Pairs Of Labels Research Articles

Labeling Q-learning in hidden state environments

Recently,reinforcement learning (RL) methods have been used for learning problems in environments with embedded hidden states. However, conventional RL methods have been limited to handlingMarkov decision process problems. In order to overcome hidden states, several algorithms were proposed, but these need an extreme amount of memory of past sequences which represent historical state transitions. The aim of this work was to extend our previously proposed algorithm for hidden states in an environment, calledlabeling Q-learning (LQ-learning), which reinforces incompletely observed perception by labeling. In LQ-learning, the agent has a perception structure which consists of pairs of observations and labels. From these pairs, the agent can distinguish more exactly hidden states which look the same but are actually different each other. Labeling is carried out by labeling functions. Numerous labeling functions can be considered, but here we introduce some labeling functions based on the sequence of only the last and the current observations. This extended LQ-learning is applied to grid-world problems which have hidden states. The results of these simulations show the availability of LQ-learning.

Helical pitch of m-phenylene ethynylene foldamers by double spin labeling.

To investigate the helical conformation of oligo(m-phenylene ethynylene)s, a pair of TEMPO spin labels were appended to the backbone. The two TEMPO radicals were separated by the four, five, and six repeating units. ESR spectra of the labeled oligomers were measured in chloroform and in ethyl acetate solvents in which the oligomers are disordered and folded, respectively. The measurement and analysis of ESR spectra revealed that six repeating units make one helical turn.

Toddlers' attention to intentions-in-action in learning novel action words.

Toddlers' ability to use cues such as eye gaze and gestures to infer the meaning of novel action words was examined. In Experiment 1, 21- and 27-month-olds were taught labels for pairs of videotaped actions that were either similar or dissimilar in appearance. Similar actions differed mainly in the presence of behavioral cues related to the agents' intentions (e.g., extended arms). Only the older children were able to learn the labels for the similar actions. In Experiment 2, 3 new pairs of labels (2 similar, 1 dissimilar) were taught to children in the same age range. Eye gaze and gestures were the main features distinguishing the similar events. The same developmental effect was observed, with only the older children showing learning of both types of verbs and the younger children being impeded by the appearance of the actions. The results show that by the middle of the 2nd year, children begin to consider intentions-in-action when acquiring the meaning of novel action verbs.

On 3-D graphical representation of proteomics maps and their numerical characterization.

We consider numerical characterization of proteomics maps by representing a map as a three-dimensional graphical object based on x, y coordinates of the spots and using their relative abundance as the z coordinate. In our representation the protein spots are first ordered based on their relative abundance and labeled accordingly. In the next step a 3-D path is constructed connecting spots having adjacent labels. Finally a matrix is constructed by assigning to each pairs of labels (i, j) matrix element, the numerical value of which is based on the quotients of the Euclidean distance and the distance along the 3-D zigzag between the two points. The approach has been illustrated on a fragment of a proteomics map and compared with 2-D graphical representation of proteomics maps.

Light-induced Rotation of a Transmembrane α-Helix in Bacteriorhodopsin

Spin labeling EPR spectroscopy has been used to characterize light-induced conformational changes of bacteriorhodopsin (bR). Pairs of nitroxide spin labels were attached to engineered cysteine residues at strategic positions near the cytoplasmic ends of transmembrane α-helices B, F, and G in order to monitor distance changes upon light activation. The EPR analysis of six doubly labeled bR mutants indicates that the cytoplasmic end of helix F not only tilts outwards, but also rotates counter-clockwise during the photocycle. The direction of the rotation of helix F is the opposite of the clockwise rotation previously reported for bovine rhodopsin. The opposite chirality of the F helix rotation in the two systems is perhaps related to the differences in the cis-trans photoisomerization of the retinal in the two proteins. Using time-resolved EPR, we monitored the rotation of helix F also in real time, and found that the signal from the rotation arises concurrently with the reprotonation of the retinal Schiff base.

