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Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023Research on Explainable Artificial Intelligence has recently started exploring the idea of producing explanations that, rather than being expressed in terms of low-level...
Research on Explainable Artificial Intelligence has recently started exploring the idea of producing explanations that, rather than being expressed in terms of low-level features, are encoded in terms of . How to reliably acquire such concepts is, however, still fundamentally unclear. An agreed-upon notion of concept interpretability is missing, with the result that concepts used by both post hoc explainers and neural networks are acquired through a variety of mutually incompatible strategies. Critically, most of these neglect the human side of the problem: . The key challenge in human-interpretable representation learning (hrl) is how to model and operationalize this human element. In this work, we propose a mathematical framework for acquiring suitable for both post hoc explainers and concept-based neural networks. Our formalization of hrl builds on recent advances in causal representation learning and explicitly models a human stakeholder as an external observer. This allows us derive a principled notion of between the machine's representation and the vocabulary of concepts understood by the human. In doing so, we link alignment and interpretability through a simple and intuitive game, and clarify the relationship between alignment and a well-known property of representations, namely . We also show that alignment is linked to the issue of undesirable correlations among concepts, also known as , and to content-style separation, all through a general information-theoretic reformulation of these properties. Our conceptualization aims to bridge the gap between the human and algorithmic sides of interpretability and establish a stepping stone for new research on human-interpretable representations.
PubMed: 38136454
DOI: 10.3390/e25121574 -
Frontiers in Sociology 2023For more than a century social theorists have asked how order at the macro-social level is related to human activity at the micro-social level. Among their answers are... (Review)
Review
For more than a century social theorists have asked how order at the macro-social level is related to human activity at the micro-social level. Among their answers are accounts of macro-level social order as emerging in micro-level relations among individuals. Sawyer's account of macro-level emergence in micro-level interaction rests on the individual's understandings of interactional frames. However, Rawls draws on Garfinkel and Sacks to argue that sociologist's accounts of the macro-level interaction order need to be grounded in observable, micro-level social practices, instead of using conceptual abstractions like frames. Arundale's Conjoint Co-constituting Model of Communicating is grounded in research on observable social practices in Conversation Analysis, and offers an account of the emergence, in particular episodes of everyday interacting, of properties that define micro-level social systems. That account provides the basis for an account of the emergence, in recurrent micro-level interacting over time and space, of properties that define macro-level social systems. The basic idea is not new: what is new is accounting for the emergence of macro-level social order in terms of the recurrent emergence of micro-level social order as participants engage observable social practices in everyday interacting. Re-conceptualizing the emergence of macro-social order addresses sociology's longstanding puzzlement regarding the macro-micro link, and points to needed research.
PubMed: 38089010
DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1102449 -
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary... Oct 2023Primary care physicians are crucial in identifying SARS-CoV-2 infection and transferring suspected cases since they are on the front lines of health care. Micronutrients...
BACKGROUND
Primary care physicians are crucial in identifying SARS-CoV-2 infection and transferring suspected cases since they are on the front lines of health care. Micronutrients are used as an adjunctive treatment for viral respiratory infections. Because there is currently no effective antiviral therapy for COVID-19, micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamin D may be important for the survival of critically ill patients.
OBJECTIVE
To establish and emphasize a relationship between iron, zinc, and vitamin D to COVID-19.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
PubMed database was used for articles selection. All relevant articles to our review with the topics regarding the use of iron, zinc and vitamin D in COVID-19 patients. We excluded other articles, which are not related to this field and did not match inclusion criteria. The data extracted according to specific form and double reviewed by the group members.
RESULTS
The search of the mentioned database returned a total of 3614 studies that were included for title screening. 2910 of them were included for abstract screening, which lead to the exclusion of 1064 articles. The remaining 1846 publications full texts were reviewed. The full-text revision led to the exclusion of 1812 studies, and 34 were enrolled for final data extraction.
CONCLUSION
This study raised the idea of employing zinc, iron, and vitamin D as ingredients to either protect SARS-CoV-2 patients or to speed up recovery, decrease symptoms severity and decrease mortality rates.
PubMed: 38074276
DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2460_22 -
Zhongguo Fei Ai Za Zhi = Chinese... Nov 2023Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) targeting EGFR are effective in EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...
Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) targeting EGFR are effective in EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, but drug resistance is inevitable. With the application and expansion of individualized and combined therapy, more and more studies have shown that combined administration of Metformin effectively solves the problem of acquired drug resistance to EGFR-TKIs in clinical treatment and prolongs the survival of patients with NSCLC. EGFR-TKIs combined with Metformin is expected to be the treatment method of choice for NSCLC patients with EGFR-TKIs resistance. This paper intends to summarize the research progress of EGFR-TKIs combined with Metformin in the treatment of EGFR-TKIs acquired resistance in NSCLC, in order to provide a new idea for the treatment of NSCLC patients with acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs. .
Topics: Humans; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Lung Neoplasms; Metformin; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; ErbB Receptors; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Mutation
PubMed: 38061889
DOI: 10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2023.106.22 -
PLoS Computational Biology Dec 2023Generations of scientists have pursued the goal of defining beauty. While early scientists initially focused on objective criteria of beauty ('feature-based...
Generations of scientists have pursued the goal of defining beauty. While early scientists initially focused on objective criteria of beauty ('feature-based aesthetics'), philosophers and artists alike have since proposed that beauty arises from the interaction between the object and the individual who perceives it. The aesthetic theory of fluency formalizes this idea of interaction by proposing that beauty is determined by the efficiency of information processing in the perceiver's brain ('processing-based aesthetics'), and that efficient processing induces a positive aesthetic experience. The theory is supported by numerous psychological results, however, to date there is no quantitative predictive model to test it on a large scale. In this work, we propose to leverage the capacity of deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) to model the processing of information in the brain by studying the link between beauty and neuronal sparsity, a measure of information processing efficiency. Whether analyzing pictures of faces, figurative or abstract art paintings, neuronal sparsity explains up to 28% of variance in beauty scores, and up to 47% when combined with a feature-based metric. However, we also found that sparsity is either positively or negatively correlated with beauty across the multiple layers of the DCNN. Our quantitative model stresses the importance of considering how information is processed, in addition to the content of that information, when predicting beauty, but also suggests an unexpectedly complex relationship between fluency and beauty.
Topics: Judgment; Cognition; Art; Esthetics; Neural Networks, Computer
PubMed: 38048323
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011703 -
Atencion Primaria Mar 2024To identify strengths, obstacles, changes in the environment, and capabilities of primary care teams and support units, with the aim of providing high-quality care in an...
OBJECTIVE
To identify strengths, obstacles, changes in the environment, and capabilities of primary care teams and support units, with the aim of providing high-quality care in an integrated healthcare area.
DESIGN
Mixed methods study based on the SWOT matrix and CAME analysis.
LOCATION
Primary care, Valencian community.
PARTICIPANTS
A total of 271 professionals from different collectives and patient association representatives participated. 99 in the idea generation phase, 154 in the SWOT matrix development phase, and 18 in the CAME analysis development phase.
INTERVENTIONS
A SWOT-CAME analysis was conducted, from which action lines were established. Information capture was carried out through nominal groups, and the consensus phase involved integrating all professionals through Delphi and consensus conference techniques.
MAIN MEASUREMENTS
Prioritization of proposals to maintain strengths, address threats, exploit opportunities, and correct weaknesses within the framework of an integrated healthcare area action plan.
RESULTS
A total of 82 different ideas were proposed (20 strengths; 40 weaknesses; 4 threats; 12 opportunities; 6 threats-opportunities), which, once prioritized, were translated into 7 lines and 33 prioritized actions/interventions (CAME analysis).
CONCLUSIONS
Integrated care, seeking collaborative approaches between care levels, redefining roles, digital solutions, staff training, and improvements in equipment and support processes, along with measures to address the aging population and the needs of socio-sanitary centers, constitute the challenges to be addressed.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Aging; Consensus; Health Facilities; Primary Health Care; Porphyrins
PubMed: 38029655
DOI: 10.1016/j.aprim.2023.102809 -
Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao = Chinese... Nov 2023The development of new agricultural science is a new idea and a new measure that aims to deepen the reform of higher education in agriculture and forestry for the...
