of regular sliding states: Uniform sliding states,
which are periodic solutions where all particles perform the same motion
shifted in time, and nonuniform sliding states, which are quasi-periodic
solutions where the system forms patterns of domains of different uniform
sliding states. We discuss the properties of this kind of pattern formation and
derive equations of motion for the slowly varying average particle density and
velocity. To observe these dynamical domains we suggest experiments with a
discrete ring of at least fifty Josephson junctions.Comment: Written in RevTeX, 9 figures in PostScrip
Making connections: technological interventions to support students in using, and tutors in creating, assessment feedback
This paper explores the potential of technology to enhance the assessment and feedback process for both staff and students. The ‘Making Connections’ project aimed to better understand the connections that students make between the feedback that they receive and future assignments, and explored whether technology can help them in this activity. The project interviewed 10 tutors and 20 students, using a semi-structured approach. Data were analysed using a thematic approach, and the findings have identified a number of areas in which improvements could be made to the assessment and feedback process through the use of technology. The findings of the study cover each stage of the assessment process from the perspective of both staff and students. The findings are discussed in the context of current literature, and special attention is given to projects from the UK higher education sector intended to address the same issues.
Keywords: feed-forward; assessment; practices; technology; technology-enhanced learnin
The Cost-Effectiveness of Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy for HIV-Infected Individuals in Southern India: A Trial-Based Analysis
Regimens for isoniazid-based preventive therapy (IPT) for tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected individuals have not been widely adopted given concerns regarding efficacy, adherence and drug resistance. Further, the cost-effectiveness of IPT has not been studied in India.We used an HIV/TB model to project TB incidence, life expectancy, cost and incremental cost-effectiveness of six months of isoniazid plus ethambutol (6EH), thirty-six months of isoniazid (36H) and no IPT for HIV-infected patients in India. Model input parameters included a median CD4 count of 324 cells/mm(3), and a rate ratio of developing TB of 0.35 for 6EH and 0.22 for 36H at three years as compared to no IPT. Results of 6EH and 36H were also compared to six months of isoniazid (6H), three months of isoniazid plus rifampin (3RH) and three months of isoniazid plus rifapentine (3RPTH).Projected TB incidence decreased in the 6EH and 36H regimens by 51% and 62% respectively at three-year follow-up compared to no IPT. Without IPT, projected life expectancy was 136.1 months at a lifetime per person cost of 100 (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 55 (ICER of $3,120/YLS). The projected clinical impact of 6EH was comparable to 6H and 3RH; however when compared to these other options, 6EH was no longer cost-effective given the high cost of ethambutol. Results were sensitive to baseline CD4 count and adherence.Three, six and thirty-six-month regimens of isoniazid-based therapy are effective in preventing TB. Three months of isoniazid plus rifampin and six-months of isoniazid are similarly cost-effective in India, and should be considered part of HIV care
The cGMP-Dependent Protein Kinase II Is an Inhibitory Modulator of the Hyperpolarization-Activated HCN2 Channel
Opening of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels is facilitated by direct binding of cyclic nucleotides to a cyclic nucleotide-binding domain (CNBD) in the C-terminus. Here, we show for the first time that in the HCN2 channel cGMP can also exert an inhibitory effect on gating via cGMP-dependent protein kinase II (cGKII)-mediated phosphorylation. Using coimmunoprecipitation and immunohistochemistry we demonstrate that cGKII and HCN2 interact and colocalize with each other upon heterologous expression as well as in native mouse brain. We identify the proximal C-terminus of HCN2 as binding region of cGKII and show that cGKII phosphorylates HCN2 at a specific serine residue (S641) in the C-terminal end of the CNBD. The cGKII shifts the voltage-dependence of HCN2 activation to 2–5 mV more negative voltages and, hence, counteracts the stimulatory effect of cGMP on gating. The inhibitory cGMP effect can be either abolished by mutation of the phosphorylation site in HCN2 or by impairing the catalytic domain of cGKII. By contrast, the inhibitory effect is preserved in a HCN2 mutant carrying a CNBD deficient for cGMP binding. Our data suggest that bidirectional regulation of HCN2 gating by cGMP contributes to cellular fine-tuning of HCN channel activity
Combined mutation screening of NKX2-5, GATA4, and TBX5 in congenital heart disease: multiple heterozygosity and novel mutations
Background: Variants of several genes encoding transcription modulators, signal transduction, and structural proteins are known to cause Mendelian congenital heart disease (CHD). NKX2-5 and GATA4 were the first CHD-causing genes identified by linkage analysis in large affected families. Mutations of TBX5 cause Holt–Oram syndrome, which includes CHD as a clinical feature. All three genes have a well-established role in cardiac development.
Design: In order to investigate the possible role of multiple mutations in CHD, a combined mutation screening was performed in NKX2-5, GATA4, and TBX5 in the same patient cohort. Samples from a cohort of 331 CHD patients were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, double high-performance liquid chromatography and sequencing in order to identify changes in the NKX2-5, GATA4, and TBX5 genes.
Results: Two cases of multiple heterozygosity of putative disease-causing mutations were identified. One patient was found with a novel L122P NKX2-5 mutation in combination with the private A1443D mutation of MYH6. A patient heterozygote for a D425N GATA4 mutation carries also a private mutation of the MYH6 gene (V700M).
Conclusions: In addition to reporting two novel mutations of NKX2-5 in CHD, we describe families where multiple individual mutations seem to have an additive effect over the pathogenesis of CHD. Our findings highlight the usefulness of multiple gene mutational analysis of large CHD cohorts
siRNA-Like Double-Stranded RNAs Are Specifically Protected Against Degradation in Human Cell Extract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a set of intracellular pathways in eukaryotes that controls both exogenous and endogenous gene expression. The power of RNAi to knock down (silence) any gene of interest by the introduction of synthetic small-interfering (si)RNAs has afforded powerful insight into biological function through reverse genetic approaches and has borne a new field of gene therapeutics. A number of questions are outstanding concerning the potency of siRNAs, necessitating an understanding of how short double-stranded RNAs are processed by the cell. Recent work suggests unmodified siRNAs are protected in the intracellular environment, although the mechanism of protection still remains unclear. We have developed a set of doubly-fluorophore labeled RNAs (more precisely, RNA/DNA chimeras) to probe in real-time the stability of siRNAs and related molecules by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). We find that these RNA probes are substrates for relevant cellular degradative processes, including the RNase H1 mediated degradation of an DNA/RNA hybrid and Dicer-mediated cleavage of a 24-nucleotide (per strand) double-stranded RNA. In addition, we find that 21- and 24-nucleotide double-stranded RNAs are relatively protected in human cytosolic cell extract, but less so in blood serum, whereas an 18-nucleotide double-stranded RNA is less protected in both fluids. These results suggest that RNAi effector RNAs are specifically protected in the cellular environment and may provide an explanation for recent results showing that unmodified siRNAs in cells persist intact for extended periods of time
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