Action observation network in childhood: a comparative fMRI study with adults.

PubMed

Biagi, Laura; Cioni, Giovanni; Fogassi, Leonardo; Guzzetta, Andrea; Sgandurra, Giuseppina; Tosetti, Michela

2016-11-01

Very little is known about the action observation network and the mirror neuron system (AON/MNS) in children and its age-related properties compared with those observed in adults. In the present fMRI study we explored the activation of areas belonging to the AON/MNS in children and adults during observation of complex hand-grasping actions, as compared to observation of simple grasping acts executed with the left and the right hand, seen from a first person perspective. The results indicate that during the action observation tasks in children there was activation of a cortical network similar to that found in adults, including the premotor cortex, the posterior part of the inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior parietal lobe. However, the activation in children was more widespread and showed a higher inter-subject variability compared with adults. Furthermore, the activated network seems more lateralized to the left hemisphere in adults and more bilateral in children, with a linear growth of lateralization index as a function of age. Finally, in children the activation in the anterior intraparietal cortex (AIP) of each hemisphere was higher during observation of the contralateral hand (hand identity effect) and during the observation of complex actions relative to simple grasping acts, confirming the role of AIP for action-related hand identity previously described in adults. These results support the assumption that structure and size of action representations are sensitive to mechanisms of development and show physiological plasticity. These properties of the AON/MNS could constitute a powerful tool for spontaneous reorganization and recovery of motor deficits after brain injury in children and in adults, as well as for specific rehabilitation programmes. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Communication networks for the tactical edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Joseph B.; Pennington, Steven G.; Ewy, Benjamin J.

2017-04-01

Information at the tactical level is increasingly critical in today's conflicts. The proliferation of commercial tablets and smart phones has created the ability for extensive information sharing at the tactical edge, beyond the traditional tactical voice communications and location information. This is particularly the case in Gray Zone conflicts, in which tactical decision making and actions are intertwined with information sharing and exploitation. Networking of tactical devices is the key to this information sharing. In this work, we detail and analyze two network models at different parts of the Gray Zone spectrum, and explore a number of networking options including Named Data Networking. We also compare networking approaches in a variety of realistic operating environments. Our results show that Named Data Networking is a good match for the disrupted networking environments found in many tactical situations

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants.

PubMed

Cruz-Garza, Jesus G; Hernandez, Zachery R; Tse, Teresa; Caducoy, Eunice; Abibullaev, Berdakh; Contreras-Vidal, Jose L

2015-10-04

Understanding typical and atypical development remains one of the fundamental questions in developmental human neuroscience. Traditionally, experimental paradigms and analysis tools have been limited to constrained laboratory tasks and contexts due to technical limitations imposed by the available set of measuring and analysis techniques and the age of the subjects. These limitations severely limit the study of developmental neural dynamics and associated neural networks engaged in cognition, perception and action in infants performing "in action and in context". This protocol presents a novel approach to study infants and young children as they freely organize their own behavior, and its consequences in a complex, partly unpredictable and highly dynamic environment. The proposed methodology integrates synchronized high-density active scalp electroencephalography (EEG), inertial measurement units (IMUs), video recording and behavioral analysis to capture brain activity and movement non-invasively in freely-behaving infants. This setup allows for the study of neural network dynamics in the developing brain, in action and context, as these networks are recruited during goal-oriented, exploration and social interaction tasks.

Method of forming and assembly of parts

DOEpatents

Ripley, Edward B.

2010-12-28

A method of assembling two or more parts together that may be metal, ceramic, metal and ceramic parts, or parts that have different CTE. Individual parts are formed and sintered from particles that leave a network of interconnecting porosity in each sintered part. The separate parts are assembled together and then a fill material is infiltrated into the assembled, sintered parts using a method such as capillary action, gravity, and/or pressure. The assembly is then cured to yield a bonded and fully or near-fully dense part that has the desired physical and mechanical properties for the part's intended purpose. Structural strength may be added to the parts by the inclusion of fibrous materials.

The Mirror Neurons Network in Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer Disease: A functional MRI Study

PubMed Central

Farina, Elisabetta; Baglio, Francesca; Pomati, Simone; D'Amico, Alessandra; Campini, Isabella C.; Di Tella, Sonia; Belloni, Giulia; Pozzo, Thierry

2017-01-01

The aim of the current study is to investigate the integrity of the Mirror Neurons (MN) network in normal aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer disease (AD). Although AD and MCI are considered “cognitive” diseases, there has been increasing recognition of a link between motor function and AD. More recently the embodied cognition hypothesis has also been developed: it postulates that a part of cognition results from the coupling between action and perception representations. MN represent a neuronal population which links perception, action, and cognition, therefore we decided to characterize MN functioning in neurodegenerative cognitive decline. Three matched groups of 16 subjects (normal elderly-NE, amnesic MCI with hippocampal atrophy and AD) were evaluated with a focused neuropsychological battery and an fMRI task specifically created to test MN: that comprised of an observation run, where subjects were shown movies of a right hand grasping different objects, and of a motor run, where subjects observed visual pictures of objects oriented to be grasped with the right hand. In NE subjects, the conjunction analysis (comparing fMRI activation during observation and execution), showed the activation of a bilateral fronto-parietal network in “classical” MN areas, and of the superior temporal gyrus (STG). The MCI group showed the activation of areas belonging to the same network, however, parietal areas were activated to a lesser extent and the STG was not activated, while the opposite was true for the right Broca's area. We did not observe any activation of the fronto-parietal network in AD participants. They did not perform as well as the NE subjects in all the neuropsychological tests (including tests of functions attributed to MN) whereas the MCI subjects were significantly different from the NE subjects only in episodic memory and semantic fluency. Here we show that the MN network is largely preserved in aging, while it appears involved following an anterior-posterior gradient in neurodegenerative decline. In AD, task performance decays and the MN network appears clearly deficient. The preservation of the anterior part of the MN network in MCI could possibly supplement the initial decay of the posterior part, preserving cognitive performance. PMID:29249956

Method of forming and assembly of metal parts and ceramic parts

DOEpatents

Ripley, Edward B [Knoxville, TN

2011-11-22

A method of forming and assembling at least two parts together that may be metal, ceramic, or a combination of metal and ceramic parts. Such parts may have different CTE. Individual parts that are formed and sintered from particles leave a network of interconnecting porosity in each sintered part. The separate parts are assembled together and then a fill material is infiltrated into the assembled parts using a method such as capillary action, gravity, and/or pressure. The assembly is then cured to yield a bonded and fully or near-fully dense part that has the desired physical and mechanical properties for the part's intended purpose. Structural strength may be added to the parts by the inclusion of fibrous materials.

Networks in Social Policy Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vedres, Balázs; Scotti, Marco

2012-08-01

1. Introduction M. Scotti and B. Vedres; Part I. Information, Collaboration, Innovation: The Creative Power of Networks: 2. Dissemination of health information within social networks C. Dhanjal, S. Blanchemanche, S. Clemençon, A. Rona-Tas and F. Rossi; 3. Scientific teams and networks change the face of knowledge creation S. Wuchty, J. Spiro, B. F. Jones and B. Uzzi; 4. Structural folds: the innovative potential of overlapping groups B. Vedres and D. Stark; 5. Team formation and performance on nanoHub: a network selection challenge in scientific communities D. Margolin, K. Ognyanova, M. Huang, Y. Huang and N. Contractor; Part II. Influence, Capture, Corruption: Networks Perspectives on Policy Institutions: 6. Modes of coordination of collective action: what actors in policy making? M. Diani; 7. Why skewed distributions of pay for executives is the cause of much grief: puzzles and few answers so far B. Kogut and J.-S. Yang; 8. Networks of institutional capture: a case of business in the State apparatus E. Lazega and L. Mounier; 9. The social and institutional structure of corruption: some typical network configurations of corruption transactions in Hungary Z. Szántó, I. J. Tóth and S. Varga; Part III. Crisis, Extinction, World System Change: Network Dynamics on a Large Scale: 10. How creative elements help the recovery of networks after crisis: lessons from biology A. Mihalik, A. S. Kaposi, I. A. Kovács, T. Nánási, R. Palotai, Á. Rák, M. S. Szalay-Beko and P. Csermely; 11. Networks and globalization policies D. R. White; 12. Network science in ecology: the structure of ecological communities and the biodiversity question A. Bodini, S. Allesina and C. Bondavalli; 13. Supply security in the European natural gas pipeline network M. Scotti and B. Vedres; 14. Conclusions and outlook A.-L. Barabási; Index.

Method of forming and assembly of metal and ceramic parts

DOEpatents

Ripley, Edward B

2014-04-22

A method of forming and assembling at least two parts together that may be metal, ceramic, or a combination of metal and ceramic parts. Such parts may have different CTE. Individual parts that are formed and sintered from particles leave a network of interconnecting porosity in each sintered part. The separate parts are assembled together and then a fill material is infiltrated into the assembled parts using a method such as capillary action, gravity, and/or pressure. The assembly is then cured to yield a bonded and fully or near-fully dense part that has the desired physical and mechanical properties for the part's intended purpose. Structural strength may be added to the parts by the inclusion of fibrous materials.

Modelling the evolution of a bi-partite network Peer referral in interlocking directorates*

PubMed Central

Edling, Christofer

2010-01-01

A central part of relational ties between social actors are constituted by shared affiliations and events. The action of joint participation reinforces personal ties between social actors as well as mutually shared values and norms that in turn perpetuate the patterns of social action that define groups. Therefore the study of bipartite networks is central to social science. Furthermore, the dynamics of these processes suggests that bipartite networks should not be considered static structures but rather be studied over time. In order to model the evolution of bipartite networks empirically we introduce a class of models and a Bayesian inference scheme that extends previous stochastic actor-oriented models for unimodal graphs. Contemporary research on interlocking directorates provides an area of research in which it seems reasonable to apply the model. Specifically, we address the question of how tie formation, i.e. director recruitment, contributes to the structural properties of the interlocking directorate network. For boards of directors on the Stockholm stock exchange we propose that a prolific mechanism in tie formation is that of peer referral. The results indicate that such a mechanism is present, generating multiple interlocks between boards. PMID:24944435

The Action Imitation network and motor imitation in children and adolescents with autism.

PubMed

Wadsworth, Heather M; Maximo, Jose O; Lemelman, Amy R; Clayton, Kacy; Sivaraman, Soumya; Deshpande, Hrishikesh D; Ver Hoef, Lawrence; Kana, Rajesh K

2017-02-20

While deficits in imitation had been reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), its exact nature remains unclear. A dysfunction in mirroring mechanisms (through action imitation) has been proposed by some studies to explain this, although some recent evidence points against this hypothesis. The current study used behavior and functional MRI to examine the integrated functioning of the regions that are considered part of the Action Imitation network (AIN) in children and adolescents with ASD during a motor imitation task. Fourteen ASD and 15 age-and-IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children were asked to imitate a series of hand gestures in the MRI scanner. Intact performance on imitation (accurate imitation of hand gestures outside the scanner) in both ASD and TD groups was accompanied by significantly lower activity in ASD participants, relative to TD, in right angular gyrus, precentral gyrus, and left middle cingulate. In addition, autism traits were found to be significantly correlated with activation in the right angular gyrus. Overall, the findings of this study support the role of AIN in imitation and a potential difference in the recruitment of this network in ASD children. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

41 CFR Appendix A to Part 60 - 300-Guidelines on a Contractor's Duty To Provide Reasonable Accommodation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... employment, as are available to the average similarly situated employee without a disability. Thus, for... Network (JAN) operated by the Office of Disability Employment Policy in the U.S. Department of Labor (1..., EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 300-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND NONDISCRIMINATION...

41 CFR Appendix A to Part 60 - 300-Guidelines on a Contractor's Duty To Provide Reasonable Accommodation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... employment, as are available to the average similarly situated employee without a disability. Thus, for... Network (JAN) operated by the Office of Disability Employment Policy in the U.S. Department of Labor (1..., EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 300-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND NONDISCRIMINATION...

40 CFR 52.70 - Identification of plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... submitted by the Governor of Alaska on January 18, 1980 as follows: Volume II. Analysis of Problems, Control... requirements of Air Quality Monitoring, 40 CFR part 58, subpart C, § 58.20, as follows: Volume II. Analysis of Problems, Control Actions Section V. Ambient Air Monitoring A. Purpose C. Air Monitoring Network E. Annual...

"Action Femmes" Project (Chambery, France). European Network of Instruction Projects in Adult Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council for Cultural Cooperation, Strasbourg (France).

Part 1 of this report deals with the legal framework of adult education in France, particularly educational provision for women. It discusses the 1971 Acts, the Organizational framework, and the "groupements d'establissements" (GRETAs) or groups of institutions voluntarily banded together to coordinate their further training activities.…

Neural Action Fields for Optic Flow Based Navigation: A Simulation Study of the Fly Lobula Plate Network

PubMed Central

Borst, Alexander; Weber, Franz

2011-01-01

Optic flow based navigation is a fundamental way of visual course control described in many different species including man. In the fly, an essential part of optic flow analysis is performed in the lobula plate, a retinotopic map of motion in the environment. There, the so-called lobula plate tangential cells possess large receptive fields with different preferred directions in different parts of the visual field. Previous studies demonstrated an extensive connectivity between different tangential cells, providing, in principle, the structural basis for their large and complex receptive fields. We present a network simulation of the tangential cells, comprising most of the neurons studied so far (22 on each hemisphere) with all the known connectivity between them. On their dendrite, model neurons receive input from a retinotopic array of Reichardt-type motion detectors. Model neurons exhibit receptive fields much like their natural counterparts, demonstrating that the connectivity between the lobula plate tangential cells indeed can account for their complex receptive field structure. We describe the tuning of a model neuron to particular types of ego-motion (rotation as well as translation around/along a given body axis) by its ‘action field’. As we show for model neurons of the vertical system (VS-cells), each of them displays a different type of action field, i.e., responds maximally when the fly is rotating around a particular body axis. However, the tuning width of the rotational action fields is relatively broad, comparable to the one with dendritic input only. The additional intra-lobula-plate connectivity mainly reduces their translational action field amplitude, i.e., their sensitivity to translational movements along any body axis of the fly. PMID:21305019

Optical alignment procedure utilizing neural networks combined with Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adil, Fatime Zehra; Konukseven, Erhan İlhan; Balkan, Tuna; Adil, Ömer Faruk

2017-05-01

In the design of pilot helmets with night vision capability, to not limit or block the sight of the pilot, a transparent visor is used. The reflected image from the coated part of the visor must coincide with the physical human sight image seen through the nonreflecting regions of the visor. This makes the alignment of the visor halves critical. In essence, this is an alignment problem of two optical parts that are assembled together during the manufacturing process. Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is commonly used for the determination of the misalignments through wavefront measurements, which are quantified in terms of the Zernike polynomials. Although the Zernike polynomials provide very useful feedback about the misalignments, the corrective actions are basically ad hoc. This stems from the fact that there exists no easy inverse relation between the misalignment measurements and the physical causes of the misalignments. This study aims to construct this inverse relation by making use of the expressive power of the neural networks in such complex relations. For this purpose, a neural network is designed and trained in MATLAB® regarding which types of misalignments result in which wavefront measurements, quantitatively given by Zernike polynomials. This way, manual and iterative alignment processes relying on trial and error will be replaced by the trained guesses of a neural network, so the alignment process is reduced to applying the counter actions based on the misalignment causes. Such a training requires data containing misalignment and measurement sets in fine detail, which is hard to obtain manually on a physical setup. For that reason, the optical setup is completely modeled in Zemax® software, and Zernike polynomials are generated for misalignments applied in small steps. The performance of the neural network is experimented and found promising in the actual physical setup.

The fierce ox becomes tame on strange ground

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ertsen, Maurits

2015-04-01

Obviously, the science of change in hydrology and society requires the humanities and social sciences to be an integrated part of the academic project. With the promise that serious study might actually change the hydrological framework, human-environmental interactions need to be studied. An issue is obviously how to ensure that social action by human agents is well represented. In this paper, I propose to rethink human's role within its own environment: people create environments expecting specific results (even though people have their own agendas). The group of 'people' is not a homogenous category. Bruno Latour, the French sociologist and philosopher, argues that human decision making and development of societal institutions is a local activity, constructed within networks of actors. Networks are continuously created and recreated by human actors engaging with other human actors and non-human intermediaries. The resulting networks build links between short and long term human responses - from individuals to societies - in terms of actions, policies, interventions and the like in relation to the - often stochastic - nature of water flows and systems on different scales. Through Actor Network Theory, I suggest new insights from this approach as well as the pitfalls to understand how networks of people and material conditions shape policy development for and management of water resources. I discuss how a focus on the short-term, small-scale interactions among people, their environments and technology in developing water policies and managing water systems can yield insights relevant for those involved in current water policy. How representatives of society itself can be part of this remains an issue. The paper will suggest some ideas from a project setup in the Netherlands, in which researchers, water managers and heritage agencies collaborate.

Building Better Relationships for Better Organizing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gecan, Michael

2013-01-01

As the co-director of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), a network founded by Saul Alinsky in 1940 that partners with faith and community-based organizations to improve local leadership and citizen-led action, the author has witnessed how power organizing can work. In the first few months of 2013, the author had been privileged to be part of a…

Designing for Learning: Online Social Networks as a Classroom Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Gail; Evans, Terry

2011-01-01

This paper deploys notions of emergence, connections, and designs for learning to conceptualize high school students' interactions when using online social media as a learning environment. It makes links to chaos and complexity theories and to fractal patterns as it reports on a part of the first author's action research study, conducted while she…

Cognitive Presence in Virtual Collaborative Learning: Assessing and Improving Critical Thinking in Online Discussion Forums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckmann, Jennifer; Weber, Peter

2015-01-01

The paper introduces a virtual collaborative learning setting called "Net Economy," which we established as part of an international learning network of currently seven universities. Using the Community of Inquiry framework as guidance and Canonical Action Research (CAR) as the chosen research design, the discussion forum of the online…

Grounding the Meanings in Sensorimotor Behavior using Reinforcement Learning

PubMed Central

Farkaš, Igor; Malík, Tomáš; Rebrová, Kristína

2012-01-01

The recent outburst of interest in cognitive developmental robotics is fueled by the ambition to propose ecologically plausible mechanisms of how, among other things, a learning agent/robot could ground linguistic meanings in its sensorimotor behavior. Along this stream, we propose a model that allows the simulated iCub robot to learn the meanings of actions (point, touch, and push) oriented toward objects in robot’s peripersonal space. In our experiments, the iCub learns to execute motor actions and comment on them. Architecturally, the model is composed of three neural-network-based modules that are trained in different ways. The first module, a two-layer perceptron, is trained by back-propagation to attend to the target position in the visual scene, given the low-level visual information and the feature-based target information. The second module, having the form of an actor-critic architecture, is the most distinguishing part of our model, and is trained by a continuous version of reinforcement learning to execute actions as sequences, based on a linguistic command. The third module, an echo-state network, is trained to provide the linguistic description of the executed actions. The trained model generalizes well in case of novel action-target combinations with randomized initial arm positions. It can also promptly adapt its behavior if the action/target suddenly changes during motor execution. PMID:22393319

Lazy Updating of hubs can enable more realistic models by speeding up stochastic simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ehlert, Kurt; Loewe, Laurence, E-mail: loewe@wisc.edu; Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53715

2014-11-28

To respect the nature of discrete parts in a system, stochastic simulation algorithms (SSAs) must update for each action (i) all part counts and (ii) each action's probability of occurring next and its timing. This makes it expensive to simulate biological networks with well-connected “hubs” such as ATP that affect many actions. Temperature and volume also affect many actions and may be changed significantly in small steps by the network itself during fever and cell growth, respectively. Such trends matter for evolutionary questions, as cell volume determines doubling times and fever may affect survival, both key traits for biological evolution.more » Yet simulations often ignore such trends and assume constant environments to avoid many costly probability updates. Such computational convenience precludes analyses of important aspects of evolution. Here we present “Lazy Updating,” an add-on for SSAs designed to reduce the cost of simulating hubs. When a hub changes, Lazy Updating postpones all probability updates for reactions depending on this hub, until a threshold is crossed. Speedup is substantial if most computing time is spent on such updates. We implemented Lazy Updating for the Sorting Direct Method and it is easily integrated into other SSAs such as Gillespie's Direct Method or the Next Reaction Method. Testing on several toy models and a cellular metabolism model showed >10× faster simulations for its use-cases—with a small loss of accuracy. Thus we see Lazy Updating as a valuable tool for some special but important simulation problems that are difficult to address efficiently otherwise.« less

Action observation and mirror neuron network: a tool for motor stroke rehabilitation.

PubMed

Sale, P; Franceschini, M

2012-06-01

Mirror neurons are a specific class of neurons that are activated and discharge both during observation of the same or similar motor act performed by another individual and during the execution of a motor act. Different studies based on non invasive neuroelectrophysiological assessment or functional brain imaging techniques have demonstrated the presence of the mirror neuron and their mechanism in humans. Various authors have demonstrated that in the human these networks are activated when individuals learn motor actions via execution (as in traditional motor learning), imitation, observation (as in observational learning) and motor imagery. Activation of these brain areas (inferior parietal lobe and the ventral premotor cortex, as well as the caudal part of the inferior frontal gyrus [IFG]) following observation or motor imagery may thereby facilitate subsequent movement execution by directly matching the observed or imagined action to the internal simulation of that action. It is therefore believed that this multi-sensory action-observation system enables individuals to (re) learn impaired motor functions through the activation of these internal action-related representations. In humans, the mirror mechanism is also located in various brain segment: in Broca's area, which is involved in language processing and speech production and not only in centres that mediate voluntary movement, but also in cortical areas that mediate visceromotor emotion-related behaviours. On basis of this finding, during the last 10 years various studies were carry out regarding the clinical use of action observation for motor rehabilitation of sub-acute and chronic stroke patients.

When language meets action: the neural integration of gesture and speech.

PubMed

Willems, Roel M; Ozyürek, Asli; Hagoort, Peter

2007-10-01

Although generally studied in isolation, language and action often co-occur in everyday life. Here we investigated one particular form of simultaneous language and action, namely speech and gestures that speakers use in everyday communication. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we identified the neural networks involved in the integration of semantic information from speech and gestures. Verbal and/or gestural content could be integrated easily or less easily with the content of the preceding part of speech. Premotor areas involved in action observation (Brodmann area [BA] 6) were found to be specifically modulated by action information "mismatching" to a language context. Importantly, an increase in integration load of both verbal and gestural information into prior speech context activated Broca's area and adjacent cortex (BA 45/47). A classical language area, Broca's area, is not only recruited for language-internal processing but also when action observation is integrated with speech. These findings provide direct evidence that action and language processing share a high-level neural integration system.

[Mental health actions in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil].

PubMed

Martins, Ricardo Vianna; Rossettob, Maíra; Sartori, Queli Daiane Nogueira; Pinto, Ader Campos; Van Der Sand, Isabel Cristina Pacheco; Hildebrandt, Leila Mariza

2012-03-01

The objective this study is to describe the actions and intervention projects in mental health in the health services of the cities that are part of Rio Grande do Sul's 15th Regional Health Coordinating Body (15a Coordenadoria Regional de Saúde). This is an exploratory, descriptive and qualitative research. A questionnaire was applied to health professionals and managers who were part of regional mental health forums. From the content analysis as proposed by Minayo, the following categories emerged- one which describes mental health care in the health services of the municipalities, including aspects related to mental disorders, to the organization of the mental health team, to the main developed actions and to the difficulties found; the other category is about intervention projects in mental health that, according to the subjects, will be implanted in the cities. Relevant points the regional network of mental health care were identified which will be helpful in planning and improving care.

Using Action Research and Action Learning for Entrepreneurial Network Capability Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrath, Helen; O'Toole, Thomas

2016-01-01

This paper applies an action research (AR) design and action learning (AL) approach to network capability development in an entrepreneurial context. Recent research suggests that networks are a viable strategy for the entrepreneurial firm to overcome the liabilities associated with newness and smallness. However, a gap emerges as few, if any,…

Derivation of large-scale cellular regulatory networks from biological time series data.

PubMed

de Bivort, Benjamin L

2010-01-01

Pharmacological agents and other perturbants of cellular homeostasis appear to nearly universally affect the activity of many genes, proteins, and signaling pathways. While this is due in part to nonspecificity of action of the drug or cellular stress, the large-scale self-regulatory behavior of the cell may also be responsible, as this typically means that when a cell switches states, dozens or hundreds of genes will respond in concert. If many genes act collectively in the cell during state transitions, rather than every gene acting independently, models of the cell can be created that are comprehensive of the action of all genes, using existing data, provided that the functional units in the model are collections of genes. Techniques to develop these large-scale cellular-level models are provided in detail, along with methods of analyzing them, and a brief summary of major conclusions about large-scale cellular networks to date.

From Neurons to Social Beings: Short Review of the Mirror Neuron System Research and Its Socio-Psychological and Psychiatric Implications

PubMed Central

Jeon, Hyeonjin

2018-01-01

The mirror neuron system (MNS) is a brain network activated when we move our body parts and when we observe the actions of other agent. Since the mirror neuron’s discovery in research on monkeys, several studies have examined its network and properties in both animals and humans. This review discusses MNS studies of animals and human MNS studies related to high-order social cognitions such as emotion and empathy, as well as relations between MNS dysfunction and mental disorders. Finally, these evidences are understood from an evolutionary perspective. PMID:29397663

Network Connectedness, Sense of Community, and Risk Perception of Climate Change Professionals in the Pacific Islands Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corlew, L. K.; Keener, V. W.; Finucane, M.

2013-12-01

The Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (Pacific RISA) Program conducted social network analysis research of climate change professionals (broadly defined) who are from or work in Hawaii and the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) region. This study is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Pacific Islands Climate Science Center (PICSC) to address an identified need for a resource that quantifies the region's collaborative network of climate change professionals, and that supports the further development of cross-regional and inter-sectoral collaborations for future research and adaptation activities. A survey was distributed to nearly 1,200 people who are from and/or work in climate change related fields in the region. The Part One Survey questions (not confidential) created a preferential attachment network by listing major players in Hawaii and the USAPI, with additional open fields to identify important contacts in the greater professional network. Participants (n=340) identified 975 network contacts and frequency of communications (weekly, monthly, seasonally, yearly, at least once ever). Part Two Survey questions (confidential, n=302) explored climate change risk perceptions, Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC), sense of control over climate change impacts, sense of responsibility to act, policy beliefs and preferences regarding climate change actions, concern and optimism scales about specific impacts, and demographic information. Graphical representations of the professional network are being developed for release in September 2013 as a free online tool to promote and assist collaboration building among climate professionals in the region. The graphs are partitioned according to network 'hubs' (high centrality), participant location, and profession to clearly identify network strengths and opportunities for future collaborations across spatial and professional boundaries. For additional analyses, scores are assigned for participant degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and Eigenvector centrality from the Part One Survey, as well as PSOC, control, responsibility, risk perceptions, concern, optimism, and policy preferences from the Part Two Survey. Statistical interaction analyses explore factors motivating connectedness within the network, as well as climate change research and adaptation needs and priorities of participants.

Subliminal display of action words interferes with motor planning: a combined EEG and kinematic study.

PubMed

Boulenger, Véronique; Silber, Beata Y; Roy, Alice C; Paulignan, Yves; Jeannerod, Marc; Nazir, Tatjana A

2008-01-01

Recent evidence has shown that processing action-related language and motor action share common neural representations to a point that the two processes can interfere when performed concurrently. To support the assumption that language-induced motor activity contributes to action word understanding, the present study aimed at ruling out that this activity results from mental imagery of the movements depicted by the words. For this purpose, we examined cross-talk between action word processing and an arm reaching movement, using words that were presented too fast to be consciously perceived (subliminally). Encephalogram (EEG) and movement kinematics were recorded. EEG recordings of the "Readiness potential" ("RP", indicator of motor preparation) revealed that subliminal displays of action verbs during movement preparation reduced the RP and affected the subsequent reaching movement. The finding that motor processes were modulated by language processes despite the fact that words were not consciously perceived, suggests that cortical structures that serve the preparation and execution of motor actions are indeed part of the (action) language processing network.

Grasping actions and social interaction: neural bases and anatomical circuitry in the monkey

PubMed Central

Rozzi, Stefano; Coudé, Gino

2015-01-01

The study of the neural mechanisms underlying grasping actions showed that cognitive functions are deeply embedded in motor organization. In the first part of this review, we describe the anatomical structure of the motor cortex in the monkey and the cortical and sub-cortical connections of the different motor areas. In the second part, we review the neurophysiological literature showing that motor neurons are not only involved in movement execution, but also in the transformation of object physical features into motor programs appropriate to grasp them (through visuo-motor transformations). We also discuss evidence indicating that motor neurons can encode the goal of motor acts and the intention behind action execution. Then, we describe one of the mechanisms—the mirror mechanism—considered to be at the basis of action understanding and intention reading, and describe the anatomo-functional pathways through which information about the social context can reach the areas containing mirror neurons. Finally, we briefly show that a clear similarity exists between monkey and human in the organization of the motor and mirror systems. Based on monkey and human literature, we conclude that the mirror mechanism relies on a more extended network than previously thought, and possibly subserves basic social functions. We propose that this mechanism is also involved in preparing appropriate complementary response to observed actions, allowing two individuals to become attuned and cooperate in joint actions. PMID:26236258

Structural dimensions of knowledge-action networks for sustainability

Treesearch

Tischa A. Munoz; B.B. Cutts

2016-01-01

Research on the influence of social network structure over flows of knowledge in support of sustainability governance and action has recently flourished. These studies highlight three challenges to evaluating knowledge-action networks: first, defining boundaries; second, characterizing power distributions; and third, identifying obstacles to knowledge sharing and...

Dissociable intrinsic functional networks support noun-object and verb-action processing.

PubMed

Yang, Huichao; Lin, Qixiang; Han, Zaizhu; Li, Hongyu; Song, Luping; Chen, Lingjuan; He, Yong; Bi, Yanchao

2017-12-01

The processing mechanism of verbs-actions and nouns-objects is a central topic of language research, with robust evidence for behavioral dissociation. The neural basis for these two major word and/or conceptual classes, however, remains controversial. Two experiments were conducted to study this question from the network perspective. Experiment 1 found that nodes of the same class, obtained through task-evoked brain imaging meta-analyses, were more strongly connected with each other than nodes of different classes during resting-state, forming segregated network modules. Experiment 2 examined the behavioral relevance of these intrinsic networks using data from 88 brain-damaged patients, finding that across patients the relative strength of functional connectivity of the two networks significantly correlated with the noun-object vs. verb-action relative behavioral performances. In summary, we found that verbs-actions and nouns-objects are supported by separable intrinsic functional networks and that the integrity of such networks accounts for the relative noun-object- and verb-action-selective deficits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensorimotor Learning Biases Choice Behavior: A Learning Neural Field Model for Decision Making

PubMed Central

Schöner, Gregor; Gail, Alexander

2012-01-01

According to a prominent view of sensorimotor processing in primates, selection and specification of possible actions are not sequential operations. Rather, a decision for an action emerges from competition between different movement plans, which are specified and selected in parallel. For action choices which are based on ambiguous sensory input, the frontoparietal sensorimotor areas are considered part of the common underlying neural substrate for selection and specification of action. These areas have been shown capable of encoding alternative spatial motor goals in parallel during movement planning, and show signatures of competitive value-based selection among these goals. Since the same network is also involved in learning sensorimotor associations, competitive action selection (decision making) should not only be driven by the sensory evidence and expected reward in favor of either action, but also by the subject's learning history of different sensorimotor associations. Previous computational models of competitive neural decision making used predefined associations between sensory input and corresponding motor output. Such hard-wiring does not allow modeling of how decisions are influenced by sensorimotor learning or by changing reward contingencies. We present a dynamic neural field model which learns arbitrary sensorimotor associations with a reward-driven Hebbian learning algorithm. We show that the model accurately simulates the dynamics of action selection with different reward contingencies, as observed in monkey cortical recordings, and that it correctly predicted the pattern of choice errors in a control experiment. With our adaptive model we demonstrate how network plasticity, which is required for association learning and adaptation to new reward contingencies, can influence choice behavior. The field model provides an integrated and dynamic account for the operations of sensorimotor integration, working memory and action selection required for decision making in ambiguous choice situations. PMID:23166483

78 FR 57800 - Medicare Program; Obtaining Final Medicare Secondary Payer Conditional Payment Amounts via Web...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-20

... of facilities or network(s); terror threats; strikes and similar labor actions; civil unrest... network(s). (3) Terror threats; strikes and similar labor actions. (4) Civil unrest, uprising or riot. (5...

The care network of the families involved in violence against children and adolescents: the Primary Health Care perspective.

PubMed

Carlos, Diene Monique; de Pádua, Elisabete Matallo Marchesini; da Silva, Lygia Maria Pereira; Silva, Marta Angélica Iossi; Marques, Walter Ernesto Ude; Leitão, Maria Neto da Cruz; Ferriani, Maria das Graças Carvalho

2017-08-01

To contribute the understanding of the network care provided to families involved in family violence against children and adolescents (FVACA), from the Primary Health Care (PHC) perspective. Children and adolescents figure among the main victims of violence around the world, which occurs predominantly in the family context. PHC-guided network care has emerged as a new process that contrasts with traditional approaches, which rely on fragmented, punctual and compensatory actions and produce simplified and segmented interventions in response to complex phenomena like violence. The Paradigm of Complexity interacts with the network care approach and, by articulating the multiple dimensions of the research phenomenon, contributes to its understanding. Qualitative research, based on the Paradigm of Complexity. Data were collected through minimal maps of the external institutional social network, focus groups and semi-structured interviews held with 41 PHC professionals in Brazil. The notions of comprehension and contextualisation as well as dialogical, recursive and holographic principles from complexity theory guided the data analysis. The two thematic categories that emerged revealed reduced institutional networks, with low-density and homogeneous bonds, which resulted in fragmented care in all stages of the care process. Although the network organisation of care for the families involved in FVACA is fundamental, the construction of these networks still represents a great challenge, as it requires the joint work of a multiprofessional team. For nursing to respond to the contemporary care demands in a contemplative and pertinent manner, a perspective and a reference framework need to be developed, leading to broader and more contextualised actions, with a multidimensional approach to the families and communities of which child and adolescent victims of violence are a part. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pragmatics in action: indirect requests engage theory of mind areas and the cortical motor network.

PubMed

van Ackeren, Markus J; Casasanto, Daniel; Bekkering, Harold; Hagoort, Peter; Rueschemeyer, Shirley-Ann

2012-11-01

Research from the past decade has shown that understanding the meaning of words and utterances (i.e., abstracted symbols) engages the same systems we used to perceive and interact with the physical world in a content-specific manner. For example, understanding the word "grasp" elicits activation in the cortical motor network, that is, part of the neural substrate involved in planned and executing a grasping action. In the embodied literature, cortical motor activation during language comprehension is thought to reflect motor simulation underlying conceptual knowledge [note that outside the embodied framework, other explanations for the link between action and language are offered, e.g., Mahon, B. Z., & Caramazza, A. A critical look at the embodied cognition hypothesis and a new proposal for grouding conceptual content. Journal of Physiology, 102, 59-70, 2008; Hagoort, P. On Broca, brain, and binding: A new framework. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9, 416-423, 2005]. Previous research has supported the view that the coupling between language and action is flexible, and reading an action-related word form is not sufficient for cortical motor activation [Van Dam, W. O., van Dijk, M., Bekkering, H., & Rueschemeyer, S.-A. Flexibility in embodied lexical-semantic representations. Human Brain Mapping, doi: 10.1002/hbm.21365, 2011]. The current study goes one step further by addressing the necessity of action-related word forms for motor activation during language comprehension. Subjects listened to indirect requests (IRs) for action during an fMRI session. IRs for action are speech acts in which access to an action concept is required, although it is not explicitly encoded in the language. For example, the utterance "It is hot here!" in a room with a window is likely to be interpreted as a request to open the window. However, the same utterance in a desert will be interpreted as a statement. The results indicate (1) that comprehension of IR sentences activates cortical motor areas reliably more than comprehension of sentences devoid of any implicit motor information. This is true despite the fact that IR sentences contain no lexical reference to action. (2) Comprehension of IR sentences also reliably activates substantial portions of the theory of mind network, known to be involved in making inferences about mental states of others. The implications of these findings for embodied theories of language are discussed.

Using Social Networking Sites for Teaching and Learning: Students' Involvement in and Acceptance of Facebook® as a Course Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albayrak, Duygu; Yildirim, Zahide

2015-01-01

This study investigates students' involvement in Facebook® as a course management system (CMS), Facebook acceptance, and the relationships between the two. The study used Facebook as a CMS in two freshman courses and employed mixed method as part of an action-research approach. Forty-two students participated in the study, and 12 of those students…

Effector-triggered immunity: from pathogen perception to robust defense.

PubMed

Cui, Haitao; Tsuda, Kenichi; Parker, Jane E

2015-01-01

In plant innate immunity, individual cells have the capacity to sense and respond to pathogen attack. Intracellular recognition mechanisms have evolved to intercept perturbations by pathogen virulence factors (effectors) early in host infection and convert it to rapid defense. One key to resistance success is a polymorphic family of intracellular nucleotide-binding/leucine-rich-repeat (NLR) receptors that detect effector interference in different parts of the cell. Effector-activated NLRs connect, in various ways, to a conserved basal resistance network in order to transcriptionally boost defense programs. Effector-triggered immunity displays remarkable robustness against pathogen disturbance, in part by employing compensatory mechanisms within the defense network. Also, the mobility of some NLRs and coordination of resistance pathways across cell compartments provides flexibility to fine-tune immune outputs. Furthermore, a number of NLRs function close to the nuclear chromatin by balancing actions of defense-repressing and defense-activating transcription factors to program cells dynamically for effective disease resistance.

Linking psychoanalysis with neuroscience: the concept of ego.

PubMed

Rizzolatti, Giacomo; Semi, Antonio Alberto; Fabbri-Destro, Maddalena

2014-03-01

Through his whole life Marc Jeannerod was fascinated by Freud's thinking. His interest in Freud is witnessed by several of his writings in which he expresses interest in building a bridge between psychoanalysis and cognitive neuroscience. Following Jeannerod's ideas we discuss here a fundamental point of Freud's construction, the concept of ego, from a neurophysiological point of view. We maintain that, in order both to act coherently and to have a basic, first person, understanding of the behavior of others, it is necessary to posit the existence of a neurophysiological "motor" ego similar to the "rider" of the Freudian metaphor. We review then a series of neurophysiological findings showing that the systems underlying the organization of action and conscious perception are both mediated by a cortical motor network formed by parieto-frontal circuits. In conclusion, we show that the activity of this network has strong similarities to that postulated by Freud for the conscious part of ego. We also propose that the default-mode network might represent that part of ego that is mostly involved in unconscious processes. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Skeleton-Based Human Action Recognition With Global Context-Aware Attention LSTM Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jun; Wang, Gang; Duan, Ling-Yu; Abdiyeva, Kamila; Kot, Alex C.

2018-04-01

Human action recognition in 3D skeleton sequences has attracted a lot of research attention. Recently, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks have shown promising performance in this task due to their strengths in modeling the dependencies and dynamics in sequential data. As not all skeletal joints are informative for action recognition, and the irrelevant joints often bring noise which can degrade the performance, we need to pay more attention to the informative ones. However, the original LSTM network does not have explicit attention ability. In this paper, we propose a new class of LSTM network, Global Context-Aware Attention LSTM (GCA-LSTM), for skeleton based action recognition. This network is capable of selectively focusing on the informative joints in each frame of each skeleton sequence by using a global context memory cell. To further improve the attention capability of our network, we also introduce a recurrent attention mechanism, with which the attention performance of the network can be enhanced progressively. Moreover, we propose a stepwise training scheme in order to train our network effectively. Our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on five challenging benchmark datasets for skeleton based action recognition.

Multiple brain networks for visual self-recognition with different sensitivity for motion and body part.

PubMed

Sugiura, Motoaki; Sassa, Yuko; Jeong, Hyeonjeong; Miura, Naoki; Akitsuki, Yuko; Horie, Kaoru; Sato, Shigeru; Kawashima, Ryuta

2006-10-01

Multiple brain networks may support visual self-recognition. It has been hypothesized that the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex processes one's own face as a symbol, and the right parieto-frontal network processes self-image in association with motion-action contingency. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we first tested these hypotheses based on the prediction that these networks preferentially respond to a static self-face and to moving one's whole body, respectively. Brain activation specifically related to self-image during familiarity judgment was compared across four stimulus conditions comprising a two factorial design: factor Motion contrasted picture (Picture) and movie (Movie), and factor Body part a face (Face) and whole body (Body). Second, we attempted to segregate self-specific networks using a principal component analysis (PCA), assuming an independent pattern of inter-subject variability in activation over the four stimulus conditions in each network. The bilateral ventral occipito-temporal and the right parietal and frontal cortices exhibited self-specific activation. The left ventral occipito-temporal cortex exhibited greater self-specific activation for Face than for Body, in Picture, consistent with the prediction for this region. The activation profiles of the right parietal and frontal cortices did not show preference for Movie Body predicted by the assumed roles of these regions. The PCA extracted two cortical networks, one with its peaks in the right posterior, and another in frontal cortices; their possible roles in visuo-spatial and conceptual self-representations, respectively, were suggested by previous findings. The results thus supported and provided evidence of multiple brain networks for visual self-recognition.

Modelling conflicts with cluster dynamics in networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadić, Bosiljka; Rodgers, G. J.

2010-12-01

We introduce cluster dynamical models of conflicts in which only the largest cluster can be involved in an action. This mimics the situations in which an attack is planned by a central body, and the largest attack force is used. We study the model in its annealed random graph version, on a fixed network, and on a network evolving through the actions. The sizes of actions are distributed with a power-law tail, however, the exponent is non-universal and depends on the frequency of actions and sparseness of the available connections between units. Allowing the network reconstruction over time in a self-organized manner, e.g., by adding the links based on previous liaisons between units, we find that the power-law exponent depends on the evolution time of the network. Its lower limit is given by the universal value 5/2, derived analytically for the case of random fragmentation processes. In the temporal patterns behind the size of actions we find long-range correlations in the time series of the number of clusters and the non-trivial distribution of time that a unit waits between two actions. In the case of an evolving network the distribution develops a power-law tail, indicating that through repeated actions, the system develops an internal structure with a hierarchy of units.

The Right Network for the Right Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez, Louis M.; Russell, Jennifer L.; Bryk, Anthony S.; LeMahieu, Paul G.; Mejia, Eva M.

2016-01-01

Educators are realizing that individuals working in isolation can't adequately address the teaching and learning problems that face us today. Collective action networks are needed. Sharing networks use collective energy to support individual action and agency, whereas execution networks typically address complex problems that require sustained…

Bringing Ideals into Dialogue with Practices: On the Principles and Practices of the Nordic Network for Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rönnerman, Karin; Salo, Petri; Furu, Eli Moksnes; Lund, Torbjørn; Olin, Anette; Jakhelln, Rachel

2016-01-01

In this article we present the Nordic Network for Action Research, established in 2004. We describe how the network has explored, bridged and nurtured the inherent action research dynamics of ideology and methodology. This has been done through an understanding anchored in educational traditions, and by focus on three important ideal-shaping…

From Actions to Habits

PubMed Central

Yin, Henry H.

2008-01-01

Recent work on the role of overlapping cerebral networks in action selection and habit formation has important implications for alcohol addiction research. As reviewed below, (1) these networks, which all involve a group of deep-brain structures called the basal ganglia, are associated with distinct behavioral control processes, such as reward-guided Pavlovian conditional responses, goal-directed instrumental actions, and stimulus-driven habits; (2) different stages of action learning are associated with different networks, which have the ability to change (i.e., plasticity); and (3) exposure to alcohol and other addictive drugs can have profound effects on these networks by influencing the mechanisms underlying neural plasticity. PMID:23584008

Health rights pamphlets: critical literacy and inclusive citizenship, South Africa.

PubMed

Strecker, Morgan; Stuttaford, Maria; London, Leslie

2014-06-01

The Ottawa Charter recognizes the importance of strengthening community action for health and developing personal skills. At the same time, a rights-based approach to health includes the right to information, participation and accountability. The Learning Network for Health and Human Rights is a research and learning collaboration between Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and universities in the Western Cape, South Africa. For the purposes of this article, a CSO is understood to be any organization that is outside of the state and private market sector. As part of a wider programme of action research, the learning network developed six pamphlets aimed at enhancing individual and collective skills to support action related to the implementation of the right to health. The research reported here analyses how the pamphlets, coupled with directed training, strengthened skills, promoted critical literacy and supported inclusive citizenship. Eighteen semi-structured interviews and eight focus groups were conducted with 59 participants from eight CSOs, their members, beneficiaries and communities. The success of the pamphlets was found to be attributed to the role they played in a wider training programme, requested by the CSOs and developed jointly by CSOs and university-based researchers. Community action on the right to health is contingent on personal as well as collective skills development. Understanding of the right to health and skills for participation and accountability were extended in breadth and depth, which enabled inclusive citizenship.

Neuronal interactions between mentalising and action systems during indirect request processing.

PubMed

van Ackeren, Markus J; Smaragdi, Areti; Rueschemeyer, Shirley-Ann

2016-09-01

Human communication relies on the ability to process linguistic structure and to map words and utterances onto our environment. Furthermore, as what we communicate is often not directly encoded in our language (e.g. in the case of irony, jokes or indirect requests), we need to extract additional cues to infer the beliefs and desires of our conversational partners. Although the functional interplay between language and the ability to mentalise has been discussed in theoretical accounts in the past, the neurobiological underpinnings of these dynamics are currently not well understood. Here, we address this issue using functional imaging (fMRI). Participants listened to question-reply dialogues. In these dialogues, a reply is interpreted as a direct reply, an indirect reply or a request for action, depending on the question. We show that inferring meaning from indirect replies engages parts of the mentalising network (mPFC) while requests for action also activate the cortical motor system (IPL). Subsequent connectivity analysis using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) revealed that this pattern of activation is best explained by an increase in effective connectivity from the mentalising network (mPFC) to the action system (IPL). These results are an important step towards a more integrative understanding of the neurobiological basis of indirect speech processing. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Fiber distributed feedback laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elachi, C.; Evans, G. A.; Yeh, C. (Inventor)

1976-01-01

Utilizing round optical fibers as communication channels in optical communication networks presents the problem of obtaining a high efficiency coupling between the optical fiber and the laser. A laser is made an integral part of the optical fiber channel by either diffusing active material into the optical fiber or surrounding the optical fiber with the active material. Oscillation within the active medium to produce lasing action is established by grating the optical fiber so that distributed feedback occurs.

Simulating fiction: individual differences in literature comprehension revealed with FMRI.

PubMed

Nijhof, Annabel D; Willems, Roel M

2015-01-01

When we read literary fiction, we are transported to fictional places, and we feel and think along with the characters. Despite the importance of narrative in adult life and during development, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying fiction comprehension are unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how individuals differently employ neural networks important for understanding others' beliefs and intentions (mentalizing), and for sensori-motor simulation while listening to excerpts from literary novels. Localizer tasks were used to localize both the cortical motor network and the mentalizing network in participants after they listened to excerpts from literary novels. Results show that participants who had high activation in anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC; part of the mentalizing network) when listening to mentalizing content of literary fiction, had lower motor cortex activity when they listened to action-related content of the story, and vice versa. This qualifies how people differ in their engagement with fiction: some people are mostly drawn into a story by mentalizing about the thoughts and beliefs of others, whereas others engage in literature by simulating more concrete events such as actions. This study provides on-line neural evidence for the existence of qualitatively different styles of moving into literary worlds, and adds to a growing body of literature showing the potential to study narrative comprehension with neuroimaging methods.

A packet-based dual-rate PID control strategy for a slow-rate sensing Networked Control System.

PubMed

Cuenca, A; Alcaina, J; Salt, J; Casanova, V; Pizá, R

2018-05-01

This paper introduces a packet-based dual-rate control strategy to face time-varying network-induced delays, packet dropouts and packet disorder in a Networked Control System. Slow-rate sensing enables to achieve energy saving and to avoid packet disorder. Fast-rate actuation makes reaching the desired control performance possible. The dual-rate PID controller is split into two parts: a slow-rate PI controller located at the remote side (with no permanent communication to the plant) and a fast-rate PD controller located at the local side. The remote side also includes a prediction stage in order to generate the packet of future, estimated slow-rate control actions. These actions are sent to the local side and converted to fast-rate ones to be used when a packet does not arrive at this side due to the network-induced delay or due to occurring dropouts. The proposed control solution is able to approximately reach the nominal (no-delay, no-dropout) performance despite the existence of time-varying delays and packet dropouts. Control system stability is ensured in terms of probabilistic Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs). Via real-time control for a Cartesian robot, results clearly reveal the superiority of the control solution compared to a previous proposal by authors. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simulating Fiction: Individual Differences in Literature Comprehension Revealed with fMRI

PubMed Central

Nijhof, Annabel D.; Willems, Roel M.

2015-01-01

When we read literary fiction, we are transported to fictional places, and we feel and think along with the characters. Despite the importance of narrative in adult life and during development, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying fiction comprehension are unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how individuals differently employ neural networks important for understanding others’ beliefs and intentions (mentalizing), and for sensori-motor simulation while listening to excerpts from literary novels. Localizer tasks were used to localize both the cortical motor network and the mentalizing network in participants after they listened to excerpts from literary novels. Results show that participants who had high activation in anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC; part of the mentalizing network) when listening to mentalizing content of literary fiction, had lower motor cortex activity when they listened to action-related content of the story, and vice versa. This qualifies how people differ in their engagement with fiction: some people are mostly drawn into a story by mentalizing about the thoughts and beliefs of others, whereas others engage in literature by simulating more concrete events such as actions. This study provides on-line neural evidence for the existence of qualitatively different styles of moving into literary worlds, and adds to a growing body of literature showing the potential to study narrative comprehension with neuroimaging methods. PMID:25671708

The Imperial County Community Air Monitoring Network: A Model for Community-based Environmental Monitoring for Public Health Action

PubMed Central

Olmedo, Luis; Bejarano, Ester; Lugo, Humberto; Murillo, Eduardo; Seto, Edmund; Wong, Michelle; King, Galatea; Wilkie, Alexa; Meltzer, Dan; Carvlin, Graeme; Jerrett, Michael; Northcross, Amanda

2017-01-01

Summary: The Imperial County Community Air Monitoring Network (the Network) is a collaborative group of community, academic, nongovernmental, and government partners designed to fill the need for more detailed data on particulate matter in an area that often exceeds air quality standards. The Network employs a community-based environmental monitoring process in which the community and researchers have specific, well-defined roles as part of an equitable partnership that also includes shared decision-making to determine study direction, plan research protocols, and conduct project activities. The Network is currently producing real-time particulate matter data from 40 low-cost sensors throughout Imperial County, one of the largest community-based air networks in the United States. Establishment of a community-led air network involves engaging community members to be citizen-scientists in the monitoring, siting, and data collection process. Attention to technical issues regarding instrument calibration and validation and electronic transfer and storage of data is also essential. Finally, continued community health improvements will be predicated on facilitating community ownership and sustainability of the network after research funds have been expended. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1772 PMID:28886604

The Collaborative Action Research Network: 30 Years of Agency in Developing Educational Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Somekh, Bridget

2010-01-01

This article provides an analysis of the Collaborative Action Research Network's (CARN) origins and development since its foundation in 1976. The author brings the unique perspective of active involvement in CARN almost from its inception, and editorship for many years of its journal "Educational Action Research". Cultural-historical…

A Collaborative Learning Network Approach to Improvement: The CUSP Learning Network.

PubMed

Weaver, Sallie J; Lofthus, Jennifer; Sawyer, Melinda; Greer, Lee; Opett, Kristin; Reynolds, Catherine; Wyskiel, Rhonda; Peditto, Stephanie; Pronovost, Peter J

2015-04-01

Collaborative improvement networks draw on the science of collaborative organizational learning and communities of practice to facilitate peer-to-peer learning, coaching, and local adaption. Although significant improvements in patient safety and quality have been achieved through collaborative methods, insight regarding how collaborative networks are used by members is needed. Improvement Strategy: The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) Learning Network is a multi-institutional collaborative network that is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and coaching specifically related to CUSP. Member organizations implement all or part of the CUSP methodology to improve organizational safety culture, patient safety, and care quality. Qualitative case studies developed by participating members examine the impact of network participation across three levels of analysis (unit, hospital, health system). In addition, results of a satisfaction survey designed to evaluate member experiences were collected to inform network development. Common themes across case studies suggest that members found value in collaborative learning and sharing strategies across organizational boundaries related to a specific improvement strategy. The CUSP Learning Network is an example of network-based collaborative learning in action. Although this learning network focuses on a particular improvement methodology-CUSP-there is clear potential for member-driven learning networks to grow around other methods or topic areas. Such collaborative learning networks may offer a way to develop an infrastructure for longer-term support of improvement efforts and to more quickly diffuse creative sustainment strategies.

