The causes of epigastric pain - with special reference to gastric and duodenal disorders and a plea for research in general practice by systematic observation and the keeping and indexing of case records: with an attempt to demonstrate its usefulness in the author's practice in elucidating the conditions mentioned above

Before proceeding to deal with the actual subject of our Thesis - the Causes of Epigastric Pain - we shall endeavour to establish three contentions. 1. That the most promising field for research in Medicine at the present day is to be found in General Practice. 2. That the failure in the past to glean sufficient from this rich field has been due to the failure to keep case_records. 3. That a method of systematic recording of cases may be employed which works in practice, Which is actually time saving, and which produces results of value

Learning for Free – Object Detectors Trained on Synthetic Data

A picture is worth a thousand words, or if you want it labeled, it’s worth about four cents per bounding box. Data is the fuel that powers modern technologies run by artificial intelligence engines which is increasingly valuable in today’s industry. High quality labeled data is the most important factor in producing accurate machine learning models which can be used to make powerful predictions and identify patterns humans may not see. Acquiring high quality labeled data however, can be expensive and time consuming. For small companies, academic researchers, or machine learning hobbyists, gathering large datasets for a specific task that are not already publicly available is challenging. This research paper describes the techniques used to generate labeled image data synthetically which can be used in supervised learning for object detection. Technologies such as 3D modeling software in conjunction with Generative Adversarial Networks and image augmentation can create a realistic and diverse image dataset with bounding boxes and labels. The result of our effort is an accurate object detector in an environment of aerial surveillance with no cost to the end user. We achieved a best average precision score of 0.76 to classify and detect cars from an aerial perspective using a mix of GAN-refined data along with randomized synthetic data

The multisensory attentional consequences of tool use : a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Background: Tool use in humans requires that multisensory information is integrated across different locations, from objects seen to be distant from the hand, but felt indirectly at the hand via the tool. We tested the hypothesis that using a simple tool to perceive vibrotactile stimuli results in the enhanced processing of visual stimuli presented at the distal, functional part of the tool. Such a finding would be consistent with a shift of spatial attention to the location where the tool is used. Methodology/Principal Findings: We tested this hypothesis by scanning healthy human participants’ brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging, while they used a simple tool to discriminate between target vibrations, accompanied by congruent or incongruent visual distractors, on the same or opposite side to the tool. The attentional hypothesis was supported: BOLD response in occipital cortex, particularly in the right hemisphere lingual gyrus, varied significantly as a function of tool position, increasing contralaterally, and decreasing ipsilaterally to the tool. Furthermore, these modulations occurred despite the fact that participants were repeatedly instructed to ignore the visual stimuli, to respond only to the vibrotactile stimuli, and to maintain visual fixation centrally. In addition, the magnitude of multisensory (visual-vibrotactile) interactions in participants’ behavioural responses significantly predicted the BOLD response in occipital cortical areas that were also modulated as a function of both visual stimulus position and tool position. Conclusions/Significance: These results show that using a simple tool to locate and to perceive vibrotactile stimuli is accompanied by a shift of spatial attention to the location where the functional part of the tool is used, resulting in enhanced processing of visual stimuli at that location, and decreased processing at other locations. This was most clearly observed in the right hemisphere lingual gyrus. Such modulations of visual processing may reflect the functional importance of visuospatial information during human tool use

A large proportion of bovine T cells express the γδ T cell receptor and show a distinct tissue distribution and surface phenotype

The numbers, phenotype, and tissue distribution of γδ T cells in cattle were studied using two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) which react with the bovine γδ T cell receptor (TCR). Both mAbs stained 20-40% of T cells in peripheral blood, and immunoprecipitated molecules of 44 and 36 kd (reduced) and 70-80 kd (non-reduced). In cattle the majority of circulating γδ T cells showed a distinct surface phenotype; they expressed T19, a 215 kd molecule described in sheep and cattle which marks only γδ T cells. Bovine γδ T cells were also CD2−, CD4−, and mostly CD8−, and falled to express CD6, a molecule possibly involved in T cell activation. The distribution of γδ T cells in cattle lymphoid tissues differed markedly from that in humans, in that bovine γδ T cells were concentrated around lymph node trabeculae and were usually sparse or absent from the B cell and T cell domains of lymph nodes. Like most other species studied, γδ T cells in cattle were localized to epithelial surfaces, particularly within the skin and intestine, indicating that it was at these sites where γδ T cells functioned. Our results provide further evidence for the unusual localization, recirculation pattern, and phenotype of γδ T cells, and also show that some features of γδ T cells can differ quite markedly from species to specie

