Artificial intelligence approaches to astronomical observation scheduling

Automated scheduling will play an increasing role in future ground- and space-based observatory operations. Due to the complexity of the problem, artificial intelligence technology currently offers the greatest potential for the development of scheduling tools with sufficient power and flexibility to handle realistic scheduling situations. Summarized here are the main features of the observatory scheduling problem, how artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can be applied, and recent progress in AI scheduling for Hubble Space Telescope

PCLIPS: Parallel CLIPS

PCLIPS (Parallel CLIPS) is a set of extensions to the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) expert system language. PCLIPS is intended to provide an environment for the development of more complex, extensive expert systems. Multiple CLIPS expert systems are now capable of running simultaneously on separate processors, or separate machines, thus dramatically increasing the scope of solvable tasks within the expert systems. As a tool for parallel processing, PCLIPS allows for an expert system to add to its fact-base information generated by other expert systems, thus allowing systems to assist each other in solving a complex problem. This allows individual expert systems to be more compact and efficient, and thus run faster or on smaller machines

Analyzing Student Learning Outcome Assessment in Higher Education

The status of higher education in the United States has been deemed below average as compared to other nations on an international level according to the 2006 Review on Education in the United States sponsored by the United States Department of Education. Several problem areas were identified and student course learning outcomes appear to be one of them. The Department of Education recommends more accountability throughout higher education for learning outcomes. How accountability for learning outcomes will be accomplished and set to a standard seems to be a point of major contention throughout higher education in the United States today. This paper will review two proposed ways to accomplish student learning outcomes assessment by analyzing an instructor-based learning outcomes assessment that was recently used by a university and comparing it to an experimental student-based learning outcomes assessment that was recently used by three Embry-Riddle professors at the end of the Spring 2007 term

The Use of Light in the Treatment of Depression

INTRODUCTION Light has recently been reported to be a useful treatment in affective illness (1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6). What type of patients respond to this type of treatment ? What is the theoretical mechanism of action of light therapy and what are the implications of this research for the existing theories of affective illness? This review will seek answers to these questions by summarizing the recently reported studies of the effects of light on depression , by reviewing the pertinent contributions from neuroanatomy, endocrinology and circadian rhythm physiology, and, finally, by suggesting some points of integration of these recent findings with existing theories of depression

Using Psychoanalytically Oriented Psychotherapy with the Elderly

Psychotherapy with the elderly, like geriatric medicine, has become a subject of renewed interest. This paper will review some pertinent aspects of the subject and hopefully dispel some myths. A case will be presented where psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy was employed. In this case, forced termination was necessary after one year due to the therapist graduating from residency

RAS Mutations and Oncogenesis: Not all RAS Mutations are Created Equally

Mutation in RAS proteins is one of the most common genetic alterations observed in human and experimentally induced rodent cancers. In vivo, oncogenic mutations have been shown to occur at exons 12, 13, and 61, resulting in any 1 of 19 possible point mutations in a given tumor for a specific RAS isoform. While some studies have suggested a possible role of different mutant alleles in determining tumor severity and phenotype, no general consensus has emerged on the oncogenicity of different mutant alleles in tumor formation and progression. Part of this may be due to a lack of a single, signature pathway that shows significant alterations between different mutations. Rather, it is likely that subtle differences in the activation, or lack thereof, of downstream effectors by different RAS mutant alleles may determine the eventual outcome in terms of tumor phenotype. This paper reviews our current understanding of the potential role of different RAS mutations on tumorigenesis, highlights studies in model cell culture and in vivo systems, and discusses the potential of expression array and computational network modeling to dissect out differences in activated RAS genes in conferring a transforming phenotype