Dissociating the Role of the pre-SMA in Response Inhibition and Switching: A Combined Online and Offline TMS Approach

PubMed Central

Obeso, Ignacio; Robles, Noemí; Marrón, Elena M.; Redolar-Ripoll, Diego

2013-01-01

The pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) is considered to be a key node in the cognitive control of actions that require rapid updating, inhibition, or switching, as well as working memory. It is now recognized that the pre-SMA is part of a “cognitive control” network involving the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and subcortical regions, such as the striatum and subthalamic nucleus. However, two important questions remain to be addressed. First, it is not clear if the main role of the pre-SMA in cognitive control lies in inhibition or switching of actions. From imaging evidence, the right pre-SMA is consistently recruited during inhibition and switching, but the extent to which it participates specifically in either of these processes is unknown. Secondly, the pre-SMA may perform inhibition and switching alone or as part of a larger brain network. The present study used online and offline transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to dissociate the roles of pre-SMA in cognitive control, but also to investigate the potential contribution of connectivity between the pre-SMA and IFG. We applied continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) over the right IFG before participants performed a stop switching task while receiving single TMS pulses over the right pre-SMA. The results were compared to a sham cTBS session and pulses applied over the vertex region. Significant worsening of inhibition as well as response adaptation during inhibition was found when applying pulses over the pre-SMA. However, no such worsening was observed in switch trials. Additionally, after cTBS over the IFG, inhibition was also delayed, suggesting its critical necessity in stopping of actions. The results reveal a key contribution of the pre-SMA in inhibition and could suggest a dissociative role in the switching of actions. These findings indicate there is an essential union between IFG and pre-SMA during inhibition. PMID:23616761

Spatiotemporal Phase Synchronization in Adaptive Reconfiguration from Action Observation Network to Mentalizing Network for Understanding Other's Action Intention.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Gan, John Q; Zheng, Wenming; Wang, Haixian

2018-05-01

In action intention understanding, the mirror system is involved in perception-action matching process and the mentalizing system underlies higher-level intention inference. By analyzing the dynamic functional connectivity in α (8-12 Hz) and β (12-30 Hz) frequency bands over a "hand-cup interaction" observation task, this study investigates the topological transition from the action observation network (AON) to the mentalizing network (MZN), and estimates their functional relevance for intention identification from other's different action kinematics. Sequential brain microstates were extracted based on event-related potentials (ERPs), in which significantly differing neuronal responses were found in N170-P200 related to perceptually matching kinematic profiles and P400-700 involved in goal inference. Inter-electrode weighted phase lag index analysis on the ERP microstates revealed a shift of hub centrality salient in α frequency band, from the AON dominated by left-lateral frontal-premotor-temporal and temporal-parietooccipital synchronizations to the MZN consisting of more bilateral frontal-parietal and temporal-parietal synchronizations. As compared with usual actions, intention identification of unintelligible actions induces weaker synchronizations in the AON but dramatically increased connectivity in right frontal-temporal-parietal regions of the MZN, indicating a spatiotemporally complementary effect between the functional network configurations involved in mirror and mentalizing processes. Perceptual processing in observing usual/unintelligible actions decreases/increases requirements for intention inference, which would induce less/greater functional network reorganization on the way to mentalization. From the comparison, our study suggests that the adaptive topological changes from the AON to the MZN indicate implicit causal association between the mirror and mentalizing systems for decoding others' intentionality.

GA-based fuzzy reinforcement learning for control of a magnetic bearing system.

PubMed

Lin, C T; Jou, C P

2000-01-01

This paper proposes a TD (temporal difference) and GA (genetic algorithm)-based reinforcement (TDGAR) learning method and applies it to the control of a real magnetic bearing system. The TDGAR learning scheme is a new hybrid GA, which integrates the TD prediction method and the GA to perform the reinforcement learning task. The TDGAR learning system is composed of two integrated feedforward networks. One neural network acts as a critic network to guide the learning of the other network (the action network) which determines the outputs (actions) of the TDGAR learning system. The action network can be a normal neural network or a neural fuzzy network. Using the TD prediction method, the critic network can predict the external reinforcement signal and provide a more informative internal reinforcement signal to the action network. The action network uses the GA to adapt itself according to the internal reinforcement signal. The key concept of the TDGAR learning scheme is to formulate the internal reinforcement signal as the fitness function for the GA such that the GA can evaluate the candidate solutions (chromosomes) regularly, even during periods without external feedback from the environment. This enables the GA to proceed to new generations regularly without waiting for the arrival of the external reinforcement signal. This can usually accelerate the GA learning since a reinforcement signal may only be available at a time long after a sequence of actions has occurred in the reinforcement learning problem. The proposed TDGAR learning system has been used to control an active magnetic bearing (AMB) system in practice. A systematic design procedure is developed to achieve successful integration of all the subsystems including magnetic suspension, mechanical structure, and controller training. The results show that the TDGAR learning scheme can successfully find a neural controller or a neural fuzzy controller for a self-designed magnetic bearing system.

Purinergic modulation of preBötzinger complex inspiratory rhythm in rodents: the interaction between ATP and adenosine

PubMed Central

Zwicker, J D; Rajani, V; Hahn, L B; Funk, G D

2011-01-01

Abstract ATP signalling in the CNS is mediated by a three-part system comprising the actions of ATP (and ADP) at P2 receptors (P2Rs), adenosine (ADO) at P1 receptors (P1Rs), and ectonucleotidases that degrade ATP into ADO. ATP excites preBötzinger complex (preBötC) inspiratory rhythm-generating networks where its release attenuates the hypoxic depression of breathing. Its metabolite, ADO, inhibits breathing through unknown mechanisms that may involve the preBötC. Our objective is to understand the dynamics of this signalling system and its influence on preBötC networks. We show that the preBötC of mouse and rat is sensitive to P2Y1 purinoceptor (P2Y1R) activation, responding with a >2-fold increase in frequency. Remarkably, the mouse preBötC is insensitive to ATP. Only after block of A1 ADORs is the ATP-evoked, P2Y1R-mediated frequency increase observed. This demonstrates that ATP is rapidly degraded to ADO, which activates inhibitory A1Rs, counteracting the P2Y1R-mediated excitation. ADO sensitivity of mouse preBötC was confirmed by a frequency decrease that was absent in rat. Differential ectonucleotidase activities are likely to contribute to the negligible ATP sensitivity of mouse preBötC. Real-time PCR analysis of ectonucleotidase isoforms in preBötC punches revealed TNAP (degrades ATP to ADO) or ENTPDase2 (favours production of excitatory ADP) as the primary constituent in mouse and rat, respectively. These data further establish the sensitivity of this vital network to P2Y1R-mediated excitation, emphasizing that individual components of the three-part signalling system dramatically alter network responses to ATP. Data also suggest therapeutic potential may derive from methods that alter the ATP–ADO balance to favour the excitatory actions of ATP. PMID:21788352

2015 Groundwater Monitoring Report Project Shoal Area: Subsurface Correction Unit 447

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Findlay, Rick

The Project Shoal Area in Nevada was the site of a 12-kiloton-yield underground nuclear test in 1963. Although the surface of the site has been remediated, investigation of groundwater contamination resulting from the test is still in the corrective action process. Annual sampling and hydraulic head monitoring are conducted at the site as part of the subsurface corrective action strategy. The corrective action strategy is currently focused on revising the site conceptual model (SCM) and evaluating the adequacy of the monitoring well network. Some aspects of the SCM are known; however, two major concerns are the uncertainty in the groundwatermore » flow direction and the cause of rising water levels in site wells west of the shear zone. Water levels have been rising in the site wells west of the shear zone since the first hydrologic characterization wells were installed in 1996. Although water levels in wells west of the shear zone continue to rise, the rate of increase is less than in previous years. The SCM will be revised, and an evaluation of the groundwater monitoring network will be conducted when water levels at the site have stabilized to the agreement of both the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.« less

[Effects of transections and electrical coagulations in the medulla oblongata upon the activities in the respiratory muscles of the crucian carp (author's transl)].

PubMed

Fukuda, H

1975-06-01

The following conclusions may be drawn from the results in this work. The respiratory cycles are formed by the neuronal machinery in the reticular formation under the posterior part of the vagal motor nucleus. The motor neurones or the neuronal networks composing the motor nucleus of the respiratory muscles tonically discharge the action potentials, when the neurones or the networks are released from the inhibitory influences of the interneurones connecting the neuronal machinery to the motor neurones. Furthermore, the interneurones probably generate the tonic discharges after removing the inhibitory influences of the other interneurones or the neuronal machinery on them. A reflex mouth closing is elicited by a mechanical stimulus applying on the upper lip. The motor neurones of the m. adductor mandibulae are activated via only one synapse in the reflex. The reflex action potentials recorded from the motor nerve reduce in amplitude at the resting phase of the nerve in the respiratory cycles. These results suggest that the respiratory motor neurones are by nature spontaneous generators of the tonic action potentials and, in the time of the normal breathing, the tonic activity is interrupted by an inhibitory influence of the neuronal machinery generating the respiratory cycles.

Brain network response underlying decisions about abstract reinforcers.

PubMed

Mills-Finnerty, Colleen; Hanson, Catherine; Hanson, Stephen Jose

2014-12-01

Decision making studies typically use tasks that involve concrete action-outcome contingencies, in which subjects do something and get something. No studies have addressed decision making involving abstract reinforcers, where there are no action-outcome contingencies and choices are entirely hypothetical. The present study examines these kinds of choices, as well as whether the same biases that exist for concrete reinforcer decisions, specifically framing effects, also apply during abstract reinforcer decisions. We use both General Linear Model as well as Bayes network connectivity analysis using the Independent Multi-sample Greedy Equivalence Search (IMaGES) algorithm to examine network response underlying choices for abstract reinforcers under positive and negative framing. We find for the first time that abstract reinforcer decisions activate the same network of brain regions as concrete reinforcer decisions, including the striatum, insula, anterior cingulate, and VMPFC, results that are further supported via comparison to a meta-analysis of decision making studies. Positive and negative framing activated different parts of this network, with stronger activation in VMPFC during negative framing and in DLPFC during positive, suggesting different decision making pathways depending on frame. These results were further clarified using connectivity analysis, which revealed stronger connections between anterior cingulate, insula, and accumbens during negative framing compared to positive. Taken together, these results suggest that not only do abstract reinforcer decisions rely on the same brain substrates as concrete reinforcers, but that the response underlying framing effects on abstract reinforcers also resemble those for concrete reinforcers, specifically increased limbic system connectivity during negative frames. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Power changes how the brain responds to others.

PubMed

Hogeveen, Jeremy; Inzlicht, Michael; Obhi, Sukhvinder S

2014-04-01

Power dynamics are a ubiquitous feature of human social life, yet little is known about how power is implemented in the brain. Motor resonance is the activation of similar brain networks when acting and when watching someone else act, and is thought to be implemented, in part, by the human mirror system. We investigated the effects of power on motor resonance during an action observation task. Separate groups of participants underwent a high-, neutral, or low-power induction priming procedure, prior to observing the actions of another person. During observation, motor resonance was determined with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) via measures of motor cortical output. High-power participants demonstrated lower levels of resonance than low-power participants, suggesting reduced mirroring of other people in those with power. These differences suggest that decreased motor resonance to others' actions might be one of the neural mechanisms underlying power-induced asymmetries in processing our social interaction partners.

DELTAMETHRIN AND ESFENVALERATE INHIBIT SPONTANEOUS NETWORK ACTIVITY IN RAT CORTICAL NEURONS IN VITRO.

EPA Science Inventory

Understanding pyrethroid actions on neuronal networks will help to establish a mode of action for these compounds, which is needed for cumulative risk decisions under the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. However, pyrethroid effects on spontaneous activity in networks of inter...

Differentiating Cerebellar Impact on Thalamic Nuclei.

PubMed

Gornati, Simona V; Schäfer, Carmen B; Eelkman Rooda, Oscar H J; Nigg, Alex L; De Zeeuw, Chris I; Hoebeek, Freek E

2018-05-29

The cerebellum plays a role in coordination of movements and non-motor functions. Cerebellar nuclei (CN) axons connect to various parts of the thalamo-cortical network, but detailed information on the characteristics of cerebello-thalamic connections is lacking. Here, we assessed the cerebellar input to the ventrolateral (VL), ventromedial (VM), and centrolateral (CL) thalamus. Confocal and electron microscopy showed an increased density and size of CN axon terminals in VL compared to VM or CL. Electrophysiological recordings in vitro revealed that optogenetic CN stimulation resulted in enhanced charge transfer and action potential firing in VL neurons compared to VM or CL neurons, despite that the paired-pulse ratio was not significantly different. Together, these findings indicate that the impact of CN input onto neurons of different thalamic nuclei varies substantially, which highlights the possibility that cerebellar output differentially controls various parts of the thalamo-cortical network. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Greening the countryside? Changing frameworks of EU agricultural policy.

PubMed

Lowe, Philip; Feindt, Peter H; Vihinen, Hilkka

2010-01-01

In response to wide-ranging criticism of agricultural policy, especially within Western industrialized countries, new frameworks of justification are emerging and new hybrid policy fields have been established to tackle some of the ‘externalities’ of agricultural support. However, institutional frameworks are proving slower to change, partly because this would require coordinated action across different levels of governance. Nevertheless, previously marginalized environmental concerns have successfully gained entrance to agricultural policy networks, while the intersection of trade liberalization and rural diversification have undermined the dominance of the productivist mindset in government. This gives rise to a plurality of policy actors and actions which defy the conventional categories of analysis of agricultural policy, calling for changing frameworks on the polity of agriculture too.

The Action Observation System when Observing Hand Actions in Autism and Typical Development.

PubMed

Pokorny, Jennifer J; Hatt, Naomi V; Colombi, Costanza; Vivanti, Giacomo; Rogers, Sally J; Rivera, Susan M

2015-06-01

Social impairments in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be in part due to difficulty perceiving and recognizing the actions of others. Evidence from imitation studies, which involves both observation and execution of an action, suggests differences, in individuals with ASD, between the ability to imitate goal-directed actions involving objects (transitive actions) and the ability to imitate actions that do not involve objects (intransitive actions). In the present study, we examined whether there were differences in how ASD adolescents encoded transitive and intransitive actions compared to typically developing (TD) adolescents, by having participants view videos of a hand reaching across a screen toward an object or to where an object would be while functional magnetic resonance images were collected. Analyses focused on areas within the action observation network (AON), which is activated during the observation of actions performed by others. We hypothesized that the AON would differentiate transitive from intransitive actions only in the ASD group. However, results revealed that object presence modulated activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus of the TD group, a differentiation that was not seen in the ASD group. Furthermore, there were no significant group differences between the TD and ASD groups in any of the conditions. This suggests that there is not a global deficit of the AON in individuals with ASD while observing transitive and intransitive actions. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Are corporations people too? The neural correlates of moral judgments about companies and individuals.

PubMed

Plitt, Mark; Savjani, Ricky R; Eagleman, David M

2015-04-01

To investigate whether the legal concept of "corporate personhood" mirrors an inherent similarity in the neural processing of the actions of corporations and people, we measured brain responses to vignettes about corporations and people while participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found that anti-social actions of corporations elicited more intense negative emotions and that pro-social actions of people elicited more intense positive emotions. However, the networks underlying the moral decisions about corporations and people are strikingly similar, including regions of the canonical theory of mind network. In analyzing the activity in these networks, we found differences in the emotional processing of these two types of vignettes: neutral actions of corporations showed neural correlates that more closely resembled negative actions than positive actions. Collectively, these findings indicate that our brains understand and analyze the actions of corporations and people very similarly, with a small emotional bias against corporations.

Social Networks as a Political Resource: Some Insights Drawn from the Community Organizational and Community Action Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenbaum, Allan

The development and functioning of urban social networks in highly politicized environments--particularly, the neighborhood based community organization, political coalition building of urban mayors, and community action programs--suggest implications for building locally based educational reform capacity through network development. Community…

Learning Networks--Enabling Change through Community Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bleach, Josephine

2016-01-01

Learning networks are a critical element of ethos of the community action research approach taken by the Early Learning Initiative at the National College of Ireland, a community-based educational initiative in the Dublin Docklands. Key criteria for networking, whether at local, national or international level, are the individual's and…

A European network for food-borne parasites (Euro-FBP): meeting report on 'Analytical methods for food-borne parasites in human and veterinary diagnostics and in food matrices'.

PubMed

Klotz, Christian; Šoba, Barbara; Skvarč, Miha; Gabriël, Sarah; Robertson, Lucy J

2017-11-09

Food-borne parasites (FBPs) are a neglected topic in food safety, partly due to a lack of awareness of their importance for public health, especially as symptoms tend not to develop immediately after exposure. In addition, methodological difficulties with both diagnosis in infected patients and detection in food matrices result in under-detection and therefore the potential for underestimation of their burden on our societies. This, in consequence, leads to lower prioritization for basic research, e.g. for development new and more advanced detection methods for different food matrices and diagnostic samples, and thus a vicious circle of neglect and lack of progress is propagated. The COST Action FA1408, A European Network for Foodborne Parasites (Euro-FBP) aims to combat the impact of FBP on public health by facilitating the multidisciplinary cooperation and partnership between groups of researchers and between researchers and stakeholders. The COST Action TD1302, the European Network for cysticercosis/taeniosis, CYSTINET, has a specific focus on Taenia solium and T. saginata, two neglected FBPs, and aims to advance knowledge and understanding of these zoonotic disease complexes via collaborations in a multidisciplinary scientific network. This report summarizes the results of a meeting within the Euro-FBP consortium entitled 'Analytical methods for food-borne parasites in human and veterinary diagnostics and in food matrices' and of the joined Euro-FBP and CYSTINET meeting.

TANDI: threat assessment of network data and information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holsopple, Jared; Yang, Shanchieh Jay; Sudit, Moises

2006-04-01

Current practice for combating cyber attacks typically use Intrusion Detection Sensors (IDSs) to passively detect and block multi-stage attacks. This work leverages Level-2 fusion that correlates IDS alerts belonging to the same attacker, and proposes a threat assessment algorithm to predict potential future attacker actions. The algorithm, TANDI, reduces the problem complexity by separating the models of the attacker's capability and opportunity, and fuse the two to determine the attacker's intent. Unlike traditional Bayesian-based approaches, which require assigning a large number of edge probabilities, the proposed Level-3 fusion procedure uses only 4 parameters. TANDI has been implemented and tested with randomly created attack sequences. The results demonstrate that TANDI predicts future attack actions accurately as long as the attack is not part of a coordinated attack and contains no insider threats. In the presence of abnormal attack events, TANDI will alarm the network analyst for further analysis. The attempt to evaluate a threat assessment algorithm via simulation is the first in the literature, and shall open up a new avenue in the area of high level fusion.

Intelligent monitoring system of bedridden elderly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Rue Shao; Tanaka, Motohiro; Ushijima, Miki; Ishimatsu, Takakazu

2005-12-01

In this paper we propose a system to detect physical behavior of the elderly under bedridden status. This system is used to prevent those elderly from falling down and being wounded. Basic idea of our approach is to measure the body movements of the elderly using the acceleration sensor. Based on the data measured, dangerous actions of the elderly are extracted and warning signals to the caseworkers are generated via wireless signals. A feature of the system is that the senor part is compactly assembled as a wearable unit. Another feature of the system is that the system adopts a simplified wireless network system. Due to the network capability the system can monitor physical movements of multi-patients. Applicability of the system is now being examined at hospitals.

Neural basis of understanding communicative actions: Changes associated with knowing the actor's intention and the meanings of the actions.

PubMed

Möttönen, Riikka; Farmer, Harry; Watkins, Kate E

2016-01-29

People can communicate by using hand actions, e.g., signs. Understanding communicative actions requires that the observer knows that the actor has an intention to communicate and the meanings of the actions. Here, we investigated how this prior knowledge affects processing of observed actions. We used functional MRI to determine changes in action processing when non-signers were told that the observed actions are communicative (i.e., signs) and learned the meanings of half of the actions. Processing of hand actions activated the left and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG, BA 44 and 45) when the communicative intention of the actor was known, even when the meanings of the actions remained unknown. These regions were not active when the observers did not know about the communicative nature of the hand actions. These findings suggest that the left and right IFG play a role in understanding the intention of the actor, but do not process visuospatial features of the communicative actions. Knowing the meanings of the hand actions further enhanced activity in the anterior part of the IFG (BA 45), the inferior parietal lobule and posterior inferior and middle temporal gyri in the left hemisphere. These left-hemisphere language regions could provide a link between meanings and observed actions. In sum, the findings provide evidence for the segregation of the networks involved in the neural processing of visuospatial features of communicative hand actions and those involved in understanding the actor's intention and the meanings of the actions. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The time course of auditory-visual processing of speech and body actions: evidence for the simultaneous activation of an extended neural network for semantic processing.

PubMed

Meyer, Georg F; Harrison, Neil R; Wuerger, Sophie M

2013-08-01

An extensive network of cortical areas is involved in multisensory object and action recognition. This network draws on inferior frontal, posterior temporal, and parietal areas; activity is modulated by familiarity and the semantic congruency of auditory and visual component signals even if semantic incongruences are created by combining visual and auditory signals representing very different signal categories, such as speech and whole body actions. Here we present results from a high-density ERP study designed to examine the time-course and source location of responses to semantically congruent and incongruent audiovisual speech and body actions to explore whether the network involved in action recognition consists of a hierarchy of sequentially activated processing modules or a network of simultaneously active processing sites. We report two main results:1) There are no significant early differences in the processing of congruent and incongruent audiovisual action sequences. The earliest difference between congruent and incongruent audiovisual stimuli occurs between 240 and 280 ms after stimulus onset in the left temporal region. Between 340 and 420 ms, semantic congruence modulates responses in central and right frontal areas. Late differences (after 460 ms) occur bilaterally in frontal areas.2) Source localisation (dipole modelling and LORETA) reveals that an extended network encompassing inferior frontal, temporal, parasaggital, and superior parietal sites are simultaneously active between 180 and 420 ms to process auditory–visual action sequences. Early activation (before 120 ms) can be explained by activity in mainly sensory cortices. . The simultaneous activation of an extended network between 180 and 420 ms is consistent with models that posit parallel processing of complex action sequences in frontal, temporal and parietal areas rather than models that postulate hierarchical processing in a sequence of brain regions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disentangling representations of shape and action components in the tool network.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoying; Zhuang, Tonghe; Shen, Jiasi; Bi, Yanchao

2018-05-30

Shape and how they should be used are two key components of our knowledge about tools. Viewing tools preferentially activated a frontoparietal and occipitotemporal network, with dorsal regions implicated in computation of tool-related actions and ventral areas in shape representation. As shape and manners of manipulation are highly correlated for daily tools, whether they are independently represented in different regions remains inconclusive. In the current study, we collected fMRI data when participants viewed blocks of pictures of four daily tools (i.e., paintbrush, corkscrew, screwdriver, razor) where shape and action (manner of manipulation for functional use) were orthogonally manipulated, to tease apart these two dimensions. Behavioral similarity judgments tapping on object shape and finer aspects of actions (i.e., manners of motion, magnitude of arm movement, configuration of hand) were also collected to further disentangle the representation of object shape and different action components. Information analysis and representational similarity analysis were conducted on regional neural activation patterns of the tool-preferring network. In both analyses, the bilateral lateral occipitotemporal cortex showed robust shape representations but could not effectively distinguish between tool-use actions. The frontal and precentral regions represented kinematic action components, whereas the left parietal region (in information analyses) exhibited coding of both shape and tool-use action. By teasing apart shape and action components, we found both dissociation and association of them within the tool network. Taken together, our study disentangles representations for object shape from finer tool-use action components in the tool network, revealing the potential dissociable roles different tool-preferring regions play in tool processing. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Knowledge Producing, Its Management and Action and Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadfield, Mark

2005-01-01

This article is based on a "think piece" produced as a resource for action researchers working within networks of schools. The original article considered the utility of key ideas within knowledge management to practitioner researchers attempting to share their research outcomes with other teachers in their network. This article, rather than…

Action Video Game Experience Related to Altered Large-Scale White Matter Networks.

PubMed

Gong, Diankun; Ma, Weiyi; Gong, Jinnan; He, Hui; Dong, Li; Zhang, Dan; Li, Jianfu; Luo, Cheng; Yao, Dezhong

2017-01-01

With action video games (AVGs) becoming increasingly popular worldwide, the cognitive benefits of AVG experience have attracted continuous research attention over the past two decades. Research has repeatedly shown that AVG experience can causally enhance cognitive ability and is related to neural plasticity in gray matter and functional networks in the brain. However, the relation between AVG experience and the plasticity of white matter (WM) network still remains unclear. WM network modulates the distribution of action potentials, coordinating the communication between brain regions and acting as the framework of neural networks. And various types of cognitive deficits are usually accompanied by impairments of WM networks. Thus, understanding this relation is essential in assessing the influence of AVG experience on neural plasticity and using AVG experience as an interventional tool for impairments of WM networks. Using graph theory, this study analyzed WM networks in AVG experts and amateurs. Results showed that AVG experience is related to altered WM networks in prefrontal networks, limbic system, and sensorimotor networks, which are related to cognitive control and sensorimotor functions. These results shed new light on the influence of AVG experience on the plasticity of WM networks and suggested the clinical applicability of AVG experience.

Distinctive laterality of neural networks supporting action understanding in left- and right-handed individuals: An EEG coherence study.

PubMed

Kelly, Rachel; Mizelle, J C; Wheaton, Lewis A

2015-08-01

Prior work has demonstrated that perspective and handedness of observed actions can affect action understanding differently in right and left-handed persons, suggesting potential differences in the neural networks underlying action understanding between right and left-handed individuals. We sought to evaluate potential differences in these neural networks using electroencephalography (EEG). Right- and left-handed participants observed images of tool-use actions from egocentric and allocentric perspectives, with right- and left-handed actors performing the actions. Participants judged the outcome of the observed actions, and response accuracy and latency were recorded. Behaviorally, the highest accuracy and shortest latency was found in the egocentric perspective for right- and left-handed observers. Handedness of subject showed an effect on accuracy and latency also, where right-handed observers were faster to respond than left-handed observers, but on average were less accurate. Mu band (8-10 Hz) cortico-cortical coherence analysis indicated that right-handed observers have coherence in the motor dominant left parietal-premotor networks when looking at an egocentric right or allocentric left hands. When looking in an egocentric perspective at a left hand or allocentric right hand, coherence was lateralized to right parietal-premotor areas. In left-handed observers, bilateral parietal-premotor coherence patterns were observed regardless of actor handedness. These findings suggest that the cortical networks involved in understanding action outcomes are dependent on hand dominance, and notably right handed participants seem to utilize motor systems based on the limb seen performing the action. The decreased accuracy for right-handed participants on allocentric images could be due to asymmetrical lateralization of encoding action and motoric dominance, which may interfere with translating allocentric limb action outcomes. Further neurophysiological studies will determine the specific processes of how left- and right-handed participants understand actions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Bayesian network model for predicting aquatic toxicity mode of action using two dimensional theoretical molecular descriptors-abstract

EPA Science Inventory

The mode of toxic action (MoA) has been recognized as a key determinant of chemical toxicity but MoA classification in aquatic toxicology has been limited. We developed a Bayesian network model to classify aquatic toxicity mode of action using a recently published dataset contain...

Scalable Active Optical Access Network Using Variable High-Speed PLZT Optical Switch/Splitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashizawa, Kunitaka; Sato, Takehiro; Tokuhashi, Kazumasa; Ishii, Daisuke; Okamoto, Satoru; Yamanaka, Naoaki; Oki, Eiji

This paper proposes a scalable active optical access network using high-speed Plumbum Lanthanum Zirconate Titanate (PLZT) optical switch/splitter. The Active Optical Network, called ActiON, using PLZT switching technology has been presented to increase the number of subscribers and the maximum transmission distance, compared to the Passive Optical Network (PON). ActiON supports the multicast slot allocation realized by running the PLZT switch elements in the splitter mode, which forces the switch to behave as an optical splitter. However, the previous ActiON creates a tradeoff between the network scalability and the power loss experienced by the optical signal to each user. It does not use the optical power efficiently because the optical power is simply divided into 0.5 to 0.5 without considering transmission distance from OLT to each ONU. The proposed network adopts PLZT switch elements in the variable splitter mode, which controls the split ratio of the optical power considering the transmission distance from OLT to each ONU, in addition to PLZT switch elements in existing two modes, the switching mode and the splitter mode. The proposed network introduces the flexible multicast slot allocation according to the transmission distance from OLT to each user and the number of required users using three modes, while keeping the advantages of ActiON, which are to support scalable and secure access services. Numerical results show that the proposed network dramatically reduces the required number of slots and supports high bandwidth efficiency services and extends the coverage of access network, compared to the previous ActiON, and the required computation time for selecting multicast users is less than 30msec, which is acceptable for on-demand broadcast services.

PEP725 Pan European Phenological Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, E.; Adler, S.; Lipa, W.; Ungersböck, M.; Zach-Hermann, S.

2010-09-01

Europe is in the fortunate situation that it has a long tradition in phenological networking: the history of collecting phenological data and using them in climatology has its starting point in 1751 when Carl von Linné outlined in his work Philosophia Botanica methods for compiling annual plant calendars of leaf opening, flowering, fruiting and leaf fall together with climatological observations "so as to show how areas differ". Recently in most European countries, phenological observations have been carried out routinely for more than 50 years by different governmental and non governmental organisations and following different observation guidelines, the data stored at different places in different formats. This has been really hampering pan European studies as one has to address many network operators to get access to the data before one can start to bring them in a uniform style. From 2004 to 2009 the COST-action 725 established a European wide data set of phenological observations. But the deliverables of this COST action was not only the common phenological database and common observation guidelines - COST725 helped to trigger a revival of some old networks and to establish new ones as for instance in Sweden. At the end of 2009 the COST action the database comprised about 8 million data in total from 15 European countries plus the data from the International Phenological Gardens IPG. In January 2010 PEP725 began its work as follow up project with funding from EUMETNET the network of European meteorological services and of ZAMG the Austrian national meteorological service. PEP725 not only will take over the part of maintaining, updating the COST725 database, but also to bring in phenological data from the time before 1951, developing better quality checking procedures and ensuring an open access to the database. An attractive webpage will make phenology and climate impacts on vegetation more visible in the public enabling a monitoring of vegetation development.

Functional Organization of the Action Observation Network in Autism: A Graph Theory Approach.

PubMed

Alaerts, Kaat; Geerlings, Franca; Herremans, Lynn; Swinnen, Stephan P; Verhoeven, Judith; Sunaert, Stefan; Wenderoth, Nicole

2015-01-01

The ability to recognize, understand and interpret other's actions and emotions has been linked to the mirror system or action-observation-network (AON). Although variations in these abilities are prevalent in the neuro-typical population, persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have deficits in the social domain and exhibit alterations in this neural network. Here, we examined functional network properties of the AON using graph theory measures and region-to-region functional connectivity analyses of resting-state fMRI-data from adolescents and young adults with ASD and typical controls (TC). Overall, our graph theory analyses provided convergent evidence that the network integrity of the AON is altered in ASD, and that reductions in network efficiency relate to reductions in overall network density (i.e., decreased overall connection strength). Compared to TC, individuals with ASD showed significant reductions in network efficiency and increased shortest path lengths and centrality. Importantly, when adjusting for overall differences in network density between ASD and TC groups, participants with ASD continued to display reductions in network integrity, suggesting that also network-level organizational properties of the AON are altered in ASD. While differences in empirical connectivity contributed to reductions in network integrity, graph theoretical analyses provided indications that also changes in the high-level network organization reduced integrity of the AON.

42 CFR 423.124 - Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. 423.124 Section 423.124 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. (a) Out-of-network access to covered part D drugs—(1) Out-of-network pharmacy access. A Part D sponsor must ensure that Part...

42 CFR 423.124 - Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. 423.124 Section 423.124 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. (a) Out-of-network access to covered part D drugs—(1) Out-of-network pharmacy access. A Part D sponsor must ensure that Part...

42 CFR 423.124 - Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. 423.124 Section 423.124 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. (a) Out-of-network access to covered part D drugs—(1) Out-of-network pharmacy access. A Part D sponsor must ensure that Part...

Cervical cancer: a qualitative study on subjectivity, family, gender and health services.

PubMed

Villafuerte, Blanca E Pelcastre; Gómez, Laura L Tirado; Betancourt, Alejandro Mohar; Cervantes, Malaquías López

2007-03-01

In 2002, cervical cancer was one of the leading causes of death in Mexico. Quantitative techniques allowed for the identification of socioeconomic, behavioral and biological characteristics that are part of its etiology. However such characteristics, are inadequate to explain sufficiently the role that emotions, family networks and socially-constructed categories such as gender play in the demand and utilization of health services for cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment and neither the timely undertaking of preventive actions, such as getting a PAP smear or seeking adequate and continuous treatment. A qualitative study was carried out to analyze the role of different social and cultural factors in the timely detection of cervical cancer. As part of a multi-level, multi-method research effort, this particular study was based on individual interviews with women diagnosed with cervical cancer (identified as the "cases"), their female friends and relatives (identified as the "controls") and the cases' husbands. The results showed that both: denial and fear are two important components that regulate the behavior of both the women and their partners. Women with a small support network may have limited opportunities for taking action in favor of their own health and wellbeing. Women tend not to worry about their health, in general and neither about cervical cancer in particular, as a consequence of their conceptualizations regarding their body and feminine identify - both of which are socially determined. Furthermore, it is necessary to improve the quality of information provided in health services.

Stereoscopically Observing Manipulative Actions

PubMed Central

Ferri, S.; Pauwels, K.; Rizzolatti, G.; Orban, G. A.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of stereopsis to the processing of observed manipulative actions. To this end, we first combined the factors “stimulus type” (action, static control, and dynamic control), “stereopsis” (present, absent) and “viewpoint” (frontal, lateral) into a single design. Four sites in premotor, retro-insular (2) and parietal cortex operated specifically when actions were viewed stereoscopically and frontally. A second experiment clarified that the stereo-action-specific regions were driven by actions moving out of the frontoparallel plane, an effect amplified by frontal viewing in premotor cortex. Analysis of single voxels and their discriminatory power showed that the representation of action in the stereo-action-specific areas was more accurate when stereopsis was active. Further analyses showed that the 4 stereo-action-specific sites form a closed network converging onto the premotor node, which connects to parietal and occipitotemporal regions outside the network. Several of the specific sites are known to process vestibular signals, suggesting that the network combines observed actions in peripersonal space with gravitational signals. These findings have wider implications for the function of premotor cortex and the role of stereopsis in human behavior. PMID:27252350

Stereoscopically Observing Manipulative Actions.

PubMed

Ferri, S; Pauwels, K; Rizzolatti, G; Orban, G A

2016-08-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of stereopsis to the processing of observed manipulative actions. To this end, we first combined the factors "stimulus type" (action, static control, and dynamic control), "stereopsis" (present, absent) and "viewpoint" (frontal, lateral) into a single design. Four sites in premotor, retro-insular (2) and parietal cortex operated specifically when actions were viewed stereoscopically and frontally. A second experiment clarified that the stereo-action-specific regions were driven by actions moving out of the frontoparallel plane, an effect amplified by frontal viewing in premotor cortex. Analysis of single voxels and their discriminatory power showed that the representation of action in the stereo-action-specific areas was more accurate when stereopsis was active. Further analyses showed that the 4 stereo-action-specific sites form a closed network converging onto the premotor node, which connects to parietal and occipitotemporal regions outside the network. Several of the specific sites are known to process vestibular signals, suggesting that the network combines observed actions in peripersonal space with gravitational signals. These findings have wider implications for the function of premotor cortex and the role of stereopsis in human behavior. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Action video gaming and the brain: fMRI effects without behavioral effects in visual and verbal cognitive tasks.

PubMed

Richlan, Fabio; Schubert, Juliane; Mayer, Rebecca; Hutzler, Florian; Kronbichler, Martin

2018-01-01

In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we compared task performance together with brain activation in a visuospatial task (VST) and a letter detection task (LDT) between longtime action video gamers ( N  =   14) and nongamers ( N  =   14) in order to investigate possible effects of gaming on cognitive and brain abilities. Based on previous research, we expected advantages in performance for experienced action video gamers accompanied by less activation (due to higher efficiency) as measured by fMRI in the frontoparietal attention network. Contrary to these expectations, we did not find differences in overall task performance, nor in brain activation during the VST. We identified, however, a significantly different increase in the BOLD signal from a baseline task to the LDT in action video gamers compared with nongamers. This increased activation was evident in a number of frontoparietal regions including the left middle paracingulate cortex, the left superior frontal sulcus, the opercular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the left and right posterior parietal cortex. Furthermore, we found increased activation in the triangular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus in gamers relative to nongamers when activation during the LDT was compared with activation during the VST. In sum, the expected positive relation between action video game experience and cognitive performance could not be confirmed. Despite their comparable task performance, however, gamers and nongamers exhibited clear-cut differences in brain activation patterns presumably reflecting differences in neural engagement, especially during verbal cognitive tasks.

Social determinants in an Australian urban region: a 'complexity' lens.

PubMed

Fisher, Matthew; Milos, Danijela; Baum, Frances; Friel, Sharon

2016-03-01

Area-based strategies have been widely employed in efforts to improve population health and take action on social determinants of health (SDH) and health inequities, including in urban areas where many of the social, economic and environmental factors converge to influence health. Increasingly, these factors are recognized as being part of a complex system, where population health outcomes are shaped by multiple, interacting factors operating at different levels of social organization. This article reports on research to assess the extent to which an alliance of health and human service networks is able to promote action on SDH within an Australian urban region, using a complex systems frame. We found that such an alliance was able to promote some effective action which takes into account complex interactions between social factors affecting health, but also identified significant potential barriers to other forms of desired action identified by alliance members. We found that a complex systems lens was useful in assessing a collaborative intervention to address SDH within an urban region. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The reputational and social network benefits of prosociality in an Andean community

PubMed Central

Lyle, Henry F.; Smith, Eric A.

2014-01-01

Several theories have emerged to explain how group cooperation (collective action) can arise and be maintained in the face of incentives to engage in free riding. Explanations focusing on reputational benefits and partner choice have particular promise for cases in which punishment is absent or insufficient to deter free riding. In indigenous communities of highland Peru, collective action is pervasive and provides critical benefits. Participation in collective action is unequal across households, but all households share its benefits. Importantly, investment in collective action involves considerable time, energy, and risk. Differential participation in collective action can convey information about qualities of fellow community members that are not easily observable otherwise, such as cooperative intent, knowledge, work ethic, skill, and/or physical vitality. Conveying such information may enhance access to adaptive support networks. Interview and observational data collected in a Peruvian highland community indicate that persons who contributed more to collective action had greater reputations as reliable, hard workers with regard to collective action and also were considered the most respected, influential, and generous people in the community. Additionally, household heads with greater reputations had more social support partners (measured as network indegree centrality), and households with larger support networks experienced fewer illness symptoms. PMID:24639494

Observing complex action sequences: The role of the fronto-parietal mirror neuron system.

PubMed

Molnar-Szakacs, Istvan; Kaplan, Jonas; Greenfield, Patricia M; Iacoboni, Marco

2006-11-15

A fronto-parietal mirror neuron network in the human brain supports the ability to represent and understand observed actions allowing us to successfully interact with others and our environment. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we wanted to investigate the response of this network in adults during observation of hierarchically organized action sequences of varying complexity that emerge at different developmental stages. We hypothesized that fronto-parietal systems may play a role in coding the hierarchical structure of object-directed actions. The observation of all action sequences recruited a common bilateral network including the fronto-parietal mirror neuron system and occipito-temporal visual motion areas. Activity in mirror neuron areas varied according to the motoric complexity of the observed actions, but not according to the developmental sequence of action structures, possibly due to the fact that our subjects were all adults. These results suggest that the mirror neuron system provides a fairly accurate simulation process of observed actions, mimicking internally the level of motoric complexity. We also discuss the results in terms of the links between mirror neurons, language development and evolution.

Evaluation of partnerships in a transnational family violence prevention network using an integrated knowledge translation and exchange model: a mixed methods study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Family violence is a significant and complex public health problem that demands collaboration between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for systemic, sustainable solutions. An integrated knowledge translation network was developed to support joint research production and application in the area. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the international Preventing Violence Across the Lifespan (PreVAiL) Research Network built effective partnerships among its members, with a focus on the knowledge user partner perspective. Methods This mixed-methods study employed a combination of questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to understand partnerships two years after PreVAiL’s inception. The questionnaire examined communication, collaborative research, dissemination of research, research findings, negotiation, partnership enhancement, information needs, rapport, and commitment. The interviews elicited feedback about partners’ experiences with being part of the network. Results Five main findings were highlighted: i) knowledge user partner involvement varied across activities, ranging from 11% to 79% participation rates; ii) partners and researchers generally converged on their assessment of communication indicators; iii) partners valued the network at both an individual level and to fulfill their organizations’ mandates; iv) being part of PreVAiL allowed partners to readily contact researchers, and partners felt comfortable acting as an intermediary between PreVAiL and the rest of their own organization; v) application of research was just emerging; partners needed more actionable insights to determine ways to move forward given the research at that point in time. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the importance of developing and nurturing strong partnerships for integrated knowledge translation. Our findings are applicable to other network-oriented partnerships where a diversity of stakeholders work to address complex, multi-faceted public health problems. PMID:24886489

The CARN/ARNA Inaugural Study Day Inquiry: What Happens to Action Research after the Master's Degree?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shosh, Joseph M.; McAteer, Mary

2016-01-01

The Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN) held its first American study day on the east coast of the United States in conjunction with the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) 2014 conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. Study day participants visited three American secondary schools, one each in Pennsylvania, New York, and…

Environmental projects. Volume 3: Environmental compliance audit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex is part of NASA's Deep Space Network, one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. Activities at Goldstone are carried out in support of six large parabolic dish antennas. In support of the national goal of the preservation of the environment and the protection of human health and safety, NASA, JPL and Goldstone have adopted a position that their operating installations shall maintain a high level of compliance with Federal, state, and local laws governing the management of hazardous substances, abestos, and underground storage tanks. A JPL version of a document prepared as an environmental audit of Goldstone operations is presented. Both general and specific items of noncompliance at Goldstone are identified and recommendations are provided for corrective actions.

Changing the culture of academic medicine: the C-Change learning action network and its impact at participating medical schools.

PubMed

Krupat, Edward; Pololi, Linda; Schnell, Eugene R; Kern, David E

2013-09-01

The culture of academic medicine has been described as hierarchical, competitive, and not highly supportive of female or minority faculty. In response to this, the authors designed the Learning Action Network (LAN), which was part of the National Initiative on Gender, Culture and Leadership in Medicine (C-Change). The LAN is a five-school consortium aimed at changing the organizational culture of its constituent institutions. The authors selected LAN schools to be geographically diverse and representative of U.S. medical schools. Institutional leaders and faculty representatives from constituent schools met twice yearly for four years (2006-2010), forming a cross-institutional learning community. Through their quarterly listing of institutional activities, schools reported a wide array of actions. Most common were increased faculty development and/or mentoring, new approaches to communication, and adoption of new policies and procedures. Other categories included data collection/management, engagement of key stakeholders, education regarding gender/diversity, and new/expanded leadership positions. Through exit interviews, most participants reported feeling optimistic about maintaining the momentum of change. However, some, especially in schools with leadership changes, expressed uncertainty. Participants reported that they felt that the LAN enabled, empowered, facilitated, and/or caused the reported actions.For others who might want to work toward changing the culture of academic medicine, the authors offer several lessons learned from their experiences with C-Change. Most notably, people, structures, policies, and reward systems must be put into place to support cultural values, and broad-based support should be created in order for changes to persist when inevitable transitions in leadership occur.

Markets on Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toroczkai, Zoltan; Anghel, Marian; Bassler, Kevin; Korniss, Gyorgy

2003-03-01

The dynamics of human, and most biological populations is characterized by competition for resources. By its own nature, this dynamics creates the group of "elites", formed by those agents who have strategies that are the most successful in the given situation, and therefore the rest of the agents will tend to follow, imitate, or interact with them, creating a social structure of leadership in the agent society. These inter-agent communications generate a complex social network with small-world character which itself forms the substrate for a second network, the action network. The latter is a highly dynamic, adaptive, directed network, defined by those inter-agent communication links on the substrate along which the passed information /prediction is acted upon by the other agents. By using the minority game for competition dynamics, here we show that when the substrate network is highly connected, the action network spontaneously develops hubs with a broad distribution of out-degrees, defining a robust leadership structure that is scale-free. Furthermore, in certain, realistic parameter ranges, facilitated by information passing on the action network, agents can spontaneously generate a high degree of cooperation making the collective almost maximally efficient.

Networks of conforming or nonconforming individuals tend to reach satisfactory decisions.

PubMed

Ramazi, Pouria; Riehl, James; Cao, Ming

2016-11-15

Binary decisions of agents coupled in networks can often be classified into two types: "coordination," where an agent takes an action if enough neighbors are using that action, as in the spread of social norms, innovations, and viral epidemics, and "anticoordination," where too many neighbors taking a particular action causes an agent to take the opposite action, as in traffic congestion, crowd dispersion, and division of labor. Both of these cases can be modeled using linear-threshold-based dynamics, and a fundamental question is whether the individuals in such networks are likely to reach decisions with which they are satisfied. We show that, in the coordination case, and perhaps more surprisingly, also in the anticoordination case, the agents will indeed always tend to reach satisfactory decisions, that is, the network will almost surely reach an equilibrium state. This holds for every network topology and every distribution of thresholds, for both asynchronous and partially synchronous decision-making updates. These results reveal that irregular network topology, population heterogeneity, and partial synchrony are not sufficient to cause cycles or nonconvergence in linear-threshold dynamics; rather, other factors such as imitation or the coexistence of coordinating and anticoordinating agents must play a role.

Treating the Synapse in Major Psychiatric Disorders: The Role of Postsynaptic Density Network in Dopamine-Glutamate Interplay and Psychopharmacologic Drugs Molecular Actions

PubMed Central

Tomasetti, Carmine; Iasevoli, Felice; Buonaguro, Elisabetta Filomena; De Berardis, Domenico; Fornaro, Michele; Fiengo, Annastasia Lucia Carmela; Martinotti, Giovanni; Orsolini, Laura; Valchera, Alessandro; Di Giannantonio, Massimo; de Bartolomeis, Andrea

2017-01-01

Dopamine-glutamate interplay dysfunctions have been suggested as pathophysiological key determinants of major psychotic disorders, above all schizophrenia and mood disorders. For the most part, synaptic interactions between dopamine and glutamate signaling pathways take part in the postsynaptic density, a specialized ultrastructure localized under the membrane of glutamatergic excitatory synapses. Multiple proteins, with the role of adaptors, regulators, effectors, and scaffolds compose the postsynaptic density network. They form structural and functional crossroads where multiple signals, starting at membrane receptors, are received, elaborated, integrated, and routed to appropriate nuclear targets. Moreover, transductional pathways belonging to different receptors may be functionally interconnected through postsynaptic density molecules. Several studies have demonstrated that psychopharmacologic drugs may differentially affect the expression and function of postsynaptic genes and proteins, depending upon the peculiar receptor profile of each compound. Thus, through postsynaptic network modulation, these drugs may induce dopamine-glutamate synaptic remodeling, which is at the basis of their long-term physiologic effects. In this review, we will discuss the role of postsynaptic proteins in dopamine-glutamate signals integration, as well as the peculiar impact of different psychotropic drugs used in clinical practice on postsynaptic remodeling, thereby trying to point out the possible future molecular targets of “synapse-based” psychiatric therapeutic strategies. PMID:28085108

Task-Relevant Information Modulates Primary Motor Cortex Activity Before Movement Onset.

PubMed

Calderon, Cristian B; Van Opstal, Filip; Peigneux, Philippe; Verguts, Tom; Gevers, Wim

2018-01-01

Monkey neurophysiology research supports the affordance competition hypothesis (ACH) proposing that cognitive information useful for action selection is integrated in sensorimotor areas. In this view, action selection would emerge from the simultaneous representation of competing action plans, in parallel biased by relevant task factors. This biased competition would take place up to primary motor cortex (M1). Although ACH is plausible in environments affording choices between actions, its relevance for human decision making is less clear. To address this issue, we designed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment modeled after monkey neurophysiology studies in which human participants processed cues conveying predictive information about upcoming button presses. Our results demonstrate that, as predicted by the ACH, predictive information (i.e., the relevant task factor) biases activity of primary motor regions. Specifically, first, activity before movement onset in contralateral M1 increases as the competition is biased in favor of a specific button press relative to activity in ipsilateral M1. Second, motor regions were more tightly coupled with fronto-parietal regions when competition between potential actions was high, again suggesting that motor regions are also part of the biased competition network. Our findings support the idea that action planning dynamics as proposed in the ACH are valid both in human and non-human primates.

Biological neural networks as model systems for designing future parallel processing computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, Muriel D.

1991-01-01

One of the more interesting debates of the present day centers on whether human intelligence can be simulated by computer. The author works under the premise that neurons individually are not smart at all. Rather, they are physical units which are impinged upon continuously by other matter that influences the direction of voltage shifts across the units membranes. It is only the action of a great many neurons, billions in the case of the human nervous system, that intelligent behavior emerges. What is required to understand even the simplest neural system is painstaking analysis, bit by bit, of the architecture and the physiological functioning of its various parts. The biological neural network studied, the vestibular utricular and saccular maculas of the inner ear, are among the most simple of the mammalian neural networks to understand and model. While there is still a long way to go to understand even this most simple neural network in sufficient detail for extrapolation to computers and robots, a start was made. Moreover, the insights obtained and the technologies developed help advance the understanding of the more complex neural networks that underlie human intelligence.

Speech-associated gestures, Broca’s area, and the human mirror system

PubMed Central

Skipper, Jeremy I.; Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Nusbaum, Howard C.; Small, Steven L

2009-01-01

Speech-associated gestures are hand and arm movements that not only convey semantic information to listeners but are themselves actions. Broca’s area has been assumed to play an important role both in semantic retrieval or selection (as part of a language comprehension system) and in action recognition (as part of a “mirror” or “observation–execution matching” system). We asked whether the role that Broca’s area plays in processing speech-associated gestures is consistent with the semantic retrieval/selection account (predicting relatively weak interactions between Broca’s area and other cortical areas because the meaningful information that speech-associated gestures convey reduces semantic ambiguity and thus reduces the need for semantic retrieval/selection) or the action recognition account (predicting strong interactions between Broca’s area and other cortical areas because speech-associated gestures are goal-direct actions that are “mirrored”). We compared the functional connectivity of Broca’s area with other cortical areas when participants listened to stories while watching meaningful speech-associated gestures, speech-irrelevant self-grooming hand movements, or no hand movements. A network analysis of neuroimaging data showed that interactions involving Broca’s area and other cortical areas were weakest when spoken language was accompanied by meaningful speech-associated gestures, and strongest when spoken language was accompanied by self-grooming hand movements or by no hand movements at all. Results are discussed with respect to the role that the human mirror system plays in processing speech-associated movements. PMID:17533001

Network-based Approaches in Pharmacology.

PubMed

Boezio, Baptiste; Audouze, Karine; Ducrot, Pierre; Taboureau, Olivier

2017-10-01

In drug discovery, network-based approaches are expected to spotlight our understanding of drug action across multiple layers of information. On one hand, network pharmacology considers the drug response in the context of a cellular or phenotypic network. On the other hand, a chemical-based network is a promising alternative for characterizing the chemical space. Both can provide complementary support for the development of rational drug design and better knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the multiple actions of drugs. Recent progress in both concepts is discussed here. In addition, a network-based approach using drug-target-therapy data is introduced as an example. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Functional Organization of the Action Observation Network in Autism: A Graph Theory Approach

PubMed Central

Alaerts, Kaat; Geerlings, Franca; Herremans, Lynn; Swinnen, Stephan P.; Verhoeven, Judith; Sunaert, Stefan; Wenderoth, Nicole

2015-01-01

Background The ability to recognize, understand and interpret other’s actions and emotions has been linked to the mirror system or action-observation-network (AON). Although variations in these abilities are prevalent in the neuro-typical population, persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have deficits in the social domain and exhibit alterations in this neural network. Method Here, we examined functional network properties of the AON using graph theory measures and region-to-region functional connectivity analyses of resting-state fMRI-data from adolescents and young adults with ASD and typical controls (TC). Results Overall, our graph theory analyses provided convergent evidence that the network integrity of the AON is altered in ASD, and that reductions in network efficiency relate to reductions in overall network density (i.e., decreased overall connection strength). Compared to TC, individuals with ASD showed significant reductions in network efficiency and increased shortest path lengths and centrality. Importantly, when adjusting for overall differences in network density between ASD and TC groups, participants with ASD continued to display reductions in network integrity, suggesting that also network-level organizational properties of the AON are altered in ASD. Conclusion While differences in empirical connectivity contributed to reductions in network integrity, graph theoretical analyses provided indications that also changes in the high-level network organization reduced integrity of the AON. PMID:26317222

Expressing our internal states and understanding those of others.

PubMed

Di Cesare, Giuseppe; Di Dio, Cinzia; Marchi, Massimo; Rizzolatti, Giacomo

2015-08-18

Vitality form is a term that describes the style with which motor actions are performed (e.g., rude, gentle, etc.). They represent one characterizing element of conscious and unconscious bodily communication. Despite their importance in interpersonal behavior, vitality forms have been, until now, virtually neglected in neuroscience. Here, using the functional MRI (fMRI) technique, we investigated the neural correlates of vitality forms in three different tasks: action observation, imagination, and execution. Conjunction analysis showed that, in all three tasks, there is a common, consistent activation of the dorsocentral sector of the insula. In addition, a common activation of the parietofrontal network, typically active during arm movements production, planning, and observation, was also found. We conclude that the dorsocentral part of the insula is a key element of the system that modulates the cortical motor activity, allowing individuals to express their internal states through action vitality forms. Recent monkey anatomical data show that the dorsocentral sector of the insula is, indeed, connected with the cortical circuit involved in the control of arm movements.

[Thyroid hormone metabolism and action].

PubMed

Köhrle, Josef

2004-05-01

Reductive deiodination of thyroid hormones at the phenolic and tyrosyl ring leads to the activation or inactivation of the thyromimetic activity inherent to thyroid hormones. Alterations in the activities of the three selenocysteine-containing enzymes, the iodothyronine deiodinases, have been reported during development and in specific cells and tissues of the adult organism. Furthermore, pathophysiological changes in the deiodinase expression lead to therapeutically relevant disturbances of the homeostasis of thyroid hormones. Metabolisation of thyroid hormones by conjugation of their phenolic 4'-OH group, their alanine side chain or cleavage of their diphenylether bridge also contributes to both local and systemic supply of thyromimetic activity or hormone degradation. Further components mediating the pleiotropic action of thyroid hormones in part include redundant T3 receptors, binding and transport proteins, metabolising enzymes and T3-regulated gene products. This is achieved in a finely tuned manner with multiple feedback control, malfunction or complete failure of individual components and networks involved in the iodothyronine metabolism and thyroid hormone action can thus be compensated or prevented.

SAN-RL: combining spreading activation networks and reinforcement learning to learn configurable behaviors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, J.; Gaines, D. M.; Wilkes, M.; Kusumalnukool, K.; Thongchai, S.; Kawamura, K.

2001-01-01

This approach provides the agent with a causal structure, the spreading activation network, relating goals to the actions that can achieve those goals. This enables the agent to select actions relative to the goal priorities.