Approximate maximum entropy joint feature inference consistent with arbitrary lower-order probability constraints: application to statistical classification

We propose a new learning method for discrete space statistical classifiers. Similar to Chow and Liu (1968) and Cheeseman (1983), we cast classification/inference within the more general framework of estimating the joint probability mass function (p.m.f.) for the (feature vector, class label) pair. Cheeseman's proposal to build the maximum entropy (ME) joint p.m.f. consistent with general lower-order probability constraints is in principle powerful, allowing general dependencies between features. However, enormous learning complexity has severely limited the use of this approach. Alternative models such as Bayesian networks (BNs) require explicit determination of conditional independencies. These may be difficult to assess given limited data. Here we propose an approximate ME method, which, like previous methods, incorporates general constraints while retaining quite tractable learning. The new method restricts joint p.m.f. support during learning to a small subset of the full feature space. Classification gains are realized over dependence trees, tree-augmented naive Bayes networks, BNs trained by the Kutato algorithm, and multilayer perceptrons. Extensions to more general inference problems are indicated. We also propose a novel exact inference method when there are several missing features.

Use of random graph parsing for scene labelling by probabilistic relaxation

A generalization of the relaxation labelling model, in which we operate on graphs of labels rather than pairs of labels attached to segmentation objects is proposed. The proposed approach is based on efficient, O( n 2), parsing for graph grammars (Flasiński, 1993). To take into account all variations of an ambiguous (distorted) scene under study, a probabilistic description of the scene is needed. Random graphs are proposed here for such a description.

Domain motions accompanying tet repressor induction defined by changes of interspin distances at selectively labeled sites

To investigate internal movements in Tet repressor (TetR) during induction by tetracycline (tc) we determined the interspin distances between pairs of nitroxide spin labels attached to specific sites by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. For this purpose, we constructed six TetR variants with engineered cysteine pairs located in regions with presumed conformational changes. These are I22C and N47C in the DNA reading head, T152C/Q175C, A161C/Q175C and R128C/D180C near the tc-binding pocket, and T202C in the dimerization surface. All TetR mutants show wild-type activities in vivo and in vitro. The binding of tc results in a considerable decrease of the distance between the nitroxide groups attached to both I22C residues in the TetR dimer and an increase of the distance between the N47C residues. These opposite effects are consistent with a twisting motion of the DNA reading heads. Changes of the spin-spin interactions between nitroxide groups attached to residues near the tc-binding pocket demonstrate that the C-terminal end of α-helix 9 moves away from the protein core upon DNA binding. Alterations of the dipolar interaction between nitroxide groups at T202C indicate different conformations for tc and DNA-bound repressor also in the dimerization area. These results are used to model structural changes of TetR upon induction.

Sequential developmental acquisition of neuromodulatory inputs to a central pattern-generating network.

The activity of the adult stomatogastric ganglion (STG) depends on a large number of aminergic and peptidergic modulatory inputs. Our aim is to understand the role of these modulatory inputs in the development of the central pattern-generating networks of the STG. Therefore, we analyze the developmental and adult expressions of three neuropeptides in the stomatogastric nervous system of the lobsters Homarus americanus and Homarus gammarus by using wholemount immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy. In adults, red pigment-concentrating hormone (RPCH)-like, proctolin-like, and a tachykinin-like immunoreactivity are present in axonal projections to the STG. At 50% of embryonic development (E50), all three peptides stain the commissural ganglia and brain, but only RPCH- and proctolin-like immunoreactivities stain axonal arbors in the STG. Tachykinin-like immunoreactivity is not apparent in the STG until larval stage II (LII). The RPCH-immunoreactive projection to the STG consists of two pairs of fibers. One pair stains for RPCH immunoreactivity at E50; the second RPCH-immunoreactive pair does not stain until about LII. One pair of the RPCH fibers double labels for tachykinin-like immunoreactivity. The adult complement of neuromodulatory inputs is not fully expressed until close to the developmental time at which major changes in the STG motor patterns occur, suggesting that neuromodulators play a role in the tuning of the central pattern generators during development.

Influence of Perceptual Factors on Line Bisection

In the present study we investigated whether masking/perceptual factors may influence line bisection performance in normal subjects. We carried out two experiments. In Experiment 1 the stimuli consisted of a line flanked at each end by: (1) parallel arrows, (2) oblique arrows, (3) or oblique geometrical figures. Of the two pairs of labels, one pair converged on the line and appeared to mask the flanked portion of the line. The results showed the presence of a bisection bias in the direction opposite to location of masking labels. In Experiment 2 we examined if orientation factors might have contributed to the observed bisection bias. The stimuli consisted of a line flanked by only one pair of oblique geometrical figures. The results showed that bisection bias was always in the direction opposite to label location, independently of the direction pointed out by oblique figures. These findings suggest that masking/perceptual factors may influence bisection performance in normal subjects.

High-resolution maps of regional ventilation utilizing inhaled fluorescent microspheres.