The development of new agricultural science is a new idea and a new measure that aims to deepen the reform of higher education in agriculture and forestry for the development of new agriculture, new countryside, new farmers and new ecosystem. It is therefore essential for the current undergraduate experimental teaching reform to timely introduce new technologies and new methods used in the development of agriculture and forestry industry into the experimental course teaching, and promote the integration of professional education with innovation and entrepreneurship education, according to the requirements of the new agricultural science. In view of this, the exploration and practice of molecular biology experiment course was carried out from the perspective of experimental projects, teaching modes and evaluation methods, according to the teaching requirements and characteristics of molecular biology experiment and teachers' scientific research achievements. The results showed that this reform greatly improved the students' comprehensive quality and innovation ability and may facilitate the innovation experiment teaching of other courses.
Topics: Humans; Ecosystem; Students; Curriculum; Molecular Biology
PubMed: 38013197
DOI: 10.13345/j.cjb.230242 -
Salud Colectiva Oct 2023Dementia is currently one of the most common diseases affecting elderly people, ranking seventh among leading causes of death. As it causes memory loss, difficulties in...
Dementia is currently one of the most common diseases affecting elderly people, ranking seventh among leading causes of death. As it causes memory loss, difficulties in reasoning, and resulting difficulties in making and executing decisions, assistive technologies and cognitive stimulation are valuable resources in the care process. Based on a theoretical inquiry into the bioethics of health care, and drawing on the work of Aline Albuquerque and Victor Montori, this article focuses on three main issues: first, the concept of bioethics in health care, patient-centered care, and the idea of clinical empathy. Second, it looks at the use of assistive technologies in caring for elderly patients with dementia. Lastly, we offer a discussion of whether the care process could be considered a health technology.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Dementia; Self-Help Devices; Health Facilities; Delivery of Health Care; Bioethics
PubMed: 37992283
DOI: 10.18294/sc.2023.4488 -
Bundesgesundheitsblatt,... Jan 2024Quality in biomedical research is a much-discussed topic among experts, research institutes, and funding organizations. Quality issues are frequently reported in the... (Review)
Review
Quality in biomedical research is a much-discussed topic among experts, research institutes, and funding organizations. Quality issues are frequently reported in the scientific and general press (e.g., stability of study results after test retake - "replication crisis"). Quality management systems are a globally accepted and established tool to guide and manage quality and to address quality problems. However, the notion of quality management is often met with resistance among researchers: low resources, too much regulation, restriction of research, and unnecessary bureaucracy are counter-arguments.The idea of implementing a quality management system for research laboratories is nothing new worldwide. There are various approaches by scientists and organizations to establish a quality management system in research laboratories and to develop a value-added system for themselves. Their expectations are an optimization of the research processes as well as an increase in effectiveness and efficiency.This report summarizes publications concerning quality measures and management in biomedical research and explains the background and advantages of quality management systems in organizations, laboratories, and research. A currently ongoing project of the Robert Koch Institute is presented as an outlook. The article is based on a literature review in English and German. In addition, internationally and nationally applicable and relevant guidelines were considered.
Topics: Laboratories; Germany; Biomedical Research
PubMed: 37982816
DOI: 10.1007/s00103-023-03797-y -
Zhongguo Yi Xue Ke Xue Yuan Xue Bao.... Oct 2023Extracellular vesicles (EV),nanoscale vesicles encapsulated by phospholipid bilayers,are rich in biological molecules such as nucleic acids,metabolites,proteins,and... (Review)
Review
Extracellular vesicles (EV),nanoscale vesicles encapsulated by phospholipid bilayers,are rich in biological molecules such as nucleic acids,metabolites,proteins,and lipids derived from parental cells.They are mainly involved in intercellular communication,signal transmission,and material transport and affect the functions of target cells.Ovulation disorders account for a higher proportion in the factors causing infertility which demonstrates increasing incidence year by year.Non-coding RNAs participate in a series of physiological and pathological processes of follicular development,playing a key role in female infertility.This review systematically introduces the types and biological roles of EV and elaborates on the regulation of follicular development from the effects of EV and non-coding RNAs on granulosa cell function,oocyte maturation,ovulation,luteal formation,and steroid hormone synthesis,providing a new idea and a breakthrough point for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.
Topics: Female; Humans; Oogenesis; Granulosa Cells; Extracellular Vesicles; Cell Communication; RNA, Untranslated; Infertility
PubMed: 37927024
DOI: 10.3881/j.issn.1000-503X.15293