Lessons Learnt from Applying Action Research to Support Strategy Formation Processes in Long-Term Care Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cramer, Hendrik; Dewulf, Geert; Voordijk, Hans

2015-01-01

This study demonstrates how action research (AR) that is aimed at scaling-up experiments can be applied to support a strategy formation process (SFP) in a subsidized long-term care network. Previous research has developed numerous AR frameworks to support experiments in various domains, but has failed to explain how to apply AR and action learning…

Community organizing network for environmental health: using a community health development approach to increase community capacity around reduction of environmental triggers.

PubMed

Parker, Edith A; Chung, Lynna K; Israel, Barbara A; Reyes, Angela; Wilkins, Donele

2010-04-01

The Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health (CONEH), a project of Community Action Against Asthma, used a community health development approach to improve children's asthma-related health through increasing the community's capacity to reduce physical and social environmental triggers for asthma. Three community organizers were hired to work with community groups and residents in neighborhoods in Detroit on the priority areas of air quality, housing, and citizen involvement in the environmental project and policy decision-making. As part of the evaluation of the CONEH project, 20 one-on-one semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted between August and November 2005 involving steering committee members, staff members, and key community organization staff and/or community members. Using data from the evaluation of the CONEH project, this article identifies the dimensions of community capacity that were enhanced as part of a CBPR community health development approach to reducing physical and social environmental triggers associated with childhood asthma and the factors that facilitated or inhibited the enhancement of community capacity.

Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health: Using a Community Health Development Approach to Increase Community Capacity around Reduction of Environmental Triggers

PubMed Central

Chung, Lynna K.; Israel, Barbara A.; Reyes, Angela; Wilkins, Donele

2010-01-01

The Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health (CONEH), a project of Community Action Against Asthma, used a community health development approach to improve children’s asthma-related health through increasing the community’s capacity to reduce physical and social environmental triggers for asthma. Three community organizers were hired to work with community groups and residents in neighborhoods in Detroit on the priority areas of air quality, housing, and citizen involvement in the environmental project and policy decision-making. As part of the evaluation of the CONEH project, 20 one-on-one semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted between August and November 2005 involving steering committee members, staff members, and key community organization staff and/or community members. Using data from the evaluation of the CONEH project, this article identifies the dimensions of community capacity that were enhanced as part of a CBPR community health development approach to reducing physical and social environmental triggers associated with childhood asthma and the factors that facilitated or inhibited the enhancement of community capacity. PMID:20306137

Extending the Cortical Grasping Network: Pre-supplementary Motor Neuron Activity During Vision and Grasping of Objects

PubMed Central

Lanzilotto, Marco; Livi, Alessandro; Maranesi, Monica; Gerbella, Marzio; Barz, Falk; Ruther, Patrick; Fogassi, Leonardo; Rizzolatti, Giacomo; Bonini, Luca

2016-01-01

Grasping relies on a network of parieto-frontal areas lying on the dorsolateral and dorsomedial parts of the hemispheres. However, the initiation and sequencing of voluntary actions also requires the contribution of mesial premotor regions, particularly the pre-supplementary motor area F6. We recorded 233 F6 neurons from 2 monkeys with chronic linear multishank neural probes during reaching–grasping visuomotor tasks. We showed that F6 neurons play a role in the control of forelimb movements and some of them (26%) exhibit visual and/or motor specificity for the target object. Interestingly, area F6 neurons form 2 functionally distinct populations, showing either visually-triggered or movement-related bursts of activity, in contrast to the sustained visual-to-motor activity displayed by ventral premotor area F5 neurons recorded in the same animals and with the same task during previous studies. These findings suggest that F6 plays a role in object grasping and extend existing models of the cortical grasping network. PMID:27733538

[Advances in Acupuncture Mechanism Research on the Changes of Synaptic Plasticity: "Pain Memory" for Chronic Pain].

PubMed

Yang, Yi-Ling; Huang, Jian-Peng; Jiang, Li; Liu, Jian-Hua

2017-12-25

Previous studies have shown that there are many common structures between the neural network of pain and memory, and the main structure in the pain network is also part of the memory network. Chronic pain is characterized by recurrent attacks and is associated with persistent ectopic impulse, which causes changes in synaptic structure and function based on nerve activity. These changes may induce long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission, and ultimately lead to changes in the central nervous system to produce "pain memory". Acupuncture is an effective method in treating chronic pain. It has been proven that acupuncture can affect the spinal cord dorsal horn, hippocampus, cingulate gyrus and other related areas. The possible mechanisms of action include opioid-induced analgesia, activation of glial cells, and the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In this study, we systematically review the brain structures, stage of "pain memory" and the mechanisms of acupuncture on synaptic plasticity in chronic pain.

Organization of Circadian Behavior Relies on Glycinergic Transmission.

PubMed

Frenkel, Lia; Muraro, Nara I; Beltrán González, Andrea N; Marcora, María S; Bernabó, Guillermo; Hermann-Luibl, Christiane; Romero, Juan I; Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte; Castaño, Eduardo M; Marino-Busjle, Cristina; Calvo, Daniel J; Ceriani, M Fernanda

2017-04-04

The small ventral lateral neurons (sLNvs) constitute a central circadian pacemaker in the Drosophila brain. They organize daily locomotor activity, partly through the release of the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF), coordinating the action of the remaining clusters required for network synchronization. Despite extensive efforts, the basic principles underlying communication among circadian clusters remain obscure. We identified classical neurotransmitters released by sLNvs through disruption of specific transporters. Adult-specific RNAi-mediated downregulation of the glycine transporter or impairment of glycine synthesis in LNv neurons increased period length by nearly an hour without affecting rhythmicity of locomotor activity. Electrophysiological recordings showed that glycine reduces spiking frequency in circadian neurons. Interestingly, downregulation of glycine receptor subunits in specific sLNv targets impaired rhythmicity, revealing involvement of glycine in information processing within the network. These data identify glycinergic inhibition of specific targets as a cue that contributes to the synchronization of the circadian network. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Soft real-time alarm messages for ATLAS TDAQ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darlea, G.; Al Shabibi, A.; Martin, B.; Lehmann Miotto, G.

2010-05-01

The ATLAS TDAQ network consists of three separate Ethernet-based networks (Data, Control and Management) with over 2000 end-nodes. The TDAQ system has to be aware of the meaningful network failures and events in order for it to take effective recovery actions. The first stage of the process is implemented with Spectrum, a commercial network management tool. Spectrum detects and registers all network events, then it publishes the information via a CORBA programming interface. A gateway program (called NSG—Network Service Gateway) connects to Spectrum through CORBA and exposes to its clients a Java RMI interface. This interface implements a callback mechanism that allows the clients to subscribe for monitoring "interesting" parts of the network. The last stage of the TDAQ network monitoring tool is implemented in a module named DNC (DAQ to Network Connection), which filters the events that are to be reported to the TDAQ system: it subscribes to the gateway only for the machines that are currently active in the system and it forwards only the alarms that are considered important for the current TDAQ data taking session. The network information is then synthesized and presented in a human-readable format. These messages can be further processed either by the shifter who is in charge, the network expert or the Online Expert System. This article aims to describe the different mechanisms of the chain that transports the network events to the front-end user, as well as the constraints and rules that govern the filtering and the final format of the alarm messages.

Collective decision dynamics in the presence of external drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassett, Danielle S.; Alderson, David L.; Carlson, Jean M.

2012-09-01

We develop a sequence of models describing information transmission and decision dynamics for a network of individual agents subject to multiple sources of influence. Our general framework is set in the context of an impending natural disaster, where individuals, represented by nodes on the network, must decide whether or not to evacuate. Sources of influence include a one-to-many externally driven global broadcast as well as pairwise interactions, across links in the network, in which agents transmit either continuous opinions or binary actions. We consider both uniform and variable threshold rules on the individual opinion as baseline models for decision making. Our results indicate that (1) social networks lead to clustering and cohesive action among individuals, (2) binary information introduces high temporal variability and stagnation, and (3) information transmission over the network can either facilitate or hinder action adoption, depending on the influence of the global broadcast relative to the social network. Our framework highlights the essential role of local interactions between agents in predicting collective behavior of the population as a whole.

Acting discursively: the development of UK organic food and farming policy networks.

PubMed

TOMLINSON, Isobel Jane

2010-01-01

This paper documents the early evolution of UK organic food and farming policy networks and locates this empirical focus in a theoretical context concerned with understanding the contemporary policy-making process. While policy networks have emerged as a widely acknowledged empirical manifestation of governance, debate continues as to the concept's explanatory utility and usefulness in situations of network and policy transformation since, historically, policy networks have been applied to "static" circumstances. Recognizing this criticism, and in drawing on an interpretivist perspective, this paper sees policy networks as enacted by individual actors whose beliefs and actions construct the nature of the network. It seeks to make links between the characteristics of the policy network and the policy outcomes through the identification of discursively constructed "storylines" that form a tool for consensus building in networks. This study analyses the functioning of the organic policy networks through the discursive actions of policy-network actors.

The left inferior parietal lobe represents stored hand-postures for object use and action prediction

PubMed Central

van Elk, Michiel

2014-01-01

Action semantics enables us to plan actions with objects and to predict others' object-directed actions as well. Previous studies have suggested that action semantics are represented in a fronto-parietal action network that has also been implicated to play a role in action observation. In the present fMRI study it was investigated how activity within this network changes as a function of the predictability of an action involving multiple objects and requiring the use of action semantics. Participants performed an action prediction task in which they were required to anticipate the use of a centrally presented object that could be moved to an associated target object (e.g., hammer—nail). The availability of actor information (i.e., presenting a hand grasping the central object) and the number of possible target objects (i.e., 0, 1, or 2 target objects) were independently manipulated, resulting in different levels of predictability. It was found that making an action prediction based on actor information resulted in an increased activation in the extrastriate body area (EBA) and the fronto-parietal action observation network (AON). Predicting actions involving a target object resulted in increased activation in the bilateral IPL and frontal motor areas. Within the AON, activity in the left inferior parietal lobe (IPL) and the left premotor cortex (PMC) increased as a function of the level of action predictability. Together these findings suggest that the left IPL represents stored hand-postures that can be used for planning object-directed actions and for predicting other's actions as well. PMID:24795681

Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PA-ARN) Staff Development through Five Regional Staff Development Centers. Final Report. July 1997-June 1998.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Univ., McKeesport.

The Pennsylvania Action Research Network project was initiated in 1995-1996 to provide Pennsylvania literacy educators with the following: a better method for taking published research findings and testing and adapting them in their own classrooms; a way to study their own research ideas on a daily-action basis; and a systematic way to share and…

A Network Pharmacology Approach to Determine Active Compounds and Action Mechanisms of Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian Decoction for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Li, Huiying; Zhao, Linhua; Zhang, Bo; Jiang, Yuyu; Wang, Xu; Guo, Yun; Liu, Hongxing; Li, Shao; Tong, Xiaolin

2014-01-01

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbal formulae can be valuable therapeutic strategies and drug discovery resources. However, the active ingredients and action mechanisms of most TCM formulae remain unclear. Therefore, the identification of potent ingredients and their actions is a major challenge in TCM research. In this study, we used a network pharmacology approach we previously developed to help determine the potential antidiabetic ingredients from the traditional Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian decoction (GGQLD) formula. We predicted the target profiles of all available GGQLD ingredients to infer the active ingredients by clustering the target profile of ingredients with FDA-approved antidiabetic drugs. We also applied network target analysis to evaluate the links between herbal ingredients and pharmacological actions to help explain the action mechanisms of GGQLD. According to the predicted results, we confirmed that a novel antidiabetic ingredient from Puerariae Lobatae radix (Ge-Gen), 4-Hydroxymephenytoin, increased the insulin secretion in RIN-5F cells and improved insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The network pharmacology strategy used here provided a powerful means for identifying bioactive ingredients and mechanisms of action for TCM herbal formulae, including Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian decoction. PMID:24527048

Networked Community Change: Understanding Community Systems Change through the Lens of Social Network Analysis.

PubMed

Lawlor, Jennifer A; Neal, Zachary P

2016-06-01

Addressing complex problems in communities has become a key area of focus in recent years (Kania & Kramer, 2013, Stanford Social Innovation Review). Building on existing approaches to understanding and addressing problems, such as action research, several new approaches have emerged that shift the way communities solve problems (e.g., Burns, 2007, Systemic Action Research; Foth, 2006, Action Research, 4, 205; Kania & Kramer, 2011, Stanford Social Innovation Review, 1, 36). Seeking to bring clarity to the emerging literature on community change strategies, this article identifies the common features of the most widespread community change strategies and explores the conditions under which such strategies have the potential to be effective. We identify and describe five common features among the approaches to change. Then, using an agent-based model, we simulate network-building behavior among stakeholders participating in community change efforts using these approaches. We find that the emergent stakeholder networks are efficient when the processes are implemented under ideal conditions. © Society for Community Research and Action 2016.

A single network adaptive critic (SNAC) architecture for optimal control synthesis for a class of nonlinear systems.

PubMed

Padhi, Radhakant; Unnikrishnan, Nishant; Wang, Xiaohua; Balakrishnan, S N

2006-12-01

Even though dynamic programming offers an optimal control solution in a state feedback form, the method is overwhelmed by computational and storage requirements. Approximate dynamic programming implemented with an Adaptive Critic (AC) neural network structure has evolved as a powerful alternative technique that obviates the need for excessive computations and storage requirements in solving optimal control problems. In this paper, an improvement to the AC architecture, called the "Single Network Adaptive Critic (SNAC)" is presented. This approach is applicable to a wide class of nonlinear systems where the optimal control (stationary) equation can be explicitly expressed in terms of the state and costate variables. The selection of this terminology is guided by the fact that it eliminates the use of one neural network (namely the action network) that is part of a typical dual network AC setup. As a consequence, the SNAC architecture offers three potential advantages: a simpler architecture, lesser computational load and elimination of the approximation error associated with the eliminated network. In order to demonstrate these benefits and the control synthesis technique using SNAC, two problems have been solved with the AC and SNAC approaches and their computational performances are compared. One of these problems is a real-life Micro-Electro-Mechanical-system (MEMS) problem, which demonstrates that the SNAC technique is applicable to complex engineering systems.

‘Slow’ Revitalization on Regional Scale, the Example of an Integrated Investment Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazur-Belzyt, Katarzyna

2017-10-01

The study arose from question about the future of towns, as well as the possibility of their development. The paper is an attempt to look at the direction in which many towns around the world aim, connecting to a networks, and especially the network of Cittaslow. The author asked a few questions - whether the Cittaslow network actually helps towns to use their inner potential, build their brand and improve the quality of residents’ lifes? The starting point for the case study method adopted in the paper is a discussion of examples of urban networks as a background for a wider Cittaslow characteristic. For this purpose, there was conducted literature and in situ research on the Cittaslow towns, the query of documents related to Polish Cittaslow, own photographic documentation was collected and a series of talks were carried out in different offices and municipalities. The database constructed in this way, allowed the analysis and conclusions. An important part of the research was the synthesis of information on the integrated project which has been taken in 14 Polish Slow Cities. “The Cross-Local Programme of Revitalization of Cittaslow Town Network in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship” is a unique action on the scale of the entire international Cittaslow network. Each of the participating towns tried to exploit through revitalization its own unique potential for real growth and improve the quality of life of its residents. Through the joint action, even the smallest town could more easily obtain significant funding. The involvement of regional government and understanding of the idea was also crucial. Cittaslow network, although not perfect, may in the long term strengthen linkages and exchange of experience between the slow towns and not lead to their unification. Furthermore, as shown by the example of Polish “The Cross-Local Programme of Revitalization of Cittaslow Town Network in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship”, belonging to the Cittaslow network could help to raise funds for the implementation of a comprehensive revitalization, as well as to integrate revitalization projects in the whole region. Joint venture naturally consolidated these slow towns in the Warmia-Mazury region and facilitated to operate efficiently in the network, as well as to undertake other common "hard" measures. As a result, obtained effect of revitalization is likely to be a more coherent and holistic.

Fronto-parietal coding of goal-directed actions performed by artificial agents.

PubMed

Kupferberg, Aleksandra; Iacoboni, Marco; Flanagin, Virginia; Huber, Markus; Kasparbauer, Anna; Baumgartner, Thomas; Hasler, Gregor; Schmidt, Florian; Borst, Christoph; Glasauer, Stefan

2018-03-01

With advances in technology, artificial agents such as humanoid robots will soon become a part of our daily lives. For safe and intuitive collaboration, it is important to understand the goals behind their motor actions. In humans, this process is mediated by changes in activity in fronto-parietal brain areas. The extent to which these areas are activated when observing artificial agents indicates the naturalness and easiness of interaction. Previous studies indicated that fronto-parietal activity does not depend on whether the agent is human or artificial. However, it is unknown whether this activity is modulated by observing grasping (self-related action) and pointing actions (other-related action) performed by an artificial agent depending on the action goal. Therefore, we designed an experiment in which subjects observed human and artificial agents perform pointing and grasping actions aimed at two different object categories suggesting different goals. We found a signal increase in the bilateral inferior parietal lobule and the premotor cortex when tool versus food items were pointed to or grasped by both agents, probably reflecting the association of hand actions with the functional use of tools. Our results show that goal attribution engages the fronto-parietal network not only for observing a human but also a robotic agent for both self-related and social actions. The debriefing after the experiment has shown that actions of human-like artificial agents can be perceived as being goal-directed. Therefore, humans will be able to interact with service robots intuitively in various domains such as education, healthcare, public service, and entertainment. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The "vegetarian brain": chatting with monkeys and pigs?

PubMed

Filippi, Massimo; Riccitelli, Gianna; Meani, Alessandro; Falini, Andrea; Comi, Giancarlo; Rocca, Maria A

2013-09-01

An array of brain regions in the fronto-parietal and temporal lobes cooperates to process observation and execution of actions performed by other individuals. Using functional MRI, we hypothesized that vegetarians and vegans might show brain responses to mouth actions performed by humans, monkeys, and pigs different from omnivores. We scanned 20 omnivores, 19 vegetarians, and 21 vegans while watching a series of silent videos, which presented a single mouth action performed by a human, a monkey, and a pig. Compared to omnivores, vegetarians and vegans have increased functional connectivity between regions of the fronto-parietal and temporal lobes versus the cerebellum during observation of mouth actions performed by humans and, to the same degree, animals. Vegans also had increased connectivity with the supplementary motor area. During human mouth actions, increased amygdala activity in vegetarians and vegans was found. More critically, vegetarians recruited the right middle frontal gyrus and insula, which are involved in social mirroring, whereas vegans activated the left inferior frontal gyrus and middle temporal gyrus, which are part of the mirror neuron system. Monkey mouth actions triggered language network activity in both groups, which might be due to the attempt to decode monkey mouth gesture, with an additional recruitment of associative temporo-occipital areas in vegans, whereas pig mouth actions activated empathy-related regions, including the anterior cingulum. These results support the role of the action observation-execution matching system in social cognition, which enables us to interact not only with our conspecifics but also with species in phylogenetic proximity to humans.

77 FR 7214 - Notice of Availability: Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Mail Processing Network...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-10

... Network Rationalization Initiative (Formerly Known as the ``Network Optimization'' Initiative), Nationwide... Processing Network Rationalization Initiative (the ``Proposed Action''), which is national in scope. This PEA... Network Rationalization Initiative to create a more streamlined processing and distribution network using...

Primary care research--a blueprint for action for Singapore.

PubMed

Chuan, T N; Gan, G L

2001-01-01

Primary care research, hitherto overshadowed by research in the tertiary institutions, lacks impetus due to image, limitations of resources and poor infrastructure. This article looks into the current state of research development and the barriers. These hurdles can be overcome by a paradigm shift through the initiation of regular research meetings, training, infrastructure support and a collaborative research network to optimize time and resources. This will open the door to a wide field of primary care research, from basic, clinical research to health service and health system analysis and evaluation. Family physicians can tap on this opportunity to sharpen their critical appraisal skills through research, which can form an integral part of their continuous professional development. A network of pro-research family physicians will foster a vibrant research culture and pave the way to a renaissance of primary care research.

Cervical cancer: a qualitative study on subjectivity, family, gender and health services

PubMed Central

Pelcastre-Villafuerte, Blanca E; Tirado-Gómez, Laura L; Mohar-Betancourt, Alejandro; López-Cervantes, Malaquías

2007-01-01

Background In 2002, cervical cancer was one of the leading causes of death in Mexico. Quantitative techniques allowed for the identification of socioeconomic, behavioral and biological characteristics that are part of its etiology. However such characteristics, are inadequate to explain sufficiently the role that emotions, family networks and socially-constructed categories such as gender play in the demand and utilization of health services for cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment and neither the timely undertaking of preventive actions, such as getting a PAP smear or seeking adequate and continuons treatment. Methods A qualitative study was carried out to analyze the role of different social and cultural factors in the timely detection of cervical cancer. As part of a multi-level, multi-method research effort, this particular study was based on individual interviews with women diagnosed with cervical cancer (identified as the "cases"), their female friends and relatives (identified as the "controls") and the cases' husbands. Results The results showed that both: denial and fear are two important components that regulate the behavior of both the women and their partners. Women with a small support network may have limited opportunities for taking action in favor of their own health and wellbeing. Conclusion Women tend not to worry about their health, in general and neither about cervical cancer in particular, as a consequence of their conceptualizations regarding their body and feminine identify – both of which are socially determined. Furthermore, it is necessary to improve the quality of information provided in health services. PMID:17331256

Action Research Monographs. Complete Set. Pennsylvania Action Research Network, 1998-99. A Section 353 Project of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education. A Learning from Practice Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Univ., McKeesport.

This publication consists of the complete set of 23 monographs developed by the Pennsylvania Action Research Network to supplement the 67 monographs produced over the past 3 years. The specific audience are literacy, General Educational Development (GED), and English-as-a Second Language (ESL) practitioners. The titles are: "Use of…

Rank-order-selective neurons form a temporal basis set for the generation of motor sequences.

PubMed

Salinas, Emilio

2009-04-08

Many behaviors are composed of a series of elementary motor actions that must occur in a specific order, but the neuronal mechanisms by which such motor sequences are generated are poorly understood. In particular, if a sequence consists of a few motor actions, a primate can learn to replicate it from memory after practicing it for just a few trials. How do the motor and premotor areas of the brain assemble motor sequences so fast? The network model presented here reveals part of the solution to this problem. The model is based on experiments showing that, during the performance of motor sequences, some cortical neurons are always activated at specific times, regardless of which motor action is being executed. In the model, a population of such rank-order-selective (ROS) cells drives a layer of downstream motor neurons so that these generate specific movements at different times in different sequences. A key ingredient of the model is that the amplitude of the ROS responses must be modulated by sequence identity. Because of this modulation, which is consistent with experimental reports, the network is able not only to produce multiple sequences accurately but also to learn a new sequence with minimal changes in connectivity. The ROS neurons modulated by sequence identity thus serve as a basis set for constructing arbitrary sequences of motor responses downstream. The underlying mechanism is analogous to the mechanism described in parietal areas for generating coordinate transformations in the spatial domain.

RANK-ORDER-SELECTIVE NEURONS FORM A TEMPORAL BASIS SET FOR THE GENERATION OF MOTOR SEQUENCES

PubMed Central

Salinas, Emilio

2009-01-01

Many behaviors are composed of a series of elementary motor actions that must occur in a specific order, but the neuronal mechanisms by which such motor sequences are generated are poorly understood. In particular, if a sequence consists of a few motor actions, a primate can learn to replicate it from memory after practicing it for just a few trials. How do the motor and premotor areas of the brain assemble motor sequences so fast? The network model presented here reveals part of the solution to this problem. The model is based on experiments showing that, during the performance of motor sequences, some cortical neurons are always activated at specific times, regardless of which motor action is being executed. In the model, a population of such rank-order-selective (ROS) cells drives a layer of downstream motor neurons so that these generate specific movements at different times in different sequences. A key ingredient of the model is that the amplitude of the ROS responses must be modulated by sequence identity. Because of this modulation, which is consistent with experimental reports, the network is able not only to produce multiple sequences accurately but also to learn a new sequence with minimal changes in connectivity. The ROS neurons modulated by sequence identity thus serve as a basis set for constructing arbitrary sequences of motor responses downstream. The underlying mechanism is analogous to the mechanism described in parietal areas for generating coordinate transformations in the spatial domain. PMID:19357265

Action Prediction in Younger versus Older Adults: Neural Correlates of Motor Familiarity

PubMed Central

Diersch, Nadine; Mueller, Karsten; Cross, Emily S.; Stadler, Waltraud; Rieger, Martina; Schütz-Bosbach, Simone

2013-01-01

Generating predictions during action observation is essential for efficient navigation through our social environment. With age, the sensitivity in action prediction declines. In younger adults, the action observation network (AON), consisting of premotor, parietal and occipitotemporal cortices, has been implicated in transforming executed and observed actions into a common code. Much less is known about age-related changes in the neural representation of observed actions. Using fMRI, the present study measured brain activity in younger and older adults during the prediction of temporarily occluded actions (figure skating elements and simple movement exercises). All participants were highly familiar with the movement exercises whereas only some participants were experienced figure skaters. With respect to the AON, the results confirm that this network was preferentially engaged for the more familiar movement exercises. Compared to younger adults, older adults recruited visual regions to perform the task and, additionally, the hippocampus and caudate when the observed actions were familiar to them. Thus, instead of effectively exploiting the sensorimotor matching properties of the AON, older adults seemed to rely predominantly on the visual dynamics of the observed actions to perform the task. Our data further suggest that the caudate played an important role during the prediction of the less familiar figure skating elements in better-performing groups. Together, these findings show that action prediction engages a distributed network in the brain, which is modulated by the content of the observed actions and the age and experience of the observer. PMID:23704980

Action prediction in younger versus older adults: neural correlates of motor familiarity.

PubMed

Diersch, Nadine; Mueller, Karsten; Cross, Emily S; Stadler, Waltraud; Rieger, Martina; Schütz-Bosbach, Simone

2013-01-01

Generating predictions during action observation is essential for efficient navigation through our social environment. With age, the sensitivity in action prediction declines. In younger adults, the action observation network (AON), consisting of premotor, parietal and occipitotemporal cortices, has been implicated in transforming executed and observed actions into a common code. Much less is known about age-related changes in the neural representation of observed actions. Using fMRI, the present study measured brain activity in younger and older adults during the prediction of temporarily occluded actions (figure skating elements and simple movement exercises). All participants were highly familiar with the movement exercises whereas only some participants were experienced figure skaters. With respect to the AON, the results confirm that this network was preferentially engaged for the more familiar movement exercises. Compared to younger adults, older adults recruited visual regions to perform the task and, additionally, the hippocampus and caudate when the observed actions were familiar to them. Thus, instead of effectively exploiting the sensorimotor matching properties of the AON, older adults seemed to rely predominantly on the visual dynamics of the observed actions to perform the task. Our data further suggest that the caudate played an important role during the prediction of the less familiar figure skating elements in better-performing groups. Together, these findings show that action prediction engages a distributed network in the brain, which is modulated by the content of the observed actions and the age and experience of the observer.

YoTube: Searching Action Proposal Via Recurrent and Static Regression Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Hongyuan; Vial, Romain; Lu, Shijian; Peng, Xi; Fu, Huazhu; Tian, Yonghong; Cao, Xianbin

2018-06-01

In this paper, we present YoTube-a novel network fusion framework for searching action proposals in untrimmed videos, where each action proposal corresponds to a spatialtemporal video tube that potentially locates one human action. Our method consists of a recurrent YoTube detector and a static YoTube detector, where the recurrent YoTube explores the regression capability of RNN for candidate bounding boxes predictions using learnt temporal dynamics and the static YoTube produces the bounding boxes using rich appearance cues in a single frame. Both networks are trained using rgb and optical flow in order to fully exploit the rich appearance, motion and temporal context, and their outputs are fused to produce accurate and robust proposal boxes. Action proposals are finally constructed by linking these boxes using dynamic programming with a novel trimming method to handle the untrimmed video effectively and efficiently. Extensive experiments on the challenging UCF-101 and UCF-Sports datasets show that our proposed technique obtains superior performance compared with the state-of-the-art.

Lifelong learning of human actions with deep neural network self-organization.

PubMed

Parisi, German I; Tani, Jun; Weber, Cornelius; Wermter, Stefan

2017-12-01

Lifelong learning is fundamental in autonomous robotics for the acquisition and fine-tuning of knowledge through experience. However, conventional deep neural models for action recognition from videos do not account for lifelong learning but rather learn a batch of training data with a predefined number of action classes and samples. Thus, there is the need to develop learning systems with the ability to incrementally process available perceptual cues and to adapt their responses over time. We propose a self-organizing neural architecture for incrementally learning to classify human actions from video sequences. The architecture comprises growing self-organizing networks equipped with recurrent neurons for processing time-varying patterns. We use a set of hierarchically arranged recurrent networks for the unsupervised learning of action representations with increasingly large spatiotemporal receptive fields. Lifelong learning is achieved in terms of prediction-driven neural dynamics in which the growth and the adaptation of the recurrent networks are driven by their capability to reconstruct temporally ordered input sequences. Experimental results on a classification task using two action benchmark datasets show that our model is competitive with state-of-the-art methods for batch learning also when a significant number of sample labels are missing or corrupted during training sessions. Additional experiments show the ability of our model to adapt to non-stationary input avoiding catastrophic interference. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Network adaptation improves temporal representation of naturalistic stimuli in Drosophila eye: II mechanisms.

PubMed

Nikolaev, Anton; Zheng, Lei; Wardill, Trevor J; O'Kane, Cahir J; de Polavieja, Gonzalo G; Juusola, Mikko

2009-01-01

Retinal networks must adapt constantly to best present the ever changing visual world to the brain. Here we test the hypothesis that adaptation is a result of different mechanisms at several synaptic connections within the network. In a companion paper (Part I), we showed that adaptation in the photoreceptors (R1-R6) and large monopolar cells (LMC) of the Drosophila eye improves sensitivity to under-represented signals in seconds by enhancing both the amplitude and frequency distribution of LMCs' voltage responses to repeated naturalistic contrast series. In this paper, we show that such adaptation needs both the light-mediated conductance and feedback-mediated synaptic conductance. A faulty feedforward pathway in histamine receptor mutant flies speeds up the LMC output, mimicking extreme light adaptation. A faulty feedback pathway from L2 LMCs to photoreceptors slows down the LMC output, mimicking dark adaptation. These results underline the importance of network adaptation for efficient coding, and as a mechanism for selectively regulating the size and speed of signals in neurons. We suggest that concert action of many different mechanisms and neural connections are responsible for adaptation to visual stimuli. Further, our results demonstrate the need for detailed circuit reconstructions like that of the Drosophila lamina, to understand how networks process information.

A Framework for Dynamic Constraint Reasoning Using Procedural Constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jonsson, Ari K.; Frank, Jeremy D.

1999-01-01

Many complex real-world decision and control problems contain an underlying constraint reasoning problem. This is particularly evident in a recently developed approach to planning, where almost all planning decisions are represented by constrained variables. This translates a significant part of the planning problem into a constraint network whose consistency determines the validity of the plan candidate. Since higher-level choices about control actions can add or remove variables and constraints, the underlying constraint network is invariably highly dynamic. Arbitrary domain-dependent constraints may be added to the constraint network and the constraint reasoning mechanism must be able to handle such constraints effectively. Additionally, real problems often require handling constraints over continuous variables. These requirements present a number of significant challenges for a constraint reasoning mechanism. In this paper, we introduce a general framework for handling dynamic constraint networks with real-valued variables, by using procedures to represent and effectively reason about general constraints. The framework is based on a sound theoretical foundation, and can be proven to be sound and complete under well-defined conditions. Furthermore, the framework provides hybrid reasoning capabilities, as alternative solution methods like mathematical programming can be incorporated into the framework, in the form of procedures.

Corps Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-26

accomplishes these actions by developing, recommending, and briefing the scheme of fires, including both lethal fires and nonlethal actions (electronic...Install and operate the corps information technology help desk. Provide voice, video teleconference, e-mail—Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router...Network (NIPRNET), SECRET Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNET), and other communication networks—assistance, and other help desk functions

Passive Responses Resembling Action Potentials: A Device for the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Ian A.; Pickard, Barbara G.

1975-01-01

Describes the construction and operation of a network of entirely passive electrical components that gives a response to an electrical shock similar to an action potential. The network of resistors, capacitors, and diodes was developed to produce responses that would mimic those observed, for example, when a dark-grown pea epicotyl is shocked…

Evaluating Action Learning: A Critical Realist Complex Network Theory Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgoyne, John G.

2010-01-01

This largely theoretical paper will argue the case for the usefulness of applying network and complex adaptive systems theory to an understanding of action learning and the challenge it is evaluating. This approach, it will be argued, is particularly helpful in the context of improving capability in dealing with wicked problems spread around…

Collaborative Leadership for State Systems Building: New Mexico's Early Childhood Action Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vermilya, Lois

2009-01-01

The Early Childhood Action Network (ECAN) provides an example of successful state systems building in New Mexico. The far-reaching scope of ECAN's coalition and accomplishments identifies promising collaborative leadership practices that have relevance for early childhood leaders in other states. The author describes the accomplishments of ECAN's…

Building Social Capital through Action Learning: An Insight into the Entrepreneur

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, David W.; Jones, Oswald; Boles, Kevin

2004-01-01

According to Woolcock, social capital can be defined as the "norms and networks facilitating collective action for mutual benefit". Furthermore, Gabbay and Leenders suggest that social capital offers some potential for integrating the proliferation of network research that has been developed over the last 30 years. Examines an innovatory…

Using Action Research to Investigate Social Networking Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worrall, Lisa; Harris, Katy

2013-01-01

This article outlines the first cycle of an Action Research (AR) investigation into why professional learners are not using the Social Networking Technologies (SNTs) of their bespoke website. It presents the rationale of how this study came about, the ontological and epistemological stance of the authors and how this led to the particular choice…

Separate neural systems support representations for actions and objects during narrative speech in post-stroke aphasia☆

PubMed Central

Gleichgerrcht, Ezequiel; Fridriksson, Julius; Rorden, Chris; Nesland, Travis; Desai, Rutvik; Bonilha, Leonardo

2015-01-01

Background Representations of objects and actions in everyday speech are usually materialized as nouns and verbs, two grammatical classes that constitute the core elements of language. Given their very distinct roles in singling out objects (nouns) or referring to transformative actions (verbs), they likely rely on distinct brain circuits. Method We tested this hypothesis by conducting network-based lesion-symptom mapping in 38 patients with chronic stroke to the left hemisphere. We reconstructed the individual brain connectomes from probabilistic tractography applied to magnetic resonance imaging and obtained measures of production of words referring to objects and actions from narrative discourse elicited by picture naming tasks. Results Words for actions were associated with a frontal network strongly engaging structures involved in motor control and programming. Words for objects, instead, were related to a posterior network spreading across the occipital, posterior inferior temporal, and parietal regions, likely related with visual processing and imagery, object recognition, and spatial attention/scanning. Thus, each of these networks engaged brain areas typically involved in cognitive and sensorimotor experiences equivalent to the function served by each grammatical class (e.g. motor areas for verbs, perception areas for nouns). Conclusions The finding that the two major grammatical classes in human speech rely on two dissociable networks has both important theoretical implications for the neurobiology of language and clinical implications for the assessment and potential rehabilitation and treatment of patients with chronic aphasia due to stroke. PMID:26759789

Risk management in technovigilance: construction and validation of a medical-hospital product evaluation instrument.

PubMed

Kuwabara, Cleuza Catsue Takeda; Evora, Yolanda Dora Martinez; de Oliveira, Márcio Mattos Borges

2010-01-01

With the continuous incorporation of health technologies, hospital risk management should be implemented to systemize the monitoring of adverse effects, performing actions to control and eliminate their damage. As part of these actions, Technovigilance is active in the procedures of acquisition, use and quality control of health products and equipment. This study aimed to construct and validate an instrument to evaluate medical-hospital products. This is a quantitative, exploratory, longitudinal and methodological development study, based on the Six Sigma quality management model, which has as its principle basis the component stages of the DMAIC Cycle. For data collection and content validation, the Delphi technique was used with professionals from the Brazilian Sentinel Hospital Network. It was concluded that the instrument developed permitted the evaluation of the product, differentiating between the results of the tested brands, in line with the initial study goal of qualifying the evaluations performed.

A discrete control model of PLANT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, C. M.

1985-01-01

A model of the PLANT system using the discrete control modeling techniques developed by Miller is described. Discrete control models attempt to represent in a mathematical form how a human operator might decompose a complex system into simpler parts and how the control actions and system configuration are coordinated so that acceptable overall system performance is achieved. Basic questions include knowledge representation, information flow, and decision making in complex systems. The structure of the model is a general hierarchical/heterarchical scheme which structurally accounts for coordination and dynamic focus of attention. Mathematically, the discrete control model is defined in terms of a network of finite state systems. Specifically, the discrete control model accounts for how specific control actions are selected from information about the controlled system, the environment, and the context of the situation. The objective is to provide a plausible and empirically testable accounting and, if possible, explanation of control behavior.

Discourse, ideas and power in global health policy networks: political attention for maternal and child health in the millennium development goal era.

PubMed

McDougall, Lori

2016-05-18

Maternal and child health issues have gained global political attention and resources in the past 10 years, due in part to their prominence on the Millennium Development Goal agenda and the use of evidence-based advocacy by policy networks. This paper identifies key factors for this achievement, and raises questions about prospective challenges for sustaining attention in the transition to the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, far broader in scope than the Millennium Development Goals. This paper relies on participant observation methods and document analysis to develop a case study of the behaviours of global maternal and child health advocacy networks during 2005-2015. The development of coordinated networks of heterogeneous actors facilitated the rise in attention to maternal and child health during the past 10 years. The strategic use of epidemiological and economic evidence by these networks enabled policy attention and promoted network cohesion. The time-bound opportunity of reaching the 2015 Millennium Development Goals created a window of opportunity for joint action. As the new post-2015 goals emerge, networks seek to sustain attention by repositioning their framing of issues, network structures, and external alliances, including with networks that lay both inside and outside of the health domain. Issues rise on global policy agendas because of how ideas are constructed, portrayed and positioned by actors within given contexts. Policy networks play a critical role by uniting stakeholders to promote persuasive ideas about policy problems and solutions. The behaviours of networks in issue-framing, member-alignment, and strategic outreach can force open windows of opportunity for political attention -- or prevent them from closing.

Neural bases of selective attention in action video game players.

PubMed

Bavelier, D; Achtman, R L; Mani, M; Föcker, J

2012-05-15

Over the past few years, the very act of playing action video games has been shown to enhance several different aspects of visual selective attention, yet little is known about the neural mechanisms that mediate such attentional benefits. A review of the aspects of attention enhanced in action game players suggests there are changes in the mechanisms that control attention allocation and its efficiency (Hubert-Wallander, Green, & Bavelier, 2010). The present study used brain imaging to test this hypothesis by comparing attentional network recruitment and distractor processing in action gamers versus non-gamers as attentional demands increased. Moving distractors were found to elicit lesser activation of the visual motion-sensitive area (MT/MST) in gamers as compared to non-gamers, suggestive of a better early filtering of irrelevant information in gamers. As expected, a fronto-parietal network of areas showed greater recruitment as attentional demands increased in non-gamers. In contrast, gamers barely engaged this network as attentional demands increased. This reduced activity in the fronto-parietal network that is hypothesized to control the flexible allocation of top-down attention is compatible with the proposal that action game players may allocate attentional resources more automatically, possibly allowing more efficient early filtering of irrelevant information. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The brain as a "hyper-network": the key role of neural networks as main producers of the integrated brain actions especially via the "broadcasted" neuroconnectomics.

PubMed

Agnati, Luigi F; Marcoli, Manuela; Maura, Guido; Woods, Amina; Guidolin, Diego

2018-06-01

Investigations of brain complex integrative actions should consider beside neural networks, glial, extracellular molecular, and fluid channels networks. The present paper proposes that all these networks are assembled into the brain hyper-network that has as fundamental components, the tetra-partite synapses, formed by neural, glial, and extracellular molecular networks. Furthermore, peri-synaptic astrocytic processes by modulating the perviousness of extracellular fluid channels control the signals impinging on the tetra-partite synapses. It has also been surmised that global signalling via astrocytes networks and highly pervasive signals, such as electromagnetic fields (EMFs), allow the appropriate integration of the various networks especially at crucial nodes level, the tetra-partite synapses. As a matter of fact, it has been shown that astrocytes can form gap-junction-coupled syncytia allowing intercellular communication characterised by a rapid and possibly long-distance transfer of signals. As far as the EMFs are concerned, the concept of broadcasted neuroconnectomics (BNC) has been introduced to describe highly pervasive signals involved in resetting the information handling of brain networks at various miniaturisation levels. In other words, BNC creates, thanks to the EMFs, generated especially by neurons, different assemblages among the various networks forming the brain hyper-network. Thus, it is surmised that neuronal networks are the "core components" of the brain hyper-network that has as special "nodes" the multi-facet tetra-partite synapses. Furthermore, it is suggested that investigations on the functional plasticity of multi-partite synapses in response to BNC can be the background for a new understanding and perhaps a new modelling of brain morpho-functional organisation and integrative actions.

Scotland's Knowledge Network: translating knowledge into action to improve quality of care.

PubMed

Wales, A; Graham, S; Rooney, K; Crawford, A

2012-11-01

The Knowledge Network (www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk) is Scotland's online knowledge service for health and social care. It is designed to support practitioners to apply knowledge in frontline delivery of care, helping to translate knowledge into better health-care outcomes through safe, effective, person-centred care. The Knowledge Network helps to combine the worlds of evidence-based practice and quality improvement by providing access to knowledge about the effectiveness of clinical interventions ('know-what') and knowledge about how to implement this knowledge to support individual patients in working health-care environments ('know-how'). An 'evidence and guidance' search enables clinicians to quickly access quality-assured evidence and best practice, while point of care and mobile solutions provide knowledge in actionable formats to embed in clinical workflow. This research-based knowledge is complemented by social networking services and improvement tools which support the capture and exchange of knowledge from experience, facilitating practice change and systems improvement. In these cases, the Knowledge Network supports key components of the knowledge-to-action cycle--acquiring, creating, sharing and disseminating knowledge to improve performance and innovate. It provides a vehicle for implementing the recommendations of the national Knowledge into Action review, which outlines a new national approach to embedding knowledge in frontline practice and systems improvement.

Multistationarity in mass action networks with applications to ERK activation.

PubMed

Conradi, Carsten; Flockerzi, Dietrich

2012-07-01

Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) are an important tool in many areas of Quantitative Biology. For many ODE systems multistationarity (i.e. the existence of at least two positive steady states) is a desired feature. In general establishing multistationarity is a difficult task as realistic biological models are large in terms of states and (unknown) parameters and in most cases poorly parameterized (because of noisy measurement data of few components, a very small number of data points and only a limited number of repetitions). For mass action networks establishing multistationarity hence is equivalent to establishing the existence of at least two positive solutions of a large polynomial system with unknown coefficients. For mass action networks with certain structural properties, expressed in terms of the stoichiometric matrix and the reaction rate-exponent matrix, we present necessary and sufficient conditions for multistationarity that take the form of linear inequality systems. Solutions of these inequality systems define pairs of steady states and parameter values. We also present a sufficient condition to identify networks where the aforementioned conditions hold. To show the applicability of our results we analyse an ODE system that is defined by the mass action network describing the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade (i.e. ERK-activation).

Collective learning for the emergence of social norms in networked multiagent systems.

PubMed

Yu, Chao; Zhang, Minjie; Ren, Fenghui

2014-12-01

Social norms such as social rules and conventions play a pivotal role in sustaining system order by regulating and controlling individual behaviors toward a global consensus in large-scale distributed systems. Systematic studies of efficient mechanisms that can facilitate the emergence of social norms enable us to build and design robust distributed systems, such as electronic institutions and norm-governed sensor networks. This paper studies the emergence of social norms via learning from repeated local interactions in networked multiagent systems. A collective learning framework, which imitates the opinion aggregation process in human decision making, is proposed to study the impact of agent local collective behaviors on the emergence of social norms in a number of different situations. In the framework, each agent interacts repeatedly with all of its neighbors. At each step, an agent first takes a best-response action toward each of its neighbors and then combines all of these actions into a final action using ensemble learning methods. Extensive experiments are carried out to evaluate the framework with respect to different network topologies, learning strategies, numbers of actions, influences of nonlearning agents, and so on. Experimental results reveal some significant insights into the manipulation and control of norm emergence in networked multiagent systems achieved through local collective behaviors.

Evolutionary prisoner's dilemma on Newman-Watts social networks with an asymmetric payoff distribution mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Wen-Bo; Cao, Xian-Bin; Yang, Han-Xin; Hu, Mao-Bin

2010-01-01

In this paper, we introduce an asymmetric payoff distribution mechanism into the evolutionary prisoner's dilemma game (PDG) on Newman-Watts social networks, and study its effects on the evolution of cooperation. The asymmetric payoff distribution mechanism can be adjusted by the parameter α: if α > 0, the rich will exploit the poor to get richer; if α < 0, the rich are forced to offer part of their income to the poor. Numerical results show that the cooperator frequency monotonously increases with α and is remarkably promoted when α > 0. The effects of updating order and self-interaction are also investigated. The co-action of random updating and self-interaction can induce the highest cooperation level. Moreover, we employ the Gini coefficient to investigate the effect of asymmetric payoff distribution on the the system's wealth distribution. This work may be helpful for understanding cooperative behaviour and wealth inequality in society.

Joint statistics of strongly correlated neurons via dimensionality reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deniz, Taşkın; Rotter, Stefan

2017-06-01

The relative timing of action potentials in neurons recorded from local cortical networks often shows a non-trivial dependence, which is then quantified by cross-correlation functions. Theoretical models emphasize that such spike train correlations are an inevitable consequence of two neurons being part of the same network and sharing some synaptic input. For non-linear neuron models, however, explicit correlation functions are difficult to compute analytically, and perturbative methods work only for weak shared input. In order to treat strong correlations, we suggest here an alternative non-perturbative method. Specifically, we study the case of two leaky integrate-and-fire neurons with strong shared input. Correlation functions derived from simulated spike trains fit our theoretical predictions very accurately. Using our method, we computed the non-linear correlation transfer as well as correlation functions that are asymmetric due to inhomogeneous intrinsic parameters or unequal input.

Heuristic control of the Utah/MIT dextrous robot hand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bass, Andrew H., Jr.

1987-01-01

Basic hand grips and sensor interactions that a dextrous robot hand will need as part of the operation of an EVA Retriever are analyzed. What is to be done with a dextrous robot hand is examined along with how such a complex machine might be controlled. It was assumed throughout that an anthropomorphic robot hand should perform tasks just as a human would; i.e., the most efficient approach to developing control strategies for the hand would be to model actual hand actions and do the same tasks in the same ways. Therefore, basic hand grips that human hands perform, as well as hand grip action were analyzed. It was also important to examine what is termed sensor fusion. This is the integration of various disparate sensor feedback paths. These feedback paths can be spatially and temporally separated, as well as, of different sensor types. Neural networks are seen as a means of integrating these varied sensor inputs and types. Basic heuristics of hand actions and grips were developed. These heuristics offer promise of control dextrous robot hands in a more natural and efficient way.

Expressing our internal states and understanding those of others

PubMed Central

Di Cesare, Giuseppe; Di Dio, Cinzia; Marchi, Massimo; Rizzolatti, Giacomo

2015-01-01

Vitality form is a term that describes the style with which motor actions are performed (e.g., rude, gentle, etc.). They represent one characterizing element of conscious and unconscious bodily communication. Despite their importance in interpersonal behavior, vitality forms have been, until now, virtually neglected in neuroscience. Here, using the functional MRI (fMRI) technique, we investigated the neural correlates of vitality forms in three different tasks: action observation, imagination, and execution. Conjunction analysis showed that, in all three tasks, there is a common, consistent activation of the dorsocentral sector of the insula. In addition, a common activation of the parietofrontal network, typically active during arm movements production, planning, and observation, was also found. We conclude that the dorsocentral part of the insula is a key element of the system that modulates the cortical motor activity, allowing individuals to express their internal states through action vitality forms. Recent monkey anatomical data show that the dorsocentral sector of the insula is, indeed, connected with the cortical circuit involved in the control of arm movements. PMID:26243879

2014 Well Completion Report for Corrective Action Unit 447 Project Shoal Area Churchill County, Nevada October 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Findlay, Rick

2015-11-01

This report summarizes the drilling program conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management at the Project Shoal Area (Shoal) Subsurface Corrective Action Unit 447 in Churchill County, Nevada. Shoal was the location of an underground nuclear test conducted on October 26, 1963, as part of the Vela Uniform program sponsored jointly by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (a predecessor to DOE). The test consisted of detonating a 12-kiloton nuclear device in granitic rock at a depth of approximately 1,211 feet (ft) below ground surface (bgs) (AEC 1964). The correctivemore » action strategy for the site is focused on revising the site conceptual model and evaluating the adequacy of the monitoring well network at the site. Field activities associated with the project were conducted in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO 1996, as amended) and applicable Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) policies and regulations.« less

Neural foundations of overt and covert actions.

PubMed

Simos, Panagiotis G; Kavroulakis, Eleftherios; Maris, Thomas; Papadaki, Efrosini; Boursianis, Themistoklis; Kalaitzakis, Giorgos; Savaki, Helen E

2017-05-15

We used fMRI to assess the human brain areas activated for execution, observation and 1st person motor imagery of a visually guided tracing task with the index finger. Voxel-level conjunction analysis revealed several cortical areas activated in common across all three motor conditions, namely, the upper limb representation of the primary motor and somatosensory cortices, the dorsal and ventral premotor, the superior and inferior parietal cortices as well as the posterior part of the superior and middle temporal gyrus including the temporo-parietal junction (TPj) and the extrastriate body area (EBA). Functional connectivity analyses corroborated the notion that a common sensory-motor fronto-parieto-temporal cortical network is engaged for execution, observation, and imagination of the very same action. Taken together these findings are consistent with the more parsimonious account of motor cognition provided by the mental simulation theory rather than the recently revised mirror neuron view Action imagination and observation were each associated with several additional functional connections, which may serve the distinction between overt action and its covert counterparts, and the attribution of action to the correct agent. For example, the central position of the right middle and inferior frontal gyrus in functional connectivity during motor imagery may reflect the suppression of movements during mere imagination of action, and may contribute to the distinction between 'imagined' and 'real' action. Also, the central role of the right EBA in observation, assessed by functional connectivity analysis, may be related to the attribution of action to the 'external agent' as opposed to the 'self'. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The future of pediatric dentistry education and curricula: a Chilean perspective.

PubMed

Mariño, Rodrigo; Ramos-Gómez, Francisco; Manton, David John; Onetto, Juan Eduardo; Hugo, Fernando; Feldens, Carlos Alberto; Bedi, Raman; Uribe, Sergio; Zillmann, Gisela

2016-07-18

A meeting was organised to consolidate a network of researchers and academics from Australia, Brazil, Chile, the UK and the USA, relating to Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and Dental Trauma (DT). As part of this meeting, a dedicated session was held on the future of paediatric dental education and curricula. Twenty-four paediatric dentistry (PD) academics, representing eight Chilean dental schools, and three international specialists (from Brazil and Latvia) participated in group discussions facilitated by five members of the ECC/DT International Collaborative Network. Data were collected from group discussions which followed themes developed as guides to identify key issues associated with paediatric dentistry education, training and research. Participants discussed current PD dental curricula in Chile, experiences in educating new cohorts of oral health care providers, and the outcomes of existing efforts in education and research in PD. They also, identified challenges, opportunities and areas in need of further development. This paper provides an introspective analysis of the education and training of PD in Chile; describes the input provided by participants into pediatric dentistry education and curricula; and sets out some key priorities for action with suggested directions to best prepare the future dental workforce to maximise oral health outcomes for children. Immediate priorities for action in paediatric dentistry in Chile were proposed.

Classification of Maize and Weeds by Bayesian Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapron, Michel; Oprea, Alina; Sultana, Bogdan; Assemat, Louis

2007-11-01

Precision Agriculture is concerned with all sorts of within-field variability, spatially and temporally, that reduces the efficacy of agronomic practices applied in a uniform way all over the field. Because of these sources of heterogeneity, uniform management actions strongly reduce the efficiency of the resource input to the crop (i.e. fertilization, water) or for the agrochemicals use for pest control (i.e. herbicide). Moreover, this low efficacy means high environmental cost (pollution) and reduced economic return for the farmer. Weed plants are one of these sources of variability for the crop, as they occur in patches in the field. Detecting the location, size and internal density of these patches, along with identification of main weed species involved, open the way to a site-specific weed control strategy, where only patches of weeds would receive the appropriate herbicide (type and dose). Herein, an automatic recognition method of vegetal species is described. First, the pixels of soil and vegetation are classified in two classes, then the vegetation part of the input image is segmented from the distance image by using the watershed method and finally the leaves of the vegetation are partitioned in two parts maize and weeds thanks to the two Bayesian networks.

43 CFR 20.601 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Disciplinary and Remedial Actions § 20.601 General. This subpart deals with disciplinary actions and remedial... this part or in 5 CFR part 2635 or 5 CFR part 3501. Disciplinary action may include oral or written... provisions. Disciplinary action may be imposed independently from and without prior application of remedial...

Consultation and illness behaviour in response to symptoms: a comparison of models from different disciplinary frameworks and suggestions for future research directions.

PubMed

Wyke, Sally; Adamson, Joy; Dixon, Diane; Hunt, Kate

2013-06-01

We all get ill and social scientific interest in how we respond - the study of illness behaviour - continues unabated. Existing models are useful, but have been developed and applied within disciplinary silos, resulting in wasted intellectual and empirical effort and an absence of accumulation of knowledge across disciplines. We present a critical review and detailed comparison of three process models of response to symptoms: the Illness Action Model, the Common Sense Model of the Self-Regulation of Health and Illness and the Network Episode Model. We suggest an integrated framework in which symptoms, responses and actions are simultaneously interpreted and evaluated in the light of accumulated knowledge and through interactions. Evaluation may be subconscious and is influenced by the extent to which the symptoms impose themselves, expectations of outcomes, the resources available and understanding of symptoms' salience and possible outcomes. Actions taken are part of a process of problem solving through which both individuals and their immediate social network seek to (re)achieve 'normality'. Response is also influenced by social structure (directly and indirectly), cultural expectations of health, the meaning of symptoms, and access to and understandings of the legitimate use of services. Changes in knowledge, in embodied state and in emotions can all be directly influential at any point. We do not underestimate the difficulty of operationalising an integrated framework at different levels of analysis. Attempts to do so will require us to move easily between disciplinary understandings to conduct prospective, longitudinal, research that uses novel methodologies to investigate response to symptoms in the context of affective as well as cognitive responses and interactions within social networks. While challenging such an approach would facilitate accumulation of knowledge across disciplines and enable movement beyond description to change in individual and organisational responses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research, practice, and policy partnerships in pan-Canadian coalitions for cancer and chronic disease prevention.