The regional deposition of an inhaled aerosol of 1.0-micron diameter fluorescent microspheres (FMS) was used to produce high-resolution maps of regional ventilation. Five anesthetized, prone, mechanically ventilated pigs received two 10-min inhalations of pairs of different FMS labels, accompanied by intravenous injection of 15.0-micron radioactive microspheres. The lungs were air dried and cut into 1.9-cm3 pieces, with notation of the spatial coordinates for each piece. After measurement of radioactive energy peaks, the tissue samples were soaked in 2-ethoxyethyl acetate, and fluorescent emission peaks were recorded for the wavelengths specific to each fluorescence label. The correlation of fluorescence activity between simultaneously administered inhaled FMS ranged from 0.98 to 0.99. The mean coefficient of variation for ventilation for all 10 trials (47.9 +/- 8.1%) was similar to that for perfusion (46.2 +/- 6.3%). No physiologically significant gravitational gradient of ventilation or perfusion was present in the prone animals. The strongest predictor of the magnitude of regional ventilation among all animals was regional perfusion (r = 0.77 +/- 0.13).

Automatic Problem Description from Model Program for Knowledge-based Programming Tutor

Knowledge-based programming tutors are supposed to analyze the students‘ programs using knowledge of the concepts of programming language, skills to build programs, misconceptions of novice programmers, and information about the programs to be analyzed. The last one provides the programming tutor with the intentions of programmers, and this allows the tutor to do an intention-based diagnosis (Johnson, 1996). This is given to the system in the form of a problem description by human instructors. However, it is very hard for instructors to write a problem description. For instructors, the simplest way to describe a problem may be to write a model program of that problem. This paper describes the system named GOES, a GOal Extraction System, which extracts the purposes (Goals) of a model program automatically. GOES is a susbsystem of C-Tutor, a knowledge-based C Programing Tutor (Hahn et al., 1996). GOES extracts implemented plans from a model program, and then extract goals from the plans according to goal/plan hierarchies. The efficiency of GOES depends on the process of plan extraction. In GOES, only pairs of labels and variables of each statement are used to extract candidate plans. Exact matching is followed only for theses candidate plans. In addition, to extract plans more efficiently, we introduce the concept of necessary and sufficient conditions of a plan to the model program. Using this method, plan candidates can be extracted efficiently and successfully.

Histomorphometrical analysis of the bone-implant interface: comparison of microradiography and brightfield microscopy

Section thickness has been shown to affect the histomorphometrical measurement of bone-implant contact when analysed under brightfield microscopy. This study investigated whether microradiography of the bone-implant interface eliminated the errors associated with thick section analysis. Seven implant containing sections were utilized. Microradiographs of the thick (~100 μm) sections were taken and the sections were subsequently ground to thicknesses of 50 μm and 25 μm. Photomicrographs were taken of the microradiographs and of the sections at each thickness (100, 50 and 25 μm) under brightfield microscopy. The photomicrographs were analysed for direct bone-implant contact in the cortical passage region and along the total length of the implant. The effect of section thickness on multiple fluorochrome labelling in 10 rabbit femur specimens was also examined. Centre-to-centre interlabel distance was measured for each label pair at a thickness of 100 μm and then again after the sections were ground to 50 μm and 25 μm. The thick (100 μm) sections showed a significantly greater amount of bone-implant contact than either the thin sections or the microradiographs. There was no difference in direct bone-implant contact measured by microradiography or thin sections. However, the microradiographic analysis showed a much lower variability of the bone-implant contact than the sections evaluated under brightfield microscopy. In addition, they have the added benefit of providing information on bone mineral density. Centre-to-centre interlabel distance was not significantly different for any label pair owing to section thickness. Data from this study provides evidence that the use of microradiographs for histomorphometrical analysis of the bone-implant interface is superior to brightfield analysis of thin sections owing to the lower variability of microradiographical data and the ability to obtain bone mineral density measures. Additionally, given that interlabel distance was not significantly affected by section thickness, the use of 100 μm thick sections for analysis of fluorochrome labels in cortical bone is supported.

