Yearly stepwise increments of the growth hormone dose results in a better growth response after four years in girls with Turner syndrome. Dutch Working Group on Growth Hormone

To optimize the growth promoting effect of growth hormone (GH), 65 previously untreated girls with Turner syndrome (TS), chronological age (CA) 2-11 yr, were randomized into 3 dosage regimen groups: A, B, and C, with a daily recombinant-human GH dose during 4 study years of 4-4-4-4, 4-6-6-6, and 4-6-8-8 IU/m2 b.s. The first GH dosage increase in groups B and C resulted in a significantly higher mean height velocity (HV) compared with constant dose group A. During the third year, when the dose was raised again only in group C, mean HV was significantly higher in groups B and C than in group A, and in group C compared with group B. In year 4 only group C mean HV remained significantly higher than group A. The pattern of change in HSDSCA (Dutch-Swedish-Danish Turner references) was identical; however, in year 4 mean delta HSDSCA in group B also remained significantly higher than group A. After 4 yr GH treatment, the following was determined. 1) The mean delta HSDSCA was significantly higher for groups B and C compared with group A, but not significantly different between groups B and C. 2) Although significantly higher compared with estimated values for untreated Dutch girls with TS, bone maturation of the GH treated girls was not significantly different between groups. 3) It was positively related with the degree of bone age (BA) retardation at start of study and negatively with baseline CA. 4) Both the modified Index of Potential Height (mIPHRUS) and a recently developed Turner-specific final height (FH) prediction method (PTSRUS), based on regression coefficients for H, CA, and bone age, showed significant increases in mean FH prediction, without significant differences between groups. PTSRUS values were markedly higher than the mIPHRUS values. Dose dependency could be shown for the area under the curve (AUC) for GH, but delta HSDSCA was not linearly related with AUC. Baseline GH binding protein (BP) levels were in 84% of the cases within the normal age range; the decrease in mean levels after 6 months GH was not significant. Mean insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and IGFBP-3 plasma levels increased significantly, without significant differences between groups. delta HSDSCA during GH was dependent on IGF-I plasma levels at baseline and during the study period, beta-0.002 and beta-0.0004. Thus, a stepwise GH-dosing approach reduced the "waning" effect of the growth response after 4 yr treatment without undue bone maturation. FH prediction was not significantly different between treatment groups. Irrespective of the GH dose used, initiation of GH treatment at a younger age was beneficial after 4 yr GH when expressed as actual cm gained or as gain in FH prediction, but was not statistically significant when expressed as delta HSDSCA over the study period.     

PAC Learning of One-Dimensional Patterns

Developing the ability to recognize a landmark from a visual image of a robot's current location is a fundamental problem in robotics. We consider the problem of PAC-learning the concept class of geometric patterns where the target geometric pattern is a configuration ofk points on the real line. Each instance is a configuration ofn points on the real line, where it is labeled according to whether or not it visually resembles the target pattern. To capture the notion of visual resemblance we use the Hausdorff metric. Informally, two geometric patternsP andQ resemble each other under the Hausdorff metric if every point on one pattern is close to some point on the other pattern. We relate the concept class of geometric patterns to the landmark matching problem and then present a polynomial-time algorithm that PAC-learns the class of one-dimensional geometric patterns. We also present some experimental results on how our algorithm performs.     

Multi‐Unit Bayesian Auction with Demand or Budget Constraints

We consider the problem of revenue maximization on multi‐unit auctions where items are distinguished by their relative values; any pair of items has the same ratio of values to all buyers. As is common in the study of revenue maximizing problems, we assume that buyers' valuations are drawn from public known distributions and they have additive valuations for multiple items. Our problem is well motivated by sponsored search auctions, which made money for Google and Yahoo! in practice. In this auction, each advertiser bids an amount b_i to compete for ad slots on a web page. The value of each ad slot corresponds to its click‐through‐rate, and each buyer has her own per‐click valuations, which is her private information. Obviously, a strategic bidder may bid an amount that is different with her true valuation to improve her utility. Our goal is to design truthful mechanisms avoiding this misreporting. We develop the optimal (with maximum revenue) truthful auction for a relaxed demand model (where each buyer i wants at most d_i items) and a sharp demand model (where buyer i wants exactly d_i items). We also find an auction that always guarantees at least half of the revenue of the optimal auction when the buyers are budget constrained. Moreover, all of the auctions we design can be computed efficiently, that is, in polynomial time.     