PubMed

Manafò, Elizabeth; Petermann, Lisa; Lobb, Rebecca; Keen, Deb; Kerner, Jon

2011-01-01

To describe the development stages of the Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) initiative of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer to support research, practice, and policy coalitions focused on cancer and chronic disease prevention in Canada. Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention was implemented in 3 stages. This article describes Stage 1 that consisted of an online concept-mapping consultation process, 3 topic specific networking and consultation workshops, and 3 context-specific networking, coalition development, and planning meetings. These were all completed using a participatory engagement approach to encourage knowledge exchange across jurisdictions and sectors in Canada. Toronto, Ontario; Calgary, Alberta; Montreal, Québec; and Ottawa, Ontario. More than 500 researchers, practitioners, and policy specialists were invited to take part in the first stage activities. (1) Participant-identified high-priority opportunities for strategic collaboration; (2) Cross-jurisdictional and cross-sector representation; and (3) Participant feedback on the CLASP processes and activities. Participants from Stage 1 activities were distributed across all provinces/territories; 3 jurisdictional levels; and research, practice, and policy sectors. Ninety priority opportunities for strategic collaboration were identified across all 3 workshops. Participants provided detailed feedback about transparency of the RFP (Request for Proposals) application process, support needed to level the playing field for potential applicants, and valuable suggestions for the adjudication process. Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention engaged hundreds of research, practice, and policy experts across Canada focusing social-behavioral, clinical, and environmental and occupational opportunities for cancer and chronic disease prevention. Given the extent of expert and jurisdictional engagement, the substantial Partnership investment in a participatory engagement approach to RFP development and potential applicant response suggests that efforts to link cancer and chronic disease prevention efforts across jurisdictions and through research, practice, and policy collaboration may require this type of a priori investment in networking, communication, coordination, and collaboration.

ARCH: Adaptive recurrent-convolutional hybrid networks for long-term action recognition

PubMed Central

Xin, Miao; Zhang, Hong; Wang, Helong; Sun, Mingui; Yuan, Ding

2017-01-01

Recognition of human actions from digital video is a challenging task due to complex interfering factors in uncontrolled realistic environments. In this paper, we propose a learning framework using static, dynamic and sequential mixed features to solve three fundamental problems: spatial domain variation, temporal domain polytrope, and intra- and inter-class diversities. Utilizing a cognitive-based data reduction method and a hybrid “network upon networks” architecture, we extract human action representations which are robust against spatial and temporal interferences and adaptive to variations in both action speed and duration. We evaluated our method on the UCF101 and other three challenging datasets. Our results demonstrated a superior performance of the proposed algorithm in human action recognition. PMID:29290647

A Bayesian network model for predicting aquatic toxicity mode of action using two dimensional theoretical molecular descriptors

EPA Science Inventory

The mode of toxic action (MoA) has been recognized as a key determinant of chemical toxicity, but development of predictive MoA classification models in aquatic toxicology has been limited. We developed a Bayesian network model to classify aquatic toxicity MoA using a recently pu...

77 FR 71399 - Notice of Public Workshop: Blueprint for Action: Workshop on the Design of the National Network...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-30

...).'' This workshop series provides a forum for the AMNPO to present the proposed design of the National...: Blueprint for Action: Workshop on the Design of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI... Standards and Technology (NIST), announces the first workshop in a new series of public workshops entitled...

The perception of emotion in body expressions.

PubMed

de Gelder, B; de Borst, A W; Watson, R

2015-01-01

During communication, we perceive and express emotional information through many different channels, including facial expressions, prosody, body motion, and posture. Although historically the human body has been perceived primarily as a tool for actions, there is now increased understanding that the body is also an important medium for emotional expression. Indeed, research on emotional body language is rapidly emerging as a new field in cognitive and affective neuroscience. This article reviews how whole-body signals are processed and understood, at the behavioral and neural levels, with specific reference to their role in emotional communication. The first part of this review outlines brain regions and spectrotemporal dynamics underlying perception of isolated neutral and affective bodies, the second part details the contextual effects on body emotion recognition, and final part discusses body processing on a subconscious level. More specifically, research has shown that body expressions as compared with neutral bodies draw upon a larger network of regions responsible for action observation and preparation, emotion processing, body processing, and integrative processes. Results from neurotypical populations and masking paradigms suggest that subconscious processing of affective bodies relies on a specific subset of these regions. Moreover, recent evidence has shown that emotional information from the face, voice, and body all interact, with body motion and posture often highlighting and intensifying the emotion expressed in the face and voice. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Extending the Cortical Grasping Network: Pre-supplementary Motor Neuron Activity During Vision and Grasping of Objects.

PubMed

Lanzilotto, Marco; Livi, Alessandro; Maranesi, Monica; Gerbella, Marzio; Barz, Falk; Ruther, Patrick; Fogassi, Leonardo; Rizzolatti, Giacomo; Bonini, Luca

2016-12-01

Grasping relies on a network of parieto-frontal areas lying on the dorsolateral and dorsomedial parts of the hemispheres. However, the initiation and sequencing of voluntary actions also requires the contribution of mesial premotor regions, particularly the pre-supplementary motor area F6. We recorded 233 F6 neurons from 2 monkeys with chronic linear multishank neural probes during reaching-grasping visuomotor tasks. We showed that F6 neurons play a role in the control of forelimb movements and some of them (26%) exhibit visual and/or motor specificity for the target object. Interestingly, area F6 neurons form 2 functionally distinct populations, showing either visually-triggered or movement-related bursts of activity, in contrast to the sustained visual-to-motor activity displayed by ventral premotor area F5 neurons recorded in the same animals and with the same task during previous studies. These findings suggest that F6 plays a role in object grasping and extend existing models of the cortical grasping network. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Coliform non-compliance nightmares in water-supply distribution systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geldreich, E.E.

1988-01-01

Coliform occurrences in distribution systems have created a great concern for both utilities and water authorities because of the implied public-health implications and failure to meet Federal regulations. Many of the known cases involve systems in the east and midwest. The common denominator being systems that have significant amounts of pipe networks over 75 years old and all are treating surface waters. Origins for these contamination events can be found in source-water fluctuations, failures in treatment-barrier protection, or loss of pipe-network integrity. Once passage into the distribution network has been achieved, some of the coliforms (Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Citrobacter) and othermore » heterotrophic bacteria adapt to the pipe environment, finding protection and nutrient support in pipe sediments. Under conditions of seasonal warm waters (10 degC) and availability of assimilable organics in the pipe sediments and tubercles, colonization grows into biofilms that may slough-off into the water supply, creating a coliform non-compliance problem. Significance of these occurrences and control measures are part of a realistic action plan presented for guidance.« less

A network dynamics approach to chemical reaction networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Schaft, A. J.; Rao, S.; Jayawardhana, B.

2016-04-01

A treatment of a chemical reaction network theory is given from the perspective of nonlinear network dynamics, in particular of consensus dynamics. By starting from the complex-balanced assumption, the reaction dynamics governed by mass action kinetics can be rewritten into a form which allows for a very simple derivation of a number of key results in the chemical reaction network theory, and which directly relates to the thermodynamics and port-Hamiltonian formulation of the system. Central in this formulation is the definition of a balanced Laplacian matrix on the graph of chemical complexes together with a resulting fundamental inequality. This immediately leads to the characterisation of the set of equilibria and their stability. Furthermore, the assumption of complex balancedness is revisited from the point of view of Kirchhoff's matrix tree theorem. Both the form of the dynamics and the deduced behaviour are very similar to consensus dynamics, and provide additional perspectives to the latter. Finally, using the classical idea of extending the graph of chemical complexes by a 'zero' complex, a complete steady-state stability analysis of mass action kinetics reaction networks with constant inflows and mass action kinetics outflows is given, and a unified framework is provided for structure-preserving model reduction of this important class of open reaction networks.

Minimizing species extinctions through strategic planning for conservation fencing.

PubMed

Ringma, Jeremy L; Wintle, Brendan; Fuller, Richard A; Fisher, Diana; Bode, Michael

2017-10-01

Conservation fences are an increasingly common management action, particularly for species threatened by invasive predators. However, unlike many conservation actions, fence networks are expanding in an unsystematic manner, generally as a reaction to local funding opportunities or threats. We conducted a gap analysis of Australia's large predator-exclusion fence network by examining translocation of Australian mammals relative to their extinction risk. To address gaps identified in species representation, we devised a systematic prioritization method for expanding the conservation fence network that explicitly incorporated population viability analysis and minimized expected species' extinctions. The approach was applied to New South Wales, Australia, where the state government intends to expand the existing conservation fence network. Existing protection of species in fenced areas was highly uneven; 67% of predator-sensitive species were unrepresented in the fence network. Our systematic prioritization yielded substantial efficiencies in that it reduced expected number of species extinctions up to 17 times more effectively than ad hoc approaches. The outcome illustrates the importance of governance in coordinating management action when multiple projects have similar objectives and rely on systematic methods rather than expanding networks opportunistically. © 2017 Society for Conservation Biology.

Variability in functional brain networks predicts expertise during action observation.

PubMed

Amoruso, Lucía; Ibáñez, Agustín; Fonseca, Bruno; Gadea, Sebastián; Sedeño, Lucas; Sigman, Mariano; García, Adolfo M; Fraiman, Ricardo; Fraiman, Daniel

2017-02-01

Observing an action performed by another individual activates, in the observer, similar circuits as those involved in the actual execution of that action. This activation is modulated by prior experience; indeed, sustained training in a particular motor domain leads to structural and functional changes in critical brain areas. Here, we capitalized on a novel graph-theory approach to electroencephalographic data (Fraiman et al., 2016) to test whether variability in functional brain networks implicated in Tango observation can discriminate between groups differing in their level of expertise. We found that experts and beginners significantly differed in the functional organization of task-relevant networks. Specifically, networks in expert Tango dancers exhibited less variability and a more robust functional architecture. Notably, these expertise-dependent effects were captured within networks derived from electrophysiological brain activity recorded in a very short time window (2s). In brief, variability in the organization of task-related networks seems to be a highly sensitive indicator of long-lasting training effects. This finding opens new methodological and theoretical windows to explore the impact of domain-specific expertise on brain plasticity, while highlighting variability as a fruitful measure in neuroimaging research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Emergence of Selective Attention through Probabilistic Associations between Stimuli and Actions.

PubMed

Simione, Luca; Nolfi, Stefano

2016-01-01

In this paper we show how a multilayer neural network trained to master a context-dependent task in which the action co-varies with a certain stimulus in a first context and with a second stimulus in an alternative context exhibits selective attention, i.e. filtering out of irrelevant information. This effect is rather robust and it is observed in several variations of the experiment in which the characteristics of the network as well as of the training procedure have been varied. Our result demonstrates how the filtering out of irrelevant information can originate spontaneously as a consequence of the regularities present in context-dependent training set and therefore does not necessarily depend on specific architectural constraints. The post-evaluation of the network in an instructed-delay experimental scenario shows how the behaviour of the network is consistent with the data collected in neuropsychological studies. The analysis of the network at the end of the training process indicates how selective attention originates as a result of the effects caused by relevant and irrelevant stimuli mediated by context-dependent and context-independent bidirectional associations between stimuli and actions that are extracted by the network during the learning.

Operationalizing Network Theory for Ecosystem Service Assessments.

PubMed

Dee, Laura E; Allesina, Stefano; Bonn, Aletta; Eklöf, Anna; Gaines, Steven D; Hines, Jes; Jacob, Ute; McDonald-Madden, Eve; Possingham, Hugh; Schröter, Matthias; Thompson, Ross M

2017-02-01

Managing ecosystems to provide ecosystem services in the face of global change is a pressing challenge for policy and science. Predicting how alternative management actions and changing future conditions will alter services is complicated by interactions among components in ecological and socioeconomic systems. Failure to understand those interactions can lead to detrimental outcomes from management decisions. Network theory that integrates ecological and socioeconomic systems may provide a path to meeting this challenge. While network theory offers promising approaches to examine ecosystem services, few studies have identified how to operationalize networks for managing and assessing diverse ecosystem services. We propose a framework for how to use networks to assess how drivers and management actions will directly and indirectly alter ecosystem services. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shaping Social Activity by Incentivizing Users

PubMed Central

Farajtabar, Mehrdad; Du, Nan; Rodriguez, Manuel Gomez; Valera, Isabel; Zha, Hongyuan; Song, Le

2015-01-01

Events in an online social network can be categorized roughly into endogenous events, where users just respond to the actions of their neighbors within the network, or exogenous events, where users take actions due to drives external to the network. How much external drive should be provided to each user, such that the network activity can be steered towards a target state? In this paper, we model social events using multivariate Hawkes processes, which can capture both endogenous and exogenous event intensities, and derive a time dependent linear relation between the intensity of exogenous events and the overall network activity. Exploiting this connection, we develop a convex optimization framework for determining the required level of external drive in order for the network to reach a desired activity level. We experimented with event data gathered from Twitter, and show that our method can steer the activity of the network more accurately than alternatives. PMID:26005312

A modeling comparison of projection neuron- and neuromodulator-elicited oscillations in a central pattern generating network.

PubMed

Kintos, Nickolas; Nusbaum, Michael P; Nadim, Farzan

2008-06-01

Many central pattern generating networks are influenced by synaptic input from modulatory projection neurons. The network response to a projection neuron is sometimes mimicked by bath applying the neuronally-released modulator, despite the absence of network interactions with the projection neuron. One interesting example occurs in the crab stomatogastric ganglion (STG), where bath applying the neuropeptide pyrokinin (PK) elicits a gastric mill rhythm which is similar to that elicited by the projection neuron modulatory commissural neuron 1 (MCN1), despite the absence of PK in MCN1 and the fact that MCN1 is not active during the PK-elicited rhythm. MCN1 terminals have fast and slow synaptic actions on the gastric mill network and are presynaptically inhibited by this network in the STG. These local connections are inactive in the PK-elicited rhythm, and the mechanism underlying this rhythm is unknown. We use mathematical and biophysically-realistic modeling to propose potential mechanisms by which PK can elicit a gastric mill rhythm that is similar to the MCN1-elicited rhythm. We analyze slow-wave network oscillations using simplified mathematical models and, in parallel, develop biophysically-realistic models that account for fast, action potential-driven oscillations and some spatial structure of the network neurons. Our results illustrate how the actions of bath-applied neuromodulators can mimic those of descending projection neurons through mathematically similar but physiologically distinct mechanisms.

[Activity and rehabilitation of senile dementia. Methodological suggestions for an ergotherapy in psychogeriatrics].

PubMed

Pierrehumbert, B; Boula, J G; Lehmann-Mouflin, A; Wertheimer, J

1978-01-01

The aim of this study is to make clear the conditions of an ergotherapy particularly fit for the aged suffering from senile dementia. It should keep the intellectual instruments in working condition and, eventually, postpone their impairment. The general frame in which theory and experiment are inscribed is the Piaget's theory. Especially the part that concerns the different stages of childhood development of which, one thinks, can be observed the deterioration "in reverse" during the senile dementia impairment processes. Some special hypothesis concern:--the different parts of reality in which relations between patient and society are disturbed --the activities that are connected in a network of relations between the conceptual instruments required to realize these activities --the fact that the steadiness of a particular activity should help to recover another one, thought to be close in the way by which its realization puts into action the same cognitive processes. Thus, we have been able to fix the way of directing a first examination for the taking in charge in ergotherapy; examination that should point out the fields in which the patient can be mobilized (as well from the level where he is as from the investment one can expect in regard to the pleasure or the interest that he shows for a work rather than another). Besides, we tried to represent the channels of activities and their relations, starting from the most elementary one to reach the most complicated one, that is to say the ones that allow us to work on reality. It is in the network of these channels that the proposed activities should find their place in the ergotherapy workshop and their application should permit the readaptation to everyday actions in a progressive way.

75 FR 57521 - Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program: Draft NITRD 2010...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-21

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD...) for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD). ACTION: Notice, request.... SUMMARY: With this notice, the National Coordination Office for Networking and Information Technology...

Networks and games for precision medicine.

PubMed

Biane, Célia; Delaplace, Franck; Klaudel, Hanna

2016-12-01

Recent advances in omics technologies provide the leverage for the emergence of precision medicine that aims at personalizing therapy to patient. In this undertaking, computational methods play a central role for assisting physicians in their clinical decision-making by combining data analysis and systems biology modelling. Complex diseases such as cancer or diabetes arise from the intricate interplay of various biological molecules. Therefore, assessing drug efficiency requires to study the effects of elementary perturbations caused by diseases on relevant biological networks. In this paper, we propose a computational framework called Network-Action Game applied to best drug selection problem combining Game Theory and discrete models of dynamics (Boolean networks). Decision-making is modelled using Game Theory that defines the process of drug selection among alternative possibilities, while Boolean networks are used to model the effects of the interplay between disease and drugs actions on the patient's molecular system. The actions/strategies of disease and drugs are focused on arc alterations of the interactome. The efficiency of this framework has been evaluated for drug prediction on a model of breast cancer signalling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Additive Routes to Action Learning: Layering Experience Shapes Engagement of the Action Observation Network.

PubMed

Kirsch, Louise P; Cross, Emily S

2015-12-01

The way in which we perceive others in action is biased by one's prior experience with an observed action. For example, we can have auditory, visual, or motor experience with actions we observe others perform. How action experience via 1, 2, or all 3 of these modalities shapes action perception remains unclear. Here, we combine pre- and post-training functional magnetic resonance imaging measures with a dance training manipulation to address how building experience (from auditory to audiovisual to audiovisual plus motor) with a complex action shapes subsequent action perception. Results indicate that layering experience across these 3 modalities activates a number of sensorimotor cortical regions associated with the action observation network (AON) in such a way that the more modalities through which one experiences an action, the greater the response is within these AON regions during action perception. Moreover, a correlation between left premotor activity and participants' scores for reproducing an action suggests that the better an observer can perform an observed action, the stronger the neural response is. The findings suggest that the number of modalities through which an observer experiences an action impacts AON activity additively, and that premotor cortical activity might serve as an index of embodiment during action observation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Incorporation of perception-based information in robot learning using fuzzy reinforcement learning agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Changjiu; Meng, Qingchun; Guo, Zhongwen; Qu, Wiefen; Yin, Bo

2002-04-01

Robot learning in unstructured environments has been proved to be an extremely challenging problem, mainly because of many uncertainties always present in the real world. Human beings, on the other hand, seem to cope very well with uncertain and unpredictable environments, often relying on perception-based information. Furthermore, humans beings can also utilize perceptions to guide their learning on those parts of the perception-action space that are actually relevant to the task. Therefore, we conduct a research aimed at improving robot learning through the incorporation of both perception-based and measurement-based information. For this reason, a fuzzy reinforcement learning (FRL) agent is proposed in this paper. Based on a neural-fuzzy architecture, different kinds of information can be incorporated into the FRL agent to initialise its action network, critic network and evaluation feedback module so as to accelerate its learning. By making use of the global optimisation capability of GAs (genetic algorithms), a GA-based FRL (GAFRL) agent is presented to solve the local minima problem in traditional actor-critic reinforcement learning. On the other hand, with the prediction capability of the critic network, GAs can perform a more effective global search. Different GAFRL agents are constructed and verified by using the simulation model of a physical biped robot. The simulation analysis shows that the biped learning rate for dynamic balance can be improved by incorporating perception-based information on biped balancing and walking evaluation. The biped robot can find its application in ocean exploration, detection or sea rescue activity, as well as military maritime activity.

36 CFR Exhibit B to Part 906 - Guidelines for Establishing Strategy To Implement Affirmative Action Personnel Plan

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Strategy To Implement Affirmative Action Personnel Plan B Exhibit B to Part 906 Parks, Forests, and Public Property PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY AND PROCEDURE Pt. 906, Exh. B Exhibit B to Part 906—Guidelines for Establishing Strategy To Implement Affirmative Action...

The contribution of brain sub-cortical loops in the expression and acquisition of action understanding abilities☆

PubMed Central

Caligiore, Daniele; Pezzulo, Giovanni; Miall, R. Chris; Baldassarre, Gianluca

2013-01-01

Research on action understanding in cognitive neuroscience has led to the identification of a wide “action understanding network” mainly encompassing parietal and premotor cortical areas. Within this cortical network mirror neurons are critically involved implementing a neural mechanism according to which, during action understanding, observed actions are reflected in the motor patterns for the same actions of the observer. We suggest that focusing only on cortical areas and processes could be too restrictive to explain important facets of action understanding regarding, for example, the influence of the observer's motor experience, the multiple levels at which an observed action can be understood, and the acquisition of action understanding ability. In this respect, we propose that aside from the cortical action understanding network, sub-cortical processes pivoting on cerebellar and basal ganglia cortical loops could crucially support both the expression and the acquisition of action understanding abilities. Within the paper we will discuss how this extended view can overcome some limitations of the “pure” cortical perspective, supporting new theoretical predictions on the brain mechanisms underlying action understanding that could be tested by future empirical investigations. PMID:23911926

78 FR 57621 - First Responder Network Authority Board Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-19

... Network Authority Board Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of special meeting of the First Responder Network Authority. SUMMARY: The Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold a Special Board meeting via...

78 FR 15357 - First Responder Network Authority Board Special Meeting

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2013-03-11

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78 FR 38014 - First Responder Network Authority Board Special Meeting

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2013-06-25

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78 FR 8686 - Establishment of the National Freight Network

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78 FR 63168 - First Responder Network Authority Board Special Meeting

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2013-10-23

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Inhibitory motor control based on complex stopping goals relies on the same brain network as simple stopping

PubMed Central

Wessel, Jan R.; Aron, Adam R.

2014-01-01

Much research has modeled action-stopping using the stop-signal task (SST), in which an impending response has to be stopped when an explicit stop-signal occurs. A limitation of the SST is that real-world action-stopping rarely involves explicit stop-signals. Instead, the stopping-system engages when environmental features match more complex stopping goals. For example, when stepping into the street, one monitors path, velocity, size, and types of objects; and only stops if there is a vehicle approaching. Here, we developed a task in which participants compared the visual features of a multidimensional go-stimulus to a complex stopping-template, and stopped their go-response if all features matched the template. We used independent component analysis of EEG data to show that the same motor inhibition brain network that explains action-stopping in the SST also implements motor inhibition in the complex-stopping task. Furthermore, we found that partial feature overlap between go-stimulus and stopping-template lead to motor slowing, which also corresponded with greater stopping-network activity. This shows that the same brain system for action-stopping to explicit stop-signals is recruited to slow or stop behavior when stimuli match a complex stopping goal. The results imply a generalizability of the brain’s network for simple action-stopping to more ecologically valid scenarios. PMID:25270603

Equity and the social determinants of health in European cities.

PubMed

Ritsatakis, Anna

2013-10-01

Equity in health has been the underlying value of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Health for All policy for 30 years. This article examines how cities have translated this principle into action. Using information designed to help evaluate phase IV (2003-2008) of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network (WHO-EHCN) plus documentation from city programs and websites, an attempt is made to assess how far the concept of equity in health is understood, the political will to tackle the issue, and types of action taken. Results show that although cities continue to focus considerable support on vulnerable groups, rather than the full social gradient, most are now making the necessary shift towards more upstream policies to tackle determinants of health such as poverty, unemployment, education, housing, and the environment, without neglecting access to care. Although local level data reflecting inequalities in health is improving, there is still a long way to go in some cities. The Healthy Cities Project is becoming an integral part of structures for long-term planning and intersectoral action for health in cities, and Health Impact Assessment is gradually being developed. Participation in the WHO-EHCN appears to allow new members to leap-frog ahead established cities. However, this evaluation also exposes barriers to effective local policies and processes to reduce health inequalities. Armed with locally generated evidence of critical success factors, the WHO-EHCN has embarked on a more rigorous and determined effort to achieve the prerequisites for equity in health. More attention will be given to evaluating the effectiveness of action taken and to dealing not only with the most vulnerable but a greater part of the gradient in socioeconomic health inequalities.

Feature Reinforcement Learning: Part I. Unstructured MDPs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutter, Marcus

2009-12-01

General-purpose, intelligent, learning agents cycle through sequences of observations, actions, and rewards that are complex, uncertain, unknown, and non-Markovian. On the other hand, reinforcement learning is well-developed for small finite state Markov decision processes (MDPs). Up to now, extracting the right state representations out of bare observations, that is, reducing the general agent setup to the MDP framework, is an art that involves significant effort by designers. The primary goal of this work is to automate the reduction process and thereby significantly expand the scope of many existing reinforcement learning algorithms and the agents that employ them. Before we can think of mechanizing this search for suitable MDPs, we need a formal objective criterion. The main contribution of this article is to develop such a criterion. I also integrate the various parts into one learning algorithm. Extensions to more realistic dynamic Bayesian networks are developed in Part II (Hutter, 2009c). The role of POMDPs is also considered there.

Revisiting the body-schema concept in the context of whole-body postural-focal dynamics.

PubMed

Morasso, Pietro; Casadio, Maura; Mohan, Vishwanathan; Rea, Francesco; Zenzeri, Jacopo

2015-01-01

The body-schema concept is revisited in the context of embodied cognition, further developing the theory formulated by Marc Jeannerod that the motor system is part of a simulation network related to action, whose function is not only to shape the motor system for preparing an action (either overt or covert) but also to provide the self with information on the feasibility and the meaning of potential actions. The proposed computational formulation is based on a dynamical system approach, which is linked to an extension of the equilibrium-point hypothesis, called Passive Motor Paradigm: this dynamical system generates goal-oriented, spatio-temporal, sensorimotor patterns, integrating a direct and inverse internal model in a multi-referential framework. The purpose of such computational model is to operate at the same time as a general synergy formation machinery for planning whole-body actions in humanoid robots and/or for predicting coordinated sensory-motor patterns in human movements. In order to illustrate the computational approach, the integration of simultaneous, even partially conflicting tasks will be analyzed in some detail with regard to postural-focal dynamics, which can be defined as the fusion of a focal task, namely reaching a target with the whole-body, and a postural task, namely maintaining overall stability.

Revisiting the Body-Schema Concept in the Context of Whole-Body Postural-Focal Dynamics

PubMed Central

Morasso, Pietro; Casadio, Maura; Mohan, Vishwanathan; Rea, Francesco; Zenzeri, Jacopo

2015-01-01

The body-schema concept is revisited in the context of embodied cognition, further developing the theory formulated by Marc Jeannerod that the motor system is part of a simulation network related to action, whose function is not only to shape the motor system for preparing an action (either overt or covert) but also to provide the self with information on the feasibility and the meaning of potential actions. The proposed computational formulation is based on a dynamical system approach, which is linked to an extension of the equilibrium-point hypothesis, called Passive Motor Paradigm: this dynamical system generates goal-oriented, spatio-temporal, sensorimotor patterns, integrating a direct and inverse internal model in a multi-referential framework. The purpose of such computational model is to operate at the same time as a general synergy formation machinery for planning whole-body actions in humanoid robots and/or for predicting coordinated sensory–motor patterns in human movements. In order to illustrate the computational approach, the integration of simultaneous, even partially conflicting tasks will be analyzed in some detail with regard to postural-focal dynamics, which can be defined as the fusion of a focal task, namely reaching a target with the whole-body, and a postural task, namely maintaining overall stability. PMID:25741274

Modeling multi-process connectivity in river deltas: extending the single layer network analysis to a coupled multilayer network framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejedor, A.; Longjas, A.; Foufoula-Georgiou, E.

2017-12-01

Previous work [e.g. Tejedor et al., 2016 - GRL] has demonstrated the potential of using graph theory to study key properties of the structure and dynamics of river delta channel networks. Although the distribution of fluxes in river deltas is mostly driven by the connectivity of its channel network a significant part of the fluxes might also arise from connectivity between the channels and islands due to overland flow and seepage. This channel-island-subsurface interaction creates connectivity pathways which facilitate or inhibit transport depending on their degree of coupling. The question we pose here is how to collectively study system connectivity that emerges from the aggregated action of different processes (different in nature, intensity and time scales). Single-layer graphs as those introduced for delta channel networks are inadequate as they lack the ability to represent coupled processes, and neglecting across-process interactions can lead to mis-representation of the overall system dynamics. We present here a framework that generalizes the traditional representation of networks (single-layer graphs) to the so-called multi-layer networks or multiplex. A multi-layer network conceptualizes the overall connectivity arising from different processes as distinct graphs (layers), while allowing at the same time to represent interactions between layers by introducing interlayer links (across process interactions). We illustrate this framework using a study of the joint connectivity that arises from the coupling of the confined flow on the channel network and the overland flow on islands, on a prototype delta. We show the potential of the multi-layer framework to answer quantitatively questions related to the characteristic time scales to steady-state transport in the system as a whole when different levels of channel-island coupling are modulated by different magnitudes of discharge rates.

Fluctuations in Mass-Action Equilibrium of Protein Binding Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Koon-Kiu; Walker, Dylan; Maslov, Sergei

2008-12-01

We consider two types of fluctuations in the mass-action equilibrium in protein binding networks. The first type is driven by slow changes in total concentrations of interacting proteins. The second type (spontaneous) is caused by quickly decaying thermodynamic deviations away from equilibrium. We investigate the effects of network connectivity on fluctuations by comparing them to scenarios in which the interacting pair is isolated from the network and analytically derives bounds on fluctuations. Collective effects are shown to sometimes lead to large amplification of spontaneous fluctuations. The strength of both types of fluctuations is positively correlated with the complex connectivity and negatively correlated with complex concentration. Our general findings are illustrated using a curated network of protein interactions and multiprotein complexes in baker’s yeast, with empirical protein concentrations.

Geometric Bioinspired Networks for Recognition of 2-D and 3-D Low-Level Structures and Transformations.

PubMed

Bayro-Corrochano, Eduardo; Vazquez-Santacruz, Eduardo; Moya-Sanchez, Eduardo; Castillo-Munis, Efrain

2016-10-01

This paper presents the design of radial basis function geometric bioinspired networks and their applications. Until now, the design of neural networks has been inspired by the biological models of neural networks but mostly using vector calculus and linear algebra. However, these designs have never shown the role of geometric computing. The question is how biological neural networks handle complex geometric representations involving Lie group operations like rotations. Even though the actual artificial neural networks are biologically inspired, they are just models which cannot reproduce a plausible biological process. Until now researchers have not shown how, using these models, one can incorporate them into the processing of geometric computing. Here, for the first time in the artificial neural networks domain, we address this issue by designing a kind of geometric RBF using the geometric algebra framework. As a result, using our artificial networks, we show how geometric computing can be carried out by the artificial neural networks. Such geometric neural networks have a great potential in robot vision. This is the most important aspect of this contribution to propose artificial geometric neural networks for challenging tasks in perception and action. In our experimental analysis, we show the applicability of our geometric designs, and present interesting experiments using 2-D data of real images and 3-D screw axis data. In general, our models should be used to process different types of inputs, such as visual cues, touch (texture, elasticity, temperature), taste, and sound. One important task of a perception-action system is to fuse a variety of cues coming from the environment and relate them via a sensor-motor manifold with motor modules to carry out diverse reasoned actions.

75 FR 9158 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Identification of Northeast Regional Ocean...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-01

... Collection; Comment Request; Identification of Northeast Regional Ocean Council Information Network Using Social Network Analysis AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ACTION: Notice... in many capacities. A social network analysis will serve to identify the network of people working on...

78 FR 78769 - Medical Body Area Networks

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-27

... Area Networks AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective... of Medical Body Area Networks'' adopted in a First Report and Order, ET Docket No. 08-59 (FCC 12-54... for the Operation of Medical Body Area Networks rules contained in the Commission's First Report and...

78 FR 57845 - Notice of Availability (NOA) for Strategic Network Optimization (SNO) Program Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-20

... (NOA) for Strategic Network Optimization (SNO) Program Environmental Assessment AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency, DoD. ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) for Strategic Network Optimization (SNO) Program... implement the SNO initiative for improvements to material distribution network for the Department of Defense...

Multi-period response management to contaminated water distribution networks: dynamic programming versus genetic algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bashi-Azghadi, Seyyed Nasser; Afshar, Abbas; Afshar, Mohammad Hadi

2018-03-01

Previous studies on consequence management assume that the selected response action including valve closure and/or hydrant opening remains unchanged during the entire management period. This study presents a new embedded simulation-optimization methodology for deriving time-varying operational response actions in which the network topology may change from one stage to another. Dynamic programming (DP) and genetic algorithm (GA) are used in order to minimize selected objective functions. Two networks of small and large sizes are used in order to illustrate the performance of the proposed modelling schemes if a time-dependent consequence management strategy is to be implemented. The results show that for a small number of decision variables even in large-scale networks, DP is superior in terms of accuracy and computer runtime. However, as the number of potential actions grows, DP loses its merit over the GA approach. This study clearly proves the priority of the proposed dynamic operation strategy over the commonly used static strategy.

Closing the loop of deep brain stimulation

PubMed Central

Carron, Romain; Chaillet, Antoine; Filipchuk, Anton; Pasillas-Lépine, William; Hammond, Constance

2013-01-01

High-frequency deep brain stimulation is used to treat a wide range of brain disorders, like Parkinson's disease. The stimulated networks usually share common electrophysiological signatures, including hyperactivity and/or dysrhythmia. From a clinical perspective, HFS is expected to alleviate clinical signs without generating adverse effects. Here, we consider whether the classical open-loop HFS fulfills these criteria and outline current experimental or theoretical research on the different types of closed-loop DBS that could provide better clinical outcomes. In the first part of the review, the two routes followed by HFS-evoked axonal spikes are explored. In one direction, orthodromic spikes functionally de-afferent the stimulated nucleus from its downstream target networks. In the opposite direction, antidromic spikes prevent this nucleus from being influenced by its afferent networks. As a result, the pathological synchronized activity no longer propagates from the cortical networks to the stimulated nucleus. The overall result can be described as a reversible functional de-afferentation of the stimulated nucleus from its upstream and downstream nuclei. In the second part of the review, the latest advances in closed-loop DBS are considered. Some of the proposed approaches are based on mathematical models, which emphasize different aspects of the parkinsonian basal ganglia: excessive synchronization, abnormal firing-rate rhythms, and a deficient thalamo-cortical relay. The stimulation strategies are classified depending on the control-theory techniques on which they are based: adaptive and on-demand stimulation schemes, delayed and multi-site approaches, stimulations based on proportional and/or derivative control actions, optimal control strategies. Some of these strategies have been validated experimentally, but there is still a large reservoir of theoretical work that may point to ways of improving practical treatment. PMID:24391555

Closing the loop of deep brain stimulation.

PubMed

Carron, Romain; Chaillet, Antoine; Filipchuk, Anton; Pasillas-Lépine, William; Hammond, Constance

2013-12-20

High-frequency deep brain stimulation is used to treat a wide range of brain disorders, like Parkinson's disease. The stimulated networks usually share common electrophysiological signatures, including hyperactivity and/or dysrhythmia. From a clinical perspective, HFS is expected to alleviate clinical signs without generating adverse effects. Here, we consider whether the classical open-loop HFS fulfills these criteria and outline current experimental or theoretical research on the different types of closed-loop DBS that could provide better clinical outcomes. In the first part of the review, the two routes followed by HFS-evoked axonal spikes are explored. In one direction, orthodromic spikes functionally de-afferent the stimulated nucleus from its downstream target networks. In the opposite direction, antidromic spikes prevent this nucleus from being influenced by its afferent networks. As a result, the pathological synchronized activity no longer propagates from the cortical networks to the stimulated nucleus. The overall result can be described as a reversible functional de-afferentation of the stimulated nucleus from its upstream and downstream nuclei. In the second part of the review, the latest advances in closed-loop DBS are considered. Some of the proposed approaches are based on mathematical models, which emphasize different aspects of the parkinsonian basal ganglia: excessive synchronization, abnormal firing-rate rhythms, and a deficient thalamo-cortical relay. The stimulation strategies are classified depending on the control-theory techniques on which they are based: adaptive and on-demand stimulation schemes, delayed and multi-site approaches, stimulations based on proportional and/or derivative control actions, optimal control strategies. Some of these strategies have been validated experimentally, but there is still a large reservoir of theoretical work that may point to ways of improving practical treatment.

Planning as Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Gonzalez, Carmen Beatriz; Hernandez, Teresa; Kusch, Jim; Ryan, Charly

2004-01-01

Planning contains so much more than the written plan. Early in 2000, an invitation came from the Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN), to people experienced in action research who might want to help plan and present an action research event for elementary school science teachers in Venezuela, South America, in Autumn 2000. This article…

Building beyond the Evaluation Of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development in African Schools and Communities: The Women Global Green Action Network (WGGAN) Africa Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enie, Rosemary Olive Mbone

2006-01-01

This article describes the Community Health Education and School Sanitation (CHESS) Project, an initiative by the Women Global Green Action Network International to support community-based environmental projects in Africa. The CHESS Project uses women, children and youth to develop more sustainable health and sanitation systems in urban and rural…

Towards the creation of a multi-institutional HF Radar Network in the Gulf of Mexico.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores-vidal, X.; Flament, P. J.; Durazo, R.; Navarro, L. F.; Salles, P.; Alvarez, P.; Carrillo, L.; Kurczyn, J. A.; Ulloa, M. J.; Rodriguez, I.; Toro Valencia, V. G.; Marin, M.; Perales, H.; Sanay, R.

2016-12-01

The Gulf of Mexico is source of important resources for both Mexico and USA, its beaches and coasts bring economical resources for these countries through the generation of jobs on the fisheries, touristic and industrial sectors. However, systematic monitoring is still necessary to evaluate its health and dynamics. This work is part of a multi-institutional project named "Implementation of oceanographic observational networks (physical, geochemical and ecological) to generate scenarios for possible contingencies related to the exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico" (funded by SENER-CONACyT) which is an unprecedented Mexican joint effort to better understand the dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico. We will present the first actions towards the creation of the Mexican multi-Institutional HF Radar Network, which will allow us to synoptically map in real time the sea surface currents up to 200 km offshore. We expect to attract collaborations with the active or ongoing USA HF radar stations and institutions along the Gulf of Mexico, as well as to share methodologies and to evaluate standard data formats. The Radar Network in the Gulf of Mexico is planned to be active during 2017-2018, and it is expected to be permanent.

A corticostriatal deficit promotes temporal distortion of automatic action in ageing

PubMed Central

Matamales, Miriam; Skrbis, Zala; Bailey, Matthew R; Balsam, Peter D; Balleine, Bernard W; Götz, Jürgen

2017-01-01

The acquisition of motor skills involves implementing action sequences that increase task efficiency while reducing cognitive loads. This learning capacity depends on specific cortico-basal ganglia circuits that are affected by normal ageing. Here, combining a series of novel behavioural tasks with extensive neuronal mapping and targeted cell manipulations in mice, we explored how ageing of cortico-basal ganglia networks alters the microstructure of action throughout sequence learning. We found that, after extended training, aged mice produced shorter actions and displayed squeezed automatic behaviours characterised by ultrafast oligomeric action chunks that correlated with deficient reorganisation of corticostriatal activity. Chemogenetic disruption of a striatal subcircuit in young mice reproduced age-related within-sequence features, and the introduction of an action-related feedback cue temporarily restored normal sequence structure in aged mice. Our results reveal static properties of aged cortico-basal ganglia networks that introduce temporal limits to action automaticity, something that can compromise procedural learning in ageing. PMID:29058672

78 FR 75442 - Designation of the Primary Freight Network

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-11

...] Designation of the Primary Freight Network AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice... period for the Designation of the highway Primary Freight Network (PFN) notice, which was published on... the complete National Freight Network (NFN), and to solicit comments on aspects of the NFN. The five...

75 FR 44800 - Notice of Meeting of the Homeland Security Information Network Advisory Committee, Tuesday...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Notice of Meeting of the Homeland Security Information Network... Security. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: The Homeland Security Information Network Advisory... (Pub. L. 92-463). The mission of the Homeland Security Information Network Advisory Committee is to...

Hierarchical human action recognition around sleeping using obscured posture information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudo, Yuta; Sashida, Takehiko; Aoki, Yoshimitsu

2015-04-01

This paper presents a new approach for human action recognition around sleeping with the human body parts locations and the positional relationship between human and sleeping environment. Body parts are estimated from the depth image obtained by a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor using oriented 3D normal vector. Issues in action recognition of sleeping situation are the demand of availability in darkness, and hiding of the human body by duvets. Therefore, the extraction of image features is difficult since color and edge features are obscured by covers. Thus, first in our method, positions of four parts of the body (head, torso, thigh, and lower leg) are estimated by using the shape model of bodily surface constructed by oriented 3D normal vector. This shape model can represent the surface shape of rough body, and is effective in robust posture estimation of the body hidden with duvets. Then, action descriptor is extracted from the position of each body part. The descriptor includes temporal variation of each part of the body and spatial vector of position of the parts and the bed. Furthermore, this paper proposes hierarchical action classes and classifiers to improve the indistinct action classification. Classifiers are composed of two layers, and recognize human action by using the action descriptor. First layer focuses on spatial descriptor and classifies action roughly. Second layer focuses on temporal descriptor and classifies action finely. This approach achieves a robust recognition of obscured human by using the posture information and the hierarchical action recognition.

Dynamic Sensor Tasking for Space Situational Awareness via Reinforcement Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linares, R.; Furfaro, R.

2016-09-01

This paper studies the Sensor Management (SM) problem for optical Space Object (SO) tracking. The tasking problem is formulated as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and solved using Reinforcement Learning (RL). The RL problem is solved using the actor-critic policy gradient approach. The actor provides a policy which is random over actions and given by a parametric probability density function (pdf). The critic evaluates the policy by calculating the estimated total reward or the value function for the problem. The parameters of the policy action pdf are optimized using gradients with respect to the reward function. Both the critic and the actor are modeled using deep neural networks (multi-layer neural networks). The policy neural network takes the current state as input and outputs probabilities for each possible action. This policy is random, and can be evaluated by sampling random actions using the probabilities determined by the policy neural network's outputs. The critic approximates the total reward using a neural network. The estimated total reward is used to approximate the gradient of the policy network with respect to the network parameters. This approach is used to find the non-myopic optimal policy for tasking optical sensors to estimate SO orbits. The reward function is based on reducing the uncertainty for the overall catalog to below a user specified uncertainty threshold. This work uses a 30 km total position error for the uncertainty threshold. This work provides the RL method with a negative reward as long as any SO has a total position error above the uncertainty threshold. This penalizes policies that take longer to achieve the desired accuracy. A positive reward is provided when all SOs are below the catalog uncertainty threshold. An optimal policy is sought that takes actions to achieve the desired catalog uncertainty in minimum time. This work trains the policy in simulation by letting it task a single sensor to "learn" from its performance. The proposed approach for the SM problem is tested in simulation and good performance is found using the actor-critic policy gradient method.

Cyber War Game in Temporal Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-09

a node’s mobility, failure or its resource depletion over time or action(s), this optimization problem becomes NP-com- plete. We propose two heuristic ... representing the interactions between nodes [1, 2]. One of the most important property of a network is robustness against random failures and target attacks...authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Army Research Laboratory or the U.S

DATA MAYHEM VERSUS NIMBLE INFORMATION: TRANSFORMING HECTIC IMAGERY INTELLIGENCE DATA INTO ACTIONABLE INFORMATION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

AU/ACSC/MORALES/AY17 AIR COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE DISTANCE LEARNING AIR UNIVERSITY DATA MAYHEM VERSUS NIMBLE INFORMATION : TRANSFORMING...HECTIC IMAGERY INTELLIGENCE DATA INTO ACTIONABLE INFORMATION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS by Luis A. Morales, Major, USAF A Research...finding solutions to compliment and supplement human analysts’ capacity, so intelligence and information can reach operators and end-users at the

Frederick National Lab and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Award Fellowships for KRAS Research | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) recently formed a partnership with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) to award a one-year fellowship to two scientists whose research will help lead to new therapies for pancreatic cancer. The scientists will focus on KRAS, a gene in the RAS family that is mutated in 95

Craving Facebook? Behavioral addiction to online social networking and its association with emotion regulation deficits.

PubMed

Hormes, Julia M; Kearns, Brianna; Timko, C Alix

2014-12-01

To assess disordered online social networking use via modified diagnostic criteria for substance dependence, and to examine its association with difficulties with emotion regulation and substance use. Cross-sectional survey study targeting undergraduate students. Associations between disordered online social networking use, internet addiction, deficits in emotion regulation and alcohol use problems were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses of covariance. A large University in the Northeastern United States. Undergraduate students (n = 253, 62.8% female, 60.9% white, age mean = 19.68, standard deviation = 2.85), largely representative of the target population. The response rate was 100%. Disordered online social networking use, determined via modified measures of alcohol abuse and dependence, including DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence, the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale and the Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye-opener (CAGE) screen, along with the Young Internet Addiction Test, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, White Bear Suppression Inventory and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Disordered online social networking use was present in 9.7% [n = 23; 95% confidence interval (5.9, 13.4)] of the sample surveyed, and significantly and positively associated with scores on the Young Internet Addiction Test (P < 0.001), greater difficulties with emotion regulation (P = 0.003) and problem drinking (P = 0.03). The use of online social networking sites is potentially addictive. Modified measures of substance abuse and dependence are suitable in assessing disordered online social networking use. Disordered online social networking use seems to arise as part of a cluster of symptoms of poor emotion regulation skills and heightened susceptibility to both substance and non-substance addiction. © 2014 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Weakly Nonergodic Dynamics in the Gross-Pitaevskii Lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mithun, Thudiyangal; Kati, Yagmur; Danieli, Carlo; Flach, Sergej

2018-05-01

The microcanonical Gross-Pitaevskii (also known as the semiclassical Bose-Hubbard) lattice model dynamics is characterized by a pair of energy and norm densities. The grand canonical Gibbs distribution fails to describe a part of the density space, due to the boundedness of its kinetic energy spectrum. We define Poincaré equilibrium manifolds and compute the statistics of microcanonical excursion times off them. The tails of the distribution functions quantify the proximity of the many-body dynamics to a weakly nonergodic phase, which occurs when the average excursion time is infinite. We find that a crossover to weakly nonergodic dynamics takes place inside the non-Gibbs phase, being unnoticed by the largest Lyapunov exponent. In the ergodic part of the non-Gibbs phase, the Gibbs distribution should be replaced by an unknown modified one. We relate our findings to the corresponding integrable limit, close to which the actions are interacting through a short range coupling network.

Analyzing Enterprise Networks Needs: Action Research from the Mechatronics Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cagnazzo, Luca; Taticchi, Paolo; Bidini, Gianni; Baglieri, Enzo

New business models and theories are developing nowadays towards collaborative environments direction, and many new tools in sustaining companies involved in these organizations are emerging. Among them, a plethora of methodologies to analyze their needs are already developed for single companies. Few academic works are available about Enterprise Networks (ENs) need analysis. This paper presents the learning from an action research (AR) in the mechatronics sector: AR has been used in order to experience the issue of evaluating network needs and therefore define, develop, and test a complete framework for network evaluation. Reflection on the story in the light of the experience and the theory is presented, as well as extrapolation to a broader context and articulation of usable knowledge.

[Workplace Health Promotion in Small, Medium-Sized and Large Enterprises of the Health-Care Sector - Frequency, Reasons for the Company Management to Take Action and Barriers to Implementation].

PubMed

Schaefer, E; Drexler, H; Kiesel, J

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to gain insight into worksite health promotion in small and medium-sized companies compared to large concerns in Middle Franconia. Action in worksite health promotion, obstacles and demand for networks for workplace health promotion were determined. A standardised telephone interview served for collecting data for this cross-sectional study. The interviewee was always the manager or their proxy. 106 companies were contacted. The results of this study were analysed via qualitative and quantitative methods in SPSS(®) 20. It was possible to reach and interview 80 companies, a return rate of 75.5%. More than half the companies (68.8%) implemented at least one activity for worksite health promotion, especially ergonomic measures and measures to promote physical activity. Taking the size of the company into consideration when analysing the results, previous study results are confirmed. With an increasing size of the company, the relative frequency of measures for workplace health promotion rises. The motivation for worksite health promotion ranges from keeping the employees healthy (38.2%) to worksite health promotion as part of the business culture (9.1%). 81.1% of the companies consider their activity in worksite health promotion to be successful. Furthermore, 80.0% of the firms that implemented worksite health promotion were supported by a partner like a health insurance (43.2%). Those companies that did not implement any activities for worksite health promotion, state as a prime reason that they did not think about it as yet (44.0%). Besides, 44.0% of the companies without any worksite health promotion would like to implement measures. 65.5% of the companies that already took action in worksite health promotion and 56.0% of the companies that did not would like to cooperate with other firms in a network for workplace health promotion. Mutual exchange is the most important factor for them. The results of this study show that almost half of the companies that did not implement measures for worksite health promotion as yet would like to take action in this regard. For a bigger establishment of worksite health promotion, networks are predestinated and are best accompanied and supported by external professionals like health insurances, mutual indemnity associations or universities. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Creating Actionable Data from an Optical Depth Measurement Network using RDF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freemantle, J. R.; O'Neill, N. T.; Lumb, L. I.; Abboud, I.; McArthur, B.

2010-12-01

The AEROCAN sunphotometery network has, for more than a decade, generated optical indicators of aerosol concentration and size on a regional and national scale. We believe this optical information can be rendered more “actionable” to the health care community by developing a technical and interpretative information-sharing geospatial strategy with that community. By actionable data we mean information that is presented in manner that can be understood and then used in the decision making process. The decision may be that of a technical professional, a policy maker or a machine. The information leading up to a decision may come from many sources; this means it is particularly important that data are well defined across knowledge fields, in our case atmospheric science and respiratory health science. As part of the AEROCAN operational quality assurance (QA) methodology we have written automatic procedures to make some of the AEROCAN data more accessible or “actionable”. Tim Berners-Lee has advocated making datasets, “Linked Data”, available on the web with a proper structural description (metadata). We have been using RDF (Resource Description Framework) to enhance the utility of our sunphotometer data; the resulting self-describing representation is structured so that it is machine readable. This allows semantically based queries (e.g., via SPARQL) on our dataset that in the past were only viewable as passive Web tables of data.

Functional Profiling Identifies Genes Involved in Organ-Specific Branches of the PIF3 Regulatory Network in Arabidopsis[C][W

PubMed Central

Sentandreu, Maria; Martín, Guiomar; González-Schain, Nahuel; Leivar, Pablo; Soy, Judit; Tepperman, James M.; Quail, Peter H.; Monte, Elena

2011-01-01

The phytochrome (phy)-interacting basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors (PIFs) constitutively sustain the etiolated state of dark-germinated seedlings by actively repressing deetiolation in darkness. This action is rapidly reversed upon light exposure by phy-induced proteolytic degradation of the PIFs. Here, we combined a microarray-based approach with a functional profiling strategy and identified four PIF3-regulated genes misexpressed in the dark (MIDAs) that are novel regulators of seedling deetiolation. We provide evidence that each one of these four MIDA genes regulates a specific facet of etiolation (hook maintenance, cotyledon appression, or hypocotyl elongation), indicating that there is branching in the signaling that PIF3 relays. Furthermore, combining inferred MIDA gene function from mutant analyses with their expression profiles in response to light-induced degradation of PIF3 provides evidence consistent with a model where the action of the PIF3/MIDA regulatory network enables an initial fast response to the light and subsequently prevents an overresponse to the initial light trigger, thus optimizing the seedling deetiolation process. Collectively, the data suggest that at least part of the phy/PIF system acts through these four MIDAs to initiate and optimize seedling deetiolation, and that this mechanism might allow the implementation of spatial (i.e., organ-specific) and temporal responses during the photomorphogenic program. PMID:22108407

75 FR 49870 - Effects on Broadband Communications Networks of Damage to or Failure of Network Equipment or...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-16

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Chapter I [PS Docket No. 10-92; DA 10-1357] Effects on Broadband Communications Networks of Damage to or Failure of Network Equipment or Severe Overload AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of reply comment date. SUMMARY: This...

Characteristics of fast-spiking neurons in the striatum of behaving monkeys.

PubMed

Yamada, Hiroshi; Inokawa, Hitoshi; Hori, Yukiko; Pan, Xiaochuan; Matsuzaki, Ryuichi; Nakamura, Kae; Samejima, Kazuyuki; Shidara, Munetaka; Kimura, Minoru; Sakagami, Masamichi; Minamimoto, Takafumi

2016-04-01

Inhibitory interneurons are the fundamental constituents of neural circuits that organize network outputs. The striatum as part of the basal ganglia is involved in reward-directed behaviors. However, the role of the inhibitory interneurons in this process remains unclear, especially in behaving monkeys. We recorded the striatal single neuron activity while monkeys performed reward-directed hand or eye movements. Presumed parvalbumin-containing GABAergic interneurons (fast-spiking neurons, FSNs) were identified based on narrow spike shapes in three independent experiments, though they were a small population (4.2%, 42/997). We found that FSNs are characterized by high-frequency and less-bursty discharges, which are distinct from the basic firing properties of the presumed projection neurons (phasically active neurons, PANs). Besides, the encoded information regarding actions and outcomes was similar between FSNs and PANs in terms of proportion of neurons, but the discharge selectivity was higher in PANs than that of FSNs. The coding of actions and outcomes in FSNs and PANs was consistently observed under various behavioral contexts in distinct parts of the striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen, and anterior striatum). Our results suggest that FSNs may enhance the discharge selectivity of postsynaptic output neurons (PANs) in encoding crucial variables for a reward-directed behavior. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Imagining CO2: development and assessment of interactive visualizations for high resolution greenhouse gas observations collected by BEACO2N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raheja, G.; Shusterman, A.; Martin, S.; Shahar, E.; Laughner, J.; Turner, A. J.; Miller, M. K.; Cohen, R. C.

