scholarly journals Cosmic Aesthetics

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-12
Author(s):  
Stephen Braude
Keyword(s):  
William James ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Positive Error ◽  
States Of Affairs ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rule Out

In my book Immortal Remains (Braude, 2003), I considered an intriguing argument William James offered against the suggestion that mediumistic evidence for postmortem survival could be explained away in normal, or at least non-survivalist, terms—that is, either by appealing to what I’ve called The Usual Suspects (e.g., misperception, hidden memories, fraud) or The Unusual Suspects (e.g., dissociation + latent abilities, exceptional memory, or living-agent psi). More specifically, James was concerned with a fascinating, but frustrating, feature of the material gathered from mental mediumship—namely, that even the best cases present a maddening mixture of (a) material suggesting survival, (b) material suggesting psi among the living, and (c) apparent rubbish.At their best, of course, mediums furnish detailed information for which no normal explanation will suffice. In the cases most strongly suggesting survival, that information concerns the past lives of the deceased. But sometimes mediums also provide information on the present actions, thoughts, and feelings of the living, and that’s one reason why some cases suggest psi among the living, and why a living-agent–psi interpretation of mediumship is difficult to rule out. After all, information about present states of affairs is not something to which the deceased would enjoy privileged access.Moreover, to complicate matters further,. . . gems of correct, detailed, and relevant information are nearly always imbedded in an immense matrix of twaddle, vagueness, irrelevance, ignorance, pretension, positive error, and occasional prevarication. (Broad, 1962, p. 259)

Editorial

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Roseveare
Keyword(s):  
Psoas Abscess ◽  
Special Section ◽  
Hospital Medicine ◽  
Regular Feature ◽  
Acute Medicine ◽  
The Past ◽  
Hospital Referral ◽  
Working Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Rule Out

Few will deny that the past 6 months have been particularly challenging for all clinicians working in hospital medicine. The pressures of ward closures, which many acute hospitals have faced recently, have undoubtedly increased the ‘bottle-neck’ effect at the front door. Any ‘slack’ which might have existed in the past has now disappeared – 82% occupancy, which was once touted as the Holy Grail of bed-crisis prevention now seems a forlorn hope. One of the Government’s solutions is that chronic disease will be managed without admission to hospital. In reality, this will require dramatic changes in the attitudes of patients, carers and general practitioners and will not happen quickly. The impact of any pre-emptive reduction in capacity will be felt long before any such changes take effect. In the meantime it will up to those of us working in the AMU to ‘sort-out’ and ‘turf-out’, where appropriate. Looking on the bright side, at least when the next round of consultant redundancies is announced we should have little difficulty in justifying our existence…. The request to ‘rule-out serious pathology’ is a frequent justification for hospital referral. When the problem is that of a sudden onset of headache the need to rule-out subarachnoid haemorrhage becomes paramount. Most readers will not make the mistake I made once as an SHO, in assuming that negative CT brain scanning is adequate in this context. However, CSF analysis is not always straightforward. Stephen Hill and Ashwin Pinto’s excellent review of this subject will help unravel some of the complexities in this area. Hopefully the reviews of the acute management of chronic liver disease, psoas abscess and sickle cell disease will also be helpful in your day-to-day working practices. I would also draw your attention to the postcard, which Dr Snape has kindly submitted from a collection donated to him by a patient. Referring to the 1918 Avian Inf luenza outbreak the postcard’s author provides a chilling reminder of the impact of this pandemic. If ‘rule-out avian ‘f lu’ becomes a reason for referral to hospital in the future, we will hopefully be well prepared. Finally in a slight change to the previous format there is now a special section of the journal relating to the Society for Acute Medicine. I am aware that a large proportion of readers are members of the society and this needs to be ref lected in the journal’s content. The ‘Society Pages’ will become a regular feature in the journal, hopefully providing readers with useful information and updates on developments within Acute Medicine. In this edition I have included the abstracts from the Free Paper session at the recent meeting in Hull, along with a summary of the meeting and programme for the next meeting in the Royal College of Physicians. Submissions for this section could include summaries of working practices within different acute medicine units around the country, as well as experiences of trainees undertaking the new acute medicine training programmes. All would be gratefully received.