Consistency in eyewitness reports of aquatic "monsters"

Little work has been undertaken on the consistency/repeatabilityof reports of natural historical anomalies. Such information is usefulin understanding the reporting process associated with such accountsand distinguishing any underlying biological signal. Here we used intraclasscorrelation as a measure of consistency in descriptions of a variety of quantitative features from a large collection of firsthand accounts of apparentlyunknown aquatic animals (hereafter “monsters”) in each of two differentcases. In the first case, same observer, same encounter (sose), the correlationwas estimated from two different accounts of the same event from thesame witness. In the second case, the correlation was between two differentobservers of the same event (dose). Overall, levels of consistency weresurprisingly high, with length of monster, distance of monster to the witness,and duration of encounter varying between 0.63 and 1. Interestingly,there was no evidence that sose accounts generally had higher consistencythan dose accounts.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Why Do I Love Thee. Song

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Diet, Metabolites, and “Western-Lifestyle” Inflammatory Diseases

One explanation for the increased incidence of allergies, asthma, and even some autoimmune diseases has been the hygiene hypothesis. However, recent studies also highlight an important role for diet and bacterial metabolites in controlling various immune pathways, including gut and immune homeostasis, regulatory T cell biology, and inflammation. Dietary-related metabolites engage “metabolite-sensing” G-protein-coupled receptors, such as GPR43, GPR41, GPR109A, GPR120, and GPR35. These receptors are expressed on immune cells and some gut epithelial cells and generally mediate a direct anti-inflammatory effect. Insufficient intake of “healthy foodstuffs” adversely affects the production of bacterial metabolites. These metabolites and those derived directly from food drive beneficial downstream effects on immune pathways. We propose that insufficient exposure to dietary and bacterial metabolites might underlie the development of inflammatory disorders in Western countries. This review highlights what is currently known about diet, metabolites, and their associated immune pathways in relation to the development of inflammatory disease

A fundamental bimodal role for neuropeptide Y1 receptor in the immune system

Psychological conditions, including stress, compromise immune defenses. Although this concept is not novel, the molecular mechanism behind it remains unclear. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the central nervous system is a major regulator of numerous physiological functions, including stress. Postganglionic sympathetic nerves innervating lymphoid organs release NPY, which together with other peptides activate five Y receptors (Y1, Y2, Y4, Y5, and y6). Using Y1-deficient (Y1−/−) mice, we showed that Y1−/− T cells are hyperresponsive to activation and trigger severe colitis after transfer into lymphopenic mice. Thus, signaling through Y1 receptor on T cells inhibits T cell activation and controls the magnitude of T cell responses. Paradoxically, Y1−/− mice were resistant to T helper type 1 (Th1) cell–mediated inflammatory responses and showed reduced levels of the Th1 cell–promoting cytokine interleukin 12 and reduced interferon γ production. This defect was due to functionally impaired antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and consequently, Y1−/− mice had reduced numbers of effector T cells. These results demonstrate a fundamental bimodal role for the Y1 receptor in the immune system, serving as a strong negative regulator on T cells as well as a key activator of APC function. Our findings uncover a sophisticated molecular mechanism regulating immune cell functions that can lead to stress-induced immunosuppression

Unintended Consequences: Potential Downsides of the Air Force\u27s Conversion to Biofuels

The desire to reduce US dependence on foreign energy, ongoing environmental concerns, and the rising cost of petroleum have sparked significant development of greener alternative and renewable energy sources such as alcohol-based biofuels. To address these issues, the Department of Defense DOD has moved to diminish its reliance on petroleum for fueling aircraft and ground equipment. The US Air Force, in alignment with DOD objectives, has initiated several goals for reducing its use of energy: (1) decrease the use of petroleum-based fuel by 2 percent annually for the vehicle fleet, (2) increase the use of alternative fuel in motor vehicles annually by 10 percent, (3) certify all aircraft and weapon systems for a 5050 alternative fuel blend by 2011, and (4) have Air Force aircraft flying on 50 percent alternative fuel blends by 2016.1 This aggressive timetable moves the world s single largest petroleum consumer, the DOD, squarely into the alternative energies market. As the world s most prodigious fuel consumer, the DOD would likely drive segments of the aviation and motor fuels markets around the world to meet the demand for newly formulated alternative fuels and to convert existing fuel delivery systems to support the new market. Although conversion to alternative fuels can clearly lower the production of carbon dioxide, the risks that potential fuel spills pose to soil and groundwater are only now becoming clear