2016-12-01

The Berkeley Atmospheric CO2 Observation Network (BEACO2N) is a high-density network of 28 carbon dioxide sensors distributed around the San Francisco Bay Area that serve to enhance understanding of intra-city variations in CO2 concentrations that are not necessarily captured by sparser networks maintained by local and national air quality management agencies. We partner with designers at the San Francisco Exploratorium to create a suite of interactive exhibits and hands-on activities that creatively visualize data from BEACO2N for general audiences. Museum goers can manipulate a light-up "bar graph" of live CO2 concentrations by exhaling on an in-room sensor, query the current readings of rooftop sensors using a scale model of the Wired Pier observation system, scroll through the data from other BEACO2N sites projected on a 3-D "topographic table" of the Bay Area, and view interpolated CO2 fields driven by research-grade weather models on a nine-screen LCD display. We present lessons learned from these initial installations, from layperson audience feedback to details of the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model coupled to Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) weather fields used to generate intuitive concentration maps. We propose that compelling visual demonstrations of elevated CO2 concentrations due to routine small-scale high-emission anthropogenic activities (e.g. rush hour) and/or special events (such as fireworks or factory fires) generate deeper engagement in local environmental issues and interest in undertaking personal actions that can become part of the broader climate solution. While global means and other large-scale aggregate climate metrics can lead to feelings of disconnect and subsequent ambivalence, via such exhibitions, distributed network instruments like BEACO2N can provide the local sensitivity needed to "personalize" greenhouse gas concentrations to a given individual or community and incite the drive toward understanding, education, and action.

Network pharmacology-based strategy for predicting active ingredients and potential targets of Yangxinshi tablet for treating heart failure.

PubMed

Chen, Langdong; Cao, Yan; Zhang, Hai; Lv, Diya; Zhao, Yahong; Liu, Yanjun; Ye, Guan; Chai, Yifeng

2018-01-31

Yangxinshi tablet (YXST) is an effective treatment for heart failure and myocardial infarction; it consists of 13 herbal medicines formulated according to traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices. It has been used for the treatment of cardiovascular disease for many years in China. In this study, a network pharmacology-based strategy was used to elucidate the mechanism of action of YXST for the treatment of heart failure. Cardiovascular disease-related protein target and compound databases were constructed for YXST. A molecular docking platform was used to predict the protein targets of YXST. The affinity between proteins and ingredients was determined using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assays. The action modes between targets and representative ingredients were calculated using Glide docking, and the related pathways were predicted using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. A protein target database containing 924 proteins was constructed; 179 compounds in YXST were identified, and 48 compounds with high relevance to the proteins were defined as representative ingredients. Thirty-four protein targets of the 48 representative ingredients were analyzed and classified into two categories: immune and cardiovascular systems. The SPR assay and molecular docking partly validated the interplay between protein targets and representative ingredients. Moreover, 28 pathways related to heart failure were identified, which provided directions for further research on YXST. This study demonstrated that the cardiovascular protective effect of YXST mainly involved the immune and cardiovascular systems. Through the research strategy based on network pharmacology, we analysis the complex system of YXST and found 48 representative compounds, 34 proteins and 28 related pathways of YXST, which could help us understand the underlying mechanism of YSXT's anti-heart failure effect. The network-based investigation could help researchers simplify the complex system of YXSY. It may also offer a feasible approach to decipher the chemical and pharmacological bases of other TCM formulas. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transition from an open-plan to a two-cot neonatal intensive care unit: a participatory action research approach.

PubMed

Broom, Margaret; Gardner, Anne; Kecskes, Zsuzsoka; Kildea, Sue

2017-07-01

To facilitate staff transition from an open-plan to a two-cot neonatal intensive care unit design. In 2012, an Australian regional neonatal intensive care unit transitioned from an open-plan to a two-cot neonatal intensive care unit design. Research has reported single- and small-room neonatal intensive care unit design may negatively impact on the distances nurses walk, reducing the time they spend providing direct neonatal care. Studies have also reported nurses feel isolated and need additional support and education in such neonatal intensive care units. Staff highlighted their concerns regarding the impact of the new design on workflow and clinical practice. A participatory action research approach. A participatory action group titled the Change and Networking Group collaborated with staff over a four-year period (2009-2013) to facilitate the transition. The Change and Networking Group used a collaborative, cyclical process of planning, gathering data, taking action and reviewing the results to plan the next action. Data sources included meeting and workshop minutes, newsletters, feedback boards, subgroup reports and a staff satisfaction survey. The study findings include a description of (1) how the participatory action research cycles were used by the Change and Networking Group: providing examples of projects and strategies undertaken; and (2) evaluations of participatory action research methodology and Group by neonatal intensive care unit staff and Change and Networking members. This study has described the benefits of using participatory action research to facilitate staff transition from an open-plan to a two-cot neonatal intensive care unit design. Participatory action research methodology enabled the inclusion of staff to find solutions to design and clinical practice questions. Future research is required to assess the long-term effect of neonatal intensive care unit design on staff workload, maintaining and supporting a skilled workforce as well as the impact of a new neonatal intensive care unit design on the neonatal intensive care unit culture. A supportive work environment for staff is critical in providing high-quality health care. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Barcelona 2002: law, ethics, and human rights. Advancing research and access to HIV vaccines: a framework for action.

PubMed

Avrett, Sam

2002-12-01

In light of the continuing spread of HIV infection and the devastating impact of the disease on lives, communities, and economies, particularly in the developing world, the investment in new treatments, vaccines, and microbicides has clearly been inadequate. Efforts must be intensified to develop effective HIV vaccines and to ensure that they are accessible to people in all parts of the world. This article is a summary of a paper by Sam Avrett presented at "Putting Third First: Vaccines, Access to Treatments and the Law," a satellite meeting held at Barcelona on 5 July 2002 and organized by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, the AIDS Law Project, South Africa, and the Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit, India. In the article, Avrett calls for immediate action to increase commitment and funding for HIV vaccines, enhance public support and involvement, accelerate vaccine development, and plan for the eventual delivery of the vaccines. The article briefly outlines steps that governments need to take to implement each of these objectives. The article also provides a menu of potential actions for vaccine advocates to consider as they lobby governments.

Equipment Management for Sensor Networks: Linking Physical Infrastructure and Actions to Observational Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, A. S.; Horsburgh, J. S.; Matos, M.; Caraballo, J.

2015-12-01

Networks conducting long term monitoring using in situ sensors need the functionality to track physical equipment as well as deployments, calibrations, and other actions related to site and equipment maintenance. The observational data being generated by sensors are enhanced if direct linkages to equipment details and actions can be made. This type of information is typically recorded in field notebooks or in static files, which are rarely linked to observations in a way that could be used to interpret results. However, the record of field activities is often relevant to analysis or post-processing of the observational data. We have developed an underlying database schema and deployed a web interface for recording and retrieving information on physical infrastructure and related actions for observational networks. The database schema for equipment was designed as an extension to the Observations Data Model 2 (ODM2), a community-developed information model for spatially discrete, feature based earth observations. The core entities of ODM2 describe location, observed variable, and timing of observations, and the equipment extension contains entities to provide additional metadata specific to the inventory of physical infrastructure and associated actions. The schema is implemented in a relational database system for storage and management with an associated web interface. We designed the web-based tools for technicians to enter and query information on the physical equipment and actions such as site visits, equipment deployments, maintenance, and calibrations. These tools were implemented for the iUTAH (innovative Urban Transitions and Aridregion Hydrosustainability) ecohydrologic observatory, and we anticipate that they will be useful for similar large-scale monitoring networks desiring to link observing infrastructure to observational data to increase the quality of sensor-based data products.

Componential Network for the Recognition of Tool-Associated Actions: Evidence from Voxel-based Lesion-Symptom Mapping in Acute Stroke Patients.

PubMed

Martin, Markus; Dressing, Andrea; Bormann, Tobias; Schmidt, Charlotte S M; Kümmerer, Dorothee; Beume, Lena; Saur, Dorothee; Mader, Irina; Rijntjes, Michel; Kaller, Christoph P; Weiller, Cornelius

2017-08-01

The study aimed to elucidate areas involved in recognizing tool-associated actions, and to characterize the relationship between recognition and active performance of tool use.We performed voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping in a prospective cohort of 98 acute left-hemisphere ischemic stroke patients (68 male, age mean ± standard deviation, 65 ± 13 years; examination 4.4 ± 2 days post-stroke). In a video-based test, patients distinguished correct tool-related actions from actions with spatio-temporal (incorrect grip, kinematics, or tool orientation) or conceptual errors (incorrect tool-recipient matching, e.g., spreading jam on toast with a paintbrush). Moreover, spatio-temporal and conceptual errors were determined during actual tool use.Deficient spatio-temporal error discrimination followed lesions within a dorsal network in which the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and the lateral temporal cortex (sLTC) were specifically relevant for assessing functional hand postures and kinematics, respectively. Conversely, impaired recognition of conceptual errors resulted from damage to ventral stream regions including anterior temporal lobe. Furthermore, LTC and IPL lesions impacted differently on action recognition and active tool use, respectively.In summary, recognition of tool-associated actions relies on a componential network. Our study particularly highlights the dissociable roles of LTC and IPL for the recognition of action kinematics and functional hand postures, respectively. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Pancreatic Enzymes

MedlinePlus

... Contributions to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s tax identification number is #33-0841281. Our 13th Consecutive ...

Sensitivity to perception level differentiates two subnetworks within the mirror neuron system.

PubMed

Simon, Shiri; Mukamel, Roy

2017-05-01

Mirror neurons are a subset of brain cells that discharge during action execution and passive observation of similar actions. An open question concerns the functional role of their ability to match observed and executed actions. Since understanding of goals requires conscious perception of actions, we expect that mirror neurons potentially involved in action goal coding, will be modulated by changes in action perception level. Here, we manipulated perception level of action videos depicting short hand movements and measured the corresponding fMRI BOLD responses in mirror regions. Our results show that activity levels within a network of regions, including the sensorimotor cortex, primary motor cortex, dorsal premotor cortex and posterior superior temporal sulcus, are sensitive to changes in action perception level, whereas activity levels in the inferior frontal gyrus, ventral premotor cortex, supplementary motor area and superior parietal lobule are invariant to such changes. In addition, this parcellation to two sub-networks manifest as smaller functional distances within each group of regions during task and resting state. Our results point to functional differences between regions within the mirror neurons system which may have implications with respect to their possible role in action understanding. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

75 FR 55360 - Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program: Draft NITRD 2010...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-10

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD... Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD). ACTION: Notice, request for public comment. FOR..., the National Coordination Office for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development...

Stakeholders' participatory diagnosis of climate change impacts on subsistence agriculture in Sikkim, India, for identifying adaptation strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azhoni, A.; Goyal, M. K.

2017-12-01

Narrowing the gap between research, policy making and implementing adaptation remains a challenge in many parts of the world where climate change is likely to severely impact subsistence agriculture. This research aims to narrow this gap by matching the adaptation strategies being framed by policy makers and perspectives of consultants and researchers which are expected to be implemented by development agencies farmers in the state of Sikkim in India. Our case study examined the framing and implementation of State Action Plan on Climate Change through semi-structured interviews carried out with decision makers in the State Government, Scientific Organisations, consultants, local academia, implementing and development agencies, and farmers for whom the adaptation strategies are targeted. Using Social Network and Stakeholder Analysis approach, this research unravels the complexities of perceiving climate change impacts, identifying adaptation strategies, and implementing climate change adaptation strategies. While farmers are less aware about the global phenomenon of climate change impacts for their subsistence livelihood, their knowledge of the local conditions and their close interaction with the State Government Agriculture Department provides them an access to new and high value crops. Although important steps are initiated through the Sikkim State Action Plan on Climate Change it is yet to deliver effective means of adaptation implementation and identifying the networks of close coordination between the various implementing agencies will likely to pay rich dividends. While Sikkim being a small and hilly state with specific contextual challenges of climate change impacts, the results from this study highlights how the internal and external networks between various types of stakeholders informs decision makers in identifying local impacts of climate change and plan adaptation strategies.

Non-thermal mechanism of weak microwave fields influence on neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shneider, M. N.; Pekker, M.

2013-09-01

A non-thermal mechanism of weak microwave field impact on a nerve fiber is proposed. It is shown that in the range of about 30-300 GHz, there are strongly pronounced resonances associated with the excitation of ultrasonic vibrations in the membrane as a result of interaction with electromagnetic radiation. The viscous dissipation limits the resonances and results in their broadening. These forced vibrations create acoustic pressure, which may lead to the redistribution of the protein transmembrane channels, and thus changing the threshold of the action potential excitation in the axons of the neural network. The influence of the electromagnetic microwave radiation on various specific areas of myelin nerve fibers was analyzed: the nodes of Ranvier, and the initial segment—the area between the neuron hillock and the first part of the axon covered with the myelin layer. It was shown that the initial segment is the most sensitive area of the myelined neurons from which the action potential normally starts.

Update rules and interevent time distributions: slow ordering versus no ordering in the voter model.

PubMed

Fernández-Gracia, J; Eguíluz, V M; San Miguel, M

2011-07-01

We introduce a general methodology of update rules accounting for arbitrary interevent time (IET) distributions in simulations of interacting agents. We consider in particular update rules that depend on the state of the agent, so that the update becomes part of the dynamical model. As an illustration we consider the voter model in fully connected, random, and scale-free networks with an activation probability inversely proportional to the time since the last action, where an action can be an update attempt (an exogenous update) or a change of state (an endogenous update). We find that in the thermodynamic limit, at variance with standard updates and the exogenous update, the system orders slowly for the endogenous update. The approach to the absorbing state is characterized by a power-law decay of the density of interfaces, observing that the mean time to reach the absorbing state might be not well defined. The IET distributions resulting from both update schemes show power-law tails.

Brain-wide mapping of neural activity controlling zebrafish exploratory locomotion

PubMed Central

Dunn, Timothy W; Mu, Yu; Narayan, Sujatha; Randlett, Owen; Naumann, Eva A; Yang, Chao-Tsung; Schier, Alexander F

2016-01-01

In the absence of salient sensory cues to guide behavior, animals must still execute sequences of motor actions in order to forage and explore. How such successive motor actions are coordinated to form global locomotion trajectories is unknown. We mapped the structure of larval zebrafish swim trajectories in homogeneous environments and found that trajectories were characterized by alternating sequences of repeated turns to the left and to the right. Using whole-brain light-sheet imaging, we identified activity relating to the behavior in specific neural populations that we termed the anterior rhombencephalic turning region (ARTR). ARTR perturbations biased swim direction and reduced the dependence of turn direction on turn history, indicating that the ARTR is part of a network generating the temporal correlations in turn direction. We also find suggestive evidence for ARTR mutual inhibition and ARTR projections to premotor neurons. Finally, simulations suggest the observed turn sequences may underlie efficient exploration of local environments. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12741.001 PMID:27003593

Cardiac and respiratory patterns synchronize between persons during choir singing.

PubMed

Müller, Viktor; Lindenberger, Ulman

2011-01-01

Dyadic and collective activities requiring temporally coordinated action are likely to be associated with cardiac and respiratory patterns that synchronize within and between people. However, the extent and functional significance of cardiac and respiratory between-person couplings have not been investigated thus far. Here, we report interpersonal oscillatory couplings among eleven singers and one conductor engaged in choir singing. We find that: (a) phase synchronization both in respiration and heart rate variability increase significantly during singing relative to a rest condition; (b) phase synchronization is higher when singing in unison than when singing pieces with multiple voice parts; (c) directed coupling measures are consistent with the presence of causal effects of the conductor on the singers at high modulation frequencies; (d) the different voices of the choir are reflected in network analyses of cardiac and respiratory activity based on graph theory. Our results suggest that oscillatory coupling of cardiac and respiratory patterns provide a physiological basis for interpersonal action coordination.

Cardiac and Respiratory Patterns Synchronize between Persons during Choir Singing

PubMed Central

Müller, Viktor; Lindenberger, Ulman

2011-01-01

Dyadic and collective activities requiring temporally coordinated action are likely to be associated with cardiac and respiratory patterns that synchronize within and between people. However, the extent and functional significance of cardiac and respiratory between-person couplings have not been investigated thus far. Here, we report interpersonal oscillatory couplings among eleven singers and one conductor engaged in choir singing. We find that: (a) phase synchronization both in respiration and heart rate variability increase significantly during singing relative to a rest condition; (b) phase synchronization is higher when singing in unison than when singing pieces with multiple voice parts; (c) directed coupling measures are consistent with the presence of causal effects of the conductor on the singers at high modulation frequencies; (d) the different voices of the choir are reflected in network analyses of cardiac and respiratory activity based on graph theory. Our results suggest that oscillatory coupling of cardiac and respiratory patterns provide a physiological basis for interpersonal action coordination. PMID:21957466

Grasping Ideas with the Motor System: Semantic Somatotopy in Idiom Comprehension

PubMed Central

Hauk, Olaf; Pulvermüller, Friedemann

2009-01-01

Single words and sentences referring to bodily actions activate the motor cortex. However, this semantic grounding of concrete language does not address the critical question whether the sensory–motor system contributes to the processing of abstract meaning and thought. We examined functional magnetic resonance imaging activation to idioms and literal sentences including arm- and leg-related action words. A common left fronto-temporal network was engaged in sentence reading, with idioms yielding relatively stronger activity in (pre)frontal and middle temporal cortex. Crucially, somatotopic activation along the motor strip, in central and precentral cortex, was elicited by idiomatic and literal sentences, reflecting the body part reference of the words embedded in the sentences. Semantic somatotopy was most pronounced after sentence ending, thus reflecting sentence-level processing rather than that of single words. These results indicate that semantic representations grounded in the sensory–motor system play a role in the composition of sentence-level meaning, even in the case of idioms. PMID:19068489

Effects of intentionality and subliminal information in free-choices to inhibit.

PubMed

Dall'Acqua, Tommaso; Begliomini, Chiara; Motta, Raffaella; Miotto, Diego; Castiello, Umberto

2018-01-31

Stopping an action at the very last moment is an important feature of human behavioural flexibility. Intentional inhibition has been defined as the ability to inhibit an action on the basis of an internal decision process. Without this ability, actions would be impulsive and would leave little space to correct misguided decisions. Previous research suggests that making a choice between action alternatives activates a specific "choice network" that includes the rostral cingulate zone (RCZ), the anterior insula (AI), the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the inferior parietal lobe (IPL). The activity of this network has shown to be influenced by non-conscious (subliminal) stimuli. In this study, we tested whether the same regions are recruited by free-choices to inhibit and modulated by unconscious information as reported in the case of free-choices to act. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we manipulated the degree of 'freedom' of the choice between acting and inhibiting an action by introducing explicit cues or leaving the participants free to choose between action alternatives. We included subliminal masked primes to test whether responses to targets were facilitated and/or obstructed by conditions of congruency and incongruency between primes and targets. Our findings confirmed higher activation of the "choice network" in free-choice trials when compared to cued choices. However subliminal priming failed to significantly influence participants' responses, in free-choice conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

History and Culture of Alara--The Action Learning and Action Research Association

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuber-Skerritt, Ortrun; Passfield, Ron

2016-01-01

As co-founders of the Action Learning and Action Research Association (ALARA), we tell the story of this international network organisation through our personal experience. Our history traces the evolution of ALARA from origins at the first World Congress in 1990 in Brisbane, Australia, through development over two and a half decades, to its…

Assured communications and combat resiliency: the relationship between effective national communications and combat efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allgood, Glenn O.; Kuruganti, Phani Teja; Nutaro, James; Saffold, Jay

2009-05-01

Combat resiliency is the ability of a commander to prosecute, control, and consolidate his/her's sphere of influence in adverse and changing conditions. To support this, an infrastructure must exist that allows the commander to view the world in varying degrees of granularity with sufficient levels of detail to permit confidence estimates to be levied against decisions and course of actions. An infrastructure such as this will include the ability to effectively communicate context and relevance within and across the battle space. To achieve this will require careful thought, planning, and understanding of a network and its capacity limitations in post-event command and control. Relevance and impact on any existing infrastructure must be fully understood prior to deployment to exploit the system's full capacity and capabilities. In this view, the combat communication network is considered an integral part of or National communication network and infrastructure. This paper will describe an analytical tool set developed at ORNL and RNI incorporating complexity theory, advanced communications modeling, simulation, and visualization technologies that could be used as a pre-planning tool or post event reasoning application to support response and containment.

Deep recurrent neural network reveals a hierarchy of process memory during dynamic natural vision.

PubMed

Shi, Junxing; Wen, Haiguang; Zhang, Yizhen; Han, Kuan; Liu, Zhongming

2018-05-01

The human visual cortex extracts both spatial and temporal visual features to support perception and guide behavior. Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) provide a computational framework to model cortical representation and organization for spatial visual processing, but unable to explain how the brain processes temporal information. To overcome this limitation, we extended a CNN by adding recurrent connections to different layers of the CNN to allow spatial representations to be remembered and accumulated over time. The extended model, or the recurrent neural network (RNN), embodied a hierarchical and distributed model of process memory as an integral part of visual processing. Unlike the CNN, the RNN learned spatiotemporal features from videos to enable action recognition. The RNN better predicted cortical responses to natural movie stimuli than the CNN, at all visual areas, especially those along the dorsal stream. As a fully observable model of visual processing, the RNN also revealed a cortical hierarchy of temporal receptive window, dynamics of process memory, and spatiotemporal representations. These results support the hypothesis of process memory, and demonstrate the potential of using the RNN for in-depth computational understanding of dynamic natural vision. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

48 CFR 1005.202 - Exceptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ACQUISITION PLANNING PUBLICIZING CONTRACT ACTIONS Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions 1005.202 Exceptions... concerns; (iv) The Procurement Marketing and Access Network (PRO-Net) will be used to identify and solicit...

Perception as a Route for Motor Skill Learning: Perspectives from Neuroscience.

PubMed

Ossmy, Ori; Mukamel, Roy

2018-04-22

Learning a motor skill requires physical practice that engages neural networks involved in movement. These networks have also been found to be engaged during perception of sensory signals associated with actions. Nonetheless, despite extensive evidence for the existence of such sensory-evoked neural activity in motor pathways, much less is known about their contribution to learning and actual changes in behavior. Primate studies usually involve an overlearned task while studies in humans have largely focused on characterizing activity of the action observation network (AON) in the context of action understanding, theory of mind, and social interactions. Relatively few studies examined neural plasticity induced by perception and its role in transfer of motor knowledge. Here, we review this body of literature and point to future directions for the development of alternative, physiologically grounded ways in which sensory signals could be harnessed to improve motor skills. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Reinforcement learning design-based adaptive tracking control with less learning parameters for nonlinear discrete-time MIMO systems.

PubMed

Liu, Yan-Jun; Tang, Li; Tong, Shaocheng; Chen, C L Philip; Li, Dong-Juan

2015-01-01

Based on the neural network (NN) approximator, an online reinforcement learning algorithm is proposed for a class of affine multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) nonlinear discrete-time systems with unknown functions and disturbances. In the design procedure, two networks are provided where one is an action network to generate an optimal control signal and the other is a critic network to approximate the cost function. An optimal control signal and adaptation laws can be generated based on two NNs. In the previous approaches, the weights of critic and action networks are updated based on the gradient descent rule and the estimations of optimal weight vectors are directly adjusted in the design. Consequently, compared with the existing results, the main contributions of this paper are: 1) only two parameters are needed to be adjusted, and thus the number of the adaptation laws is smaller than the previous results and 2) the updating parameters do not depend on the number of the subsystems for MIMO systems and the tuning rules are replaced by adjusting the norms on optimal weight vectors in both action and critic networks. It is proven that the tracking errors, the adaptation laws, and the control inputs are uniformly bounded using Lyapunov analysis method. The simulation examples are employed to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Providing Access to CD-ROM Databases in a Campus Setting. Part II: Networking CD-ROMs via a LAN.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koren, Judy

1992-01-01

The second part of a report on CD-ROM networking in libraries describes LAN (local area network) technology; networking software and towers; gateway software for connecting to campuswide networks; Macintosh LANs; and network licenses. Several product and software reviews are included, and a sidebar lists vendor addresses. (NRP)

Burnet Project

PubMed Central

Masellis, A.; Atiyeh, B.

2009-01-01

Summary The BurNet project, a pilot project of the Eumedis initiative, has become true. The Eumedis (EUro MEDiterranean Information Society) initiative is part of the MEDA programme of the EU to develop the Information Society in the Mediterranean area. In the health care sector, the objective of Eumedis is: the deployment of network-based solutions to interconnect - using userfriendly and affordable solutions - the actors at all levels of the "health care system" of the Euro-Mediterranean region. The Bur Net project interconnects 17 Burn Centres (BC) in the Mediterranean Area through an information network both to standardize courses of action in the field of prevention, treatment, and functional and psychological rehabilitation of burn patients and to coordinate interactions between BC and emergency rooms in peripheral hospitals using training/information activities and telemedicine to optimize first aid provided to burn patients before referral to a BC. Shared procedure protocols for prevention and the care and rehabilitation of patients, both at individual and mass level, will help to create an international specialized database and a Webbased teleconsultation system. PMID:21991176

Understanding access and use of technology among youth with first-episode psychosis to inform the development of technology-enabled therapeutic interventions.

PubMed

Abdel-Baki, Amal; Lal, Shalini; D-Charron, Olivier; Stip, Emmanuel; Kara, Nadjia

2017-02-01

Computers, video games and technological devices are part of young people's everyday lives. However, their use in first-episode psychosis (FEP) treatment is rare. The purpose of this study was to better understand the access and use of technology among individuals with FEP, including gaming activities, to inform future development of technology-enabled therapeutic applications. Self-administered survey on use of technological tools in 71 FEP individuals. PCs/laptops were used by all participants; cellphones/smartphones by 92%, consoles by 83% (mainly male and younger participants). Women texted and used social networks more frequently; men played games (mainly action) more often. The younger individuals reported playing games frequently (32% daily) with less use of the Web and social networks (favourite: Facebook). These data will be useful for developing Web-based psychoeducation tools and cognitive remediation video games for youth with FEP. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Time Series Neural Network Model for Part-of-Speech Tagging Indonesian Language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanadi, Theo

2018-03-01

Part-of-speech tagging (POS tagging) is an important part in natural language processing. Many methods have been used to do this task, including neural network. This paper models a neural network that attempts to do POS tagging. A time series neural network is modelled to solve the problems that a basic neural network faces when attempting to do POS tagging. In order to enable the neural network to have text data input, the text data will get clustered first using Brown Clustering, resulting a binary dictionary that the neural network can use. To further the accuracy of the neural network, other features such as the POS tag, suffix, and affix of previous words would also be fed to the neural network.

Exploration of cellular reaction systems.

PubMed

Kirkilionis, Markus

2010-01-01

We discuss and review different ways to map cellular components and their temporal interaction with other such components to different non-spatially explicit mathematical models. The essential choices made in the literature are between discrete and continuous state spaces, between rule and event-based state updates and between deterministic and stochastic series of such updates. The temporal modelling of cellular regulatory networks (dynamic network theory) is compared with static network approaches in two first introductory sections on general network modelling. We concentrate next on deterministic rate-based dynamic regulatory networks and their derivation. In the derivation, we include methods from multiscale analysis and also look at structured large particles, here called macromolecular machines. It is clear that mass-action systems and their derivatives, i.e. networks based on enzyme kinetics, play the most dominant role in the literature. The tools to analyse cellular reaction networks are without doubt most complete for mass-action systems. We devote a long section at the end of the review to make a comprehensive review of related tools and mathematical methods. The emphasis is to show how cellular reaction networks can be analysed with the help of different associated graphs and the dissection into modules, i.e. sub-networks.

A network property necessary for concentration robustness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eloundou-Mbebi, Jeanne M. O.; Küken, Anika; Omranian, Nooshin; Kleessen, Sabrina; Neigenfind, Jost; Basler, Georg; Nikoloski, Zoran

2016-10-01

Maintenance of functionality of complex cellular networks and entire organisms exposed to environmental perturbations often depends on concentration robustness of the underlying components. Yet, the reasons and consequences of concentration robustness in large-scale cellular networks remain largely unknown. Here, we derive a necessary condition for concentration robustness based only on the structure of networks endowed with mass action kinetics. The structural condition can be used to design targeted experiments to study concentration robustness. We show that metabolites satisfying the necessary condition are present in metabolic networks from diverse species, suggesting prevalence of this property across kingdoms of life. We also demonstrate that our predictions about concentration robustness of energy-related metabolites are in line with experimental evidence from Escherichia coli. The necessary condition is applicable to mass action biological systems of arbitrary size, and will enable understanding the implications of concentration robustness in genetic engineering strategies and medical applications.

A network property necessary for concentration robustness.

PubMed

Eloundou-Mbebi, Jeanne M O; Küken, Anika; Omranian, Nooshin; Kleessen, Sabrina; Neigenfind, Jost; Basler, Georg; Nikoloski, Zoran

2016-10-19

Maintenance of functionality of complex cellular networks and entire organisms exposed to environmental perturbations often depends on concentration robustness of the underlying components. Yet, the reasons and consequences of concentration robustness in large-scale cellular networks remain largely unknown. Here, we derive a necessary condition for concentration robustness based only on the structure of networks endowed with mass action kinetics. The structural condition can be used to design targeted experiments to study concentration robustness. We show that metabolites satisfying the necessary condition are present in metabolic networks from diverse species, suggesting prevalence of this property across kingdoms of life. We also demonstrate that our predictions about concentration robustness of energy-related metabolites are in line with experimental evidence from Escherichia coli. The necessary condition is applicable to mass action biological systems of arbitrary size, and will enable understanding the implications of concentration robustness in genetic engineering strategies and medical applications.

A network property necessary for concentration robustness

PubMed Central

Eloundou-Mbebi, Jeanne M. O.; Küken, Anika; Omranian, Nooshin; Kleessen, Sabrina; Neigenfind, Jost; Basler, Georg; Nikoloski, Zoran

2016-01-01

Maintenance of functionality of complex cellular networks and entire organisms exposed to environmental perturbations often depends on concentration robustness of the underlying components. Yet, the reasons and consequences of concentration robustness in large-scale cellular networks remain largely unknown. Here, we derive a necessary condition for concentration robustness based only on the structure of networks endowed with mass action kinetics. The structural condition can be used to design targeted experiments to study concentration robustness. We show that metabolites satisfying the necessary condition are present in metabolic networks from diverse species, suggesting prevalence of this property across kingdoms of life. We also demonstrate that our predictions about concentration robustness of energy-related metabolites are in line with experimental evidence from Escherichia coli. The necessary condition is applicable to mass action biological systems of arbitrary size, and will enable understanding the implications of concentration robustness in genetic engineering strategies and medical applications. PMID:27759015

Supervision of dynamic systems: Monitoring, decision-making and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, T. N.

1982-01-01

Effects of task variables on the performance of the human supervisor by means of modelling techniques are discussed. The task variables considered are: The dynamics of the system, the task to be performed, the environmental disturbances and the observation noise. A relationship between task variables and parameters of a supervisory model is assumed. The model consists of three parts: (1) The observer part is thought to be a full order optimal observer, (2) the decision-making part is stated as a set of decision rules, and (3) the controller part is given by a control law. The observer part generates, on the basis of the system output and the control actions, an estimate of the state of the system and its associated variance. The outputs of the observer part are then used by the decision-making part to determine the instants in time of the observation actions on the one hand and the controls actions on the other. The controller part makes use of the estimated state to derive the amplitude(s) of the control action(s).

Networked Leadership in Educational Collaborative Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Díaz-Gibson, Jordi; Zaragoza, Mireia Civís; Daly, Alan J.; Mayayo, Jordi Longás; Romaní, Jordi Riera

2017-01-01

Educational Collaborative Networks (ECNs) aim to achieve educational goals at the community level and base their actions on collaborative partnering between schools and community organizations. These approaches are an emergent and innovative leadership and policy strategy being used increasingly across the globe, given the interconnected and…

Using fuzzy logic to integrate neural networks and knowledge-based systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, John

1991-01-01

Outlined here is a novel hybrid architecture that uses fuzzy logic to integrate neural networks and knowledge-based systems. The author's approach offers important synergistic benefits to neural nets, approximate reasoning, and symbolic processing. Fuzzy inference rules extend symbolic systems with approximate reasoning capabilities, which are used for integrating and interpreting the outputs of neural networks. The symbolic system captures meta-level information about neural networks and defines its interaction with neural networks through a set of control tasks. Fuzzy action rules provide a robust mechanism for recognizing the situations in which neural networks require certain control actions. The neural nets, on the other hand, offer flexible classification and adaptive learning capabilities, which are crucial for dynamic and noisy environments. By combining neural nets and symbolic systems at their system levels through the use of fuzzy logic, the author's approach alleviates current difficulties in reconciling differences between low-level data processing mechanisms of neural nets and artificial intelligence systems.

[A network to promote health systems based on primary health care in the Region of the Americas].

PubMed

Herrera Vázquez, María Magdalena; Rodríguez Avila, Nuria; Nebot Adell, Carme; Montenegro, Hernán

2007-05-01

To identify the relational components of an international network of organizations that provide technical and financial assistance to promote the development of health systems based on primary health care in the countries of the Region of the Americas; to analyze the linkages that would allow the collaborating partners of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to work together on health issues; and to determine the basic theoretical elements that can help to develop action strategies that support advocacy efforts by a network. This was a qualitative and quantitative cross-sectional study based on identifying key informants and on analyzing social networks. Ethnographic and relational information from 46 international organizations was collected through a self-administered semistructured questionnaire. From 46 international health cooperation organizations, 29 decision makers from 29 organizations participated (63.0% response rate). The structure and the strength of the network was evaluated in terms of density, closeness, clustering, and centralization. The statistical analysis was done using computer programs that included UCINET, Pajek, and Microsoft Access. We found a structurally centralized theoretical network, whose nodes were clustered into four central subgroups linked by a shared vision. The leadership, influence, and political interests reflected the formal and technical-cooperation linkages, the formal support for health systems based on primary health care, and the flow of resources being more often technical ones than financial ones. The interorganizational relational components and the social-action ties that were identified could help in the development and consolidation of a thematic network for advocacy and for the management of technical and financial assistance that supports primary health care in the Americas. The linkages for joint action that were identified could advance international cooperation in developing health systems based on primary health care, once PAHO formulates clear implementation strategies and takes a leadership position in mobilizing financial resources and in creating informal and interpersonal linkages for action.

40 CFR 58.12 - Operating schedules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) AMBIENT AIR QUALITY SURVEILLANCE Monitoring Network § 58.12 Operating schedules. State and local... part. Area-specific PAMS operating schedules must be included as part of the PAMS network description... remains once every six days. No less frequently than as part of each 5-year network assessment, the most...

40 CFR 58.12 - Operating schedules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) AMBIENT AIR QUALITY SURVEILLANCE Monitoring Network § 58.12 Operating schedules. State and local... part. Area-specific PAMS operating schedules must be included as part of the PAMS network description... remains once every six days. No less frequently than as part of each 5-year network assessment, the most...

Nuclear structure and decay data evaluation in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Negret, Alexandru; Balabanski, Dimiter; Dimitriou, Paraskevi; Elekes, Zoltan; Mertzimekis, Theo J.; Pascu, Sorin; Timar, Janos

2017-09-01

Nuclear Structure and Decay Data (NSDD) activities in Europe include mass-chain and individual nuclei evaluations as well as horizontal evaluations and compilations, data dissemination and educational activities. As such they are essential for a large range of applications from energy, environmental, and medical to basic research in nuclear structure and reactions, all of which are intensively pursued in Europe. Although the NSDD evaluation groups in Europe form part of the international network of NSDD evaluators, which is coordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, they are faced with some very distinct challenges. We shortly present the NSDD Data Centre at IFIN-HH, Bucharest and discuss possible actions to improve the situation for the entire European NSDD evaluation effort.

38 CFR Appendix C to Part 200 - Actions Requiring Environmental Impact Statement

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Environmental Impact Statement C Appendix C to Part 200 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief ARMED FORCES...—Actions Requiring Environmental Impact Statement The following actions are considered to be major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, and therefore must be the subjects...

38 CFR Appendix C to Part 200 - Actions Requiring Environmental Impact Statement

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Environmental Impact Statement C Appendix C to Part 200 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief ARMED FORCES...—Actions Requiring Environmental Impact Statement The following actions are considered to be major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, and therefore must be the subjects...

Risk management in air protection in the Republic of Croatia.

PubMed

Peternel, Renata; Toth, Ivan; Hercog, Predrag

2014-03-01

In the Republic of Croatia, according to the Air Protection Act, air pollution assessment is obligatory on the whole State territory. For individual regions and populated areas in the State a network has been established for permanent air quality monitoring. The State network consists of stations for measuring background pollution, regional and cross-border remote transfer and measurements as part of international government liabilities, then stations for measuring air quality in areas of cultural and natural heritage, and stations for measuring air pollution in towns and industrial zones. The exceeding of alert and information threshold levels of air pollutants are related to emissions from industrial plants, and accidents. Each excess represents a threat to human health in case of short-time exposure. Monitoring of alert and information threshold levels is carried out at stations from the state and local networks for permanent air quality monitoring according to the Air Quality Measurement Program in the State network for permanent monitoring of air quality and air quality measurement programs in local networks for permanent air quality monitoring. The State network for permanent air quality monitoring has a developed automatic system for reporting on alert and information threshold levels, whereas many local networks under the competence of regional and local self-governments still lack any fully installed systems of this type. In case of accidents, prompt action at all responsibility levels is necessary in order to prevent crisis and this requires developed and coordinated competent units of State Administration as well as self-government units. It is also necessary to be continuously active in improving the implementation of legislative regulations in the field of crises related to critical and alert levels of air pollutants, especially at local levels.

In vitro large-scale experimental and theoretical studies for the realization of bi-directional brain-prostheses.

PubMed

Bonifazi, Paolo; Difato, Francesco; Massobrio, Paolo; Breschi, Gian L; Pasquale, Valentina; Levi, Timothée; Goldin, Miri; Bornat, Yannick; Tedesco, Mariateresa; Bisio, Marta; Kanner, Sivan; Galron, Ronit; Tessadori, Jacopo; Taverna, Stefano; Chiappalone, Michela

2013-01-01

Brain-machine interfaces (BMI) were born to control "actions from thoughts" in order to recover motor capability of patients with impaired functional connectivity between the central and peripheral nervous system. The final goal of our studies is the development of a new proof-of-concept BMI-a neuromorphic chip for brain repair-to reproduce the functional organization of a damaged part of the central nervous system. To reach this ambitious goal, we implemented a multidisciplinary "bottom-up" approach in which in vitro networks are the paradigm for the development of an in silico model to be incorporated into a neuromorphic device. In this paper we present the overall strategy and focus on the different building blocks of our studies: (i) the experimental characterization and modeling of "finite size networks" which represent the smallest and most general self-organized circuits capable of generating spontaneous collective dynamics; (ii) the induction of lesions in neuronal networks and the whole brain preparation with special attention on the impact on the functional organization of the circuits; (iii) the first production of a neuromorphic chip able to implement a real-time model of neuronal networks. A dynamical characterization of the finite size circuits with single cell resolution is provided. A neural network model based on Izhikevich neurons was able to replicate the experimental observations. Changes in the dynamics of the neuronal circuits induced by optical and ischemic lesions are presented respectively for in vitro neuronal networks and for a whole brain preparation. Finally the implementation of a neuromorphic chip reproducing the network dynamics in quasi-real time (10 ns precision) is presented.

Representation of visual symbols in the visual word processing network.

PubMed

Muayqil, Taim; Davies-Thompson, Jodie; Barton, Jason J S

2015-03-01

Previous studies have shown that word processing involves a predominantly left-sided occipitotemporal network. Words are a form of symbolic representation, in that they are arbitrary perceptual stimuli that represent other objects, actions or concepts. Lesions of parts of the visual word processing network can cause alexia, which can be associated with difficulty processing other types of symbols such as musical notation or road signs. We investigated whether components of the visual word processing network were also activated by other types of symbols. In 16 music-literate subjects, we defined the visual word network using fMRI and examined responses to four symbolic categories: visual words, musical notation, instructive symbols (e.g. traffic signs), and flags and logos. For each category we compared responses not only to scrambled stimuli, but also to similar stimuli that lacked symbolic meaning. The left visual word form area and a homologous right fusiform region responded similarly to all four categories, but equally to both symbolic and non-symbolic equivalents. Greater response to symbolic than non-symbolic stimuli occurred only in the left inferior frontal and middle temporal gyri, but only for words, and in the case of the left inferior frontal gyri, also for musical notation. A whole-brain analysis comparing symbolic versus non-symbolic stimuli revealed a distributed network of inferior temporooccipital and parietal regions that differed for different symbols. The fusiform gyri are involved in processing the form of many symbolic stimuli, but not specifically for stimuli with symbolic content. Selectivity for stimuli with symbolic content only emerges in the visual word network at the level of the middle temporal and inferior frontal gyri, but is specific for words and musical notation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 60014 - Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; System of Records Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-01

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; System of Records Notice AGENCY: Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Treasury. ACTION: Notice... of 1974, as amended, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (``FinCEN''), Department of the...

Action Control: Independent Effects of Memory and Monocular Viewing on Reaching Accuracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westwood, D.A.; Robertson, C.; Heath, M.

2005-01-01

Evidence suggests that perceptual networks in the ventral visual pathway are necessary for action control when targets are viewed with only one eye, or when the target must be stored in memory. We tested whether memory-linked (i.e., open-loop versus memory-guided actions) and monocular-linked effects (i.e., binocular versus monocular actions) on…

What Every PDS Partner Should Know about Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garin, Eva

2016-01-01

This article explores the process of an action research project undertaken by a PDS partnership. Participants in a one day professional development seminar shared their perspectives on action research within a PDS network, and findings indicate that participants valued the collaborative effort and opportunities to share their research efforts.…

The Development of Attention Skills in Action Video Game Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dye, M. W. G.; Green, C. S.; Bavelier, D.

2009-01-01

Previous research suggests that action video game play improves attentional resources, allowing gamers to better allocate their attention across both space and time. In order to further characterize the plastic changes resulting from playing these video games, we administered the Attentional Network Test (ANT) to action game players and…

Co-production of knowledge-action systems in urban sustainable governance: The KASA approach

Treesearch

T.A. Munoz-Erickson

2014-01-01

This paper examines how knowledge-action-systems the networks of actors involved in the production, sharing and use of policy-relevant knowledge - work in the process of developing sustainable strategies for cities. I developed an interdisciplinary framework- the knowledge-action system analysis (KASA) framework ...

A Network Pharmacology Approach to Understanding the Mechanisms of Action of Traditional Medicine: Bushenhuoxue Formula for Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease

PubMed Central

Zheng, Xiao-yong; Cao, Dong-sheng; Ye, Fa-qing; Xiang, Zheng

2014-01-01

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has unique therapeutic effects for complex chronic diseases. However, for the lack of an effective systematic approach, the research progress on the effective substances and pharmacological mechanism of action has been very slow. In this paper, by incorporating network biology, bioinformatics and chemoinformatics methods, an integrated approach was proposed to systematically investigate and explain the pharmacological mechanism of action and effective substances of TCM. This approach includes the following main steps: First, based on the known drug targets, network biology was used to screen out putative drug targets; Second, the molecular docking method was used to calculate whether the molecules from TCM and drug targets related to chronic kidney diseases (CKD) interact or not; Third, according to the result of molecular docking, natural product-target network, main component-target network and compound-target network were constructed; Finally, through analysis of network characteristics and literature mining, potential effective multi-components and their synergistic mechanism were putatively identified and uncovered. Bu-shen-Huo-xue formula (BSHX) which was frequently used for treating CKD, was used as the case to demonstrate reliability of our proposed approach. The results show that BSHX has the therapeutic effect by using multi-channel network regulation, such as regulating the coagulation and fibrinolytic balance, and the expression of inflammatory factors, inhibiting abnormal ECM accumulation. Tanshinone IIA, rhein, curcumin, calycosin and quercetin may be potential effective ingredients of BSHX. This research shows that the integration approach can be an effective means for discovering active substances and revealing their pharmacological mechanisms of TCM. PMID:24598793

A Graph Oriented Approach for Network Forensic Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Wei

2010-01-01

Network forensic analysis is a process that analyzes intrusion evidence captured from networked environment to identify suspicious entities and stepwise actions in an attack scenario. Unfortunately, the overwhelming amount and low quality of output from security sensors make it difficult for analysts to obtain a succinct high-level view of complex…

78 FR 29775 - Information Collection Request Sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-21

... Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice... Miller, National Manager, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, National Park Service...: OMB Control Number: 1024-0232. Title: National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program...

Environmental Learning in Online Social Networks: Adopting Environmentally Responsible Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robelia, Beth A.; Greenhow, Christine; Burton, Lisa

2011-01-01

Online social networks are increasingly important information and communication tools for young people and for the environmental movement. Networks may provide the motivation for young adults to increase environmental behaviors by increasing their knowledge of environmental issues and of the specific actions they can take to reduce greenhouse gas…

77 FR 18856 - Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, LA; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-28

... local, state, and regional newspapers, six online media outlets, and two local radio networks. Copies of... Atchafalaya; The Nature Conservancy; Gulf Restoration Network; Atchafalaya Basinkeeper; Louisiana Crawfish... Environmental Action Network; and local citizens. Selected Alternative The Draft CCP/EA identified and evaluated...

75 FR 9586 - Solicitation of Participation In and Public Meeting to Discuss Public Safety 700 MHz Broadband...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-03

... Demonstration Network AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce. ACTION... (NIST) announces the building of a 700 MHz Public Safety Broadband Demonstration Network (Demonstration Network), which will provide manufacturers and first responders a location for early deployment of their...

Legal Risks for Students Using Social Networking Sites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Michael; de Zwart, Melissa; Lindsay, David; Phillips, Michael

2010-01-01

There are significant privacy, intellectual property, copyright and disclosure risks associated with the ill-considered use of social networking sites, however, the implementation of regulatory actions may also undermine the social and emerging educational utility of social networking sites for young people. Inevitably the burden of dealing with…

Properties of Neurons in External Globus Pallidus Can Support Optimal Action Selection

PubMed Central

Bogacz, Rafal; Martin Moraud, Eduardo; Abdi, Azzedine; Magill, Peter J.; Baufreton, Jérôme

2016-01-01

The external globus pallidus (GPe) is a key nucleus within basal ganglia circuits that are thought to be involved in action selection. A class of computational models assumes that, during action selection, the basal ganglia compute for all actions available in a given context the probabilities that they should be selected. These models suggest that a network of GPe and subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons computes the normalization term in Bayes’ equation. In order to perform such computation, the GPe needs to send feedback to the STN equal to a particular function of the activity of STN neurons. However, the complex form of this function makes it unlikely that individual GPe neurons, or even a single GPe cell type, could compute it. Here, we demonstrate how this function could be computed within a network containing two types of GABAergic GPe projection neuron, so-called ‘prototypic’ and ‘arkypallidal’ neurons, that have different response properties in vivo and distinct connections. We compare our model predictions with the experimentally-reported connectivity and input-output functions (f-I curves) of the two populations of GPe neurons. We show that, together, these dichotomous cell types fulfil the requirements necessary to compute the function needed for optimal action selection. We conclude that, by virtue of their distinct response properties and connectivities, a network of arkypallidal and prototypic GPe neurons comprises a neural substrate capable of supporting the computation of the posterior probabilities of actions. PMID:27389780

Neural associative memories for the integration of language, vision and action in an autonomous agent.

PubMed

Markert, H; Kaufmann, U; Kara Kayikci, Z; Palm, G

2009-03-01

Language understanding is a long-standing problem in computer science. However, the human brain is capable of processing complex languages with seemingly no difficulties. This paper shows a model for language understanding using biologically plausible neural networks composed of associative memories. The model is able to deal with ambiguities on the single word and grammatical level. The language system is embedded into a robot in order to demonstrate the correct semantical understanding of the input sentences by letting the robot perform corresponding actions. For that purpose, a simple neural action planning system has been combined with neural networks for visual object recognition and visual attention control mechanisms.

Trial-to-trial Adaptation: Parsing out the Roles of Cerebellum and BG in Predictive Motor Timing.

PubMed

Lungu, Ovidiu V; Bares, Martin; Liu, Tao; Gomez, Christopher M; Cechova, Ivica; Ashe, James

2016-07-01

We previously demonstrated that predictive motor timing (i.e., timing requiring visuomotor coordination in anticipation of a future event, such as catching or batting a ball) is impaired in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) types 6 and 8 relative to healthy controls. Specifically, SCA patients had difficulties postponing their motor response while estimating the target kinematics. This behavioral difference relied on the activation of both cerebellum and striatum in healthy controls, but not in cerebellar patients, despite both groups activating certain parts of cerebellum during the task. However, the role of these two key structures in the dynamic adaptation of the motor timing to target kinematic properties remained unexplored. In the current paper, we analyzed these data with the aim of characterizing the trial-by-trial changes in brain activation. We found that in healthy controls alone, and in comparison with SCA patients, the activation in bilateral striatum was exclusively associated with past successes and that in the left putamen, with maintaining a successful performance across successive trials. In healthy controls, relative to SCA patients, a larger network was involved in maintaining a successful trial-by-trial strategy; this included cerebellum and fronto-parieto-temporo-occipital regions that are typically part of attentional network and action monitoring. Cerebellum was also part of a network of regions activated when healthy participants postponed their motor response from one trial to the next; SCA patients showed reduced activation relative to healthy controls in both cerebellum and striatum in the same contrast. These findings support the idea that cerebellum and striatum play complementary roles in the trial-by-trial adaptation in predictive motor timing. In addition to expanding our knowledge of brain structures involved in time processing, our results have implications for the understanding of BG disorders, such as Parkinson disease where feedback processing or reward learning is affected.

Multiview fusion for activity recognition using deep neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavi, Rahul; Kulathumani, Vinod; Rohit, Fnu; Kecojevic, Vlad

2016-07-01

Convolutional neural networks (ConvNets) coupled with long short term memory (LSTM) networks have been recently shown to be effective for video classification as they combine the automatic feature extraction capabilities of a neural network with additional memory in the temporal domain. This paper shows how multiview fusion can be applied to such a ConvNet LSTM architecture. Two different fusion techniques are presented. The system is first evaluated in the context of a driver activity recognition system using data collected in a multicamera driving simulator. These results show significant improvement in accuracy with multiview fusion and also show that deep learning performs better than a traditional approach using spatiotemporal features even without requiring any background subtraction. The system is also validated on another publicly available multiview action recognition dataset that has 12 action classes and 8 camera views.

Approximate reasoning-based learning and control for proximity operations and docking in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berenji, Hamid R.; Jani, Yashvant; Lea, Robert N.

1991-01-01

A recently proposed hybrid-neutral-network and fuzzy-logic-control architecture is applied to a fuzzy logic controller developed for attitude control of the Space Shuttle. A model using reinforcement learning and learning from past experience for fine-tuning its knowledge base is proposed. Two main components of this approximate reasoning-based intelligent control (ARIC) model - an action-state evaluation network and action selection network are described as well as the Space Shuttle attitude controller. An ARIC model for the controller is presented, and it is noted that the input layer in each network includes three nodes representing the angle error, angle error rate, and bias node. Preliminary results indicate that the controller can hold the pitch rate within its desired deadband and starts to use the jets at about 500 sec in the run.

Frederick National Lab and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Award Fellowships for KRAS Research | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) recently formed a partnership with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) to award a one-year fellowship to two scientists whose research will help lead to new therapies for pancreatic cancer. The scientists will focus on KRAS, a gene in the RAS family that is mutated in 95 percent of pancreatic cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Einstein Equations from Varying Complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czech, Bartłomiej

2018-01-01

A recent proposal equates the circuit complexity of a quantum gravity state with the gravitational action of a certain patch of spacetime. Since Einstein's equations follow from varying the action, it should be possible to derive them by varying complexity. I present such a derivation for vacuum solutions of pure Einstein gravity in three-dimensional asymptotically anti-de Sitter space. The argument relies on known facts about holography and on properties of tensor network renormalization, an algorithm for coarse-graining (and optimizing) tensor networks.

Followup Audit: DLA Officials Took Appropriate Actions to Address Concerns With Repair Parts for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-29

Followup Audit : DLA Officials Took Appropriate Actions to Address Concerns With Repair Parts for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle A P R I L...Results in Brief Followup Audit : DLA Officials Took Appropriate Actions to Address Concerns With Repair Parts for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled...and Maritime Paid Too Much for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle Repair Parts,” (HMMWV) was issued on April 4, 2014. The audit

Reinforcement learning controller design for affine nonlinear discrete-time systems using online approximators.

PubMed

Yang, Qinmin; Jagannathan, Sarangapani

2012-04-01

In this paper, reinforcement learning state- and output-feedback-based adaptive critic controller designs are proposed by using the online approximators (OLAs) for a general multi-input and multioutput affine unknown nonlinear discretetime systems in the presence of bounded disturbances. The proposed controller design has two entities, an action network that is designed to produce optimal signal and a critic network that evaluates the performance of the action network. The critic estimates the cost-to-go function which is tuned online using recursive equations derived from heuristic dynamic programming. Here, neural networks (NNs) are used both for the action and critic whereas any OLAs, such as radial basis functions, splines, fuzzy logic, etc., can be utilized. For the output-feedback counterpart, an additional NN is designated as the observer to estimate the unavailable system states, and thus, separation principle is not required. The NN weight tuning laws for the controller schemes are also derived while ensuring uniform ultimate boundedness of the closed-loop system using Lyapunov theory. Finally, the effectiveness of the two controllers is tested in simulation on a pendulum balancing system and a two-link robotic arm system.

Modelling the control of interceptive actions.