scholarly journals Poincaré-Type Inequalities for Compact Degenerate Pure Jump Markov Processes

Mathematics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Hodara ◽  
Ioannis Papageorgiou
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Point Process ◽  
Markov Processes ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Neural System ◽  
Brain Neurons ◽  
Actual Position ◽  
The Past ◽  
Poincaré Type Inequalities ◽  
Jump Markov Processes

We aim to prove Poincaré inequalities for a class of pure jump Markov processes inspired by the model introduced by Galves and Löcherbach to describe the behavior of interacting brain neurons. In particular, we consider neurons with degenerate jumps, i.e., which lose their memory when they spike, while the probability of a spike depends on the actual position and thus the past of the whole neural system. The process studied by Galves and Löcherbach is a point process counting the spike events of the system and is therefore non-Markovian. In this work, we consider a process describing the membrane potential of each neuron that contains the relevant information of the past. This allows us to work in a Markovian framework.

scholarly journals Early and Late Modulation of Saccade Deviations by Target Distractor Similarity

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 1451-1458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon Mulckhuyse ◽  
Stefan Van der Stigchel ◽  
Jan Theeuwes
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Dependent Measure ◽  
Saccade Latency ◽  
Oculomotor Control ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Selection Processes ◽  
Time Courses ◽  
Saccade Trajectory ◽  
Rule Out

In this study, we investigated the time course of oculomotor competition between bottom-up and top-down selection processes using saccade trajectory deviations as a dependent measure. We used a paradigm in which we manipulated saccade latency by offsetting the fixation point at different time points relative to target onset. In experiment 1, observers made a saccade to a filled colored circle while another irrelevant distractor circle was presented. The distractor was either similar (i.e., identical) or dissimilar to the target. Results showed that the strength of saccade deviation was modulated by target distractor similarity for short saccade latencies. To rule out the possibility that the similar distractor affected the saccade trajectory merely because it was identical to the target, the distractor in experiment 2 was a square shape of which only the color was similar or dissimilar to the target. The results showed that deviations for both short and long latencies were modulated by target distractor similarity. When saccade latencies were short, we found less saccade deviation away from a similar than from a dissimilar distractor. When saccade latencies were long, the opposite pattern was found: more saccade deviation away from a similar than from a dissimilar distractor. In contrast to previous findings, our study shows that task-relevant information can already influence the early processes of oculomotor control. We conclude that competition between saccadic goals is subject to two different processes with different time courses: one fast activating process signaling the saliency and task relevance of a location and one slower inhibitory process suppressing that location.

Pharmaceutical Considerations of Nitroglycerin

1983 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avraham Yacobi ◽  
Anton H. Amann ◽  
David M. Baaske
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Clinical Pharmacy ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Dosage Forms ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Pharmaceutical Uses

During the past few years, there have been rapid changes in the pharmaceutical uses of nitroglycerin. New dosage forms and new delivery systems have become available, which have resulted in potential confusion to all concerned with the proper use of these systems. The goal of this review is to prevent confusion and to bring all the relevant information together. The various analytical techniques available for quality control of the dosage forms and for the study of the pharmacokinetics are reviewed, with the intent of enabling the reader to identify pertinent references rapidly. The interaction of nitroglycerin with packaging and plastic delivery devices is also reviewed so that the reader can make informed choices. Finally, the clinical pharmacy and pharmacokinetics are reviewed so as to bring the reader up to date in that area. After reading this article, the areas of nitroglycerin research that still need to be explored should be apparent.

Faster and better: Improving the diagnostic phase of lung cancer at a system level.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (8_suppl) ◽  
pp. 115-115
Author(s):  
Melissa Kaan ◽  
Claire Holloway ◽  
Julie Gilbert ◽  
Vicky Simanovski ◽  
Garth Matheson
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rule Out

