FERNN: An Algorithm for Fast Extraction of Rules from Neural Networks

Before symbolic rules are extracted from a trained neural network, the network is usually pruned so as to obtain more concise rules. Typical pruning algorithms require retraining the network which incurs additional cost. This paper presents FERNN, a fast method for extracting rules from trained neural networks without network retraining. Given a fully connected trained feedforward network with a single hidden layer, FERNN first identifies the relevant hidden units by computing their information gains. For each relevant hidden unit, its activation values is divided into two subintervals such that the information gain is maximized. FERNN finds the set of relevant network connections from the input units to this hidden unit by checking the magnitudes of their weights. The connections with large weights are identified as relevant. Finally, FERNN generates rules that distinguish the two subintervals of the hidden activation values in terms of the network inputs. Experimental results show that the size and the predictive accuracy of the tree generated are comparable to those extracted by another method which prunes and retrains the network.     

Contextual fear conditioning, conjunctive representations, pattern completion, and the hippocampus.

Impaired contextual fear conditioning produced by damage to the hippocampus has been attributed to the loss of a conjunctive representation of the features of the context. There is, however, no direct evidence that conjunctive representations contribute to contextual fear conditioning. These experiments addressed this issue and found support for the conjunctive representation view. Two results made this point: (a) Preexposure to the conditioning context, but not to its separable features, facilitated contextual fear conditioning, and (b) generalization of fear conditioning to similar contexts was enhanced by preexposure to the context used to test for generalization. These results are interpreted as pattern completion to the preexposed context during the conditioning episode. They support the view that a conjunctive representation of context plays an important role in contextual fear conditioning and that the impairments produced by damage to the hippocampus result from the loss of this conjunctive contribution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

模型过程差异下的ALSTOM气化装置控制结构选择(英文)

相对扰动增益矩阵是分析控制结构抗干扰性的一个有用工具,但它的结果受模型不确定性影响.提出基于优化来确定相对扰动增益矩阵范围的方法并用来选择ALSTOM气化装置的控制结构.利用过程运行仿真数据和输出误差系统辨识方法得到降阶线性模型.在不同运行状况统辨几个模型并通过这些模型得到模型不确定性范围.计算出ALSTOM气化装置在模型不确定性下的广义相对扰动增益范围并用来选择鲁棒控制结构.     

Measuring treatment effects on repetitive lifting for patients with chronic low back pain: speed, style, and coordination

The purpose of this study was to determine changes in the amount of work performed and lifting speed, style, and coordination during a repetitive dynamic-lifting task for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) after an intensive 3 1/2-week pain rehabilitation program. Subjects included 57 CLBP patients and an age- and gender-matched control group (n = 57). Patients' work indices increased by 71%, but remained significantly less than those observed for controls. Similarly, their lifting speed also increased significantly after treatment, but remained slower than the lifting speed of controls. Patients' posttreatment coordination indices, however, were not significantly different from those of controls. This finding suggests that treatment effectively normalized the dynamic lifting motion used by the patients. These findings, along with the basic kinematic patterns developed in this study, have important implications for determining improvements in functional capacity in the treatment of patients with CLBP.     

Endocardial potential mapping from a noncontact nonexpandable catheter: a feasibility study

In previous studies, we established methodology for reconstructing endocardial potentials, electrograms and isochrones from a non-contact intracavitary probe during a single beat. The probe was too large to be introduced percutaneously. Here we examine the possibility of similar mapping with a small multielectrode catheter that could be introduced percutaneously and does not expand inside the cavity. Cavity geometry and endocardial potentials were recorded in an isolated canine left ventricle. Simulated catheter probes were introduced into the cavity. Probe potentials were computed from the measured endocardial potentials and perturbed to include measurement noise, geometrical errors, and limited electrode density. Endocardial potentials were then reconstructed from the perturbed probe potentials and compared to the actual measured potentials. Of all probes simulated, a 3.0 mm (9F) catheter that assumes a curved geometry (e.g., a J shape) inside the cavity performed best (better than a larger 7.6 mm cylinder simulating an inflatable probe). Without bending, a straight cylindrical probe of the same size (9F, 3.0 mm) did not perform well. Sixty probe electrodes were needed for accurate reconstruction. The J-probe reconstruction was very robust in the presence of noise (10%) and of geometry errors (3 mm shift, 10 degrees rotation). The results demonstrate the feasibility of accurate single-beat endocardial mapping using a 9F percutaneous multielectrode catheter that assumes a J shape in the cavity without the need for expansion (e.g., into a balloon or a "basket"). The robustness of the procedure to noise and geometrical errors suggests its applicability in the clinical EP laboratory and the possibility of determining probe position in vivo using current imaging modalities.     

Glucose Increases Hepatic Mitochondrial Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Insulin Resistant Rats Following Chronic Angiotensin Receptor Blockade

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects up to 20% of the world’s population. Overactivation of the angiotensin receptor type 1 (AT1) contributes to metabolic dysfunction and increased oxidant production, which are associated with NAFLD and impaired hepatic lipid metabolism. Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) regulates the expression of antioxidant phase II genes by binding to the antioxidant response element (ARE); however, the mechanisms by which AT1 contributes to this pathway during the progression of NAFLD remain unresolved. To investigate hepatic Nrf2 response to a hyperglycemic challenge, we studied three groups of rats (male, 10-weeks-old): (1) untreated, lean Long Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO), (2) untreated, obese Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF), and (3) OLETF + angiotensin receptor blocker (OLETF + ARB; 10 mg olmesartan/kg/d × 6 weeks). Livers were collected after overnight fasting (T0; baseline), and 1 h and 2 h post-oral glucose load. At baseline, chronic AT1 blockade increased nuclear Nrf2 content, reduced expression of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic (GCLC) subunit, glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1), and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), mitochondrial catalase activity, and hepatic 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) content. The expression of hepatic interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and collagen type IV, which are associated with liver fibrosis, were decreased with AT1 blockade. Glucose increased Nrf2 translocation in OLETF but was reduced in ARB, suggesting that glucose induces the need for antioxidant defense that is ameliorated with ARB. These results suggest that overactivation of AT1 promotes oxidant damage by suppressing Nrf2 and contributing to hepatic fibrosis associated with NAFLD development.     