PubMed Central

Beek, P J; Dessing, J C; Peper, C E; Bullock, D

2003-01-01

In recent years, several phenomenological dynamical models have been formulated that describe how perceptual variables are incorporated in the control of motor variables. We call these short-route models as they do not address how perception-action patterns might be constrained by the dynamical properties of the sensory, neural and musculoskeletal subsystems of the human action system. As an alternative, we advocate a long-route modelling approach in which the dynamics of these subsystems are explicitly addressed and integrated to reproduce interceptive actions. The approach is exemplified through a discussion of a recently developed model for interceptive actions consisting of a neural network architecture for the online generation of motor outflow commands, based on time-to-contact information and information about the relative positions and velocities of hand and ball. This network is shown to be consistent with both behavioural and neurophysiological data. Finally, some problems are discussed with regard to the question of how the motor outflow commands (i.e. the intended movement) might be modulated in view of the musculoskeletal dynamics. PMID:14561342

Impaired action potential initiation in GABAergic interneurons causes hyperexcitable networks in an epileptic mouse model carrying a human Na(V)1.1 mutation.

PubMed

Hedrich, Ulrike B S; Liautard, Camille; Kirschenbaum, Daniel; Pofahl, Martin; Lavigne, Jennifer; Liu, Yuanyuan; Theiss, Stephan; Slotta, Johannes; Escayg, Andrew; Dihné, Marcel; Beck, Heinz; Mantegazza, Massimo; Lerche, Holger

2014-11-05

Mutations in SCN1A and other ion channel genes can cause different epileptic phenotypes, but the precise mechanisms underlying the development of hyperexcitable networks are largely unknown. Here, we present a multisystem analysis of an SCN1A mouse model carrying the NaV1.1-R1648H mutation, which causes febrile seizures and epilepsy in humans. We found a ubiquitous hypoexcitability of interneurons in thalamus, cortex, and hippocampus, without detectable changes in excitatory neurons. Interestingly, somatic Na(+) channels in interneurons and persistent Na(+) currents were not significantly changed. Instead, the key mechanism of interneuron dysfunction was a deficit of action potential initiation at the axon initial segment that was identified by analyzing action potential firing. This deficit increased with the duration of firing periods, suggesting that increased slow inactivation, as recorded for recombinant mutated channels, could play an important role. The deficit in interneuron firing caused reduced action potential-driven inhibition of excitatory neurons as revealed by less frequent spontaneous but not miniature IPSCs. Multiple approaches indicated increased spontaneous thalamocortical and hippocampal network activity in mutant mice, as follows: (1) more synchronous and higher-frequency firing was recorded in primary neuronal cultures plated on multielectrode arrays; (2) thalamocortical slices examined by field potential recordings revealed spontaneous activities and pathological high-frequency oscillations; and (3) multineuron Ca(2+) imaging in hippocampal slices showed increased spontaneous neuronal activity. Thus, an interneuron-specific generalized defect in action potential initiation causes multisystem disinhibition and network hyperexcitability, which can well explain the occurrence of seizures in the studied mouse model and in patients carrying this mutation. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/3414874-16$15.00/0.

Interactions between auditory and visual semantic stimulus classes: evidence for common processing networks for speech and body actions.

PubMed

Meyer, Georg F; Greenlee, Mark; Wuerger, Sophie

2011-09-01

Incongruencies between auditory and visual signals negatively affect human performance and cause selective activation in neuroimaging studies; therefore, they are increasingly used to probe audiovisual integration mechanisms. An open question is whether the increased BOLD response reflects computational demands in integrating mismatching low-level signals or reflects simultaneous unimodal conceptual representations of the competing signals. To address this question, we explore the effect of semantic congruency within and across three signal categories (speech, body actions, and unfamiliar patterns) for signals with matched low-level statistics. In a localizer experiment, unimodal (auditory and visual) and bimodal stimuli were used to identify ROIs. All three semantic categories cause overlapping activation patterns. We find no evidence for areas that show greater BOLD response to bimodal stimuli than predicted by the sum of the two unimodal responses. Conjunction analysis of the unimodal responses in each category identifies a network including posterior temporal, inferior frontal, and premotor areas. Semantic congruency effects are measured in the main experiment. We find that incongruent combinations of two meaningful stimuli (speech and body actions) but not combinations of meaningful with meaningless stimuli lead to increased BOLD response in the posterior STS (pSTS) bilaterally, the left SMA, the inferior frontal gyrus, the inferior parietal lobule, and the anterior insula. These interactions are not seen in premotor areas. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that pSTS and frontal areas form a recognition network that combines sensory categorical representations (in pSTS) with action hypothesis generation in inferior frontal gyrus/premotor areas. We argue that the same neural networks process speech and body actions.

Network Leadership's Balancing Act: Contrivance or Emergence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubiak, Chris; Bertram, Joan

2005-01-01

It is well understood that one learns much of what one knows through one's network of relationships and through shared discussion and activity. A logical extension of this idea is the growing prominence in the UK where formal school-to-school networking such as Education Action Zones and Excellence in Cities has been established. This article…

Social Network Sites: A Starting Point for Career Development Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strehlke, Christina

2010-01-01

This action research study explores the career influence of social network sites (SNSs) by examining 14 web-based articles that consider the risks and opportunities of SNSs from a job search perspective. Three themes are discussed: user visibility, self-presentation, and network connections. Practical strategies are identified to help career…

The Role of Action Research in the Development of Learning Networks for Entrepreneurs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brett, Valerie; Mullally, Martina; O'Gorman, Bill; Fuller-Love, Nerys

2012-01-01

Developing sustainable learning networks for entrepreneurs is the core objective of the Sustainable Learning Networks in Ireland and Wales (SLNIW) project. One research team drawn from the Centre for Enterprise Development and Regional Economy at Waterford Institute of Technology and the School of Management and Business from Aberystwyth…

Evoked potentials in final epoch of self-initiated hand movement: A study in patients with depth electrodes.

PubMed

Kukleta, Miloslav; Damborská, Alena; Turak, Baris; Louvel, Jacques

2017-07-01

Comparison between the intended and performed motor action can be expected to occur in the final epoch of a voluntary movement. In search for electrophysiological correlates of this mental process the purpose of the current study was to identify intracerebral sites activated in final epoch of self-paced voluntary movement. Intracerebral EEG was recorded from 235 brain regions of 42 epileptic patients who performed self-paced voluntary movement task. Evoked potentials starting at 0 to 243ms after the peak of averaged, rectified electromyogram were identified in 21 regions of 13 subjects. The mean amplitude value of these late movement potentials (LMP) was 56.4±27.5μV. LMPs were observed in remote regions of mesiotemporal structures, cingulate, frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital cortices. Closely before the LMP onset, a significant increase of phase synchronization was observed in all EEG record pairs in 9 of 10 examined subjects; p<0.001, Mann-Whitney U test. In conclusion, mesiotemporal structures, cingulate, frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital cortices seem to represent integral functionally linked parts of network activated in final epoch of self-paced voluntary movement. Activation of this large-scale neuronal network was suggested to reflect a comparison process between the intended and actually performed motor action. Our results contribute to better understanding of neural mechanisms underlying goal-directed behavior crucial for creation of agentive experience. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ergodic properties of spiking neuronal networks with delayed interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmigiano, Agostina; Wolf, Fred

The dynamical stability of neuronal networks, and the possibility of chaotic dynamics in the brain pose profound questions to the mechanisms underlying perception. Here we advance on the tractability of large neuronal networks of exactly solvable neuronal models with delayed pulse-coupled interactions. Pulse coupled delayed systems with an infinite dimensional phase space can be studied in equivalent systems of fixed and finite degrees of freedom by introducing a delayer variable for each neuron. A Jacobian of the equivalent system can be analytically obtained, and numerically evaluated. We find that depending on the action potential onset rapidness and the level of heterogeneities, the asynchronous irregular regime characteristic of balanced state networks loses stability with increasing delays to either a slow synchronous irregular or a fast synchronous irregular state. In networks of neurons with slow action potential onset, the transition to collective oscillations leads to an increase of the exponential rate of divergence of nearby trajectories and of the entropy production rate of the chaotic dynamics. The attractor dimension, instead of increasing linearly with increasing delay as reported in many other studies, decreases until eventually the network reaches full synchrony

Murder by structure: dominance relations and the social structure of gang homicide.

PubMed

Papachristos, Andrew V

2009-07-01

Most sociological theories consider murder an outcome of the differential distribution of individual, neighborhood, or social characteristics. And while such studies explain variation in aggregate homicide rates, they do not explain the social order of murder, that is, who kills whom, when, where, and for what reason. This article argues that gang murder is best understood not by searching for its individual determinants but by examining the social networks of action and reaction that create it. In short, the social structure of gang murder is defined by the manner in which social networks are constructed and by people's placement in them. The author uses a network approach and incident-level homicide records to recreate and analyze the structure of gang murders in Chicago. Findings demonstrate that individual murders between gangs create an institutionalized network of group conflict, net of any individual's participation or motive. Within this network, murders spread through an epidemic-like process of social contagion as gangs evaluate the highly visible actions of others in their local networks and negotiate dominance considerations that arise during violent incidents.

Network-Based Analysis of Nutraceuticals in Human Hepatocellular Carcinomas Reveals Mechanisms of Chemopreventive Action

PubMed Central

Michailidou, M; Melas, IN; Messinis, DE; Klamt, S; Alexopoulos, LG; Kolisis, FN; Loutrari, H

2015-01-01

Chronic inflammation is associated with the development of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), an essentially incurable cancer. Anti-inflammatory nutraceuticals have emerged as promising candidates against HCC, yet the mechanisms through which they influence the cell signaling machinery to impose phenotypic changes remain unresolved. Herein we implemented a systems biology approach in HCC cells, based on the integration of cytokine release and phospoproteomic data from high-throughput xMAP Luminex assays to elucidate the action mode of prominent nutraceuticals in terms of topology alterations of HCC-specific signaling networks. An optimization algorithm based on SigNetTrainer, an Integer Linear Programming formulation, was applied to construct networks linking signal transduction to cytokine secretion by combining prior knowledge of protein connectivity with proteomic data. Our analysis identified the most probable target phosphoproteins of interrogated compounds and predicted translational control as a new mechanism underlying their anticytokine action. Induced alterations corroborated with inhibition of HCC-driven angiogenesis and metastasis. PMID:26225263

Action-Driven Visual Object Tracking With Deep Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Yun, Sangdoo; Choi, Jongwon; Yoo, Youngjoon; Yun, Kimin; Choi, Jin Young

2018-06-01

In this paper, we propose an efficient visual tracker, which directly captures a bounding box containing the target object in a video by means of sequential actions learned using deep neural networks. The proposed deep neural network to control tracking actions is pretrained using various training video sequences and fine-tuned during actual tracking for online adaptation to a change of target and background. The pretraining is done by utilizing deep reinforcement learning (RL) as well as supervised learning. The use of RL enables even partially labeled data to be successfully utilized for semisupervised learning. Through the evaluation of the object tracking benchmark data set, the proposed tracker is validated to achieve a competitive performance at three times the speed of existing deep network-based trackers. The fast version of the proposed method, which operates in real time on graphics processing unit, outperforms the state-of-the-art real-time trackers with an accuracy improvement of more than 8%.

SVM-based tree-type neural networks as a critic in adaptive critic designs for control.

PubMed

Deb, Alok Kanti; Jayadeva; Gopal, Madan; Chandra, Suresh

2007-07-01

In this paper, we use the approach of adaptive critic design (ACD) for control, specifically, the action-dependent heuristic dynamic programming (ADHDP) method. A least squares support vector machine (SVM) regressor has been used for generating the control actions, while an SVM-based tree-type neural network (NN) is used as the critic. After a failure occurs, the critic and action are retrained in tandem using the failure data. Failure data is binary classification data, where the number of failure states are very few as compared to the number of no-failure states. The difficulty of conventional multilayer feedforward NNs in learning this type of classification data has been overcome by using the SVM-based tree-type NN, which due to its feature to add neurons to learn misclassified data, has the capability to learn any binary classification data without a priori choice of the number of neurons or the structure of the network. The capability of the trained controller to handle unforeseen situations is demonstrated.

Data to Action: Using Environmental Public Health Tracking to Inform Decision Making

PubMed Central

Qualters, Judith R; Strosnider, Heather M; Bell, Rosalyn

2017-01-01

Context Public health surveillance includes dissemination of data and information to those who need it to take action to prevent or control disease. The concept of data to action is explicit in the mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program). CDC has built a National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) to integrate health and environmental data to drive public health action (PHA) to improve communities’ health. Objective To assess the utility of the Tracking Program and its Network in environmental public health practice and policy-making. Design We analyzed information on how Tracking has been used to drive PHAs within funded states and cities (grantees). Two case studies illustrate such use. Setting Analyses included all grantees funded between 2005 and 2013. Participants The number of grantees varied from 17 for 2006–2008 to 24 for 2010–2013. Main Outcome Measures We categorized each PHA reported to determine how grantees became involved, their role, the problems addressed, and the overall action. Results Tracking grantees reported 178 PHAs from 2006–2013. The most common overall action was “provided information in response to concern” (n=42) followed by “improved a public health program, intervention, or response plan” (n=35). Tracking’s role was most often to enhance surveillance (24%) or to analyze data (23%). In 47% of PHAs, the underlying problem was a concern about possible elevated rates of a health outcome, a potential exposure, or a potential association between a hazard and health. PHAs were started by a request for assistance (48%), in response to an emergency (8%), and though routine work by Tracking programs (43%). Conclusion Our review shows that the data, expertise, technical infrastructure, and other resources of the Tracking Program and its Network are driving state and local PHAs. PMID:25621441

The Romanian contribution to the COST action TU0801 "Semantic enrichment of 3D city models for sustainable urban development"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armas, Iuliana; Bostenaru Dan, Maria

2010-05-01

The COST action TU0801 "Semantic enrichment of 3D city models for sustainable urban development" aims at using ontologies to enrich three dimensional models of cities. Such models can be used for various purposes, one of them being disaster management. COST actions are European networks of nationally funded projects, the European Science Foundation funding the networking activities. Romania adhered to the above mentioned COST action in 2009, the nationally funded project being concerned with the use of GIS for the vulnerability to hazards of the city of Bucharest. Among the networking activites Romanian representatives participated in are a training school on 3D GIS for disaster management (with two trainees) and a working group and management committee meeting. It is aimed to further develop the issues of usability and guidance of semantically enriched city models as task from the working group within the Action for the nationally funded project. In this contribution there will be shown how it is aimed to achieve this. One of the issues is on how to extrude GIS to achieve a simple 3D representation for a pilot area in the historic centre of Bucharest. Another one is on how to use this for the study of urbanism aspects, ranging from visual urban composition to the complex 3D aspects in restoration projects, including addition of new floors to buildings.

The Worldviews Network: Transformative Global Change Education in Immersive Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, H.; Yu, K. C.; Gardiner, N.; McConville, D.; Connolly, R.; "Irving, Lindsay", L. S.

2011-12-01

Our modern age is defined by an astounding capacity to generate scientific information. From DNA to dark matter, human ingenuity and technologies create an endless stream of data about ourselves and the world of which we are a part. Yet we largely founder in transforming information into understanding, and understanding into rational action for our society as a whole. Earth and biodiversity scientists are especially frustrated by this impasse because the data they gather often point to a clash between Earth's capacity to sustain life and the decisions that humans make to garner the planet's resources. Immersive virtual environments offer an underexplored link in the translation of scientific data into public understanding, dialogue, and action. The Worldviews Network is a collaboration of scientists, artists, and educators focused on developing best practices for the use of immersive environments for science-based ecological literacy education. A central tenet of the Worldviews Network is that there are multiple ways to know and experience the world, so we are developing scientifically accurate, geographically relevant, and culturally appropriate programming to promote ecological literacy within informal science education programs across the United States. The goal of Worldviews Network is to offer transformative learning experiences, in which participants are guided on a process integrating immersive visual explorations, critical reflection and dialogue, and design-oriented approaches to action - or more simply, seeing, knowing, and doing. Our methods center on live presentations, interactive scientific visualizations, and sustainability dialogues hosted at informal science institutions. Our approach uses datasets from the life, Earth, and space sciences to illuminate the complex conditions that support life on earth and the ways in which ecological systems interact. We are leveraging scientific data from federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and our own research to develop a library of immersive visualization stories and templates that explore ecological relationships across time at cosmic, global, and bioregional scales, with learning goals aligned to climate and earth science literacy principles. These experiential narratives are used to increase participants' awareness of global change issues as well as to engage them in dialogues and design processes focused on steps they can take within their own communities to systemically address these interconnected challenges. More than 600 digital planetariums in the U.S. collectively represent a pioneering opportunity for distributing Earth systems messages over large geographic areas. By placing the viewer-and Earth itself-within the context of the rest of the universe, digital planetariums can uniquely provide essential transcalar perspectives on the complex interdependencies of Earth's interacting physical and biological systems. The Worldviews Network is creating innovative, data-driven approaches for engaging the American public in dialogues about human-induced global changes.

36 CFR Appendix A to Part 907 - Appendix A to Part 907

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Pt. 907, App. A Appendix A to Part 907 (a) Specific Corporation actions categorically...) Administrative actions and operations directly related to the operation of the Corporation (e.g., purchase of...

36 CFR Appendix A to Part 907 - Appendix A to Part 907

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Pt. 907, App. A Appendix A to Part 907 (a) Specific Corporation actions categorically...) Administrative actions and operations directly related to the operation of the Corporation (e.g., purchase of...

Morphological Characterization of the Action Potential Initiation Segment in GnRH Neuron Dendrites and Axons of Male Mice.

PubMed

Herde, Michel K; Herbison, Allan E

2015-11-01

GnRH neurons are the final output neurons of the hypothalamic network controlling fertility in mammals. In the present study, we used ankyrin G immunohistochemistry and neurobiotin filling of live GnRH neurons in brain slices from GnRH-green fluorescent protein transgenic male mice to examine in detail the location of action potential initiation in GnRH neurons with somata residing at different locations in the basal forebrain. We found that the vast majority of GnRH neurons are bipolar in morphology, elaborating a thick (primary) and thinner (secondary) dendrite from opposite poles of the soma. In addition, an axon-like process arising predominantly from a proximal dendrite was observed in a subpopulation of GnRH neurons. Ankyrin G immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of a single action potential initiation zone ∼27 μm in length primarily in the secondary dendrite of GnRH neurons and located 30 to 140 μm distant from the cell soma, depending on the type of process and location of the cell body. In addition to dendrites, the GnRH neurons with cell bodies located close to hypothalamic circumventricular organs often elaborated ankyrin G-positive axon-like structures. Almost all GnRH neurons (>90%) had their action potential initiation site in a process that initially, or ultimately after a hairpin loop, was coursing in the direction of the median eminence. These studies indicate that action potentials are initiated in different dendritic and axonal compartments of the GnRH neuron in a manner that is dependent partly on the neuroanatomical location of the cell body.

A network pharmacology approach to discover active compounds and action mechanisms of San-Cao Granule for treatment of liver fibrosis

PubMed Central

Wei, Shizhang; Niu, Ming; Wang, Jian; Wang, Jiabo; Su, Haibin; Luo, Shengqiang; Zhang, Xiaomei; Guo, Yanlei; Liu, Liping; Liu, Fengqun; Zhao, Qingguo; Chen, Hongge; Xiao, Xiaohe; Zhao, Pan; Zhao, Yanling

2016-01-01

Ethnopharmacological relevance San-Cao Granule (SCG) has been used in patients with liver fibrosis for many years and has shown good effect. However, its mechanism of therapeutic action is not clear because of its complex chemical system. The purpose of our study is to establish a comprehensive and systemic method that can predict the mechanism of action of SCG in antihepatic fibrosis. Materials and methods In this study, a “compound–target–disease” network was constructed by combining the SCG-specific and liver fibrosis–specific target proteins with protein–protein interactions, and network pharmacology was used to screen out the underlying targets and mechanisms of SCG for treatment of liver fibrosis. Then, some key molecules of the enriched pathway were chosen to verify the effects of SCG on liver fibrosis induced by thioacetamide (TAA). Results This systematic approach had successfully revealed that 16 targets related to 11 SCG compounds were closely associated with liver fibrosis therapy. The pathway-enrichment analysis of them showed that the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway is relatively important. Animal experiments also proved that SCG could significantly ameliorate liver fibrosis by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad pathway. Conclusion SCG could alleviate liver fibrosis through the molecular mechanisms predicted by network pharmacology. Furthermore, network pharmacology could provide deep insight into the pharmacological mechanisms of Chinese herbal formulas. PMID:26929602

A network pharmacology approach to discover active compounds and action mechanisms of San-Cao Granule for treatment of liver fibrosis.

PubMed

Wei, Shizhang; Niu, Ming; Wang, Jian; Wang, Jiabo; Su, Haibin; Luo, Shengqiang; Zhang, Xiaomei; Guo, Yanlei; Liu, Liping; Liu, Fengqun; Zhao, Qingguo; Chen, Hongge; Xiao, Xiaohe; Zhao, Pan; Zhao, Yanling

2016-01-01

San-Cao Granule (SCG) has been used in patients with liver fibrosis for many years and has shown good effect. However, its mechanism of therapeutic action is not clear because of its complex chemical system. The purpose of our study is to establish a comprehensive and systemic method that can predict the mechanism of action of SCG in antihepatic fibrosis. In this study, a "compound-target-disease" network was constructed by combining the SCG-specific and liver fibrosis-specific target proteins with protein-protein interactions, and network pharmacology was used to screen out the underlying targets and mechanisms of SCG for treatment of liver fibrosis. Then, some key molecules of the enriched pathway were chosen to verify the effects of SCG on liver fibrosis induced by thioacetamide (TAA). This systematic approach had successfully revealed that 16 targets related to 11 SCG compounds were closely associated with liver fibrosis therapy. The pathway-enrichment analysis of them showed that the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway is relatively important. Animal experiments also proved that SCG could significantly ameliorate liver fibrosis by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad pathway. SCG could alleviate liver fibrosis through the molecular mechanisms predicted by network pharmacology. Furthermore, network pharmacology could provide deep insight into the pharmacological mechanisms of Chinese herbal formulas.

31 CFR 560.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... chapter. Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the Iran sanctions page on...

31 CFR 560.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... chapter. Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the Iran sanctions page on...

31 CFR 558.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the South Sudan sanctions page on OFAC...

31 CFR 537.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the Burma sanctions page on OFAC's Web...

31 CFR 542.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the Syria sanctions page on OFAC's Web...

31 CFR 590.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... this chapter. Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the following page on OFAC...

31 CFR 590.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... this chapter. Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the following page on OFAC...

31 CFR 570.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. Additional general licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part may be available through the following page on OFAC's...

31 CFR 590.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... this chapter. Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the following page on OFAC...

31 CFR 570.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. Additional general licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part may be available through the following page on OFAC's...

31 CFR 570.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. Additional general licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part may be available through the following page on OFAC's...

42 CFR 423.124 - Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. 423.124 Section 423.124 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT Benefits and Beneficiary Protections § 423.124 Special rules for out-of-network...

42 CFR 423.124 - Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Special rules for out-of-network access to covered Part D drugs at out-of-network pharmacies. 423.124 Section 423.124 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT Benefits and Beneficiary Protections § 423.124 Special rules for out-of-network...

An Intelligent Pinger Network for Solid Glacier Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schönitz, S.; Reuter, S.; Henke, C.; Jeschke, S.; Ewert, D.; Eliseev, D.; Heinen, D.; Linder, P.; Scholz, F.; Weinstock, L.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebusch, C.; Zierke, S.

2016-12-01

This talk presents a novel approach for an intelligent, agent-based pinger network in an extraterrestrial glacier environment. Because of recent findings of the Cassini spacecraft, a mission to Saturn's moon Enceladus is planned in order search for extraterrestrial life within the ocean beneath Enceladus' ice crust. Therefore, a maneuverable melting probe, the EnEx probe, was developed to melt into Enceladus' ice and take liquid samples from water-filled crevasses. Hence, the probe collecting the samples has to be able to navigate in ice which is a hard problem, because neither visual nor gravitational methods can be used. To enhance the navigability of the probe, a network of autonomous pinger units (APU) is in development that is able to extract a map of the ice environment via ultrasonic soundwaves. A network of these APUs will be deployed on the surface of Enceladus, melt into the ice and form a network to help guide the probe safely to its destination. The APU network is able to form itself fully autonomously and to compensate system failures of individual APUs. The agents controlling the single APU are realized by rule-based expert systems implemented in CLIPS. The rule-based expert system evaluates available information of the environment, decides for actions to take to achieve the desired goal (e.g. a specific network topology), and executes and monitors such actions. In general, it encodes certain situations that are evaluated whenever an APU is currently idle, and then decides for a next action to take. It bases this decision on its internal world model that is shared with the other APUs. The optimal network topology that defines each agents position is iteratively determined by mixed-integer nonlinear programming. Extensive simulations studies show that the proposed agent design enables the APUs to form a robust network topology that is suited to create a reliable 3D map of the ice environment.

The surging role of Chromogranin A in cardiovascular homeostasis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tota, Bruno; Angelone, Tommaso; Cerra, Maria

2014-08-01

Together with Chromogranin B and Secretogranins, Chromogranin A (CGA) is stored in secretory (chromaffin) granules of the diffuse neuroendocrine system and released with noradrenalin and adrenalin. Co-stored within the granule together with neuropeptideY, cardiac natriuretic peptide hormones, several prohormones and their proteolytic enzymes, CGA is a multifunctional protein and a major marker of the sympatho-adrenal neuroendocrine activity. Due to its partial processing to several biologically active peptides, CGA appears an important pro-hormone implicated in relevant modulatory actions on endocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems through both direct and indirect sympatho-adrenergic interactions. As a part of this scenario, we here illustrate the emerging role exerted by the full-length CGA and its three derived fragments, i.e. Vasostatin 1, catestatin and serpinin, in the control of circulatory homeostasis with particular emphasis on their cardio-vascular actions under both physiological and physio-pathological conditions. The Vasostatin 1- and catestatin-induced cardiodepressive influences are achieved through anti-beta-adrenergic-NO-cGMP signalling, while serpinin acts like beta1-adrenergic agonist through AD-cAMP-independent NO signalling. On the whole, these actions contribute to wide our knowledge regarding the sympatho-chromaffin control of the cardiovascular system and its highly integrated “whip-brake” networks.

Monthly progress report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moorhead, Robert J., II; Smith, Wayne

1992-01-01

This report is the mid-year report intended for the design concepts for the communication network for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) facility being built at Yellow Creek near Iuka, MS. The overall network is to include heterogeneous computers, to use various protocols, and to have different bandwidths. Performance consideration must be given to the potential network applications in the network environment. The performance evaluation of X window applications was given the major emphasis in this report. A simulation study using Bones will be included later. This mid-year report has three parts: Part 1 is an investigation of X window traffic using TCP/IP over Ethernet networks; part 2 is a survey study of performance concepts of X window applications with Macintosh computers; and the last part is a tutorial on DECnet protocols. The results of this report should be useful in the design and operation of the ASRM communication network.

Rural health network development: public policy issues and state initiatives.

PubMed

Casey, M M; Wellever, A; Moscovice, I

1997-02-01

Rural health networks are a potential way for rural health care systems to improve access to care, reduce costs, and enhance quality of care. Networks provide a means for rural providers to contract with managed care organizations, develop their own managed care entities, share resources, and structure practice opportunities to support recruitment and retention of rural physicians and other health care professionals. The results of early network development initiatives indicate a need for state officials and others interested in encouraging network development to agree on common rural health network definitions, to identify clearly the goals of network development programs, and to document and analyze program outcomes. Future network development efforts need to be much more comprehensive if they are to have a significant impact on rural health care. This article analyzes public policy issues related to integrated rural health network development, discusses current efforts to encourage network development in rural areas, and suggests actions that states may take if they desire to support rural health network development. These actions include adopting a formal rural health network definition, providing networks with alternatives to certain regulatory requirements, and providing incentives such as matching grants, loans, or technical assistance. Without public sector support for networks, managed care options may continue to be unavailable in many less densely populated rural areas of the country, and locally controlled rural health networks are unlikely to develop as an alternative to the dominant pattern of managed care expansion by large urban entities. Implementation of Medicare reform legislation could provide significant incentives for the development of rural health networks, depending on the reimbursement provisions, financial solvency standards, and antitrust exemptions for provider-sponsored networks in the final legislation and federal regulations.

47 CFR Alphabetical Index - Part 76

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...: Notification 76.94 Network programming 76.5 Network programs: nonduplication protection 76.92 Network station....209 Possession of rules 76.301 Prime time 76.5 Program carriages, STV 76.64 Programming, Network 76.5... candidates for 76.205 PURPOSE—Part 76 76.1 Q Qualified TV station, Showing 76.55 R Rate regulation standards...

Deep Brain Stimulation for Movement Disorders of Basal Ganglia Origin: Restoring Function or Functionality?

PubMed

Wichmann, Thomas; DeLong, Mahlon R

2016-04-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is highly effective for both hypo- and hyperkinetic movement disorders of basal ganglia origin. The clinical use of DBS is, in part, empiric, based on the experience with prior surgical ablative therapies for these disorders, and, in part, driven by scientific discoveries made decades ago. In this review, we consider anatomical and functional concepts of the basal ganglia relevant to our understanding of DBS mechanisms, as well as our current understanding of the pathophysiology of two of the most commonly DBS-treated conditions, Parkinson's disease and dystonia. Finally, we discuss the proposed mechanism(s) of action of DBS in restoring function in patients with movement disorders. The signs and symptoms of the various disorders appear to result from signature disordered activity in the basal ganglia output, which disrupts the activity in thalamocortical and brainstem networks. The available evidence suggests that the effects of DBS are strongly dependent on targeting sensorimotor portions of specific nodes of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical motor circuit, that is, the subthalamic nucleus and the internal segment of the globus pallidus. There is little evidence to suggest that DBS in patients with movement disorders restores normal basal ganglia functions (e.g., their role in movement or reinforcement learning). Instead, it appears that high-frequency DBS replaces the abnormal basal ganglia output with a more tolerable pattern, which helps to restore the functionality of downstream networks.

Design of Operation Parameters to Resolve Two Targets using Proximity Sensors

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

network,” in MOBIHOC, EPF Lausanne, Switzerland, 2002. [12] V. Cevher and L. Kaplan, “Acoustic sensor net- work design for position estimation,” ACM Trans- actions on Sensor Networks, vol. 4, 2009.

Network-assisted target identification for haploinsufficiency and homozygous profiling screens

PubMed Central

Wang, Sheng

2017-01-01

Chemical genomic screens have recently emerged as a systematic approach to drug discovery on a genome-wide scale. Drug target identification and elucidation of the mechanism of action (MoA) of hits from these noisy high-throughput screens remain difficult. Here, we present GIT (Genetic Interaction Network-Assisted Target Identification), a network analysis method for drug target identification in haploinsufficiency profiling (HIP) and homozygous profiling (HOP) screens. With the drug-induced phenotypic fitness defect of the deletion of a gene, GIT also incorporates the fitness defects of the gene’s neighbors in the genetic interaction network. On three genome-scale yeast chemical genomic screens, GIT substantially outperforms previous scoring methods on target identification on HIP and HOP assays, respectively. Finally, we showed that by combining HIP and HOP assays, GIT further boosts target identification and reveals potential drug’s mechanism of action. PMID:28574983

Reputation drives cooperative behaviour and network formation in human groups.

PubMed

Cuesta, Jose A; Gracia-Lázaro, Carlos; Ferrer, Alfredo; Moreno, Yamir; Sánchez, Angel

2015-01-19

Cooperativeness is a defining feature of human nature. Theoreticians have suggested several mechanisms to explain this ubiquitous phenomenon, including reciprocity, reputation, and punishment, but the problem is still unsolved. Here we show, through experiments conducted with groups of people playing an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma on a dynamic network, that it is reputation what really fosters cooperation. While this mechanism has already been observed in unstructured populations, we find that it acts equally when interactions are given by a network that players can reconfigure dynamically. Furthermore, our observations reveal that memory also drives the network formation process, and cooperators assort more, with longer link lifetimes, the longer the past actions record. Our analysis demonstrates, for the first time, that reputation can be very well quantified as a weighted mean of the fractions of past cooperative acts and the last action performed. This finding has potential applications in collaborative systems and e-commerce.

Reputation drives cooperative behaviour and network formation in human groups

PubMed Central

Cuesta, Jose A.; Gracia-Lázaro, Carlos; Ferrer, Alfredo; Moreno, Yamir; Sánchez, Angel

2015-01-01

Cooperativeness is a defining feature of human nature. Theoreticians have suggested several mechanisms to explain this ubiquitous phenomenon, including reciprocity, reputation, and punishment, but the problem is still unsolved. Here we show, through experiments conducted with groups of people playing an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma on a dynamic network, that it is reputation what really fosters cooperation. While this mechanism has already been observed in unstructured populations, we find that it acts equally when interactions are given by a network that players can reconfigure dynamically. Furthermore, our observations reveal that memory also drives the network formation process, and cooperators assort more, with longer link lifetimes, the longer the past actions record. Our analysis demonstrates, for the first time, that reputation can be very well quantified as a weighted mean of the fractions of past cooperative acts and the last action performed. This finding has potential applications in collaborative systems and e-commerce. PMID:25598347

Communal Cooperation in Sensor Networks for Situation Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Kennie H.; Lodding, Kenneth N.; Olariu, Stephan; Wilson, Larry; Xin,Chunsheng

2006-01-01

Situation management is a rapidly evolving science where managed sources are processed as realtime streams of events and fused in a way that maximizes comprehension, thus enabling better decisions for action. Sensor networks provide a new technology that promises ubiquitous input and action throughout an environment, which can substantially improve information available to the process. Here we describe a NASA program that requires improvements in sensor networks and situation management. We present an approach for massively deployed sensor networks that does not rely on centralized control but is founded in lessons learned from the way biological ecosystems are organized. In this approach, fully distributed data aggregation and integration can be performed in a scalable fashion where individual motes operate based on local information, making local decisions that achieve globally-meaningful results. This exemplifies the robust, fault-tolerant infrastructure required for successful situation management systems.

Community structure in networks of functional connectivity: resolving functional organization in the rat brain with pharmacological MRI.

PubMed

Schwarz, Adam J; Gozzi, Alessandro; Bifone, Angelo

2009-08-01

In the study of functional connectivity, fMRI data can be represented mathematically as a network of nodes and links, where image voxels represent the nodes and the connections between them reflect a degree of correlation or similarity in their response. Here we show that, within this framework, functional imaging data can be partitioned into 'communities' of tightly interconnected voxels corresponding to maximum modularity within the overall network. We evaluated this approach systematically in application to networks constructed from pharmacological MRI (phMRI) of the rat brain in response to acute challenge with three different compounds with distinct mechanisms of action (d-amphetamine, fluoxetine, and nicotine) as well as vehicle (physiological saline). This approach resulted in bilaterally symmetric sub-networks corresponding to meaningful anatomical and functional connectivity pathways consistent with the purported mechanism of action of each drug. Interestingly, common features across all three networks revealed two groups of tightly coupled brain structures that responded as functional units independent of the specific neurotransmitter systems stimulated by the drug challenge, including a network involving the prefrontal cortex and sub-cortical regions extending from the striatum to the amygdala. This finding suggests that each of these networks includes general underlying features of the functional organization of the rat brain.

Frontoparietal cognitive control of verbal memory recall in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Dhanjal, Novraj S; Wise, Richard J S

2014-08-01

Episodic memory retrieval is reliant upon cognitive control systems, of which 2 have been identified with functional neuroimaging: a cingulo-opercular salience network (SN) and a frontoparietal executive network (EN). In Alzheimer's disease (AD), pathology is distributed throughout higher-order cortices. The hypotheses were that this frontoparietal pathology would impair activity associated with verbal memory recall; and that central cholinesterase inhibition (ChI) would modulate this, improving memory recall. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to study normal participants and 2 patient groups: mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. Activity within the EN and SN was observed during free recall of previously heard sentences, and related to measures of recall accuracy. In normal subjects, trials with reduced recall were associated with greater activity in both the SN and EN. Better recall was associated with greater activity in medial regions of the default mode network. By comparison, AD patients showed attenuated responses in both the SN and EN compared with either controls or MCI patients, even after recall performance was matched between groups. Following ChI, AD patients showed no modulation of activity within the SN, but increased activity within the EN. There was also enhanced activity within regions associated with episodic and semantic memory during less successful recall, requiring greater cognitive control. The results indicate that in AD, impaired responses of cognitive control networks during verbal memory recall are partly responsible for reduced recall performance. One action of symptom-modifying treatment is partially to reverse the abnormal function of frontoparietal cognitive control and temporal lobe memory networks. © 2014 American Neurological Association.

The hypnotic zolpidem increases the synchrony of BOLD signal fluctuations in widespread brain networks during a resting paradigm

PubMed Central

Licata, Stephanie C.; Nickerson, Lisa D.; Lowen, Steven B.; Trksak, George H.; MacLean, Robert R.; Lukas, Scott E.

2013-01-01

Networks of brain regions having synchronized fluctuations of the blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI) time-series at rest, or “resting state networks” (RSNs), are emerging as a basis for understanding intrinsic brain activity. RSNs are topographically consistent with activity-related networks subserving sensory, motor, and cognitive processes, and studying their spontaneous fluctuations following acute drug challenge may provide a way to understand better the neuroanatomical substrates of drug action. The present within-subject double-blind study used BOLD fMRI at 3T to investigate the functional networks influenced by the non-benzodiazepine hypnotic zolpidem (Ambien®). Zolpidem is a positive modulator of γ-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors, and engenders sedative effects that may be explained in part by how it modulates intrinsic brain activity. Healthy participants (n= 12) underwent fMRI scanning 45 min after acute oral administration of zolpidem (0, 5, 10, or 20 mg), and changes in BOLD signal were measured while participants gazed at a static fixation point (i.e., at rest). Data were analyzed using group independent component analysis (ICA) with dual regression and results indicated that compared to placebo, the highest dose of zolpidem increased functional connectivity within a number of sensory, motor, and limbic networks. These results are consistent with previous studies showing an increase in functional connectivity at rest following administration of the positive GABAA receptor modulators midazolam and alcohol, and suggest that investigating how zolpidem modulates intrinsic brain activity may have implications for understanding the etiology of its powerful sedative effects. PMID:23296183

Spectral characteristics of the Hellenic vertical network - Validation over Central and Northern Greece using GOCE/GRACE global geopotential models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andritsanos, Vassilios D.; Vergos, George S.; Grigoriadis, Vassilios N.; Pagounis, Vassilios; Tziavos, Ilias N.

2014-05-01

The Elevation project, funded by the action "Archimedes III - Funding of research groups in T.E.I.", co-financed by the E.U. (European Social Fund) and national funds under the Operational Program "Education and Lifelong Learning 2007-2013" aims mainly to the validation of the Hellenic vertical datum. This validation is carried out over two areas under study, one in Central and another in Northern Greece. During the first stage of the validation process, satellite-only as well as combined satellite-terrestrial models of the Earth's geopotential are used. GOCE and GRACE satellite information is compared against recently measured GPS/Levelling observations at specific benchmarks of the vertical network in Attiki (Central Greece) and Thessaloniki (Northern Greece). A spectral enhancement approach is followed where, given the GOCE/GRACE GGM truncation degree, EGM2008 is used to fill-in the medium and high-frequency content along with RTM effects for the high and ultra high part. The second stage is based on the localization of possible blunders of the vertical network using the spectral information derived previously. The undoubted accuracy of the contemporary global models at the low frequency band leads to some initial conclusions about the consistency of the Hellenic vertical datum.

Local level sustainability policies in the Baltic Sea area: Local Agenda 21 within the Union of the Baltic Cities network.

PubMed

Joas, M; Grönholm, B

2001-08-01

Local Agenda 21 (LA21) processes have 2 central goals. i) On the basis of some of the empirical evidence in this study, the primary goal is to improve democratic (environmental) policy-making processes in such a manner that a larger share of the population will be able to participate in planning and decision making and will also be able to understand the consequences of these decisions. ii) The LA21 processes seek to improve (at least indirectly) the broadly defined environmental situation locally in a manner that takes into account both the local and the global contexts. The first part of this article discusses the concept and methods of LA21 and sheds light on the different action areas that are central to the Baltic LA21 processes. In addition, the study will describe and display the LA21 situation within one network of cities, the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC). Networking, including transfer of information, models and ideas, has been among the main tools for the diffusion of LA21 ideas especially into newly democratized societies. Finally, the article will conclude with an overall assessment of the LA21 situation on the Baltic rim.

Independent and cooperative motions of the Kv1.2 channel: voltage sensing and gating.

PubMed

Yeheskel, Adva; Haliloglu, Turkan; Ben-Tal, Nir

2010-05-19

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels, such as Kv1.2, are involved in the generation and propagation of action potentials. The Kv channel is a homotetramer, and each monomer is composed of a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) and a pore domain (PD). We analyzed the fluctuations of a model structure of Kv1.2 using elastic network models. The analysis suggested a network of coupled fluctuations of eight rigid structural units and seven hinges that may control the transition between the active and inactive states of the channel. For the most part, the network is composed of amino acids that are known to affect channel activity. The results suggested allosteric interactions and cooperativity between the subunits in the coupling between the motion of the VSD and the selectivity filter of the PD, in accordance with recent empirical data. There are no direct contacts between the VSDs of the four subunits, and the contacts between these and the PDs are loose, suggesting that the VSDs are capable of functioning independently. Indeed, they manifest many inherent fluctuations that are decoupled from the rest of the structure. In general, the analysis suggests that the two domains contribute to the channel function both individually and cooperatively. Copyright 2010 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

International Health Regulations (2005) and the U.S. Department of Defense: building core capacities on a foundation of partnership and trust.

PubMed

Johns, Matthew C; Blazes, David L

2010-12-03

A cornerstone of effective global health surveillance programs is the ability to build systems that identify, track and respond to public health threats in a timely manner. These functions are often difficult and require international cooperation given the rapidity with which diseases cross national borders and spread throughout the global community as a result of travel and migration by both humans and animals. As part of the U.S. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC), the Department of Defense's (DoD) Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (AFHSC-GEIS) has developed a global network of surveillance sites over the past decade that engages in a wide spectrum of support activities in collaboration with host country partners. Many of these activities are in direct support of International Health Regulations (IHR[2005]). The network also supports host country military forces around the world, which are equally affected by these threats and are often in a unique position to respond in areas of conflict or during complex emergencies. With IHR(2005) as the guiding framework for action, the AFHSC-GEIS network of international partners and overseas research laboratories continues to develop into a far-reaching system for identifying, analyzing and responding to emerging disease threats.

Commentary: Launch of a quality improvement network for evidence-based management of uncommon pediatric endocrine disorders: Turner syndrome as a prototype.

PubMed

Rosenfield, Robert L; DiMeglio, Linda A; Mauras, Nelly; Ross, Judith; Shaw, Natalie D; Greeley, Siri A W; Haymond, Morey; Rubin, Karen; Rhodes, Erinn T

2015-04-01

Traditional, hypothesis-oriented research approaches have thus far failed to generate sufficient evidence to achieve consensus about the management of children with many endocrine disorders, partly because of the rarity of these disorders and because of regulatory burdens unique to research in children. The Pediatric Endocrine Society is launching a quality improvement network in spring 2015 for the management of pediatric endocrine disorders that are relatively uncommon in any single practice and/or for which there is no consensus on management. The first of the quality improvement programs to be implemented seeks to improve the care of 11- to 17-year-old girls with Turner syndrome who require initiation of estrogen replacement therapy by providing a standardized clinical assessment and management plan (SCAMP) for transdermal estradiol treatment to induce pubertal development. The SCAMP algorithm represents a starting point within current best practice that is meant to undergo refinement through an iterative process of analysis of deidentified data collected in the course of clinical care by a network of pediatric endocrinologists. It is anticipated that this program will not only improve care, but will also result in actionable data that will generate new research hypotheses and changes in management of pediatric endocrine disorders.

[Methodological guideline for the efficacy and safety assessment of new pharmaceuticals: implementation of EUnetHTA's recommendations].

PubMed

Ubago Pérez, Ruth; Castillo Muñoz, María Auxiliadora; Banqueri, Mercedes Galván; García Estepa, Raúl; Alfaro Lara, Eva Rocío; Vega Coca, María Dolores; Beltrán Calvo, Carmen; Molina López, Teresa

The European network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) is the network of public health technology assessment (HTA) agencies and entities from across the EU. In this context, the HTA Core Model ® , has been developed. The Andalusian Agency for Health Technology Assessment (AETSA) is a member of the Spanish HTA Network and EUnetHTA collaboration In addition, AETSA participates in the new EUnetHTA Joint Action 3 (JA, 2016-2019). Furthermore, AETSA works on pharmaceutical assessments. Part of this work involves drafting therapeutic positioning reports (TPRs) on drugs that have recently been granted marketing authorisation, which is overseen by the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS). AETSA contributes by drafting "Evidence synthesis reports: pharmaceuticals" in which a rapid comparative efficacy and safety assessment is performed for drugs for which a TPR will be created. To create this type of report, AETSA follows its own methodological guideline based on EUnetHTA guidelines and the HTA Core Model ® . In this paper, the methodology that AETSA has developed to create the guideline for "Evidence synthesis reports: pharmaceuticals" is described. The structure of the report itself is also presented. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Integrated monitoring of ecological conditions in wetland-upland landscapes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gallant, Alisa; Sadinski, Walt

2012-01-01

Landscapes of interwoven wetlands and uplands offer a rich set of ecosystem goods and services. Managing lands to maximize ecosystem services requires information that distinguishes change caused by local actions from broader-scale shifts in climate, land use, and other forms of global change. Satellite and airborne sensors collect valuable data for this purpose, especially when the data are analyzed along with data collected from ground-based sensors. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is using remote sensing technology in this way as part of the Terrestrial Wetland Global Change Research Network to assess effects of climate change interacting with land-use change and other potential stressors along environmental gradients of wetland-upland landscapes in the United States and Canada.

ICADS: A cooperative decision making model with CLIPS experts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pohl, Jens; Myers, Leonard

1991-01-01

A cooperative decision making model is described which is comprised of six concurrently executing domain experts coordinated by a blackboard control expert. The focus application field is architectural design, and the domain experts represent consultants in the area of daylighting, noise control, structural support, cost estimating, space planning, and climate responsiveness. Both the domain experts and the blackboard were implemented as production systems, using an enhanced version of the basic CLIPS package. Acting in unison as an Expert Design Advisor, the domain and control experts react to the evolving design solution progressively developed by the user in a 2-D CAD drawing environment. A Geometry Interpreter maps each drawing action taken by the user to real world objects, such as spaces, walls, windows, and doors. These objects, endowed with geometric and nongeometric attributes, are stored as frames in a semantic network. Object descriptions are derived partly from the geometry of the drawing environment and partly from knowledge bases containing prototypical, generalized information about the building type and site conditions under consideration.

What's Next: Recruitment of a Grounded Predictive Body Model for Planning a Robot's Actions.

PubMed

Schilling, Malte; Cruse, Holk

2012-01-01

Even comparatively simple, reactive systems are able to control complex motor tasks, such as hexapod walking on unpredictable substrate. The capability of such a controller can be improved by introducing internal models of the body and of parts of the environment. Such internal models can be applied as inverse models, as forward models or to solve the problem of sensor fusion. Usually, separate models are used for these functions. Furthermore, separate models are used to solve different tasks. Here we concentrate on internal models of the body as the brain considers its own body the most important part of the world. The model proposed is formed by a recurrent neural network with the property of pattern completion. The model shows a hierarchical structure but nonetheless comprises a holistic system. One and the same model can be used as a forward model, as an inverse model, for sensor fusion, and, with a simple expansion, as a model to internally simulate (new) behaviors to be used for prediction. The model embraces the geometrical constraints of a complex body with many redundant degrees of freedom, and allows finding geometrically possible solutions. To control behavior such as walking, climbing, or reaching, this body model is complemented by a number of simple reactive procedures together forming a procedural memory. In this article, we illustrate the functioning of this network. To this end we present examples for solutions of the forward function and the inverse function, and explain how the complete network might be used for predictive purposes. The model is assumed to be "innate," so learning the parameters of the model is not (yet) considered.

Is networking different with doctors working part-time? Differences in social networks of part-time and full-time doctors.

PubMed

Heiligers, Phil J M; de Jong, Judith D; Groenewegen, Peter P; Hingstman, Lammert; Völker, Beate; Spreeuwenberg, Peter

2008-10-04

Part-time working is a growing phenomenon in medicine, which is expected to influence informal networks at work differently compared to full-time working. The opportunity to meet and build up social capital at work has offered a basis for theoretical arguments. Twenty-eight teams of medical specialists in the Netherlands, including 226 individuals participated in this study. Interviews with team representatives and individual questionnaires were used. Data were gathered on three types of networks: relationships of consulting, communication and trust. For analyses, network and multilevel applications were used. Differences between individual doctors and between teams were both analysed, taking the dependency structure of the data into account, because networks of individual doctors are not independent. Teams were divided into teams with and without doctors working part-time. Contrary to expectations we found no impact of part-time working on the size of personal networks, neither at the individual nor at the team level. The same was found regarding efficient reachability. Whereas we expected part-time doctors to choose their relations as efficiently as possible, we even found the opposite in intended relationships of trust, implying that efficiency in reaching each other was higher for full-time doctors. But we found as expected that in mixed teams with part-time doctors the frequency of regular communication was less compared to full-time teams. Furthermore, as expected the strength of the intended relationships of trust of part-time and full-time doctors was equally high. From these findings we can conclude that part-time doctors are not aiming at efficiency by limiting the size of networks or by efficient reachability, because they want to contact their colleagues directly in order to prevent from communication errors. On the other hand, together with the growth of teams, we found this strategy, focussed on reaching all colleagues, was diminishing. And our data confirmed that formalisation was increasing together with the growth of teams.

Dynamic social networks promote cooperation in experiments with humans

PubMed Central

Rand, David G.; Arbesman, Samuel; Christakis, Nicholas A.

2011-01-01

Human populations are both highly cooperative and highly organized. Human interactions are not random but rather are structured in social networks. Importantly, ties in these networks often are dynamic, changing in response to the behavior of one's social partners. This dynamic structure permits an important form of conditional action that has been explored theoretically but has received little empirical attention: People can respond to the cooperation and defection of those around them by making or breaking network links. Here, we present experimental evidence of the power of using strategic link formation and dissolution, and the network modification it entails, to stabilize cooperation in sizable groups. Our experiments explore large-scale cooperation, where subjects’ cooperative actions are equally beneficial to all those with whom they interact. Consistent with previous research, we find that cooperation decays over time when social networks are shuffled randomly every round or are fixed across all rounds. We also find that, when networks are dynamic but are updated only infrequently, cooperation again fails. However, when subjects can update their network connections frequently, we see a qualitatively different outcome: Cooperation is maintained at a high level through network rewiring. Subjects preferentially break links with defectors and form new links with cooperators, creating an incentive to cooperate and leading to substantial changes in network structure. Our experiments confirm the predictions of a set of evolutionary game theoretic models and demonstrate the important role that dynamic social networks can play in supporting large-scale human cooperation. PMID:22084103

78 FR 79649 - Energy Conservation Program: Proposed Determination of Set-Top Boxes and Network Equipment as a...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-31

... Conservation Program: Proposed Determination of Set-Top Boxes and Network Equipment as a Covered Consumer... published June 15, 2011 that set-top boxes (STBs) and network equipment qualify as a covered product under... action in light of a consensus agreement entered by a broadly representative group that DOE believes has...

Networks in Action: New Actors and Practices in Education Policy in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shiroma, Eneida Oto

2014-01-01

This paper focuses on the role of networks in the policy-making process in education and discusses the potential of network analysis as an analytical tool for education policy research. Drawing on publically available data from personal or institutional websites, this paper reports the findings from research carried out between 2005 and 2011.…

Networking in Education: From Concept to Action--An Analytical View on the Educational Territories of Priority Intervention (TEIP) in Northern Portugal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva, Marisa; da Silva, Sofia Marques; Araújo, Helena C

2017-01-01

This article presents an analysis of school principals' perspectives on networking concerning schools and school clusters from areas of social vulnerability (Educational Territories of Priority Intervention (TEIP)) in Northern Portugal. The meanings, purpose, benefits and difficulties of networking in education are examined, based on interviews…

GABA-A receptor antagonists increase firing, bursting and synchrony of spontaneous activity in neuronal networks grown on microelectrode arrays: a step towards chemical "fingerprinting"

EPA Science Inventory

Assessment of effects on spontaneous network activity in neurons grown on MEAs is a proposed method to screen chemicals for potential neurotoxicity. In addition, differential effects on network activity (chemical "fingerprints") could be used to classify chemical modes of action....

Challenges and opportunities for minority owned trucking firms under affirmative actions : a case study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

Despite the steady growth and the introduction of "set-aside" programs/Affirmative Actions, minority owned firms often faced stiff business challenges. These challenges include a lack of business networking opportunities, limited financial resources,...

Impulsive synchronization of Markovian jumping randomly coupled neural networks with partly unknown transition probabilities via multiple integral approach.

PubMed

Chandrasekar, A; Rakkiyappan, R; Cao, Jinde

2015-10-01

This paper studies the impulsive synchronization of Markovian jumping randomly coupled neural networks with partly unknown transition probabilities via multiple integral approach. The array of neural networks are coupled in a random fashion which is governed by Bernoulli random variable. The aim of this paper is to obtain the synchronization criteria, which is suitable for both exactly known and partly unknown transition probabilities such that the coupled neural network is synchronized with mixed time-delay. The considered impulsive effects can be synchronized at partly unknown transition probabilities. Besides, a multiple integral approach is also proposed to strengthen the Markovian jumping randomly coupled neural networks with partly unknown transition probabilities. By making use of Kronecker product and some useful integral inequalities, a novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional was designed for handling the coupled neural network with mixed delay and then impulsive synchronization criteria are solvable in a set of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and advantages of the theoretical results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-organizing neural integration of pose-motion features for human action recognition

PubMed Central

Parisi, German I.; Weber, Cornelius; Wermter, Stefan

2015-01-01

The visual recognition of complex, articulated human movements is fundamental for a wide range of artificial systems oriented toward human-robot communication, action classification, and action-driven perception. These challenging tasks may generally involve the processing of a huge amount of visual information and learning-based mechanisms for generalizing a set of training actions and classifying new samples. To operate in natural environments, a crucial property is the efficient and robust recognition of actions, also under noisy conditions caused by, for instance, systematic sensor errors and temporarily occluded persons. Studies of the mammalian visual system and its outperforming ability to process biological motion information suggest separate neural pathways for the distinct processing of pose and motion features at multiple levels and the subsequent integration of these visual cues for action perception. We present a neurobiologically-motivated approach to achieve noise-tolerant action recognition in real time. Our model consists of self-organizing Growing When Required (GWR) networks that obtain progressively generalized representations of sensory inputs and learn inherent spatio-temporal dependencies. During the training, the GWR networks dynamically change their topological structure to better match the input space. We first extract pose and motion features from video sequences and then cluster actions in terms of prototypical pose-motion trajectories. Multi-cue trajectories from matching action frames are subsequently combined to provide action dynamics in the joint feature space. Reported experiments show that our approach outperforms previous results on a dataset of full-body actions captured with a depth sensor, and ranks among the best results for a public benchmark of domestic daily actions. PMID:26106323

Cultured neuronal networks as environmental biosensors.