115 Background: For many patients going through diagnostic testing for cancer, the time from suspicion to diagnosis or rule-out, can be a confusing and anxious time. In 2007, Cancer Care Ontario began investing in the implementation of diagnostic assessment programs (DAPs) across Ontario, Canada to improve the quality of care during the diagnostic phase of lung cancer. DAPs consist of multidisciplinary healthcare teams that manage and coordinate a patient’s diagnostic care from testing to a definitive diagnosis. The objectives of the DAPs are to: 1) decrease time from suspicion to diagnosis or resolution; 2) optimize the patient’s experience during the diagnostic process; 3) optimize satisfaction and experience among primary care providers and specialists; and 4) provide a sustainable solution by offering good value for money. Today over 35,000 patients have been diagnosed in one of the 18 lung DAPs that exist across the province. Methods: The implementation of DAPs featured the introduction of a patient navigator to act as the primary point of contact for patients, improve the patient experience and ensure their patients were progressing through any required diagnostic imaging and consultations in a timely manner. Cancer Care Ontario also engaged with primary care providers to refer patients with findings suspicious for lung cancer to DAPs as early as possible to ensure they benefited from organized assessment. Cancer Care Ontario has collected patient level data to measure wait times and implemented a patient survey to assess patient experience. Results: In the past five years, the median wait time from referral to a lung DAP to diagnosis or rule out has decreased by 19% to 24 days and the 90th %tile has decreased by 28% to 51 days. The large majority of patients have had a positive experience with their DAPs, with 95% of patients scoring their experience in the diagnostic process as “good” or “excellent”. Conclusions: The implementation of DAPs across the province is seen as a valuable component of quality of care by improving the diagnostic phase of cancer. The sustainability of the DAP model is demonstrated by the continued improvements in access and maintained patient experience in spite of growing volumes (91% increase in the past five years).

scholarly journals ZONES OF RECENT ACTIVATION AND SCHEME OF THE EARTH CRUST PERMEABILITY OF UKRAINE

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-84
Author(s):  
V.V. Gordienko ◽  
L.Ya. Gordienko ◽  
J.A. Goncharova ◽  
V.M. Tarasov
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Previous Analysis ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Earth’S Crust ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Continue Research ◽  
Earth's Crust ◽  
Background Gas

An attempt is considered to supplement the criteria for identifying zones of recent activation in the territory of Ukraine with another one — data on the results of studies of helium concentration in ground-water. The previous analysis of information showed that as regional criteria, information can be applied on anomalies in heat flow, increased electrical conductivity of Earth’s crustal and the upper mantle rocks, distribution of mantle gravitational anomalies, and surface uplifts over the past millions of years. They were chosen among others precisely because of the dissemination of relevant information throughout the country. This requirement is also met by the permeability Scheme of the earth’s crust of Ukraine, which is a fragment of the permeability Scheme of the earth’s crust of the European part of the USSR based on the results of helium studies. The principal applicability of such information for solving the problem is shown. Areas of maximum helium concentrations in near-surface waters are indicated, primarily those associated with disjunctive dislocation. Theу are concentrated in the south-west of Ukraine and in Moldova. The disadvantages of the Scheme are noted, due to poor study and significant variations in background gas concentrations, directly caused not by recent activation, but by the peculiarities of helium generation by rocks of the upper part of the earth’s crust. There are inconsistencies between the previously obtained ideas about the activated zones and the data of the Scheme. They are especially large in the Carpathian, Crimean and Donetsk regions, and are noticeable in others. Therefore, it seems necessary, first, to continue research, thicken the network of observations and develop a methodology for analyzing their results.

scholarly journals Evaluating Vector Representations from User's Reviews in a Recommendation Task

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitor Tonon ◽  
Tiago Silva ◽  
Vínicius Silva ◽  
Gean Pereira ◽  
Solange Rezende
Keyword(s):  
Recommendation Systems ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Unstructured Data ◽  
Recommendation Algorithm ◽  
Rating Data ◽  
User Reviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Structured Information ◽  
Mining Methods ◽  
Vector Representations

The recommendation task is a prominent and challenging area of study in Machine Learning. It aims to recommend items such as products, movies, and services to users according to what they have liked in the past. In general, most of the recommendation systems only consider structured information. For instance, in recommending movies to users they might use features such as genre, actors, and directors. However, unstructured data such as users' reviews may also be considered, since they can aggregate important information to the recommendation process, improving the performance of recommendation systems. Thus, in this work, we evaluate the use of text mining methods to extract and represent relevant information about user reviews, which were used alongside with rating data, as input of a content-based recommendation algorithm. We considered three different strategies for this purpose, which were: Topics, Embeddings and Relevant Embeddings. We hypothesized that using the considered strategies, it is possible to create more meaningful and concise representations than the traditional bag-of-words model, and yet, increase the performance of recommendation systems. In our experimental evaluation, we confirmed such a hypothesis, showing that the considered representations strategies are indeed very promising for representing user reviews in the recommendation process.

