Deep Gaussian Processes

In this paper we introduce deep Gaussian process (GP) models. Deep GPs are a deep belief network based on Gaussian process mappings. The data is modeled as the output of a multivariate GP. The inputs to that Gaussian process are then governed by another GP. A single layer model is equivalent to a standard GP or the GP latent variable model (GP-LVM). We perform inference in the model by approximate variational marginalization. This results in a strict lower bound on the marginal likelihood of the model which we use for model selection (number of layers and nodes per layer). Deep belief networks are typically applied to relatively large data sets using stochastic gradient descent for optimization. Our fully Bayesian treatment allows for the application of deep models even when data is scarce. Model selection by our variational bound shows that a five layer hierarchy is justified even when modelling a digit data set containing only 150 examples.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures. Appearing in Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS) 201

Exotic Scalar States in the AdS/CFT Correspondence

We investigate a family of solutions of Type IIb supergravity which asymptotically approach AdS_5 X S^5 but contain a non-constant dilaton and volume scalar for the five-sphere. These solutions preserve an SO(1,3) X SO(6) symmetry. We discuss the solution in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence, and we find that as well as running coupling from the nontrivial dilaton, the corresponding field theory has no supersymmetry and displays confinement at least for a certain range of parameters.Comment: 18 pages. 3 figures. Revised discussion section, added references. Final version to appear in JHE

Why "consciousness" means what it does.

“Consciousness” seems to be a polysemic, ambiguous, term. Because of this, theorists have sought to distinguish the different kinds of phenomena that “consciousness” denotes, leading to a proliferation of terms for different kinds of consciousness. However, some philosophers—univocalists about consciousness—argue that “consciousness” is not polysemic or ambiguous. By drawing upon the history of philosophy and psychology, and some resources from semantic theory, univocalism about consciousness is shown to be implausible. This finding is important, for if we accept the univocalist account then we are less likely to subject our thought and talk about the mind to the kind of critical analysis that it needs. The exploration of the semantics of “consciousness” offered here, by way of contrast, clarifies and fine-tunes our thought and talk about consciousness and conscious mentality and explains why “consciousness” means what it does, and why it means a number of different, but related, things

Does age of onset of asthma influence the effect of cigarette smoking on lung function?

No abstract available

New and developing non-adrenoreceptor small molecule drugs for the treatment of asthma

Introduction: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) alone or in combination with an inhaled long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) are the preferred long-term treatment for adults and adolescents with symptomatic asthma. Additional drugs include leukotriene-receptor antagonists, slow-release theophylline and the long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) tiotropium (approved in 2015). There is a need for more effective therapies, as many patients continue to have poorly controlled asthma. Areas covered: New and developing long-acting non-adrenoreceptor synthetic drugs for the treatment of symptomatic chronic asthma despite treatment with an ICS alone or combined with a LABA. Data was reviewed from studies published up until November 2016. Expert opinion: Tiotropium improves lung function and has a modest effect in reducing exacerbations when added to ICS alone or ICS and LABA. The LAMAs umeclidinium and glycopyrronium are under development in fixed dose combination with ICS and LABA. Novel small molecule drugs, such as CRTH2 receptor antagonists, PDE4 inhibitors, protein kinase inhibitors and nonsteroidal glucocorticoid receptor agonists and ‘off-label’ use of licensed drugs, such as macrolides and statins are under investigation for asthma, although their effectiveness in clinical practice is not established. To better achieve the goal of developing effective novel small molecule drugs for asthma will require greater understanding of mechanisms of disease and the different phenotypes and endotypes of asthma

Theorizing the Law/Politics Distinction: Neutral Principles, Affirmative Action, and the Enduring Insight of Paul Mishkin

Early in his career Mishkin saw that the law could be apprehended from two distinct and in part incompatible perspectives: from the internal perspective of a faithful practitioner and from the external perspective of the general public. If the social legitimacy of the law as a public institution resides in the latter, the legal legitimacy of the law as a principled unfolding of professional reason inheres in the former. Mishkin came to believe that although the law required both forms of legitimacy, there was nevertheless serious tension between them, and he dedicated his scholarly career to attempting to theorize this persistent but necessary tension, which he conceived almost as a form of antinomy. In this article we pay tribute to Mishkin\u27s quest for understanding. We argue that the tension identified by Mishkin is significant and unavoidable, but that it is also exaggerated because it presupposes an unduly stringent separation between professional reason and popular values. In our view the law/politics distinction is both real and suffused throughout with ambiguity and uncertainty. The existence of the law/politics distinction creates the possibility of the rule of law, but the ragged and blurred boundaries of that distinction vivify the law by infusing it with the commitments and ideals of those whom the law purports to govern

RUNX oncoproteins and miRNA networks

News on: An AML1-ETO/miR-29b-1 regulatory circuit modulates phenotypic properties of acute myeloid leukemia cells by Zaidi et al. Oncotarget. 2017; 8:39994-40005. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.18127

Investigating scientific literacy: Scientist’s habits of mind as evidenced by their rationale of science and religious beliefs

Science and technology have been incredibly success¬ful in purely technical terms. For instance, international air travel, space flight, and curing of hitherto untreatable medical illnesses all are now routine events. One feature of the incredible (and seemingly ever increasing) advance of science and technology is a sense of unease amongst the general population of science’s potential to change our lives, in sometimes unpredictable and alarming ways. Public understanding of science, or scientific literacy, is of increasing concern worldwide according to much recent literature