Product Label List Format: Effects of Item Arrangement and Completeness on Comparison Time and Accuracy

This research examined the influence of two factors on the ease of gaining information from item lists: the order and completeness of the items displayed. Food nutrition labels served as the vehicle to test the manipulated lists on comparison time and accuracy performance measures. Four booklets, each containing 12 pairs of nutrient labels, were constructed in which the listed items were: (1) either arranged in a standard order or in a random order, and (2) either had a complete set of nutrients (including nutrients not present in the product) or a partial set of nutrients (excluding nutrients with zero or near-zero amounts in the product). Thirty-two participants were instructed to assume that their physician has told them to increase their intake of three specific nutrients and decrease their intake of three other nutrients. One label of each pair contained a higher level of one nutrient that should be increased or a lower level of one nutrient that should be decreased. Participants were to determine which of the two labels would be better given the prescribed diet. Time and accuracy measures were collected. Participants made significantly faster judgments for nutrients arranged in a standard order than for nutrients arranged in a random order. For all conditions, the error rate was low. An interaction indicated that labels with a complete set of nutrients in a standard order produced fewer errors than (a) labels in a standard order with some nutrients missing or (b) labels with a complete set of nutrients in a random order. Implications of making lists compatible with expectations are described.

Structure and orientation of the transmembrane domain of glycophorin A in lipid bilayers.

Rotational resonance (RR) NMR, circular dichroism (CD), and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy are used to establish the secondary structure and orientation of peptides corresponding to the transmembrane domain of human glycophorin A in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. An amide I vibrational frequency of 1650 cm-1 and negative CD absorption bands at 208 and 222 nm indicate that the peptide is largely alpha-helical, while an order parameter of 0.35-0.50 in the ATR-FTIR measurements indicates that the peptide orientation is generally perpendicular to the bilayer plane. High-resolution structural data on the glycophorin A transmembrane (GPA-TM) peptides were obtained by measuring the rate of magnetization exchange between pairs of specific 13C labels using RR NMR. The exchange rates are translated into internuclear distances with a resolution on the order of 0.3 A. These experiments are similar in design to previous experiments on crystalline peptides where the 13C labels were incorporated into amino acids separated by 2-3 residues in the peptide sequence but close together in space due to a helical peptide geometry [Peersen, O.B., Yoshimura, S., Hojo, H., Aimoto, S., & Smith, S.O. (1992) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 114, 4332-4335]. In the GPA-TM peptides, magnetization exchange rates measured between [1-13C]V80 and [2-13C] G83 between [1-13C]M81 and [2-13C]G83 in the middle of the transmembrane sequence correspond to internuclear distances of approximately 4.5 A and are consistent with a helical peptide structure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Comparative judgments of numerical and verbal attribute labels

Consumers often compare brands on specific product attributes using numerical and verbal information. We report three experiments that examined comparisons of pairs of numerical and verbal labels describing product attributes. Past psychological findings on the speed of comparisons, the effect of distances between pairs of labels being compared, and the effect of task instructions were assessed in a product attribute context. Consistent with earlier work, numerical label pairs were judged faster than either verbal pairs or numerical/verbal pairs. Evidence of the effects of distance and task instructions was found for numerical/verbal label pairs. However, contrary to past findings, these effects did not occur consistently with either purely verbal or purely numerical pairs. In addition, consumer preference for higher or lower values on an attribute was hypothesized and found to influence comparisons. The findings are interpreted in terms of a psychological model of comparative judgment. Explanations offered for inconsistent findings include the possibility of surface‐level (vs. meaning‐level) processing of the product attribute labels, particularly for numerical label pairs.

Specificity of filiform hair afferent synapses onto giant interneurons in Periplaneta americana: Anatomy is not a sufficient determinant

The synapses between the filiform hair sensory afferents and giant interneurons (GIs) 1-6 of embryonic and first instar cockroaches, Periplaneta americana, were used to investigate the role of neuronal anatomy in determining synaptic specificity. The pattern of afferent-to-GI synapses was first determined by intracellular recording of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). The lateral (L) axon synapses only with GIs 3, 4, and 6, while the medial (M) axon synapses with the contralateral dendrites of all six GIs but with the ipsilateral dendrites only of GIs 1, 2, and 4. The three-dimensional anatomy of the filiform afferents and GIs was determined by injection of cobalt. There is little anatomical segregation of the filiform afferents; consequently, there is no correlation between the anatomy of the GIs and their synaptic inputs. The M axon and ipsilateral GI3 were studied in more detail by light and electron microscopy. Despite the presence of an anterior M axon branch which loops around the ipsilateral GI3 neurite at a distance of 2 microns, no synapses are formed between them. This lack of synapses is not due to the presence of physical barriers. Investigation of filiform afferents and GIs in embryonic ganglia shows that at no stage are the afferents sufficiently separated for their anatomy to be an important factor in determining the specificity of the synaptic inputs of the GIs. It was postulated that two pairs of complementary cell surface labels would be sufficient to code for this specificity, and that, in GIs 3, 5, and 6, spatial differences in the expression of these labels allow the M axon to distinguish ipsilateral dendrites from contralateral.