Couple-oriented education and support intervention: Effects on individuals with osteoarthritis and their spouses.

Objective: To determine whether a couple-oriented intervention for osteoarthritis (OA) was more efficacious than a patient-oriented intervention and whether each intervention was more efficacious than usual medical care. Research Design: 242 older adults with OA and their spouses were randomly assigned to patient-oriented education and support, couple-oriented education and support, or usual care. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses indicated no significant differences between the 3 study conditions in outcomes for individuals with OA or their spouses. Completers analyses showed that at the 6-month follow-up, contrary to prediction, individuals with OA who received the patient-oriented intervention reported greater reductions in pain and improvements in physical function than those who received the couple-oriented intervention. At the postintervention assessment, spouses who received the coupleoriented intervention reported greater reductions in stress and a trend toward less critical attitudes than spouses of individuals with OA who received the patient-oriented intervention. Moderator analyses indicated that female spouses and spouses with high marital satisfaction who received the couple-oriented intervention also experienced better outcomes in terms of depressive symptoms and caregiver mastery. Conclusions: A couples approach to education and support for OA may offer no advantage for individuals with OA but may prove helpful for spouses, thereby indirectly benefiting individuals with OA over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nanodelivery of doxorubicin for age-related macular degeneration

Objective: Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) containing doxorubicin (DOX) were prepared for the inhibition of hypoxia-induced factor 1α (HIF-1α).

Significance: HIF-1α is responsible for the upregulation of several angiogenic factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). DOX inhibits HIF-1α but is highly toxic. By encapsulating DOX in NPs, drug delivery will be sustained and toxicity will be reduced without limiting efficacy.

Methods: DOX NPs were prepared using both polylactic coglycolic acid (PLGA) and chitosan. PLGA NPs were prepared via nanoprecipitation (NPC) and single and double emulsion diffusion (SE; DE). Chitosan NPs were formulated using ionic gelation (IG), and complex coacervation (CC). Size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP) were determined via dynamic light scattering (DLS) (n?=?3). The encapsulation efficiency (EE), drug loading capacity (DLC) (n?=?3) and in vitro drug release profiles (IVR) at 37?°C (n?=?4) were analyzed via spectroscopy at 480?nm (λ_max). The cytotoxicity of each formulation as well as free DOX solution in ARPE-19 cells was determined via MTT assay after 24?h (n?=?3). HIF-1α and VEGF inhibition in ARPE-19 cells were measured via ELISA (n?=?3).

Results: The results were consistent with the hypothesis; the NP formulations decreased HIF-1α and VEGF-A expression in ARPE-19 cells with reduced cytotoxicity. SE, DE, and CC demonstrated low ZP as well as the most rapid drug release of the tested formulations. FTIR confirmed the presence of DOX on the SE NP surface, indicating instability.

Conclusions: SE, DE, and CC destabilized. NPC was the most efficient formulation for the nanodelivery of DOX for AMD.     

Structural and rheological properties of kappa (κ)-carrageenans covalently modified with cationic moieties

Cationized kappa-carrageenans containing 2-hydroxy-3-(trimethylammonium)propyl groups with various degrees of substitution (0.13–0.75) were synthesized by reaction of sulfated polysaccharides with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (QUAB 188) in alkaline solutions through the generation of the corresponding 2,3-epoxy reagent in situ. The structure of the modified algal polysaccharides was characterized without any further treatment or after methanolysis and/or enzymatic depolymerization, by means of spectroscopic tools (FT-IR, NMR, Mass spectrometry) and high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). Significant differences in the rheological properties of these cationized kappa-carrageenans have been found depending on the DS values and the presence of KCl salt. Despite their lower molecular weights in comparison with native polysaccharides, cationized kappa-carrageenans with a DS of 0.75 exhibited high viscosity and gelling behaviors mediated by the high density of quaternary ammonium groups.     

Steam gasification of Miscanthus X Giganteus with olivine as catalyst production of syngas and analysis of tars (IR, NMR and GC/MS)

Steam gasification of Miscanthus X Giganteus (MXG) at high heating rate in a fluidised bed reactor with the use of olivine as catalyst was investigated. The effects of temperature (815-880 °C) on the yields and the compositions of syngas and tars were determined. The experimental results show that the gas yields and the content of H₂ increase with the temperature, while the yields of tar, char and the content of CO, CO₂ and CH₄ in the product gas decrease. Noteworthy is that about 1.1 m³ of dry gas (at ambient conditions) per kg of dry ash free biomass were obtained with about 46% of H₂ and 24% of CO by volume at 880 °C.The tars composition was determined by FTIR, NMR and GC/MS. The identification of different compounds shows mainly the presence of simple molecules. This may be facilitating the possibility of complete tar reforming process (hot gas cleaning), to improvement of the syngas yield and the decrease of the formation of pollutants.