A Domain-Agnostic Approach for Characterization of Lifelong Learning Systems

Despite the advancement of machine learning techniques in recent years, state-of-the-art systems lack robustness to "real world" events, where the input distributions and tasks encountered by the deployed systems will not be limited to the original training context, and systems will instead need to adapt to novel distributions and tasks while deployed. This critical gap may be addressed through the development of "Lifelong Learning" systems that are capable of 1) Continuous Learning, 2) Transfer and Adaptation, and 3) Scalability. Unfortunately, efforts to improve these capabilities are typically treated as distinct areas of research that are assessed independently, without regard to the impact of each separate capability on other aspects of the system. We instead propose a holistic approach, using a suite of metrics and an evaluation framework to assess Lifelong Learning in a principled way that is agnostic to specific domains or system techniques. Through five case studies, we show that this suite of metrics can inform the development of varied and complex Lifelong Learning systems. We highlight how the proposed suite of metrics quantifies performance trade-offs present during Lifelong Learning system development - both the widely discussed Stability-Plasticity dilemma and the newly proposed relationship between Sample Efficient and Robust Learning. Further, we make recommendations for the formulation and use of metrics to guide the continuing development of Lifelong Learning systems and assess their progress in the future.Comment: To appear in Neural Network

8p22 MTUS1 Gene Product ATIP3 Is a Novel Anti-Mitotic Protein Underexpressed in Invasive Breast Carcinoma of Poor Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that is not totally eradicated by current therapies. The classification of breast tumors into distinct molecular subtypes by gene profiling and immunodetection of surrogate markers has proven useful for tumor prognosis and prediction of effective targeted treatments. The challenge now is to identify molecular biomarkers that may be of functional relevance for personalized therapy of breast tumors with poor outcome that do not respond to available treatments. The Mitochondrial Tumor Suppressor (MTUS1) gene is an interesting candidate whose expression is reduced in colon, pancreas, ovary and oral cancers. The present study investigates the expression and functional effects of MTUS1 gene products in breast cancer. METHODS AND FINDINGS: By means of gene array analysis, real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, we show here that MTUS1/ATIP3 is significantly down-regulated in a series of 151 infiltrating breast cancer carcinomas as compared to normal breast tissue. Low levels of ATIP3 correlate with high grade of the tumor and the occurrence of distant metastasis. ATIP3 levels are also significantly reduced in triple negative (ER- PR- HER2-) breast carcinomas, a subgroup of highly proliferative tumors with poor outcome and no available targeted therapy. Functional studies indicate that silencing ATIP3 expression by siRNA increases breast cancer cell proliferation. Conversely, restoring endogenous levels of ATIP3 expression leads to reduced cancer cell proliferation, clonogenicity, anchorage-independent growth, and reduces the incidence and size of xenografts grown in vivo. We provide evidence that ATIP3 associates with the microtubule cytoskeleton and localizes at the centrosomes, mitotic spindle and intercellular bridge during cell division. Accordingly, live cell imaging indicates that ATIP3 expression alters the progression of cell division by promoting prolonged metaphase, thereby leading to a reduced number of cells ungergoing active mitosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results identify for the first time ATIP3 as a novel microtubule-associated protein whose expression is significantly reduced in highly proliferative breast carcinomas of poor clinical outcome. ATIP3 re-expression limits tumor cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that this protein may represent a novel useful biomarker and an interesting candidate for future targeted therapies of aggressive breast cancer

Reconstruction and simulation of neocortical microcircuitry

We present a first-draft digital reconstruction of the microcircuitry of somatosensory cortex of juvenile rat. The reconstruction uses cellular and synaptic organizing principles to algorithmically reconstruct detailed anatomy and physiology from sparse experimental data. An objective anatomical method defines a neocortical volume of 0.29 ± 0.01 mm3 containing ∼31,000 neurons, and patch-clamp studies identify 55 layer-specific morphological and 207 morpho-electrical neuron subtypes. When digitally reconstructed neurons are positioned in the volume and synapse formation is restricted to biological bouton densities and numbers of synapses per connection, their overlapping arbors form ∼8 million connections with ∼37 million synapses. Simulations reproduce an array of in vitro and in vivo experiments without parameter tuning. Additionally, we find a spectrum of network states with a sharp transition from synchronous to asynchronous activity, modulated by physiological mechanisms. The spectrum of network states, dynamically reconfigured around this transition, supports diverse information processing strategies

Comparaison de la réglementation publicitaire en faveur des médicaments à usage humain en France et en Suisse

LYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocSudocFranceF

A system for planning and/or providing neurostimulation for a patient

The present invention relates to a system (10) for planning and/or providing neurostimulation for a patient, comprising: - a pathological spinal cord map storage module (48) for storing at least one pathological spinal cord map (49) describing the activation of the spinal cord of a patient, - a healthy spinal cord map storage module (50) for storing at least one reference map (51) describing physiological activation of the spinal cord of at least one healthy subject, - an analysis module (42) configured and arranged such that the pathological spinal cord map and the reference map can be compared and/or analyzed automatically such that a deviation map is created, the deviation map describing the difference between the pathological spinal cord map and the reference map, and a compensation module (52) which is configured and arranged to calculate on the basis of the deviation map a neurostimulation protocol for compensating the activation. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for planning and/or providing neurostimulation for a patient

A system for planning and/or providing neuromodulation

The present invention relates to a system for planning and/or providing neuromodulation (10), especially neurostimulation, comprising - a stimulation related basic data storage module (28) for storing the stimulation related basic data, - a stimulation related response data storage module (32) for storing the stimulation related response data, - transfer module (34) configured and arranged such that the stimulation related basic data received by the data input module are linked and/or translated into and/or with the response data or artificial response data created by the transfer module (34), wherein the data generated by the transfer module (34) are transfer data, the transfer data comprising link data and/or translation data and/or artificial response data, - a transfer response data storage module for storing the transfer data, - mapping module (38) configured and arranged such that based on the stimulation related basic data and stimulation related response data and the transfer data a digital characteristic map is generated, which describes the interrelation between the stimulation related basic data and the stimulation related response data and the transfer data, and analysis module (42) configured and arranged such that the digital characteristic map can be analyzed automatically

A system for planning and/or providing neuromodulation

The present invention relates to a system for planning and/or providing neuromodulation (10), especially neurostimulation, comprising: - first data input module (26) for stimulation related basic data, - a stimulation related basic data storage module (28) for storing the stimulation related basic data, - second data input module (30) for stimulation related response data, - a stimulation related response data storage module (32) for storing the stimulation related response data, - transfer module (34) configured and arranged such that the stimulation related basic data received by the data input module are linked and/or translated into and/or with the response data and/or artificial response data created by the transfer module, wherein the data generated by the transfer module (34) are transfer data, the transfer data comprising link data and/or translation data and/or artificial response data, - a transfer response data storage module for storing the transfer data, - mapping module (38) configured and arranged such that based on the stimulation related basic data and stimulation related response data and the transfer data a digital characteristic map (36) is generated, which describes the interrelation between the stimulation related basic data and the stimulation related response data and the transfer data

System for planning and/or providing neuromodulation, especially neurostimulation

The present invention relates system for planning and/or providing neuromodulation (10), especially neurostimulation, comprising - a neurostimulator (24) comprising a least one electrode (22), - functional mapping module (38) configured and arranged such that based on stimulation related basic data and stimulation related response data and transfer data a digital characteristic functional map is generated and/or provided, which describes the interrelation between the stimulation related basic data and the stimulation related response data and the transfer data, and - analysis module (42) configured and arranged such that the digital characteristic functional map can be analyzed in connection with neurostimulation provided by the neurostimulator such that the provided neurostimulation and and its response can be analyzed on the basis of the functional map and that on the basis of this analysis an placement analysis of the placement of the electrode is provided

Global vulnerability of marine mammals to global warming

Although extinctions due to climate change are still uncommon, they might surpass those caused by habitat loss or overexploitation over the next few decades. Among marine megafauna, mammals fulfill key and irreplaceable ecological roles in the ocean, and the collapse of their populations may therefore have irreversible consequences for ecosystem functioning and services. Using a trait-based approach, we assessed the vulnerability of all marine mammals to global warming under high and low greenhouse gas emission scenarios for the middle and the end of the 21st century. We showed that the North Pacific Ocean, the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea host the species that are most vulnerable to global warming. Future conservation plans should therefore focus on these regions, where there are long histories of overexploitation and there are high levels of current threats to marine mammals. Among the most vulnerable marine mammals were several threatened species, such as the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) and the dugong (Dugong dugon), that displayed unique combinations of functional traits. Beyond species loss, we showed that the potential extinctions of the marine mammals that were most vulnerable to global warming might induce a disproportionate loss of functional diversity, which may have profound impacts on the future functioning of marine ecosystems worldwide