Mapping of collision frequencies for stearic acid spin labels by saturation-recovery electron paramagnetic resonance

Short pulse saturation-recovery electron paramagnetic resonance methods have been used to measure interactions of 14N:15N stearic acid spin label pairs in multilamellar liposomal dispersions composed of dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dielaidoylphosphatidylcholine (DEPC). Pairs consisting of various combinations of [14N]-16-, [14N]-12- or [14N]-5-doxylstearate, and [15N]-16-, [15N]-12-, or [15N]-5-doxylstearate were studied. SR experiments were performed at 27 degrees and 37 degrees C, and recovery signals were analyzed for initial conditions and multiexponential time constants by computer fitting using a damped least-squares approach. The time constants contain combinations of the electron spin lattice relaxation time, Tle, for each member of the spin-label pair, and the Heisenberg exchange rate constant, Kx. Spin-lattice relaxation times for each of the 14N and 15N stearic acid spin labels were determined, and it is noted that Tle for a given 15N-SASL was always slightly greater than that of the corresponding 14N-SASL. From Kx the bimolecular collision frequency was calculated, providing a detailed picture of molecular interactions. For both lipid systems the bimolecular collision rates were ordered as 12:5 less than 16:5 less than 5:5 less than 16:12 less than 12:12 less than 16:16. For all spin-label pairs studied, interaction frequencies were greater in DMPC than in DEPC. For the 16:16, 12:12, and 16:12 pairs, Kx was approximately 30% greater in DMPC than in DEPC, a significantly greater difference than is observed by conventional EPR methods. Further confirmation of the existence of vertical fluctuation of nitroxide moieties that are at the 16- (or 12) position toward the polar surfaces was obtained, with the frequency of 16:5 (or 12:5) interactions ~40% of the 16:16 (or 12:12) interaction frequency. In both DMPC and DEPC, Kx for homogeneous pairs increases as the doxyl moiety is moved further down the alkyl chain (i.e.,5:5 < 12:12 < 16:16), suggesting that steric effects or the local rotational mobility of the nitroxide group influence the frequency at which spin exchange occurs.

Silver enhancement of gold probes (5–40 nm): Single and double labeling of antigenic sites on cell surfaces imaged with backscattered electrons

Silver enhancement of immunogold-labeled cells was carried out to increase the applicability of colloidal gold probes for visualization in the backscatter electron imaging (BEI) mode of a scanning electron microscope. Optimum conditions were established for single particle discrimination and differential counting of labeling density at low magnifications. Red blood cells double-labeled with 15 + 40 nm and 5 + 20 nm gold probes were silver-enhanced for 6 min and 20 min, respectively, at which times both pairs of labels increased to about 25 + 50 nm. The gold probes still appeared spherical after enhancement and were easily discriminated. Cells were also single-labeled with the above probes and enhanced accordingly. The present method enables visualization of individual particles of any probe size, labeling one, or simultaneously two, antigenic sites on cell surfaces. The silver enhancement procedure thereby allows cells to be labeled with small probes with increased labeling efficiency.

Localizing the nitroxide group of fatty acid and voltage-sensitive spin-labels in phospholipid bilayers

The intramembrane locations of several spin labeled probes in small egg phosphatidylcholine (egg PC) vesicles were determined from the enhancement of the 13C nuclear spin lattice relaxation of the membrane phospholipid. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was also used to measure the relative environmental polarities of the spin labels in egg PC vesicles, ethanol and aqueous solution. The binding location of the spin label group was determined for a pair of hydrophobic ion spin labels, a pair of long chain amphiphiles, and three stearates containing doxyl groups at the 5, 10 and 16 positions. The nuclear relaxation results indicate that the spin label groups on the stearates are located nearer to the membrane exterior than the analogous positions of the unlabeled phospholipid acyl chains. In addition, the spin label groups of the hydrophobic ions and long chain amphiphiles are located near the acyl chain methylene immediately adjacent to the carboxyl group. The relative polarities, determined by the EPR technique, are consistent with the nuclear relaxation results. This information, when combined with information on their electrical properties, allows for an assessment of the conformation and position of these voltage sensitive probes in membranes.