scholarly journals ‘A HOARY ANTIQUITY OF UNIMAGINED REMOTENESS’: A Historiography of Archaeological Investigations at the Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, UK.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Davenport-Mackey ◽  
Paul Richard Preston
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Information ◽  
Resource Assessment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Historical Documents ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Inaccurate Information ◽  
The Past

For the most part, histories of the archaeological discoveries in Cheddar Gorge have been based on anecdotal or oral accounts. Such evidence is unreliable and if accepted uncritically may result in the spreading of inaccurate information and the perpetuation of myths that distort our knowledge of the past and ultimately obfuscate future research. Indeed, most histories of the investigations at Cheddar Gorge have been simple uncritical narratives that fail to evaluate the veracity of sources of information as well as the quality of the archaeological information obtained. Therefore, to verify the claims of archaeological discoveries in Cheddar Gorge, the aims of this paper are to undertake a historiographical analysis of archaeological studies and excavation reports and to undertake a resource assessment of the actual archaeology recovered and recorded. This paper, therefore, not only demonstrates that historical documents can provide archaeologically relevant information about past investigations at Cheddar Gorge, but also outlines a more relevant, verifiable, and unbiased history for use by current and future researchers.

scholarly journals Characterizing Eckol as a Therapeutic Aid: A Systematic Review

Marine Drugs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bandana Manandhar ◽  
Pradeep Paudel ◽  
Su Hui Seong ◽  
Hyun Ah Jung ◽  
Jae Sue Choi
Keyword(s):  
Marine Algae ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Biological Applications ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
The Past ◽  
Therapeutic Properties ◽  
Marine Biosphere

The marine biosphere is a treasure trove of natural bioactive secondary metabolites and the richest source of structurally diverse and unique compounds, such as phlorotannins and halo-compounds, with high therapeutic potential. Eckol is a precursor compound representing the dibenzo-1,4-dioxin class of phlorotannins abundant in the Ecklonia species, which are marine brown algae having a ubiquitous distribution. In search of compounds having biological activity from macro algae during the past three decades, this particular compound has attracted massive attention for its multiple therapeutic properties and health benefits. Although several varieties of marine algae, seaweed, and phlorotannins have already been well scrutinized, eckol deserves a place of its own because of the therapeutic properties it possesses. The relevant information about this particular compound has not yet been collected in one place; therefore, this review focuses on its biological applications, including its potential health benefits and possible applications to restrain diseases leading to good health. The facts compiled in this review could contribute to novel insights into the functions of eckol and potentially enable its use in different uninvestigated fields.

scholarly journals Medicinal Plants of the Maasai of Kenya: A Review

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jedidah Nankaya ◽  
Nathan Gichuki ◽  
Catherine Lukhoba ◽  
Henrik Balslev
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Oral Ingestion ◽  
Plant Knowledge ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
The Past ◽  
Plant Uses ◽  
Threaten Species

The use of medicinal plants for treatment of humans and animals is entrenched in the Maasai culture and traditional knowledge related to it is passed on from one generation to the next. A handful of researchers have in the past decades documented this knowledge. No single study has documented medicinal plant uses of the Maasai community as a whole. This review provides a consolidated database of the diversity and uses of medicinal plants among the Maasai in Kenya. The study will help conserve traditional medicinal plant knowledge that is valuable for the development of modern medicine. Relevant information on medicinal plants used by the Maasai of Kenya was extracted from journals, books, M.Sc., and Ph.D. dissertations. We found evidence of 289 plant species used by the Maasai of Kenya in traditional medicine. Most species were used to treat health conditions in the categories gastrointestinal and respiratory system disorders. The most used families were Leguminosae, Asteraceae, Malvaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Lamiaceae. Medicines were commonly prepared as a decoction and administered through oral ingestion, with roots reported to be the preferred plant part for medication. The Maasai preference for roots compared to other plant parts may be unsustainable and could threaten species availability in the future.

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