PubMed

O'Shaughnessy, Thomas J; Gray, Samuel A; Pancrazio, Joseph J

2004-01-01

Contamination of water by toxins, either intentionally or unintentionally, is a growing concern for both military and civilian agencies and thus there is a need for systems capable of monitoring a wide range of natural and industrial toxicants. The EILATox-Oregon Workshop held in September 2002 provided an opportunity to test the capabilities of a prototype neuronal network-based biosensor with unknown contaminants in water samples. The biosensor is a portable device capable of recording the action potential activity from a network of mammalian neurons grown on glass microelectrode arrays. Changes in the action potential fi ring rate across the network are monitored to determine exposure to toxicants. A series of three neuronal networks derived from mice was used to test seven unknown samples. Two of these unknowns later were revealed to be blanks, to which the neuronal networks did not respond. Of the five remaining unknowns, a significant change in network activity was detected for four of the compounds at concentrations below a lethal level for humans: mercuric chloride, sodium arsenite, phosdrin and chlordimeform. These compounds--two heavy metals, an organophosphate and an insecticide--demonstrate the breadth of detection possible with neuronal networks. The results generated at the workshop show the promise of the neuronal network biosensor as an environmental detector but there is still considerable effort needed to produce a device suitable for routine environmental threat monitoring.

Violating instructed human agency: An fMRI study on ocular tracking of biological and nonbiological motion stimuli.

PubMed

Gertz, Hanna; Hilger, Maximilian; Hegele, Mathias; Fiehler, Katja

2016-09-01

Previous studies have shown that beliefs about the human origin of a stimulus are capable of modulating the coupling of perception and action. Such beliefs can be based on top-down recognition of the identity of an actor or bottom-up observation of the behavior of the stimulus. Instructed human agency has been shown to lead to superior tracking performance of a moving dot as compared to instructed computer agency, especially when the dot followed a biological velocity profile and thus matched the predicted movement, whereas a violation of instructed human agency by a nonbiological dot motion impaired oculomotor tracking (Zwickel et al., 2012). This suggests that the instructed agency biases the selection of predictive models on the movement trajectory of the dot motion. The aim of the present fMRI study was to examine the neural correlates of top-down and bottom-up modulations of perception-action couplings by manipulating the instructed agency (human action vs. computer-generated action) and the observable behavior of the stimulus (biological vs. nonbiological velocity profile). To this end, participants performed an oculomotor tracking task in an MRI environment. Oculomotor tracking activated areas of the eye movement network. A right-hemisphere occipito-temporal cluster comprising the motion-sensitive area V5 showed a preference for the biological as compared to the nonbiological velocity profile. Importantly, a mismatch between instructed human agency and a nonbiological velocity profile primarily activated medial-frontal areas comprising the frontal pole, the paracingulate gyrus, and the anterior cingulate gyrus, as well as the cerebellum and the supplementary eye field as part of the eye movement network. This mismatch effect was specific to the instructed human agency and did not occur in conditions with a mismatch between instructed computer agency and a biological velocity profile. Our results support the hypothesis that humans activate a specific predictive model for biological movements based on their own motor expertise. A violation of this predictive model causes costs as the movement needs to be corrected in accordance with incoming (nonbiological) sensory information. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

77 FR 62243 - Rural Health Network Development Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Network Development Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS. ACTION: Notice of Non-competitive Replacement Award to Siloam Springs Regional Health Cooperative, Inc. SUMMARY...

Optimizing Organization Design for the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creth, Sheila

2000-01-01

Discussion of planning organization design within the higher education environment stresses the goal of integrating structure and process to maintain stability while increasing organizational flexibility. Considers organization culture, organization structure and processes, networked organizations, a networked organization in action, and personal…

Protecting drinkable water: an analysis of action plans and stakeholders' networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gascuel-Odoux, Chantal; Menard, Marjorie

2015-04-01

Since WFD the policy for protecting drinkable water has been enhanced in France. This policy establish the main components and the different steps for protecting drinkable water, and ask for defining and implementing an action plan for each contributing catchment. Despite ambitious objectives, the local implementation is difficult. Firstly there is a high diversity of stakeholders involved with local authorities, which are mainly: water agencies, agricultural chambers and consultants, authorities at regional and departmental levels. Most of the local authorities do not feel qualified enough for carrying out such a policy, as they are not really used to deal with technical and political issues related to agricultural diffuse pollutions. As a consequence assessed action plans are based on regulation and/or agri-environmental measures. More ambitious and complementary measures can be included, but without any support measure nor accurate objectives for their implementation. In the end, action plans reflect more a formal implementation of protection approaches than a search for efficiency by defining ambitious measures and the setting-up a consistent support scheme. The way stakeholders' networks mobilize knowledge have been analyzed based on ten case studies located in three different regions. Three local authorities profiles are defined: (1) the "passive" ones, not really convinced of the necessity to undertake actions against diffuse pollutions and/or having low level of knowledge to support local reflexion, that delegate project management; (2) the local authorities that support local protection approach but that, for different reasons, do not search for an effective action plan, and that only consider an improvement approach; (3) the local authorities that more rarely, aim at efficient actions, motivated by the urgent need of action for preserving threatened resources. According to these profiles, local authorities and their project coordinators will be looking for, more or less actively, mobilizing stakeholders' networks and knowledge that enable to build a strategic management. Reciprocally, institutional stakeholders push for more formal or demanding approaches, with most of the time low level of knowledge that could objectivize the relevance of action plans. This analysis contributes to help some key stakeholders, particularly local authorities, in building more efficient action plans.

31 CFR 589.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... chapter. Licensing actions taken pursuant to part 501 of this chapter with respect to the prohibitions contained in this part are considered actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements... page on OFAC's Web site: www.treasury.gov/ofac. ...

Aligning everyday life priorities with people's self-management support networks: an exploration of the work and implementation of a needs-led telephone support system.

PubMed

Blickem, Christian; Kennedy, Anne; Jariwala, Praksha; Morris, Rebecca; Bowen, Robert; Vassilev, Ivaylo; Brooks, Helen; Blakeman, Tom; Rogers, Anne

2014-06-17

Recent initiatives to target the personal, social and clinical needs of people with long-term health conditions have had limited impact within primary care. Evidence of the importance of social networks to support people with long-term conditions points to the need for self-management approaches which align personal circumstances with valued activities. The Patient-Led Assessment for Network Support (PLANS) intervention is a needs-led assessment for patients to prioritise their health and social needs and provide access to local community services and activities. Exploring the work and practices of patients and telephone workers are important for understanding and evaluating the workability and implementation of new interventions. Qualitative methods (interviews, focus group, observations) were used to explore the experience of PLANS from the perspectives of participants and the telephone support workers who delivered it (as part of an RCT) and the reasons why the intervention worked or not. Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) was used as a sensitising tool to evaluate: the relevance of PLANS to patients (coherence); the processes of engagement (cognitive participation); the work done for PLANS to happen (collective action); the perceived benefits and costs of PLANS (reflexive monitoring). 20 patients in the intervention arm of a clinical trial were interviewed and their telephone support calls were recorded and a focus group with 3 telephone support workers was conducted. Analysis of the interviews, support calls and focus group identified three themes in relation to the delivery and experience of PLANS. These are: formulation of 'health' in the context of everyday life; trajectories and tipping points: disrupting everyday routines; precarious trust in networks. The relevance of these themes are considered using NPT constructs in terms of the work that is entailed in engaging with PLANS, taking action, and who is implicated this process. PLANS gives scope to align long-term condition management to everyday life priorities and valued aspects of life. This approach can improve engagement with health-relevant practices by situating them within everyday contexts. This has potential to increase utilisation of local resources with potential cost-saving benefits for the NHS. ISRCTN45433299.

Human-Systems Integration (HSI) and the Network Integration Evaluations (NIEs), Part 3: Mitigating Cognitive Load in Network-Enabled Mission Command

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

ARL-TR-7698 ● JUNE 2016 US Army Research Laboratory Human -Systems Integration (HSI) and the Network Integration Evaluations...ARL-TR-7698 ● JUNE 2016 US Army Research Laboratory Human -Systems Integration (HSI) and the Network Integration Evaluations (NIEs), Part 3...Mitigating Cognitive Load in Network-Enabled Mission Command by John K Hawley Human Research and Engineering Directorate, ARL Michael W

Air Monitoring Network at Tonopah Test Range: Network Description and Capabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jeffrey Tappen; George Nikolich; Ken Giles

2010-05-18

During the period April to June 2008, at the behest of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO); the Desert Research Institute (DRI) constructed and deployed two portable environmental monitoring stations at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) as part of the Environmental Restoration Project Soils Sub-Project. The TTR is located within the boundaries of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) near the northern edge, and covers an area of approximately 725.20 km2 (179,200 acres). The primary objective of the monitoring stations is to evaluate whether and under what conditions there is windmore » transport of radiological contaminants from one of the three Soil Sub-Project Corrective Action Units (CAUs) associated with Operation Roller Coaster on TTR. Operation Roller Coaster was a series of tests, conducted in 1963, designed to examine the stability and dispersal of plutonium in storage and transportation accidents. These tests did not result in any nuclear explosive yield. However, the tests did result in the dispersal of plutonium and contamination of surface soils in the surrounding area.« less

Brain Graph Topology Changes Associated with Anti-Epileptic Drug Use

PubMed Central

Levin, Harvey S.; Chiang, Sharon

2015-01-01

Abstract Neuroimaging studies of functional connectivity using graph theory have furthered our understanding of the network structure in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Brain network effects of anti-epileptic drugs could influence such studies, but have not been systematically studied. Resting-state functional MRI was analyzed in 25 patients with TLE using graph theory analysis. Patients were divided into two groups based on anti-epileptic medication use: those taking carbamazepine/oxcarbazepine (CBZ/OXC) (n=9) and those not taking CBZ/OXC (n=16) as a part of their medication regimen. The following graph topology metrics were analyzed: global efficiency, betweenness centrality (BC), clustering coefficient, and small-world index. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the association of CBZ/OXC with graph topology. The two groups did not differ from each other based on epilepsy characteristics. Use of CBZ/OXC was associated with a lower BC. Longer epilepsy duration was also associated with a lower BC. These findings can inform graph theory-based studies in patients with TLE. The changes observed are discussed in relation to the anti-epileptic mechanism of action and adverse effects of CBZ/OXC. PMID:25492633

Service differentiated and adaptive CSMA/CA over IEEE 802.15.4 for Cyber-Physical Systems.

PubMed

Xia, Feng; Li, Jie; Hao, Ruonan; Kong, Xiangjie; Gao, Ruixia

2013-01-01

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) that collect, exchange, manage information, and coordinate actions are an integral part of the Smart Grid. In addition, Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning in CPS, especially in the wireless sensor/actuator networks, plays an essential role in Smart Grid applications. IEEE 802.15.4, which is one of the most widely used communication protocols in this area, still needs to be improved to meet multiple QoS requirements. This is because IEEE 802.15.4 slotted Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) employs static parameter configuration without supporting differentiated services and network self-adaptivity. To address this issue, this paper proposes a priority-based Service Differentiated and Adaptive CSMA/CA (SDA-CSMA/CA) algorithm to provide differentiated QoS for various Smart Grid applications as well as dynamically initialize backoff exponent according to traffic conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed SDA-CSMA/CA scheme significantly outperforms the IEEE 802.15.4 slotted CSMA/CA in terms of effective data rate, packet loss rate, and average delay.

Service Differentiated and Adaptive CSMA/CA over IEEE 802.15.4 for Cyber-Physical Systems

PubMed Central

Gao, Ruixia

2013-01-01

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) that collect, exchange, manage information, and coordinate actions are an integral part of the Smart Grid. In addition, Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning in CPS, especially in the wireless sensor/actuator networks, plays an essential role in Smart Grid applications. IEEE 802.15.4, which is one of the most widely used communication protocols in this area, still needs to be improved to meet multiple QoS requirements. This is because IEEE 802.15.4 slotted Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) employs static parameter configuration without supporting differentiated services and network self-adaptivity. To address this issue, this paper proposes a priority-based Service Differentiated and Adaptive CSMA/CA (SDA-CSMA/CA) algorithm to provide differentiated QoS for various Smart Grid applications as well as dynamically initialize backoff exponent according to traffic conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed SDA-CSMA/CA scheme significantly outperforms the IEEE 802.15.4 slotted CSMA/CA in terms of effective data rate, packet loss rate, and average delay. PMID:24260021

A diffusion approximation for ocean wave scatterings by randomly distributed ice floes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xin; Shen, Hayley

2016-11-01

This study presents a continuum approach using a diffusion approximation method to solve the scattering of ocean waves by randomly distributed ice floes. In order to model both strong and weak scattering, the proposed method decomposes the wave action density function into two parts: the transmitted part and the scattered part. For a given wave direction, the transmitted part of the wave action density is defined as the part of wave action density in the same direction before the scattering; and the scattered part is a first order Fourier series approximation for the directional spreading caused by scattering. An additional approximation is also adopted for simplification, in which the net directional redistribution of wave action by a single scatterer is assumed to be the reflected wave action of a normally incident wave into a semi-infinite ice cover. Other required input includes the mean shear modulus, diameter and thickness of ice floes, and the ice concentration. The directional spreading of wave energy from the diffusion approximation is found to be in reasonable agreement with the previous solution using the Boltzmann equation. The diffusion model provides an alternative method to implement wave scattering into an operational wave model.

Communicative versus strategic rationality: Habermas theory of communicative action and the social brain.

PubMed

Schaefer, Michael; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Rotte, Michael; Denke, Claudia

2013-01-01

In the philosophical theory of communicative action, rationality refers to interpersonal communication rather than to a knowing subject. Thus, a social view of rationality is suggested. The theory differentiates between two kinds of rationality, the emancipative communicative and the strategic or instrumental reasoning. Using experimental designs in an fMRI setting, recent studies explored similar questions of reasoning in the social world and linked them with a neural network including prefrontal and parietal brain regions. Here, we employed an fMRI approach to highlight brain areas associated with strategic and communicative reasoning according to the theory of communicative action. Participants were asked to assess different social scenarios with respect to communicative or strategic rationality. We found a network of brain areas including temporal pole, precuneus, and STS more activated when participants performed communicative reasoning compared with strategic thinking and a control condition. These brain regions have been previously linked to moral sensitivity. In contrast, strategic rationality compared with communicative reasoning and control was associated with less activation in areas known to be related to moral sensitivity, emotional processing, and language control. The results suggest that strategic reasoning is associated with reduced social and emotional cognitions and may use different language related networks. Thus, the results demonstrate experimental support for the assumptions of the theory of communicative action.

Beyond human intentions and emotions

PubMed Central

Juan, Elsa; Frum, Chris; Bianchi-Demicheli, Francesco; Wang, Yi-Wen; Lewis, James W.; Cacioppo, Stephanie

2013-01-01

Although significant advances have been made in our understanding of the neural basis of action observation and intention understanding in the last few decades by studies demonstrating the involvement of a specific brain network (action observation network; AON), these have been largely based on experimental studies in which people have been considered as strictly isolated entities. However, we, as social species, spend much more of our time performing actions interacting with others. Research shows that a person's position along the continuum of perceived social isolation/bonding to others is associated with a variety of physical and mental health effects. Thus, there is a crucial need to better understand the neural basis of intention understanding performed in interpersonal and emotional contexts. To address this issue, we performed a meta-analysis using of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies over the past decade that examined brain and cortical network processing associated with understanding the intention of others actions vs. those associated with passionate love for others. Both overlapping and distinct cortical and subcortical regions were identified for intention and love, respectively. These findings provide scientists and clinicians with a set of brain regions that can be targeted for future neuroscientific studies on intention understanding, and help develop neurocognitive models of pair-bonding. PMID:23543838

Central serotonin modulates neural responses to virtual violent actions in emotion regulation networks.

PubMed

Wolf, Dhana; Klasen, Martin; Eisner, Patrick; Zepf, Florian D; Zvyagintsev, Mikhail; Palomero-Gallagher, Nicola; Weber, René; Eisert, Albrecht; Mathiak, Klaus

2018-06-08

Disruptions in the cortico-limbic emotion regulation networks have been linked to depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and aggression. Altered transmission of the central nervous serotonin (5-HT) contributes to dysfunctions in the cognitive control of emotions. To date, studies relating to pharmaco-fMRI challenging of the 5-HT system have focused on emotion processing for facial expressions. We investigated effects of a single-dose selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor (escitalopram) on emotion regulation during virtual violence. For this purpose, 38 male participants played a violent video game during fMRI scanning. The SSRI reduced neural responses to violent actions in right-hemispheric inferior frontal gyrus and medial prefrontal cortex encompassing the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), but not to non-violent actions. Within the ACC, the drug effect differentiated areas with high inhibitory 5-HT1A receptor density (subgenual s25) from those with a lower density (pregenual p32, p24). This finding links functional responses during virtual violent actions with 5-HT neurotransmission in emotion regulation networks, underpinning the ecological validity of the 5-HT model in aggressive behavior. Available 5-HT receptor density data suggest that this SSRI effect is only observable when inhibitory and excitatory 5-HT receptors are balanced. The observed early functional changes may impact patient groups receiving SSRI treatment.

Influenza sentinel surveillance network: a public health-primary care collaborative action to assess influenza A(H1N1)pmd09 in Catalonia, Spain.

PubMed

Torner, Nuria; Baricot, Maretva; Martínez, Ana; Toledo, Diana; Godoy, Pere; Dominguez, Ángela

2013-03-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of a collaborative action between Public Health services and Primary Care in the context of a case-control study on effectiveness of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical measures to prevent hospitalization in a pandemic situation. To carry out this research the collaborative action of the primary care physicians members of the Influenza surveillance network was needed, they had to recall clinical information from influenza A(H1N1)pmd09 confirmed outpatient cases and negative outpatient controls matching their corresponding hospitalized confirmed case.   A survey questionnaire to assess involvement of Influenza Sentinel Surveillance Primary care physicians' Network of Catalonia (PIDIRAC) regarding the outpatient case and control outreach during the pandemic influenza season was performed. A total of 71,1% of completed surveys were received. Perception of pandemic activity was considered to be similar to seasonal influenza activity in 43.8% or higher but not unbearable in 37.5% of the replies. There was no nuisance reported from patients regarding neither the questions nor the surveyor. Collaborative research between Public Health services and Primary Care physicians enhances Public Health actions and research.

A spiking neural integrator model of the adaptive control of action by the medial prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Bekolay, Trevor; Laubach, Mark; Eliasmith, Chris

2014-01-29

Subjects performing simple reaction-time tasks can improve reaction times by learning the expected timing of action-imperative stimuli and preparing movements in advance. Success or failure on the previous trial is often an important factor for determining whether a subject will attempt to time the stimulus or wait for it to occur before initiating action. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in enabling the top-down control of action depending on the outcome of the previous trial. Analysis of spike activity from the rat mPFC suggests that neural integration is a key mechanism for adaptive control in precisely timed tasks. We show through simulation that a spiking neural network consisting of coupled neural integrators captures the neural dynamics of the experimentally recorded mPFC. Errors lead to deviations in the normal dynamics of the system, a process that could enable learning from past mistakes. We expand on this coupled integrator network to construct a spiking neural network that performs a reaction-time task by following either a cue-response or timing strategy, and show that it performs the task with similar reaction times as experimental subjects while maintaining the same spiking dynamics as the experimentally recorded mPFC.

Where there is a goal, there is a way: what, why and how the parieto-frontal mirror network can mediate imitative behaviours.

PubMed

Casartelli, Luca; Molteni, Massimo

2014-11-01

The relationships between mirror neurons (MNs) and motor imitation, and its clinical implications in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been widely investigated; however, the literature remains—at least partially—controversial. In this review we support a multi-level action understanding model focusing on the mirror-based understanding. We review the functional role of the parieto-frontal MNs (PFMN) network claiming that PFMNs function cannot be limited to imitation nor can imitation be explained solely by the activity of PFMNs. The distinction between movement, motor act and motor action is useful to characterize deeply both act(ion) understanding and imitation of act(ion). A more abstract representation of act(ion) may be crucial for clarifying what, why and how an imitator is imitating. What counts in social interactions is achieving goals: it does not matter which effector or string of motor acts you eventually use for achieving (proximal and distal) goals. Similarly, what counts is the ability to recognize/imitate the style of act(ion) regardless of the way in which it is expressed. We address this crucial point referring to its potential implications in ASD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cellular and network properties of the subiculum in the pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Knopp, Andreas; Kivi, Anatol; Wozny, Christian; Heinemann, Uwe; Behr, Joachim

2005-03-21

The subiculum was recently shown to be crucially involved in the generation of interictal activity in human temporal lobe epilepsy. Using the pilocarpine model of epilepsy, this study examines the anatomical substrates for network hyperexcitability recorded in the subiculum. Regular- and burst-spiking subicular pyramidal cells were stained with fluorescence dyes and reconstructed to analyze seizure-induced alterations of the dendritic and axonal system. In control animals burst-spiking cells outnumbered regular-spiking cells by about two to one. Regular- and burst-spiking cells were characterized by extensive axonal branching and autapse-like contacts, suggesting a high intrinsic connectivity. In addition, subicular axons projecting to CA1 indicate a CA1-subiculum-CA1 circuit. In the subiculum of pilocarpine-treated rats we found an enhanced network excitability characterized by spontaneous rhythmic activity, polysynaptic responses, and all-or-none evoked bursts of action potentials. In pilocarpine-treated rats the subiculum showed cell loss of about 30%. The ratio of regular- and burst-spiking cells was practically inverse as compared to control preparations. A reduced arborization and spine density in the proximal part of the apical dendrites suggests a partial deafferentiation from CA1. In pilocarpine-treated rats no increased axonal outgrowth of pyramidal cells was observed. Hence, axonal sprouting of subicular pyramidal cells is not mandatory for the development of the pathological events. We suggest that pilocarpine-induced seizures cause an unmasking or strengthening of synaptic contacts within the recurrent subicular network. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Communications for unattended sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemeroff, Jay L.; Angelini, Paul; Orpilla, Mont; Garcia, Luis; DiPierro, Stefano

2004-07-01

The future model of the US Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) and the Future Force reflects a combat force that utilizes lighter armor protection than the current standard. Survival on the future battlefield will be increased by the use of advanced situational awareness provided by unattended tactical and urban sensors that detect, identify, and track enemy targets and threats. Successful implementation of these critical sensor fields requires the development of advanced sensors, sensor and data-fusion processors, and a specialized communications network. To ensure warfighter and asset survivability, the communications must be capable of near real-time dissemination of the sensor data using robust, secure, stealthy, and jam resistant links so that the proper and decisive action can be taken. Communications will be provided to a wide-array of mission-specific sensors that are capable of processing data from acoustic, magnetic, seismic, and/or Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) sensors. Other, more powerful, sensor node configurations will be capable of fusing sensor data and intelligently collect and process data images from infrared or visual imaging cameras. The radio waveform and networking protocols being developed under the Soldier Level Integrated Communications Environment (SLICE) Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) and the Networked Sensors for the Future Force Advanced Technology Demonstration are part of an effort to develop a common waveform family which will operate across multiple tactical domains including dismounted soldiers, ground sensor, munitions, missiles and robotics. These waveform technologies will ultimately be transitioned to the JTRS library, specifically the Cluster 5 requirement.

Optimization Methods for Spiking Neurons and Networks

PubMed Central

Russell, Alexander; Orchard, Garrick; Dong, Yi; Mihalaş, Ştefan; Niebur, Ernst; Tapson, Jonathan; Etienne-Cummings, Ralph

2011-01-01

Spiking neurons and spiking neural circuits are finding uses in a multitude of tasks such as robotic locomotion control, neuroprosthetics, visual sensory processing, and audition. The desired neural output is achieved through the use of complex neuron models, or by combining multiple simple neurons into a network. In either case, a means for configuring the neuron or neural circuit is required. Manual manipulation of parameters is both time consuming and non-intuitive due to the nonlinear relationship between parameters and the neuron’s output. The complexity rises even further as the neurons are networked and the systems often become mathematically intractable. In large circuits, the desired behavior and timing of action potential trains may be known but the timing of the individual action potentials is unknown and unimportant, whereas in single neuron systems the timing of individual action potentials is critical. In this paper, we automate the process of finding parameters. To configure a single neuron we derive a maximum likelihood method for configuring a neuron model, specifically the Mihalas–Niebur Neuron. Similarly, to configure neural circuits, we show how we use genetic algorithms (GAs) to configure parameters for a network of simple integrate and fire with adaptation neurons. The GA approach is demonstrated both in software simulation and hardware implementation on a reconfigurable custom very large scale integration chip. PMID:20959265

Deciphering Signaling Pathway Networks to Understand the Molecular Mechanisms of Metformin Action

PubMed Central

Sun, Jingchun; Zhao, Min; Jia, Peilin; Wang, Lily; Wu, Yonghui; Iverson, Carissa; Zhou, Yubo; Bowton, Erica; Roden, Dan M.; Denny, Joshua C.; Aldrich, Melinda C.; Xu, Hua; Zhao, Zhongming

2015-01-01

A drug exerts its effects typically through a signal transduction cascade, which is non-linear and involves intertwined networks of multiple signaling pathways. Construction of such a signaling pathway network (SPNetwork) can enable identification of novel drug targets and deep understanding of drug action. However, it is challenging to synopsize critical components of these interwoven pathways into one network. To tackle this issue, we developed a novel computational framework, the Drug-specific Signaling Pathway Network (DSPathNet). The DSPathNet amalgamates the prior drug knowledge and drug-induced gene expression via random walk algorithms. Using the drug metformin, we illustrated this framework and obtained one metformin-specific SPNetwork containing 477 nodes and 1,366 edges. To evaluate this network, we performed the gene set enrichment analysis using the disease genes of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cancer, one T2D genome-wide association study (GWAS) dataset, three cancer GWAS datasets, and one GWAS dataset of cancer patients with T2D on metformin. The results showed that the metformin network was significantly enriched with disease genes for both T2D and cancer, and that the network also included genes that may be associated with metformin-associated cancer survival. Furthermore, from the metformin SPNetwork and common genes to T2D and cancer, we generated a subnetwork to highlight the molecule crosstalk between T2D and cancer. The follow-up network analyses and literature mining revealed that seven genes (CDKN1A, ESR1, MAX, MYC, PPARGC1A, SP1, and STK11) and one novel MYC-centered pathway with CDKN1A, SP1, and STK11 might play important roles in metformin’s antidiabetic and anticancer effects. Some results are supported by previous studies. In summary, our study 1) develops a novel framework to construct drug-specific signal transduction networks; 2) provides insights into the molecular mode of metformin; 3) serves a model for exploring signaling pathways to facilitate understanding of drug action, disease pathogenesis, and identification of drug targets. PMID:26083494

System and method for controlling a vision guided robot assembly

DOEpatents

Lin, Yhu-Tin; Daro, Timothy; Abell, Jeffrey A.; Turner, III, Raymond D.; Casoli, Daniel J.

2017-03-07

A method includes the following steps: actuating a robotic arm to perform an action at a start position; moving the robotic arm from the start position toward a first position; determining from a vision process method if a first part from the first position will be ready to be subjected to a first action by the robotic arm once the robotic arm reaches the first position; commencing the execution of the visual processing method for determining the position deviation of the second part from the second position and the readiness of the second part to be subjected to a second action by the robotic arm once the robotic arm reaches the second position; and performing a first action on the first part using the robotic arm with the position deviation of the first part from the first position predetermined by the vision process method.

78 FR 10640 - Sunshine Act Meetings; Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-14

... Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Operations and Maintenance (NSB/CPP-13-3) Action Item: Authorization to... Agreements/Resolutions-- [cir] Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), Emerging Frontiers Office (EF): Initial Operations for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) (NSB-13-7) [cir] Directorate for...

Novel dynamic Bayesian networks for facial action element recognition and understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Wei; Park, Jeong-Seon; Choi, Dong-You; Lee, Sang-Woong

2011-12-01

In daily life, language is an important tool of communication between people. Besides language, facial action can also provide a great amount of information. Therefore, facial action recognition has become a popular research topic in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). However, facial action recognition is quite a challenging task due to its complexity. In a literal sense, there are thousands of facial muscular movements, many of which have very subtle differences. Moreover, muscular movements always occur simultaneously when the pose is changed. To address this problem, we first build a fully automatic facial points detection system based on a local Gabor filter bank and principal component analysis. Then, novel dynamic Bayesian networks are proposed to perform facial action recognition using the junction tree algorithm over a limited number of feature points. In order to evaluate the proposed method, we have used the Korean face database for model training. For testing, we used the CUbiC FacePix, facial expressions and emotion database, Japanese female facial expression database, and our own database. Our experimental results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

76 FR 25310 - Notice of Intent To Grant a Partially Exclusive Patent License to videoNEXT Network Solutions, Inc.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-04

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Notice of Intent To Grant a Partially Exclusive Patent License to videoNEXT Network Solutions, Inc. AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. ACTION: Notice... notice of its intent to grant to videoNEXT Network Solutions, Inc., a corporation having its principle...

Using a Simple Neural Network to Delineate Some Principles of Distributed Economic Choice.

PubMed

Balasubramani, Pragathi P; Moreno-Bote, Rubén; Hayden, Benjamin Y

2018-01-01

The brain uses a mixture of distributed and modular organization to perform computations and generate appropriate actions. While the principles under which the brain might perform computations using modular systems have been more amenable to modeling, the principles by which the brain might make choices using distributed principles have not been explored. Our goal in this perspective is to delineate some of those distributed principles using a neural network method and use its results as a lens through which to reconsider some previously published neurophysiological data. To allow for direct comparison with our own data, we trained the neural network to perform binary risky choices. We find that value correlates are ubiquitous and are always accompanied by non-value information, including spatial information (i.e., no pure value signals). Evaluation, comparison, and selection were not distinct processes; indeed, value signals even in the earliest stages contributed directly, albeit weakly, to action selection. There was no place, other than at the level of action selection, at which dimensions were fully integrated. No units were specialized for specific offers; rather, all units encoded the values of both offers in an anti-correlated format, thus contributing to comparison. Individual network layers corresponded to stages in a continuous rotation from input to output space rather than to functionally distinct modules. While our network is likely to not be a direct reflection of brain processes, we propose that these principles should serve as hypotheses to be tested and evaluated for future studies.

Using a Simple Neural Network to Delineate Some Principles of Distributed Economic Choice

PubMed Central

Balasubramani, Pragathi P.; Moreno-Bote, Rubén; Hayden, Benjamin Y.

2018-01-01

The brain uses a mixture of distributed and modular organization to perform computations and generate appropriate actions. While the principles under which the brain might perform computations using modular systems have been more amenable to modeling, the principles by which the brain might make choices using distributed principles have not been explored. Our goal in this perspective is to delineate some of those distributed principles using a neural network method and use its results as a lens through which to reconsider some previously published neurophysiological data. To allow for direct comparison with our own data, we trained the neural network to perform binary risky choices. We find that value correlates are ubiquitous and are always accompanied by non-value information, including spatial information (i.e., no pure value signals). Evaluation, comparison, and selection were not distinct processes; indeed, value signals even in the earliest stages contributed directly, albeit weakly, to action selection. There was no place, other than at the level of action selection, at which dimensions were fully integrated. No units were specialized for specific offers; rather, all units encoded the values of both offers in an anti-correlated format, thus contributing to comparison. Individual network layers corresponded to stages in a continuous rotation from input to output space rather than to functionally distinct modules. While our network is likely to not be a direct reflection of brain processes, we propose that these principles should serve as hypotheses to be tested and evaluated for future studies. PMID:29643773

Cyber War Game in Temporal Networks

PubMed Central

Cho, Jin-Hee; Gao, Jianxi

2016-01-01

In a cyber war game where a network is fully distributed and characterized by resource constraints and high dynamics, attackers or defenders often face a situation that may require optimal strategies to win the game with minimum effort. Given the system goal states of attackers and defenders, we study what strategies attackers or defenders can take to reach their respective system goal state (i.e., winning system state) with minimum resource consumption. However, due to the dynamics of a network caused by a node’s mobility, failure or its resource depletion over time or action(s), this optimization problem becomes NP-complete. We propose two heuristic strategies in a greedy manner based on a node’s two characteristics: resource level and influence based on k-hop reachability. We analyze complexity and optimality of each algorithm compared to optimal solutions for a small-scale static network. Further, we conduct a comprehensive experimental study for a large-scale temporal network to investigate best strategies, given a different environmental setting of network temporality and density. We demonstrate the performance of each strategy under various scenarios of attacker/defender strategies in terms of win probability, resource consumption, and system vulnerability. PMID:26859840

Efficiency of protected areas in Amazon and Atlantic Forest conservation: A spatio-temporal view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobral-Souza, Thadeu; Vancine, Maurício Humberto; Ribeiro, Milton Cezar; Lima-Ribeiro, Matheus S.

2018-02-01

The Amazon and Atlantic Forest are considered the world's most biodiverse biomes. Human and climate change impacts are the principal drivers of species loss in both biomes, more severely in the Atlantic Forest. In response to species loss, the main conservation action is the creation of protected areas (PAs). Current knowledge and research on the PA network's conservation efficiency is scarce, and existing studies have mainly considered a past temporal view. In this study, we tested the efficiency of the current PA network to maintain climatically stable areas (CSAs) across the Amazon and Atlantic Forest. To this, we used an ecological niche modeling approach to biome and paleoclimatic simulations. We propose three categories of conservation priority areas for both biomes, considering CSAs, PAs and intact forest remnants. The biomes vary in their respective PA networks' protection efficiency. Regarding protect CSAs, the Amazon PA network is four times more efficient than the Atlantic Forest PA network. New conservation efforts in these two forest biomes require different approaches. We discussed the conservation actions that should be taken in each biome to increase the efficiency of the PA network, considering both the creation and expansion of PAs as well as restoration programs.

The neural basis of hand gesture comprehension: A meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies.

PubMed

Yang, Jie; Andric, Michael; Mathew, Mili M

2015-10-01

Gestures play an important role in face-to-face communication and have been increasingly studied via functional magnetic resonance imaging. Although a large amount of data has been provided to describe the neural substrates of gesture comprehension, these findings have never been quantitatively summarized and the conclusion is still unclear. This activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis investigated the brain networks underpinning gesture comprehension while considering the impact of gesture type (co-speech gestures vs. speech-independent gestures) and task demand (implicit vs. explicit) on the brain activation of gesture comprehension. The meta-analysis of 31 papers showed that as hand actions, gestures involve a perceptual-motor network important for action recognition. As meaningful symbols, gestures involve a semantic network for conceptual processing. Finally, during face-to-face interactions, gestures involve a network for social emotive processes. Our finding also indicated that gesture type and task demand influence the involvement of the brain networks during gesture comprehension. The results highlight the complexity of gesture comprehension, and suggest that future research is necessary to clarify the dynamic interactions among these networks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using the relational event model (REM) to investigate the temporal dynamics of animal social networks.

PubMed

Tranmer, Mark; Marcum, Christopher Steven; Morton, F Blake; Croft, Darren P; de Kort, Selvino R

2015-03-01

Social dynamics are of fundamental importance in animal societies. Studies on nonhuman animal social systems often aggregate social interaction event data into a single network within a particular time frame. Analysis of the resulting network can provide a useful insight into the overall extent of interaction. However, through aggregation, information is lost about the order in which interactions occurred, and hence the sequences of actions over time. Many research hypotheses relate directly to the sequence of actions, such as the recency or rate of action, rather than to their overall volume or presence. Here, we demonstrate how the temporal structure of social interaction sequences can be quantified from disaggregated event data using the relational event model (REM). We first outline the REM, explaining why it is different from other models for longitudinal data, and how it can be used to model sequences of events unfolding in a network. We then discuss a case study on the European jackdaw, Corvus monedula , in which temporal patterns of persistence and reciprocity of action are of interest, and present and discuss the results of a REM analysis of these data. One of the strengths of a REM analysis is its ability to take into account different ways in which data are collected. Having explained how to take into account the way in which the data were collected for the jackdaw study, we briefly discuss the application of the model to other studies. We provide details of how the models may be fitted in the R statistical software environment and outline some recent extensions to the REM framework.

Social capital and health – implications for health promotion

PubMed Central

Eriksson, Malin

2011-01-01

This article is a review of the PhD Thesis of Malin Eriksson, entitled ‘Social capital, health and community action – implications for health promotion.’ The article presents a theoretical overview of social capital and its relation to health, reviews empirical findings of the links between social capital and (self-rated) health, and discusses the usefulness of social capital in health promotion interventions at individual and community levels. Social capital, conceptualized as an individual characteristic, can contribute to the field of health promotion by adding new knowledge on how social network interventions may best be designed to meet the needs of the target group. The distinction of different forms of social capital, i.e. bonding, bridging, and linking, can be useful in mapping the kinds of networks that are available and health-enhancing (or damaging) and for whom. Further, social capital can advance social network interventions by acknowledging the risk for unequal distribution of investments and returns from social network involvement. Social capital, conceptualized as characterizing whole communities, provides a useful framework for what constitutes health-supporting environments and guidance on how to achieve them. Mapping and mobilization of social capital in local communities may be one way of achieving community action for health promotion. Social capital is context-bound by necessity. Thus, from a global perspective, it cannot be used as a ‘cookbook’ on how to achieve supportive environments and community action smoothly. However, social capital can provide new ideas on the processes that influence human interactions, cooperation, and community action for health promotion in various contexts. PMID:21311607

Social capital and health--implications for health promotion.

PubMed

Eriksson, Malin

2011-02-08

This article is a review of the PhD Thesis of Malin Eriksson, entitled 'Social capital, health and community action - implications for health promotion.' The article presents a theoretical overview of social capital and its relation to health, reviews empirical findings of the links between social capital and (self-rated) health, and discusses the usefulness of social capital in health promotion interventions at individual and community levels. Social capital, conceptualized as an individual characteristic, can contribute to the field of health promotion by adding new knowledge on how social network interventions may best be designed to meet the needs of the target group. The distinction of different forms of social capital, i.e. bonding, bridging, and linking, can be useful in mapping the kinds of networks that are available and health-enhancing (or damaging) and for whom. Further, social capital can advance social network interventions by acknowledging the risk for unequal distribution of investments and returns from social network involvement. Social capital, conceptualized as characterizing whole communities, provides a useful framework for what constitutes health-supporting environments and guidance on how to achieve them. Mapping and mobilization of social capital in local communities may be one way of achieving community action for health promotion. Social capital is context-bound by necessity. Thus, from a global perspective, it cannot be used as a 'cookbook' on how to achieve supportive environments and community action smoothly. However, social capital can provide new ideas on the processes that influence human interactions, cooperation, and community action for health promotion in various contexts. © 2011 Malin Eriksson.

Dynamic Simulation and Static Matching for Action Prediction: Evidence from Body Part Priming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Springer, Anne; Brandstadter, Simone; Prinz, Wolfgang

2013-01-01

Accurately predicting other people's actions may involve two processes: internal real-time simulation (dynamic updating) and matching recently perceived action images (static matching). Using a priming of body parts, this study aimed to differentiate the two processes. Specifically, participants played a motion-controlled video game with…

40 CFR Appendix D to Part 300 - Appropriate Actions and Methods of Remedying Releases

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... SUBSTANCES POLLUTION CONTINGENCY PLAN Pt. 300, App. D Appendix D to Part 300—Appropriate Actions and Methods... contaminated soil, sediment, or waste, the following types of response actions shall generally be considered: removal, treatment, or containment of the soil, sediment, or waste to reduce or eliminate the potential...

Scotland's knowledge network: a progress report on Knowledge into Action.

PubMed

Wales, Ann; Boyle, Derek

2015-11-01

Launched in 2012, Knowledge into Action is the national knowledge management strategy for the health and social care workforce in Scotland. It is transforming the role of the national digital knowledge service--NHS Education for Scotlands' Knowledge Network--and the NHSS librarian role to offer more active, tailored support for translating knowledge into frontline clinical practice. This includes the development of a national evidence search and summary service, help with converting knowledge into practical and usable formats for easy use at point of care and with using digital tools to share clinicians' learning, experience and expertise. Through this practical support, Knowledge into Action is contributing to quality and safety outcomes across NHS Scotland, building clinicians' capacity and capability in applying knowledge in frontline practice and service improvement. © The Author(s) 2015.

Path integrals and large deviations in stochastic hybrid systems.

PubMed

Bressloff, Paul C; Newby, Jay M

2014-04-01

We construct a path-integral representation of solutions to a stochastic hybrid system, consisting of one or more continuous variables evolving according to a piecewise-deterministic dynamics. The differential equations for the continuous variables are coupled to a set of discrete variables that satisfy a continuous-time Markov process, which means that the differential equations are only valid between jumps in the discrete variables. Examples of stochastic hybrid systems arise in biophysical models of stochastic ion channels, motor-driven intracellular transport, gene networks, and stochastic neural networks. We use the path-integral representation to derive a large deviation action principle for a stochastic hybrid system. Minimizing the associated action functional with respect to the set of all trajectories emanating from a metastable state (assuming that such a minimization scheme exists) then determines the most probable paths of escape. Moreover, evaluating the action functional along a most probable path generates the so-called quasipotential used in the calculation of mean first passage times. We illustrate the theory by considering the optimal paths of escape from a metastable state in a bistable neural network.

47 CFR 68.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... TERMINAL EQUIPMENT TO THE TELEPHONE NETWORK General § 68.3 Definitions. As used in this part: Demarcation... switched telephone network with the applicable rules and regulations in this part and with the technical... network, or if the equipment is imported, the importer, or if the terminal equipment is assembled from...

47 CFR 68.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... TERMINAL EQUIPMENT TO THE TELEPHONE NETWORK General § 68.3 Definitions. As used in this part: Demarcation... switched telephone network with the applicable rules and regulations in this part and with the technical... network, or if the equipment is imported, the importer, or if the terminal equipment is assembled from...

Distinct neural substrates for visual short-term memory of actions.

PubMed

Cai, Ying; Urgolites, Zhisen; Wood, Justin; Chen, Chuansheng; Li, Siyao; Chen, Antao; Xue, Gui

2018-06-26

Fundamental theories of human cognition have long posited that the short-term maintenance of actions is supported by one of the "core knowledge" systems of human visual cognition, yet its neural substrates are still not well understood. In particular, it is unclear whether the visual short-term memory (VSTM) of actions has distinct neural substrates or, as proposed by the spatio-object architecture of VSTM, shares them with VSTM of objects and spatial locations. In two experiments, we tested these two competing hypotheses by directly contrasting the neural substrates for VSTM of actions with those for objects and locations. Our results showed that the bilateral middle temporal cortex (MT) was specifically involved in VSTM of actions because its activation and its functional connectivity with the frontal-parietal network (FPN) were only modulated by the memory load of actions, but not by that of objects/agents or locations. Moreover, the brain regions involved in the maintenance of spatial location information (i.e., superior parietal lobule, SPL) was also recruited during the maintenance of actions, consistent with the temporal-spatial nature of actions. Meanwhile, the frontoparietal network (FPN) was commonly involved in all types of VSTM and showed flexible functional connectivity with the domain-specific regions, depending on the current working memory tasks. Together, our results provide clear evidence for a distinct neural system for maintaining actions in VSTM, which supports the core knowledge system theory and the domain-specific and domain-general architectures of VSTM. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neural network based speech synthesizer: A preliminary report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Villarreal, James A.; Mcintire, Gary

1987-01-01

A neural net based speech synthesis project is discussed. The novelty is that the reproduced speech was extracted from actual voice recordings. In essence, the neural network learns the timing, pitch fluctuations, connectivity between individual sounds, and speaking habits unique to that individual person. The parallel distributed processing network used for this project is the generalized backward propagation network which has been modified to also learn sequences of actions or states given in a particular plan.

Cortical network differences in the sighted versus early blind for recognition of human-produced action sounds

PubMed Central

Lewis, James W.; Frum, Chris; Brefczynski-Lewis, Julie A.; Talkington, William J.; Walker, Nathan A.; Rapuano, Kristina M.; Kovach, Amanda L.

2012-01-01

Both sighted and blind individuals can readily interpret meaning behind everyday real-world sounds. In sighted listeners, we previously reported that regions along the bilateral posterior superior temporal sulci (pSTS) and middle temporal gyri (pMTG) are preferentially activated when presented with recognizable action sounds. These regions have generally been hypothesized to represent primary loci for complex motion processing, including visual biological motion processing and audio-visual integration. However, it remained unclear whether, or to what degree, life-long visual experience might impact functions related to hearing perception or memory of sound-source actions. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we compared brain regions activated in congenitally blind versus sighted listeners in response to hearing a wide range of recognizable human-produced action sounds (excluding vocalizations) versus unrecognized, backward-played versions of those sounds. Here we show that recognized human action sounds commonly evoked activity in both groups along most of the left pSTS/pMTG complex, though with relatively greater activity in the right pSTS/pMTG by the blind group. These results indicate that portions of the postero-lateral temporal cortices contain domain-specific hubs for biological and/or complex motion processing independent of sensory-modality experience. Contrasting the two groups, the sighted listeners preferentially activated bilateral parietal plus medial and lateral frontal networks, while the blind listeners preferentially activated left anterior insula plus bilateral anterior calcarine and medial occipital regions, including what would otherwise have been visual-related cortex. These global-level network differences suggest that blind and sighted listeners may preferentially use different memory retrieval strategies when attempting to recognize action sounds. PMID:21305666

Hormonal response to bidirectional selection on social behavior

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Behavior is a quantitative trait determined through the actions of multiple genes. These genes form pleiotropic networks that are sensitive to environmental variation and genetic background. One aspect of behavioral gene networks that is of special interest includes effects during early development....

Advancing Future Network Science through Content Understanding

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

BitTorrent, PostgreSQL, MySQL , and GRSecurity) and emerging technologies (HadoopDFS, Tokutera, Sector/Sphere, HBase, and other BigTable-like...result. • Multi-Source Network Pulse Analyzer and Correlator provides course of action planning by enhancing the understanding of the complex dynamics

Integration of task level planning and diagnosis for an intelligent robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gerstenfeld, Arthur

1988-01-01

The use of robots in the future must go beyond present applications and will depend on the ability of a robot to adapt to a changing environment and to deal with unexpected scenarios (i.e., picking up parts that are not exactly where they were expected to be). The objective of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating high level planning into a robot enabling it to deal with anomalous situations in order to minimize the need for constant human instruction. The heuristics can be used by a robot to apply information about previous actions towards accomplishing future objectives more efficiently. The system uses a decision network that represents the plan for accomplishing a task. This enables the robot to modify its plan based on results of previous actions. The system serves as a method for minimizing the need for constant human instruction in telerobotics. This paper describes the integration of expert systems and simulation as a valuable tool that goes far beyond this project. Simulation can be expected to be used increasingly as both hardware and software improve. Similarly, the ability to merge an expert system with simulation means that we can add intelligence to the system. A malfunctioning space satellite is described. The expert system uses a series of heuristics in order to guide the robot to the proper location. This is part of task level planning. The final part of the paper suggests directions for future research. Having shown the feasibility of an expert system embedded in a simulation, the paper then discusses how the system can be integrated with the MSFC graphics system.

Epidemic Percolation Networks, Epidemic Outcomes, and Interventions

DOE PAGES

Kenah, Eben; Miller, Joel C.

2011-01-01

Epidemic percolation networks (EPNs) are directed random networks that can be used to analyze stochastic “Susceptible-Infectious-Removed” (SIR) and “Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Removed” (SEIR) epidemic models, unifying and generalizing previous uses of networks and branching processes to analyze mass-action and network-based S(E)IR models. This paper explains the fundamental concepts underlying the definition and use of EPNs, using them to build intuition about the final outcomes of epidemics. We then show how EPNs provide a novel and useful perspective on the design of vaccination strategies.

Digital Networked Information Society and Public Health: Problems and Promises of Networked Health Communication of Lay Publics.

PubMed

Kim, Jeong-Nam

2018-01-01

This special issue of Health Communication compiles 10 articles to laud the promise and yet confront the problems in the digital networked information society related to public health. We present this anthology of symphony and cacophony of lay individuals' communicative actions in a digital networked information society. The collection of problems and promise of the new digital world may be a cornerstone joining two worlds-pre- and postdigital network society-and we hope this special issue will help better shape our future states of public health.

Networking for philanthropy: increasing volunteer behavior via social networking sites.

PubMed

Kim, Yoojung; Lee, Wei-Na

2014-03-01

Social networking sites (SNSs) provide a unique social venue to engage the young generation in philanthropy through their networking capabilities. An integrated model that incorporates social capital into the Theory of Reasoned Action is developed to explain volunteer behavior through social networks. As expected, volunteer behavior was predicted by volunteer intention, which was influenced by attitudes and subjective norms. In addition, social capital, an outcome of the extensive use of SNSs, was as an important driver of users' attitude and subjective norms toward volunteering via SNSs.

Epidemic Percolation Networks, Epidemic Outcomes, and Interventions

PubMed Central

Kenah, Eben; Miller, Joel C.

2011-01-01

Epidemic percolation networks (EPNs) are directed random networks that can be used to analyze stochastic “Susceptible-Infectious-Removed” (SIR) and “Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Removed” (SEIR) epidemic models, unifying and generalizing previous uses of networks and branching processes to analyze mass-action and network-based S(E)IR models. This paper explains the fundamental concepts underlying the definition and use of EPNs, using them to build intuition about the final outcomes of epidemics. We then show how EPNs provide a novel and useful perspective on the design of vaccination strategies. PMID:21437002

Neural evidence for the intrinsic value of action as motivation for behavior.

PubMed

Miura, Naoki; Tanabe, Hiroki C; Sasaki, Akihiro T; Harada, Tokiko; Sadato, Norihiro

2017-06-03

The intrinsic value of an action refers to the inherent sense that experiencing a behavior is enjoyable even if it has no explicit outcome. Previous research has suggested that a common valuation mechanism within the reward network may be responsible for processing the intrinsic value of achieving both the outcome and external rewards. However, how the intrinsic value of action is neurally represented remains unknown. We hypothesized that the intrinsic value of action is determined by an action-outcome contingency indicating the behavior is controllable and that the outcome of the action can be evaluated by this feedback. Consequently, the reward network should be activated, reflecting the generation of the intrinsic value of action. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) investigation of a stopwatch game in which the action-outcome contingency was manipulated. This experiment involved 36 healthy volunteers and four versions of a stopwatch game that manipulated controllability (the feeling that participants were controlling the stopwatch themselves) and outcome (a signal allowing participants to see the result of their action). A free-choice experiment was administered after the fMRI to explore preference levels for each game. The results showed that the stopwatch game with the action-outcome contingency evoked a greater degree of enjoyment because the participants chose this condition over those that lacked such a contingency. The ventral striatum and midbrain were activated only when action-outcome contingency was present. Thus, the intrinsic value of action was represented by an increase in ventral striatal and midbrain activation. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

31 CFR 552.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... provisions relating to licensing procedures, see part 501, subpart E of this chapter. Licensing actions taken... actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the Yemen sanctions page on OFAC's Web site: www.treasury.gov/ofac. ...

31 CFR 552.501 - General and specific licensing procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... provisions relating to licensing procedures, see part 501, subpart E of this chapter. Licensing actions taken... actions taken pursuant to this part. General licenses and statements of licensing policy relating to this part also may be available through the Yemen sanctions page on OFAC's Web site: www.treasury.gov/ofac. ...

Complexity, action, and black holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Adam R.; Roberts, Daniel A.; Susskind, Leonard

In an earlier paper "Complexity Equals Action" we conjectured that the quantum computational complexity of a holographic state is given by the classical action of a region in the bulk (the `Wheeler-DeWitt' patch). We provide calculations for the results quoted in that paper, explain how it fits into a broader (tensor) network of ideas, and elaborate on the hypothesis that black holes are the fastest computers in nature.

Complexity, action, and black holes

DOE PAGES

Brown, Adam R.; Roberts, Daniel A.; Susskind, Leonard; ...

2016-04-18

In an earlier paper "Complexity Equals Action" we conjectured that the quantum computational complexity of a holographic state is given by the classical action of a region in the bulk (the `Wheeler-DeWitt' patch). We provide calculations for the results quoted in that paper, explain how it fits into a broader (tensor) network of ideas, and elaborate on the hypothesis that black holes are the fastest computers in nature.

What Are You Doing with That Object? Comparing the Neural Responses of Action Understanding in Adolescents with and without Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pokorny, Jennifer J.; Hatt, Naomi V.; Rogers, Sally J.; Rivera, Susan M.

2018-01-01

Understanding another's actions, including what they are doing and why they are doing it, can be difficult for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This understanding is supported by the action observation (AON) and mentalizing (MZN) networks, as well as the superior temporal sulcus. We examined these areas in children with ASD and…

Brain regions with mirror properties: a meta-analysis of 125 human fMRI studies.