Pricing ad slots with consecutive multi-unit demand

We consider the optimal pricing problem for a model of the rich media advertisement market, that has other related applications. Our model differs from traditional position auctions in that we consider buyers whose demand might be multiple consecutive slots, which is motivated by modeling buyers who may require these to display a large size ad. We study three major pricing mechanisms, the Bayesian pricing model, the maximum revenue market equilibrium model and an envy-free solution model. Under the Bayesian model, we design a polynomial-time computable truthful mechanism that optimizes the revenue. For the market equilibrium paradigm, we find a polynomial-time algorithm to obtain the maximum revenue market equilibrium solution. In the envy-free setting, an optimal solution is presented for the case where the buyers have the same demand for the number of consecutive slots. We present results of a simulation that compares the revenues from the above schemes.     

基于C8051F410单片机的钨灯电源设计

针对光谱测试系统对光源稳定性越来越高的要求,介绍了一种以单片机为核心的高稳定性的钨灯电源系统.它以C8051F410单片机为核心,采用增量式PID控制算法,通过控制单片机的D/A输出来调整MOS场效应管的导通情况,从而达到稳定钨灯工作电流的目的,保证钨灯的发光稳定.通过实验验证,新设计的电源具有控制精度高、稳定性好、性能可靠等优点,可应用于光谱测试系统中.     

基于遗传算法的自寻优模糊控制器的研究与应用

针对矿山电力传动系统的特点和要求 ,根据遗传算法和模糊控制理论 ,研究和设计了一种基于遗传算法的自寻优模糊控制器。仿真研究和实时控制结果表明 ,该控制器设计的调速系统具有响应速度快、空载和负载情况下无静差、无超调、鲁棒性强等特点 ,且结构简单 ,易于实现实时控制。     

浅谈设计思维

设计的功能是以人为本,丰富和升华人们的生理体验和心理体验以提升生活品质,传递信息和新的思维方式;设计作品的优劣从某种角度来说是设计思维深入程度决定的;设计思维是以个人对世界的认识为基础的;人对世界认识的程度实际上也就是设计思维深入的程度,因此我们应弄清自己思维的渊源,树立正确的世界观。     

浅谈设计思维

设计的功能是以人为本,丰富和升华人们的生理体验和心理体验以提升生活品质,传递信息和新的思维方式;设计作品的优劣从某种角度来说是设计思维深入程度决定的;设计思维是以个人对世界的认识为基础的;人对世界认识的程度实际上也就是设计思维深入的程度,因此我们应弄清自己思维的渊源,树立正确的世界观。     

Generalization in the XCSF classifier system: analysis, improvement, and extension

We analyze generalization in XCSF and introduce three improvements. We begin by showing that the types of generalizations evolved by XCSF can be influenced by the input range. To explain these results we present a theoretical analysis of the convergence of classifier weights in XCSF which highlights a broader issue. In XCSF, because of the mathematical properties of the Widrow-Hoff update, the convergence of classifier weights in a given subspace can be slow when the spread of the eigenvalues of the autocorrelation matrix associated with each classifier is large. As a major consequence, the system's accuracy pressure may act before classifier weights are adequately updated, so that XCSF may evolve piecewise constant approximations, instead of the intended, and more efficient, piecewise linear ones. We propose three different ways to update classifier weights in XCSF so as to increase the generalization capabilities of XCSF: one based on a condition-based normalization of the inputs, one based on linear least squares, and one based on the recursive version of linear least squares. Through a series of experiments we show that while all three approaches significantly improve XCSF, least squares approaches appear to be best performing and most robust. Finally we show how XCSF can be extended to include polynomial approximations.     

Ultrastructural evidence for an innervation of epithelial enterochromaffine cells in the guinea pig duodenum

The innervation of the duodenal enterochromaffine cells (E.C.) of the guinea pig was studied at the electronmicroscopic level. Pretreatment with 5-OH-dopamine was performed to visualize catecholaminergic (CA) nervous elements. Near the basement membrane of all examined E.C. in the crypts, bundles of unmyelinated nerve processes were observed, only partly ensheathed in a Schwann cell cover. At least 4 types of processes could be observed. 1) Boutons containing only small clear vesicles, probably cholinergic fibres; 2) boutons with small clear vesicles, and in addition large (greater than 200 nm) granules with a dense matrix (P-type-fibres); 3) boutons with small electron-dense vesicles, probably CA-fibres; and 4) processes with few vesicles but having the appearance of dendrites. No typical synaptic arrangements were observed, but the minimal distance between the E.C. and the nerve bundles was 150 to 250 nm, thus well within the functional limits of the "autonomic gap". Thus epithelial E.C. may be influenced by several types of nervous elements, including CA-fibres.