PubMed

Molenberghs, Pascal; Cunnington, Ross; Mattingley, Jason B

2012-01-01

Mirror neurons in macaque area F5 fire when an animal performs an action, such as a mouth or limb movement, and also when the animal passively observes an identical or similar action performed by another individual. Brain-imaging studies in humans conducted over the last 20 years have repeatedly attempted to reveal analogous brain regions with mirror properties in humans, with broad and often speculative claims about their functional significance across a range of cognitive domains, from language to social cognition. Despite such concerted efforts, the likely neural substrates of these mirror regions have remained controversial, and indeed the very existence of a distinct subcategory of human neurons with mirroring properties has been questioned. Here we used activation likelihood estimation (ALE), to provide a quantitative index of the consistency of patterns of fMRI activity measured in human studies of action observation and action execution. From an initial sample of more than 300 published works, data from 125 papers met our strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analysis revealed 14 separate clusters in which activation has been consistently attributed to brain regions with mirror properties, encompassing 9 different Brodmann areas. These clusters were located in areas purported to show mirroring properties in the macaque, such as the inferior parietal lobule, inferior frontal gyrus and the adjacent ventral premotor cortex, but surprisingly also in regions such as the primary visual cortex, cerebellum and parts of the limbic system. Our findings suggest a core network of human brain regions that possess mirror properties associated with action observation and execution, with additional areas recruited during tasks that engage non-motor functions, such as auditory, somatosensory and affective components. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching critical health literacy in the US as a means to action on the social determinants of health

PubMed Central

Mogford, Elizabeth; Gould, Linn; DeVoght, Andra

2011-01-01

In spite of improvements in global health over the 20th century, health inequities are increasing. Mounting evidence suggests that reducing health inequities requires taking action on the social determinants of health (SDOH), which include income, education, employment, political empowerment and other factors. This paper introduces an alternative health education curriculum, developed by the US-based non-profit organization Just Health Action, which teaches critical health literacy as a step towards empowering people to achieve health equity. Critical health literacy is defined as an individual's understanding of the SDOH combined with the skills to take action at both the individual and the community level. Prior to describing our curricular framework, we connect the recommendations of the World Health Organization Commission on the SDOH with the objectives of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion by arguing that achieving them is reliant on critical health literacy. Then we describe our four-part curricular framework for teaching critical health literacy. Part 1, Knowledge, focuses on teaching the SDOH and the paradigm of health as a human right. Part 2, Compass, refers to activities that help students find their own direction as a social change agent. Part 3, Skills, refers to teaching specific advocacy tools and strategies. Part 4, Action, refers to the development and implementation of an action intended to increase health equity by addressing the SDOH. We describe activities that we use to motivate, engage and empower students to take action on the SDOH and provide examples of advocacy skills students have learned and actions they have implemented. PMID:20729240

Brief Internet and NREN Glossary: Part II (M-Z).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machovec, George S.

1993-01-01

Presents the second and final part of a selected glossary of terms commonly used in discussions relating to the Internet and the National Research and Education Network (NREN). Highlights include various network names; organizations; acronyms; user interfaces; network research testbeds; various protocols; remote login; and Wide Area Information…

REGIONAL-SCALE (1000 KM) MODEL OF PHOTOCHEMICAL AIR POLLUTION. PART 2. INPUT PROCESSOR NETWORK DESIGN

EPA Science Inventory

Detailed specifications are given for a network of data processors and submodels that can generate the parameter fields required by the regional oxidant model formulated in Part 1 of this report. Operations performed by the processor network include simulation of the motion and d...

Pathway-focused bioassays and transcriptome analysis contribute to a better activity monitoring of complex herbal remedies

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Transcriptome analysis in combination with pathway-focused bioassays is suggested to be a helpful approach for gaining deeper insights into the complex mechanisms of action of herbal multicomponent preparations in living cells. The polyherbalism based concept of Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicine considers therapeutic efficacy through multi-target effects. A polyherbal Indo-Tibetan preparation, Padma 28, approved by the Swiss drug authorities (Swissmedic Nr. 58436), was applied to a more detailed dissection of mechanism of action in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Cell-free and cell-based assays were employed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity. Genome-wide expression profiling was done by applying Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Affymetrix arrays. Pathway- and network-oriented analysis elucidated the affected biological processes. The results were validated using reporter gene assays and quantitative real-time PCR. Results To reveal the direct radical scavenging effects of the ethanolic extract of the Indo-Tibetan polyherbal remedy Padma 28, an in vitro oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay (ORAC) was employed, which resulted in a peroxyl-radical scavenging activity of 2006 ± 235 μmol TE/g. Furthermore, the antioxidant capacity of Padma 28 was analysed in living HepG2 cells, by measuring its scavenging potential against radical induced ROS. This formulation showed a considerable antioxidant capacity by significantly reducing ROS levels in a dose-dependent manner. Integrated transcriptome analysis revealed a major influence on phase I and phase II detoxification and the oxidative stress response. Selected target genes, such as heme oxygenase 1, were validated in qPCR experiments. Network analysis showed 18 interrelated networks involved in important biological functions such as drug and bio-molecule metabolism, molecular transport and cellular communication. Some molecules are part of signaling cascades that are active during development and morphogenesis or are involved in pathological conditions and inflammatory response. Conclusions The identified molecular targets and pathways suggest several mechanisms that underlie the biological activity of the preparation. Although extrapolation of these findings to the in vivo situation is not possible, the results obtained might be the basis for further investigations and new hypotheses to be tested. This study demonstrates the potential of the combination of focused and unbiased research strategies in the mode of action analysis of multicomponent herbal mixtures. PMID:23445205

Is networking different with doctors working part-time? Differences in social networks of part-time and full-time doctors

PubMed Central

Heiligers, Phil JM; de Jong, Judith D; Groenewegen, Peter P; Hingstman, Lammert; Völker, Beate; Spreeuwenberg, Peter

2008-01-01

Background Part-time working is a growing phenomenon in medicine, which is expected to influence informal networks at work differently compared to full-time working. The opportunity to meet and build up social capital at work has offered a basis for theoretical arguments. Methods Twenty-eight teams of medical specialists in the Netherlands, including 226 individuals participated in this study. Interviews with team representatives and individual questionnaires were used. Data were gathered on three types of networks: relationships of consulting, communication and trust. For analyses, network and multilevel applications were used. Differences between individual doctors and between teams were both analysed, taking the dependency structure of the data into account, because networks of individual doctors are not independent. Teams were divided into teams with and without doctors working part-time. Results and Discussion Contrary to expectations we found no impact of part-time working on the size of personal networks, neither at the individual nor at the team level. The same was found regarding efficient reachability. Whereas we expected part-time doctors to choose their relations as efficiently as possible, we even found the opposite in intended relationships of trust, implying that efficiency in reaching each other was higher for full-time doctors. But we found as expected that in mixed teams with part-time doctors the frequency of regular communication was less compared to full-time teams. Furthermore, as expected the strength of the intended relationships of trust of part-time and full-time doctors was equally high. Conclusion From these findings we can conclude that part-time doctors are not aiming at efficiency by limiting the size of networks or by efficient reachability, because they want to contact their colleagues directly in order to prevent from communication errors. On the other hand, together with the growth of teams, we found this strategy, focussed on reaching all colleagues, was diminishing. And our data confirmed that formalisation was increasing together with the growth of teams. PMID:18834545

Effect of social networks and well-being on acute care needs.

PubMed

Sintonen, Sanna; Pehkonen, Aini

2014-01-01

The effect of social surroundings has been noted as an important component of the well-being of elderly people. A strong social network and strong and steady relationships are necessary for coping when illness or functional limitations occur in later life. Vulnerability can affect well-being and functioning particularly when sudden life changes occur. The objective of this study was to analyse how the determinants of social well-being affect individual acute care needs when sudden life changes occur. Empirical evidence was collected using a cross-sectional mail survey in Finland in January 2011 among individuals aged 55-79 years. The age-stratified random sample covered 3000 individuals, and the eventual response rate was 56% (1680). Complete responses were received from 1282 respondents (42.7%). The study focuses on the compactness of social networks, social disability, the stability of social relationships and the fear of loneliness as well as how these factors influence acute care needs. The measurement was based on a latent factor structure, and the key concepts were measured using two ordinal items. The results of the structural model suggest that the need for care is directly affected by social disability and the fear of loneliness. In addition, social disability is a determinant of the fear of loneliness and therefore plays an important role if sudden life changes occur. The compactness of social networks decreases social disability and partly diminishes the fear of loneliness and therefore has an indirect effect on the need for care. The stability of social relationships was influenced by the social networks and disability, but was an insignificant predictor of care needs. To conclude, social networks and well-being can decrease care needs, and supportive actions should be targeted to avoid loneliness and social isolation so that the informal network could be applied as an aspect of care-giving when acute life changes occur. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A model for Entropy Production, Entropy Decrease and Action Minimization in Self-Organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgiev, Georgi; Chatterjee, Atanu; Vu, Thanh; Iannacchione, Germano

In self-organization energy gradients across complex systems lead to change in the structure of systems, decreasing their internal entropy to ensure the most efficient energy transport and therefore maximum entropy production in the surroundings. This approach stems from fundamental variational principles in physics, such as the principle of least action. It is coupled to the total energy flowing through a system, which leads to increase the action efficiency. We compare energy transport through a fluid cell which has random motion of its molecules, and a cell which can form convection cells. We examine the signs of change of entropy, and the action needed for the motion inside those systems. The system in which convective motion occurs, reduces the time for energy transmission, compared to random motion. For more complex systems, those convection cells form a network of transport channels, for the purpose of obeying the equations of motion in this geometry. Those transport networks are an essential feature of complex systems in biology, ecology, economy and society.

Wavefront cellular learning automata.

PubMed

Moradabadi, Behnaz; Meybodi, Mohammad Reza

2018-02-01

This paper proposes a new cellular learning automaton, called a wavefront cellular learning automaton (WCLA). The proposed WCLA has a set of learning automata mapped to a connected structure and uses this structure to propagate the state changes of the learning automata over the structure using waves. In the WCLA, after one learning automaton chooses its action, if this chosen action is different from the previous action, it can send a wave to its neighbors and activate them. Each neighbor receiving the wave is activated and must choose a new action. This structure for the WCLA is necessary in many dynamic areas such as social networks, computer networks, grid computing, and web mining. In this paper, we introduce the WCLA framework as an optimization tool with diffusion capability, study its behavior over time using ordinary differential equation solutions, and present its accuracy using expediency analysis. To show the superiority of the proposed WCLA, we compare the proposed method with some other types of cellular learning automata using two benchmark problems.

Wavefront cellular learning automata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moradabadi, Behnaz; Meybodi, Mohammad Reza

2018-02-01

This paper proposes a new cellular learning automaton, called a wavefront cellular learning automaton (WCLA). The proposed WCLA has a set of learning automata mapped to a connected structure and uses this structure to propagate the state changes of the learning automata over the structure using waves. In the WCLA, after one learning automaton chooses its action, if this chosen action is different from the previous action, it can send a wave to its neighbors and activate them. Each neighbor receiving the wave is activated and must choose a new action. This structure for the WCLA is necessary in many dynamic areas such as social networks, computer networks, grid computing, and web mining. In this paper, we introduce the WCLA framework as an optimization tool with diffusion capability, study its behavior over time using ordinary differential equation solutions, and present its accuracy using expediency analysis. To show the superiority of the proposed WCLA, we compare the proposed method with some other types of cellular learning automata using two benchmark problems.

Nondeducibility-Based Analysis of Cyber-Physical Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamage, Thoshitha; McMillin, Bruce

Controlling information flow in a cyber-physical system (CPS) is challenging because cyber domain decisions and actions manifest themselves as visible changes in the physical domain. This paper presents a nondeducibility-based observability analysis for CPSs. In many CPSs, the capacity of a low-level (LL) observer to deduce high-level (HL) actions ranges from limited to none. However, a collaborative set of observers strategically located in a network may be able to deduce all the HL actions. This paper models a distributed power electronics control device network using a simple DC circuit in order to understand the effect of multiple observers in a CPS. The analysis reveals that the number of observers required to deduce all the HL actions in a system increases linearly with the number of configurable units. A simple definition of nondeducibility based on the uniqueness of low-level projections is also presented. This definition is used to show that a system with two security domain levels could be considered “nondeducibility secure” if no unique LL projections exist.

37 CFR 1.945 - Response to Office action by patent owner in inter partes reexamination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

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2010-07-01

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32 CFR Appendix G to Part 323 - Privacy Act Enforcement Actions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Privacy Act Enforcement Actions G Appendix G to... (CONTINUED) PRIVACY PROGRAM DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY PRIVACY PROGRAM Pt. 323, App. G Appendix G to Part 323—Privacy Act Enforcement Actions A. Administrative Remedies. Any individual who feels he or she has a...

32 CFR Appendix G to Part 323 - Privacy Act Enforcement Actions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

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32 CFR Appendix G to Part 323 - Privacy Act Enforcement Actions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

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37 CFR 1.945 - Response to Office action by patent owner in inter partes reexamination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

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2012-07-01

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37 CFR 1.945 - Response to Office action by patent owner in inter partes reexamination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

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36 CFR Exhibit B to Part 906 - Guidelines for Establishing Strategy To Implement Affirmative Action Personnel Plan

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2013-07-01 2012-07-01 true Guidelines for Establishing Strategy To Implement Affirmative Action Personnel Plan B Exhibit B to Part 906 Parks, Forests, and Public... affirmative action policy in advertisements and employment literature. (3) Utilization of minority media in...

Multi-Objective Reinforcement Learning-based Deep Neural Networks for Cognitive Space Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferreria, Paulo; Paffenroth, Randy; Wyglinski, Alexander M.; Hackett, Timothy; Bilen, Sven; Reinhart, Richard; Mortensen, Dale

2017-01-01

Future communication subsystems of space exploration missions can potentially benefit from software-defined radios (SDRs) controlled by machine learning algorithms. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid radio resource allocation management control algorithm that integrates multi-objective reinforcement learning and deep artificial neural networks. The objective is to efficiently manage communications system resources by monitoring performance functions with common dependent variables that result in conflicting goals. The uncertainty in the performance of thousands of different possible combinations of radio parameters makes the trade-off between exploration and exploitation in reinforcement learning (RL) much more challenging for future critical space-based missions. Thus, the system should spend as little time as possible on exploring actions, and whenever it explores an action, it should perform at acceptable levels most of the time. The proposed approach enables on-line learning by interactions with the environment and restricts poor resource allocation performance through virtual environment exploration. Improvements in the multiobjective performance can be achieved via transmitter parameter adaptation on a packet-basis, with poorly predicted performance promptly resulting in rejected decisions. Simulations presented in this work considered the DVB-S2 standard adaptive transmitter parameters and additional ones expected to be present in future adaptive radio systems. Performance results are provided by analysis of the proposed hybrid algorithm when operating across a satellite communication channel from Earth to GEO orbit during clear sky conditions. The proposed approach constitutes part of the core cognitive engine proof-of-concept to be delivered to the NASA Glenn Research Center SCaN Testbed located onboard the International Space Station.

Up to what point is loss reduction environmentally friendly?: The LCA of loss reduction scenarios in drinking water networks.

PubMed

Pillot, Julie; Catel, Laureline; Renaud, Eddy; Augeard, Bénédicte; Roux, Philippe

2016-11-01

In a context of increasing water shortage all over the world, water utilities must minimise losses in their distribution networks and draw up water loss reduction action plans. While leak reduction is clearly an important part of sustainable water management, its impacts have to be reconsidered in a broader objective of environmental protection than strictly the avoided losses in cubic metres of water. Reducing the volume of water abstracted reduces also environmental impacts associated to water production (the operation and infrastructure needed for abstraction, treatment, supply). In the mean time, activities for reducing water losses generate their own environmental impacts, notably as a result of the work, equipment, and infrastructures used for this purpose. In this study, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to assess and compare two sets of environmental impacts: those resulting from the production and supply of water which will never reach subscribers, and those caused by water loss reduction activities. This information can then be used to establish whether or not there is a point beyond which loss reduction is no longer effective in reducing the environmental impacts of drinking water supply. Results show that the improvement actions that start from a low water supply efficiency are clearly beneficial for ecosystems, human health and preservation of resources. When seeking to improve the efficiency beyond certain values (about 65%), the uncertainty makes it impossible to conclude for an environmental benefit on all impact categories. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diagnosing climate change impacts and identifying adaptation strategies by involving key stakeholder organisations and farmers in Sikkim, India: Challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Azhoni, Adani; Goyal, Manish Kumar

2018-06-01

Narrowing the gap between research, policy making and implementing adaptation remains a challenge in many parts of the world where climate change is likely to severely impact water security. This research aims to narrow this gap by matching the adaptation strategies being framed by policy makers to that of the perspectives of development agencies, researchers and farmers in the Himalayan state of Sikkim in India. Our case study examined the perspectives of various stakeholders for climate change impacts, current adaptation strategies, knowledge gaps and adaptation barriers, particularly in the context of implementing the Sikkim State Action Plan on Climate Change through semi-structured interviews carried out with decision makers in the Sikkim State Government, researchers, consultants, local academia, development agencies and farmers. Using Stakeholders Network Analysis tools, this research unravels the complexities of perceiving climate change impacts, identifying strategies, and implementing adaptation. While farmers are less aware about the global phenomenon of climate change impacts for water security, their knowledge of the local conditions and their close interaction with the State Government Agriculture Department provides them opportunities. Although important steps are being initiated through the Sikkim State Action Plan on Climate Change it is yet to deliver effective means of adaptation implementation and hence, strengthening the networks of close coordination between the various implementing agencies will pay dividends. Knowledge gaps and the need for capacity building identified in this research, based on the understandings of key stakeholders are highly relevant to both the research community and for informing policy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thalamic control of human attention driven by memory and learning.

PubMed

de Bourbon-Teles, José; Bentley, Paul; Koshino, Saori; Shah, Kushal; Dutta, Agneish; Malhotra, Paresh; Egner, Tobias; Husain, Masud; Soto, David

2014-05-05

The role of the thalamus in high-level cognition-attention, working memory (WM), rule-based learning, and decision making-remains poorly understood, especially in comparison to that of cortical frontoparietal networks [1-3]. Studies of visual thalamus have revealed important roles for pulvinar and lateral geniculate nucleus in visuospatial perception and attention [4-10] and for mediodorsal thalamus in oculomotor control [11]. Ventrolateral thalamus contains subdivisions devoted to action control as part of a circuit involving the basal ganglia [12, 13] and motor, premotor, and prefrontal cortices [14], whereas anterior thalamus forms a memory network in connection with the hippocampus [15]. This connectivity profile suggests that ventrolateral and anterior thalamus may represent a nexus between mnemonic and control functions, such as action or attentional selection. Here, we characterize the role of thalamus in the interplay between memory and visual attention. We show that ventrolateral lesions impair the influence of WM representations on attentional deployment. A subsequent fMRI study in healthy volunteers demonstrates involvement of ventrolateral and, notably, anterior thalamus in biasing attention through WM contents. To further characterize the memory types used by the thalamus to bias attention, we performed a second fMRI study that involved learning of stimulus-stimulus associations and their retrieval from long-term memory to optimize attention in search. Responses in ventrolateral and anterior thalamic nuclei tracked learning of the predictiveness of these abstract associations and their use in directing attention. These findings demonstrate a key role for human thalamus in higher-level cognition, notably, in mnemonic biasing of attention. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The neuroanatomical function of leptin in the hypothalamus.

PubMed

van Swieten, M M H; Pandit, R; Adan, R A H; van der Plasse, G

2014-11-01

The anorexigenic hormone leptin plays an important role in the control of food intake and feeding-related behavior, for an important part through its action in the hypothalamus. The adipose-derived hormone modulates a complex network of several intercommunicating orexigenic and anorexigenic neuropeptides in the hypothalamus to reduce food intake and increase energy expenditure. In this review we present an updated overview of the functional role of leptin in respect to feeding and feeding-related behavior per distinct hypothalamic nuclei. In addition to the arcuate nucleus, which is a major leptin sensitive hub, leptin-responsive neurons in other hypothalamic nuclei, including the, dorsomedial-, ventromedial- and paraventricular nucleus and the lateral hypothalamic area, are direct targets of leptin. However, leptin also modulates hypothalamic neurons in an indirect manner, such as via the melanocortin system. The dissection of the complexity of leptin's action on the networks involved in energy balance is subject of recent and future studies. A full understanding of the role of hypothalamic leptin in the regulation of energy balance requires cell-specific manipulation using of conditional deletion and expression of leptin receptors. In addition, optogenetic and pharmacogenetic tools in combination with other pharmacological (such as the recent discovery of a leptin receptor antagonist) and neuronal tracing techniques to map the circuit, will be helpful to understand the role of leptin receptor expressing neurons. Better understanding of these circuits and the involvement of leptin could provide potential sites for therapeutic interventions in obesity and metabolic diseases characterized by dysregulation of energy balance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-Objective Reinforcement Learning-Based Deep Neural Networks for Cognitive Space Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferreria, Paulo Victor R.; Paffenroth, Randy; Wyglinski, Alexander M.; Hackett, Timothy M.; Bilen, Sven G.; Reinhart, Richard C.; Mortensen, Dale J.

2017-01-01

Future communication subsystems of space exploration missions can potentially benefit from software-defined radios (SDRs) controlled by machine learning algorithms. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid radio resource allocation management control algorithm that integrates multi-objective reinforcement learning and deep artificial neural networks. The objective is to efficiently manage communications system resources by monitoring performance functions with common dependent variables that result in conflicting goals. The uncertainty in the performance of thousands of different possible combinations of radio parameters makes the trade-off between exploration and exploitation in reinforcement learning (RL) much more challenging for future critical space-based missions. Thus, the system should spend as little time as possible on exploring actions, and whenever it explores an action, it should perform at acceptable levels most of the time. The proposed approach enables on-line learning by interactions with the environment and restricts poor resource allocation performance through virtual environment exploration. Improvements in the multiobjective performance can be achieved via transmitter parameter adaptation on a packet-basis, with poorly predicted performance promptly resulting in rejected decisions. Simulations presented in this work considered the DVB-S2 standard adaptive transmitter parameters and additional ones expected to be present in future adaptive radio systems. Performance results are provided by analysis of the proposed hybrid algorithm when operating across a satellite communication channel from Earth to GEO orbit during clear sky conditions. The proposed approach constitutes part of the core cognitive engine proof-of-concept to be delivered to the NASA Glenn Research Center SCaN Testbed located onboard the International Space Station.

Representation Learning of Logic Words by an RNN: From Word Sequences to Robot Actions

PubMed Central

Yamada, Tatsuro; Murata, Shingo; Arie, Hiroaki; Ogata, Tetsuya

2017-01-01

An important characteristic of human language is compositionality. We can efficiently express a wide variety of real-world situations, events, and behaviors by compositionally constructing the meaning of a complex expression from a finite number of elements. Previous studies have analyzed how machine-learning models, particularly neural networks, can learn from experience to represent compositional relationships between language and robot actions with the aim of understanding the symbol grounding structure and achieving intelligent communicative agents. Such studies have mainly dealt with the words (nouns, adjectives, and verbs) that directly refer to real-world matters. In addition to these words, the current study deals with logic words, such as “not,” “and,” and “or” simultaneously. These words are not directly referring to the real world, but are logical operators that contribute to the construction of meaning in sentences. In human–robot communication, these words may be used often. The current study builds a recurrent neural network model with long short-term memory units and trains it to learn to translate sentences including logic words into robot actions. We investigate what kind of compositional representations, which mediate sentences and robot actions, emerge as the network's internal states via the learning process. Analysis after learning shows that referential words are merged with visual information and the robot's own current state, and the logical words are represented by the model in accordance with their functions as logical operators. Words such as “true,” “false,” and “not” work as non-linear transformations to encode orthogonal phrases into the same area in a memory cell state space. The word “and,” which required a robot to lift up both its hands, worked as if it was a universal quantifier. The word “or,” which required action generation that looked apparently random, was represented as an unstable space of the network's dynamical system. PMID:29311891

Representation Learning of Logic Words by an RNN: From Word Sequences to Robot Actions.

PubMed

Yamada, Tatsuro; Murata, Shingo; Arie, Hiroaki; Ogata, Tetsuya

2017-01-01

An important characteristic of human language is compositionality. We can efficiently express a wide variety of real-world situations, events, and behaviors by compositionally constructing the meaning of a complex expression from a finite number of elements. Previous studies have analyzed how machine-learning models, particularly neural networks, can learn from experience to represent compositional relationships between language and robot actions with the aim of understanding the symbol grounding structure and achieving intelligent communicative agents. Such studies have mainly dealt with the words (nouns, adjectives, and verbs) that directly refer to real-world matters. In addition to these words, the current study deals with logic words, such as "not," "and," and "or" simultaneously. These words are not directly referring to the real world, but are logical operators that contribute to the construction of meaning in sentences. In human-robot communication, these words may be used often. The current study builds a recurrent neural network model with long short-term memory units and trains it to learn to translate sentences including logic words into robot actions. We investigate what kind of compositional representations, which mediate sentences and robot actions, emerge as the network's internal states via the learning process. Analysis after learning shows that referential words are merged with visual information and the robot's own current state, and the logical words are represented by the model in accordance with their functions as logical operators. Words such as "true," "false," and "not" work as non-linear transformations to encode orthogonal phrases into the same area in a memory cell state space. The word "and," which required a robot to lift up both its hands, worked as if it was a universal quantifier. The word "or," which required action generation that looked apparently random, was represented as an unstable space of the network's dynamical system.

Engaging Cyber Communities

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

technology centric operations such as computer network attack and computer network defense. 3 This leads to the question of whether the US military is... information and infrastructure. For the purpose of military operations, CNO are divided into CNA, CND, and computer network exploitation (CNE) enabling...of a CNA if they take undesirable action,” 21 and from a defensive stance in CND, “providing information about non-military threat to computers in

Mathematical Approaches to WMD Defense and Vulnerability Assessments of Dynamic Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-01

the last decade, and now tends to focus on a system -wide integration of fortification resources, strategically deployed to...create a robust system of networks. Given the presence of various networks, this goal seeks to determine which edges should be constructed to...controlling all aspects of his actions, with full knowledge of the system , and with the ability to jointly utilize all of

When Networks Build a Platform Students Step up. Lumina Foundation Lesson. Spring 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brennan, Patricia L.

2010-01-01

For the people behind the Lumina Foundation for Education, the term "network" has particular meaning. In fact, largely as a result of their work in a national college awareness and action campaign called KnowHow2GO, they have come to define networks in a specific way--and they ask their KnowHow2GO grantees and partners to form networks…

Insider Threats in the Software Development Lifecycle

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-05

employee, contractor, or other business partner who • has or had authorized access to an organization’s network , system or data and • intentionally...organization’s network , system, or data and who, through • their action/inaction without malicious intent • cause harm or substantially increase...and female Male Target Network , systems, or data PII or Customer Information IP (trade secrets) or Customer Information Access Used

Science advancements key to increasing management value of life stage monitoring networks for endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon in California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Rachel C.; Windell, Sean; Brandes, Patricia L.; Conrad, J. Louise; Ferguson, John; Goertler, Pascale A. L.; Harvey, Brett N.; Heublein, Joseph; Isreal, Joshua A.; Kratville, Daniel W.; Kirsch, Joseph E.; Perry, Russell W.; Pisciotto, Joseph; Poytress, William R.; Reece, Kevin; Swart, Brycen G.

2017-01-01

A robust monitoring network that provides quantitative information about the status of imperiled species at key life stages and geographic locations over time is fundamental for sustainable management of fisheries resources. For anadromous species, management actions in one geographic domain can substantially affect abundance of subsequent life stages that span broad geographic regions. Quantitative metrics (e.g., abundance, movement, survival, life history diversity, and condition) at multiple life stages are needed to inform how management actions (e.g., hatcheries, harvest, hydrology, and habitat restoration) influence salmon population dynamics. The existing monitoring network for endangered Sacramento River winterrun Chinook Salmon (SRWRC, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in California’s Central Valley was compared to conceptual models developed for each life stage and geographic region of the life cycle to identify relevant SRWRC metrics. We concluded that the current monitoring network was insufficient to diagnose when (life stage) and where (geographic domain) chronic or episodic reductions in SRWRC cohorts occur, precluding within- and among-year comparisons. The strongest quantitative data exist in the Upper Sacramento River, where abundance estimates are generated for adult spawners and emigrating juveniles. However, once SRWRC leave the upper river, our knowledge of their identity, abundance, and condition diminishes, despite the juvenile monitoring enterprise. We identified six system-wide recommended actions to strengthen the value of data generated from the existing monitoring network to assess resource management actions: (1) incorporate genetic run identification; (2) develop juvenile abundance estimates; (3) collect data for life history diversity metrics at multiple life stages; (4) expand and enhance real-time fish survival and movement monitoring; (5) collect fish condition data; and (6) provide timely public access to monitoring data in open data formats. To illustrate how updated technologies can enhance the existing monitoring to provide quantitative data on SRWRC, we provide examples of how each recommendation can address specific management issues.

The launch of the first UK charity devoted to radiotherapy: ACORRN -- Action Radiotherapy.

PubMed

Price, P

2011-01-01

The Academic Clinical Oncology and Radiobiology Research Network (ACORRN) was set up to support research and development in radiotherapy in the UK. This innovative networking initiative was launched initially by the National Cancer Research Institute in 2005 to harness the power of the radiation research base in the UK. Through an interactive website a co-ordinated network of multidisciplinary radiation researchers has been established. The network has developed to a stage where it can be self-funding and dedicated to improving radiotherapy for cancer. A patient interactive section and extended support for service development will ensure that anyone treated in the UK will have immediate access to the best knowledge in the country. This provides a solution for cost-effectiveness and future improvement of cancer care and is seen as a new model to support healthcare development and delivery. The charity ACORRN - Action Radiotherapy aims to support radiotherapy research and development and was launched in the House of Lords in July 2010.

Religious Uses of the College Union: Whose Temple Is It? Part One and Part Two.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, David E.; Nelson, Stephen J.

1984-01-01

The relationship of college unions and student personnel services to religious groups on campus is examined in this two part article. In part one, attention is focused on the purposes of the college union, important concepts in the nation's religious history, and actions of the courts. It is noted that legal actions and court cases have focused on…

Effects of Network Characteristics on Reaching the Payoff-Dominant Equilibrium in Coordination Games: A Simulation study.

PubMed

Buskens, Vincent; Snijders, Chris

2016-01-01

We study how payoffs and network structure affect reaching the payoff-dominant equilibrium in a [Formula: see text] coordination game that actors play with their neighbors in a network. Using an extensive simulation analysis of over 100,000 networks with 2-25 actors, we show that the importance of network characteristics is restricted to a limited part of the payoff space. In this part, we conclude that the payoff-dominant equilibrium is chosen more often if network density is larger, the network is more centralized, and segmentation of the network is smaller. Moreover, it is more likely that heterogeneity in behavior persists if the network is more segmented and less centralized. Persistence of heterogeneous behavior is not related to network density.

Changes induced by sea level rise on network properties of restoration areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiménez, Mirian; Castanedo, Sonia; Zhou, Zeng; Coco, Giovanni; Medina, Raúl

2015-04-01

Human actions have been reducing the natural domain of estuarine systems for centuries. In the past, estuaries were perceived as unhealthy areas, source of diseases, which were adapted to human use by drainage and heavy engineering. Our current understanding shows that estuaries are not sources of disease, but rich ecosystems that cover important ecosystem functions. They need to be restored to their natural state. However, restoration actions may induce morphological changes that may change the estuary current behavior. It is thus of the utmost importance to understand the morphodynamic changes induced by restoration actions, more so when the final aim is to predict these changes. Dikes have been the most used mean to enclose and drain areas of estuaries. In this work, we focus our attention on dike removal as a means to restore the areas enclosed by these dikes. Dikes may be removed completely, or only partially (opening one or several breaches), to allow the tidal flow to enter into the area to be restored. Morphodynamic effects of dike removal are simulated numerically using Delft3d. Different dike removal configurations are studied and their effect on the recovery of the estuary quantified. Estuarine tidal networks are characterized by means of a new approach that links network connectivity to the spatial hydrodynamic fields developed in the estuary. The impact of different restorations strategies in the drainage properties of the network has been studied in the short term (5 -10 years) and in the long term (100 years) allowing the connectivity to evolve with time. Results show, for different scenarios, differences not only in the spatial distribution of the tidal network but also in statistical characteristics after different dike removal actions. The new distribution of channels will have implications for the location of the tidal flats, flood patterns and thus biological environments within the tidal networks. These changes in the morphological properties are quantified with the new approach (Jiménez et al.,2014), which allows to highlight the changes that induce deep behavioral changes in the system. The importance of sea level rise in these behavioral changes is also assessed in the study. References: Jiménez, M., S. Castanedo, Z. Zhou, G.Coco, R. Medina, and I. Rodriguez-Iturbe (2014). Scaling properties of tidal networks, Water Resources Research., 50, doi:10.1002/2013WR015006.

Rate of occurrence of failures based on a nonhomogeneous Poisson process: an ozone analyzer case study.

PubMed

de Moura Xavier, José Carlos; de Andrade Azevedo, Irany; de Sousa Junior, Wilson Cabral; Nishikawa, Augusto

2013-02-01

Atmospheric pollutant monitoring constitutes a primordial activity in public policies concerning air quality. In São Paulo State, Brazil, the São Paulo State Environment Company (CETESB) maintains an automatic network which continuously monitors CO, SO(2), NO(x), O(3), and particulate matter concentrations in the air. The monitoring process accuracy is a fundamental condition for the actions to be taken by CETESB. As one of the support systems, a preventive maintenance program for the different analyzers used is part of the data quality strategy. Knowledge of the behavior of analyzer failure times could help optimize the program. To achieve this goal, the failure times of an ozone analyzer-considered a repairable system-were modeled by means of the nonhomogeneous Poisson process. The rate of occurrence of failures (ROCOF) was estimated for the intervals 0-70,800 h and 0-88,320 h, in which six and seven failures were observed, respectively. The results showed that the ROCOF estimate is influenced by the choice of the observation period, t(0) = 70,800 h and t(7) = 88,320 h in the cases analyzed. Identification of preventive maintenance actions, mainly when parts replacement occurs in the last interval of observation, is highlighted, justifying the alteration in the behavior of the inter-arrival times. The performance of a follow-up on each analyzer is recommended in order to record the impact of the performed preventive maintenance program on the enhancement of its useful life.

Disrupting the brain to validate hypotheses on the neurobiology of language

PubMed Central

Papeo, Liuba; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Caramazza, Alfonso

2013-01-01

Comprehension of words is an important part of the language faculty, involving the joint activity of frontal and temporo-parietal brain regions. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) enables the controlled perturbation of brain activity, and thus offers a unique tool to test specific predictions about the causal relationship between brain regions and language understanding. This potential has been exploited to better define the role of regions that are classically accepted as part of the language-semantic network. For instance, TMS has contributed to establish the semantic relevance of the left anterior temporal lobe, or to solve the ambiguity between the semantic vs. phonological function assigned to the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG). We consider, more closely, the results from studies where the same technique, similar paradigms (lexical-semantic tasks) and materials (words) have been used to assess the relevance of regions outside the classically-defined language-semantic network—i.e., precentral motor regions—for the semantic analysis of words. This research shows that different aspects of the left precentral gyrus (primary motor and premotor sites) are sensitive to the action-non action distinction of words' meanings. However, the behavioral changes due to TMS over these sites are incongruent with what is expected after perturbation of a task-relevant brain region. Thus, the relationship between motor activity and language-semantic behavior remains far from clear. A better understanding of this issue could be guaranteed by investigating functional interactions between motor sites and semantically-relevant regions. PMID:23630480

An evaluation of the National Public Health Leadership Institute--1991-2006: part I. Developing individual leaders.

PubMed

Umble, Karl E; Baker, Edward L; Woltring, Carol

2011-01-01

Public health leadership development programs are widely employed to strengthen leaders and leadership networks and ultimately agencies and systems. The year-long National Public Health Leadership Institute's (PHLI) goals are to develop the capacity of individual leaders and networks of leaders so that both can lead improvement in public health systems, infrastructure, and population health. To evaluate the impact of PHLI on individual graduates using data collected from the first 15 cohorts. Between 1992 and 2006, PHLI graduated 806 senior leaders from governmental agencies, academia, health care, associations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and other organizations. Of 646 graduates located, 393 (61%) responded to a survey, for an overall response rate of 49% (393/806). PHLI has included retreats; readings, conference calls, and webinars; assessments, feedback, and coaching; and action learning projects, in which graduates apply concepts to a work challenge aided by peers and a coach. A survey of all graduates and interviews of 34 graduates and one other key informant. PHLI improved graduates' understanding, skills, and self-awareness, strengthened many graduates' connections to a network of leaders, and significantly increased graduates' voluntary leadership activities at local, state, and national levels (P < .001). Deeper and wider network connections shaped graduates' sense of "belonging" to the national cadre of public health leaders, provided access to supportive peers and ideas, and bolstered confidence and interest in taking on leadership work. Nearly all graduates remained in public health. Some partially attributed to PHLI their promotions into more senior positions. Leadership development programs can strengthen and sustain their impact by cultivating sustained "communities of practice" that provide ongoing support for skill development and innovative practice. Sponsors can fruitfully view leadership development as a long-term investment in individuals and networks within organizations or fields of practice.

Predicting the cumulative effect of multiple disturbances on seagrass connectivity.

PubMed

Grech, Alana; Hanert, Emmanuel; McKenzie, Len; Rasheed, Michael; Thomas, Christopher; Tol, Samantha; Wang, Mingzhu; Waycott, Michelle; Wolter, Jolan; Coles, Rob

2018-03-15

The rate of exchange, or connectivity, among populations effects their ability to recover after disturbance events. However, there is limited information on the extent to which populations are connected or how multiple disturbances affect connectivity, especially in coastal and marine ecosystems. We used network analysis and the outputs of a biophysical model to measure potential functional connectivity and predict the impact of multiple disturbances on seagrasses in the central Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA), Australia. The seagrass networks were densely connected, indicating that seagrasses are resilient to the random loss of meadows. Our analysis identified discrete meadows that are important sources of seagrass propagules and that serve as stepping stones connecting various different parts of the network. Several of these meadows were close to urban areas or ports and likely to be at risk from coastal development. Deep water meadows were highly connected to coastal meadows and may function as a refuge, but only for non-foundation species. We evaluated changes to the structure and functioning of the seagrass networks when one or more discrete meadows were removed due to multiple disturbance events. The scale of disturbance required to disconnect the seagrass networks into two or more components was on average >245 km, about half the length of the metapopulation. The densely connected seagrass meadows of the central GBRWHA are not limited by the supply of propagules; therefore, management should focus on improving environmental conditions that support natural seagrass recruitment and recovery processes. Our study provides a new framework for assessing the impact of global change on the connectivity and persistence of coastal and marine ecosystems. Without this knowledge, management actions, including coastal restoration, may prove unnecessary and be unsuccessful. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Maneuvering in the Complex Path from Genotype to Phenotype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strohman, Richard

2002-04-01

Human disease phenotypes are controlled not only by genes but by lawful self-organizing networks that display system-wide dynamics. These networks range from metabolic pathways to signaling pathways that regulate hormone action. When perturbed, networks alter their output of matter and energy which, depending on the environmental context, can produce either a pathological or a normal phenotype. Study of the dynamics of these networks by approaches such as metabolic control analysis may provide new insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of complex diseases.

Biologically Active and Antimicrobial Peptides from Plants

PubMed Central

Salas, Carlos E.; Badillo-Corona, Jesus A.; Ramírez-Sotelo, Guadalupe; Oliver-Salvador, Carmen

2015-01-01

Bioactive peptides are part of an innate response elicited by most living forms. In plants, they are produced ubiquitously in roots, seeds, flowers, stems, and leaves, highlighting their physiological importance. While most of the bioactive peptides produced in plants possess microbicide properties, there is evidence that they are also involved in cellular signaling. Structurally, there is an overall similarity when comparing them with those derived from animal or insect sources. The biological action of bioactive peptides initiates with the binding to the target membrane followed in most cases by membrane permeabilization and rupture. Here we present an overview of what is currently known about bioactive peptides from plants, focusing on their antimicrobial activity and their role in the plant signaling network and offering perspectives on their potential application. PMID:25815307

The photospheric magnetic flux budget

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrijver, C. J.; Harvey, K. L.

1994-01-01

The ensemble of bipolar regions and the magnetic network both contain a substantial and strongly variable part of the photospheric magnetic flux at any phase in the solar cycle. The time-dependent distribution of the magnetic flux over and within these components reflects the action of the dynamo operating in the solar interior. We perform a quantitative comparison of the flux emerging in the ensemble of magnetic bipoles with the observed flux content of the solar photosphere. We discuss the photospheric flux budget in terms of flux appearance and disappearance, and argue that a nonlinear dependence exists between the flux present in the photosphere and the rate of flux appearance and disappearance. In this context, we discuss the problem of making quantitative statements about dynamos in cool stars other than the Sun.

28 CFR 61.5 - Typical classes of action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... These classes are: actions normally requiring environmental impact statements (EIS), actions normally not requiring assessments or EIS, and actions normally requiring assessments but not necessarily EIS...) Actions normally requiring EIS. None, except as noted in the appendices to this part. (2) Actions normally...

What drives political commitment for nutrition? A review and framework synthesis to inform the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition.

PubMed

Baker, Phillip; Hawkes, Corinna; Wingrove, Kate; Demaio, Alessandro Rhyl; Parkhurst, Justin; Thow, Anne Marie; Walls, Helen

2018-01-01

Generating country-level political commitment will be critical to driving forward action throughout the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025). In this review of the empirical nutrition policy literature, we ask: what factors generate, sustain and constrain political commitment for nutrition, how and under what circumstances? Our aim is to inform strategic 'commitment-building' actions. We adopted a framework synthesis method and realist review protocol. An initial framework was derived from relevant theory and then populated with empirical evidence to test and modify it. Five steps were undertaken: initial theoretical framework development; search for relevant empirical literature; study selection and quality appraisal; data extraction, analysis and synthesis and framework modification. 75 studies were included. We identified 18 factors that drive commitment, organised into five categories: actors; institutions; political and societal contexts; knowledge, evidence and framing; and, capacities and resources. Irrespective of country-context, effective nutrition actor networks, strong leadership, civil society mobilisation, supportive political administrations, societal change and focusing events, cohesive and resonant framing, and robust data systems and available evidence were commitment drivers. Low-income and middle-income country studies also frequently reported international actors, empowered institutions, vertical coordination and capacities and resources. In upper-middle-income and high-income country studies, private sector interference frequently undermined commitment. Political commitment is not something that simply exists or emerges accidentally; it can be created and strengthened over time through strategic action. Successfully generating commitment will likely require a core set of actions with some context-dependent adaptations. Ultimately, it will necessitate strategic actions by cohesive, resourced and strongly led nutrition actor networks that are responsive to the multifactorial, multilevel and dynamic political systems in which they operate and attempt to influence. Accelerating the formation and effectiveness of such networks over the Nutrition Decade should be a core task for all actors involved.

What drives political commitment for nutrition? A review and framework synthesis to inform the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition

PubMed Central

Baker, Phillip; Hawkes, Corinna; Wingrove, Kate; Parkhurst, Justin; Thow, Anne Marie; Walls, Helen

2018-01-01

Introduction Generating country-level political commitment will be critical to driving forward action throughout the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025). In this review of the empirical nutrition policy literature, we ask: what factors generate, sustain and constrain political commitment for nutrition, how and under what circumstances? Our aim is to inform strategic ‘commitment-building’ actions. Method We adopted a framework synthesis method and realist review protocol. An initial framework was derived from relevant theory and then populated with empirical evidence to test and modify it. Five steps were undertaken: initial theoretical framework development; search for relevant empirical literature; study selection and quality appraisal; data extraction, analysis and synthesis and framework modification. Results 75 studies were included. We identified 18 factors that drive commitment, organised into five categories: actors; institutions; political and societal contexts; knowledge, evidence and framing; and, capacities and resources. Irrespective of country-context, effective nutrition actor networks, strong leadership, civil society mobilisation, supportive political administrations, societal change and focusing events, cohesive and resonant framing, and robust data systems and available evidence were commitment drivers. Low-income and middle-income country studies also frequently reported international actors, empowered institutions, vertical coordination and capacities and resources. In upper-middle-income and high-income country studies, private sector interference frequently undermined commitment. Conclusion Political commitment is not something that simply exists or emerges accidentally; it can be created and strengthened over time through strategic action. Successfully generating commitment will likely require a core set of actions with some context-dependent adaptations. Ultimately, it will necessitate strategic actions by cohesive, resourced and strongly led nutrition actor networks that are responsive to the multifactorial, multilevel and dynamic political systems in which they operate and attempt to influence. Accelerating the formation and effectiveness of such networks over the Nutrition Decade should be a core task for all actors involved. PMID:29527338

The Study on the Communication Network of Wide Area Measurement System in Electricity Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiaorong, Cheng; Ying, Wang; Yangdan, Ni

Wide area measurement system(WAMS) is a fundamental part of security defense in Smart Grid, and the communication system of WAMS is an important part of Electric power communication network. For a large regional network is concerned, the real-time data which is transferred in the communication network of WAMS will affect the safe operation of the power grid directly. Therefore, WAMS raised higher requirements for real-time, reliability and security to its communication network. In this paper, the architecture of WASM communication network was studied according to the seven layers model of the open systems interconnection(OSI), and the network architecture was researched from all levels. We explored the media of WAMS communication network, the network communication protocol and network technology. Finally, the delay of the network were analyzed.

40 CFR Appendix B to Part 307 - Claim for CERCLA Response Action

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 28 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Claim for CERCLA Response Action B Appendix B to Part 307 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SUPERFUND..., AND LIABILITY ACT (CERCLA) CLAIMS PROCEDURES Pt. 307, App. B Appendix B to Part 307—Claim for CERCLA...

40 CFR Appendix B to Part 307 - Claim for CERCLA Response Action

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Claim for CERCLA Response Action B Appendix B to Part 307 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SUPERFUND..., AND LIABILITY ACT (CERCLA) CLAIMS PROCEDURES Pt. 307, App. B Appendix B to Part 307—Claim for CERCLA...

Poison Center Network Act

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA

2013-11-18

Senate - 12/19/2013 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 281. (All Actions) Notes: For further action, see H.R.3527, which became Public Law 113-77 on 1/24/2014. Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2012

THOMAS, 112th Congress

Rep. Rogers, Mike J. [R-MI-8

2012-06-27

House - 07/11/2012 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. (All Actions) Notes: For further action, see S.1959, which became Public Law 112-168 on 8/10/2012. Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Systems Biology & Mode of Action Based Risk Assessment

EPA Science Inventory

The application of systems biology for risk assessment of environmental chemicals is a national extension of its use in pharmaceutical research. The basis for this is the concept of a key event network that builds on existing mode of action frameworks for risk assessment. The a...

Executive Summary and Policy Recommendations. Part IV. The Work of Nets.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scherer, Jacqueline

This summary, the last of a four-part study of social networks in Pontiac, Michigan, presents highlights from the three previous volumes and advocates the use of network research for understanding the dissemination process in educational innovation. Based on the conclusion that social networks provide a metaphor for understanding complex social…

Optimizing the process of recovery after road network break-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bíl, Michal; Vodák, Rostislav; Křivánková, Zuzana

2016-04-01

A functioning road network provides accessibility to municipalities, important services and facilities. This basic role of the network can be disrupted by natural disasters which usually affect large areas and cause temporal blockages or even destruction of many roads at the same time. This often leads to road network break-up, when a number of disconnected parts emerge. These parts are often of varying importance to society. Some of them may contain large cities or important facilities such as hospitals. This should be reflected during reconnection works when the most important parts of the network should be reconnected among the first in order to reduce the impact of the event. Decision makers and crisis managers, however, do still not have any dynamic tool which might help them with prioritizing the necessary steps. In our presentation we introduce an algorithm and examples of suitable loss functions which enable us to rapidly identify isolated parts of the network, evaluate them and consequently establish an optimal ranked sequence of interrupted links which have to be repaired to reduce the consequences of the disasters.

Projective simulation for artificial intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briegel, Hans J.; de Las Cuevas, Gemma

2012-05-01

We propose a model of a learning agent whose interaction with the environment is governed by a simulation-based projection, which allows the agent to project itself into future situations before it takes real action. Projective simulation is based on a random walk through a network of clips, which are elementary patches of episodic memory. The network of clips changes dynamically, both due to new perceptual input and due to certain compositional principles of the simulation process. During simulation, the clips are screened for specific features which trigger factual action of the agent. The scheme is different from other, computational, notions of simulation, and it provides a new element in an embodied cognitive science approach to intelligent action and learning. Our model provides a natural route for generalization to quantum-mechanical operation and connects the fields of reinforcement learning and quantum computation.

Multi-dimension feature fusion for action recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Pei; Li, Jie; Dong, Junyu; Qi, Lin

2018-04-01

Typical human actions last several seconds and exhibit characteristic spatio-temporal structure. The challenge for action recognition is to capture and fuse the multi-dimension information in video data. In order to take into account these characteristics simultaneously, we present a novel method that fuses multiple dimensional features, such as chromatic images, depth and optical flow fields. We built our model based on the multi-stream deep convolutional networks with the help of temporal segment networks and extract discriminative spatial and temporal features by fusing ConvNets towers multi-dimension, in which different feature weights are assigned in order to take full advantage of this multi-dimension information. Our architecture is trained and evaluated on the currently largest and most challenging benchmark NTU RGB-D dataset. The experiments demonstrate that the performance of our method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

Projective simulation for artificial intelligence

PubMed Central

Briegel, Hans J.; De las Cuevas, Gemma

2012-01-01

We propose a model of a learning agent whose interaction with the environment is governed by a simulation-based projection, which allows the agent to project itself into future situations before it takes real action. Projective simulation is based on a random walk through a network of clips, which are elementary patches of episodic memory. The network of clips changes dynamically, both due to new perceptual input and due to certain compositional principles of the simulation process. During simulation, the clips are screened for specific features which trigger factual action of the agent. The scheme is different from other, computational, notions of simulation, and it provides a new element in an embodied cognitive science approach to intelligent action and learning. Our model provides a natural route for generalization to quantum-mechanical operation and connects the fields of reinforcement learning and quantum computation. PMID:22590690

Bench to Bedside: The Effectiveness of a Professional Development Program Focused on Biomedical Sciences and Action Research

PubMed Central

Barnes, Marianne B.; Barnes, Lehman W.; Cooper, Lou Ann; Bokor, Julie R.; Koroly, Mary Jo

2017-01-01

A three-year, National Institutes of Health-funded residential project at a southeastern research university immersed 83 secondary science teachers in a summer institute called “Bench to Bedside.” Teachers were provided with knowledge, skills, experiences, and incentives to improve their science teaching and increase their awareness of scientific processes, technologies, and careers by examining the translational medicine continuum of basic to clinical research. This was done with the help of medical school researchers, clinical personnel, biotechnology entrepreneurs, program mentors, and prior year participants. A critical component of the institute was the preparation and implementation of an action research project that reflected teachers’ newly acquired knowledge and skills. Action research proposals were critiqued by project team members and feedback provided prior to action research implementation in schools during the following year. Teachers shared their action research with colleagues and project team at a symposium and online as a critical step in networking the teachers. Results of a mixed methods program evaluation strategy indicate that the program produced significant gains in teachers’ confidence to explain advanced biosciences topics, development of action research skills, and formation of a statewide biosciences network of key stakeholders. Constraints of time, variation in teacher content and action research background, technology availability, and school-related variables, among others, are discussed. PMID:29733086

Communicative versus Strategic Rationality: Habermas Theory of Communicative Action and the Social Brain

PubMed Central

Schaefer, Michael; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Rotte, Michael; Denke, Claudia

2013-01-01

In the philosophical theory of communicative action, rationality refers to interpersonal communication rather than to a knowing subject. Thus, a social view of rationality is suggested. The theory differentiates between two kinds of rationality, the emancipative communicative and the strategic or instrumental reasoning. Using experimental designs in an fMRI setting, recent studies explored similar questions of reasoning in the social world and linked them with a neural network including prefrontal and parietal brain regions. Here, we employed an fMRI approach to highlight brain areas associated with strategic and communicative reasoning according to the theory of communicative action. Participants were asked to assess different social scenarios with respect to communicative or strategic rationality. We found a network of brain areas including temporal pole, precuneus, and STS more activated when participants performed communicative reasoning compared with strategic thinking and a control condition. These brain regions have been previously linked to moral sensitivity. In contrast, strategic rationality compared with communicative reasoning and control was associated with less activation in areas known to be related to moral sensitivity, emotional processing, and language control. The results suggest that strategic reasoning is associated with reduced social and emotional cognitions and may use different language related networks. Thus, the results demonstrate experimental support for the assumptions of the theory of communicative action. PMID:23734238

10 CFR Appendix B to Subpart D of... - Categorical Exclusions Applicable to Specific Agency Actions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Categorical Exclusions Applicable to Specific Agency Actions B Appendix B to Subpart D of Part 1021 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (GENERAL PROVISIONS) NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT IMPLEMENTING PROCEDURES Typical Classes of Actions Pt. 1021, Subpt. D, App. B Appendix B to Subpart D of Part 1021...

10 CFR Appendix B to Subpart D of... - Categorical Exclusions Applicable to Specific Agency Actions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Categorical Exclusions Applicable to Specific Agency Actions B Appendix B to Subpart D of Part 1021 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (GENERAL PROVISIONS) NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT IMPLEMENTING PROCEDURES Typical Classes of Actions Pt. 1021, Subpt. D, App. B Appendix B to Subpart D of Part 1021...

10 CFR Appendix B to Subpart D of... - Categorical Exclusions Applicable to Specific Agency Actions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Categorical Exclusions Applicable to Specific Agency Actions B Appendix B to Subpart D of Part 1021 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (GENERAL PROVISIONS) NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT IMPLEMENTING PROCEDURES Typical Classes of Actions Pt. 1021, Subpt. D, App. B Appendix B to Subpart D of Part 1021...

22 CFR 210.510 - What actions will the Federal Government take against a recipient determined to have violated...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

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28 CFR 83.510 - What actions will the Federal Government take against a recipient determined to have violated...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

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45 CFR 1155.510 - What actions will the Federal Government take against a recipient determined to have violated...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

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13 CFR 147.510 - What actions will the Federal Government take against a recipient determined to have violated...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

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22 CFR 210.510 - What actions will the Federal Government take against a recipient determined to have violated...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What actions will the Federal Government take against a recipient determined to have violated this part? 210.510 Section 210.510 Foreign Relations... ASSISTANCE) Violations of This Part and Consequences § 210.510 What actions will the Federal Government take...

28 CFR 83.510 - What actions will the Federal Government take against a recipient determined to have violated...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What actions will the Federal Government take against a recipient determined to have violated this part? 83.510 Section 83.510 Judicial...) Violations of this Part and Consequences § 83.510 What actions will the Federal Government take against a...