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T K Teal

Publications and source records attributed to T K Teal.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Effects of compression on language evolution.

For many adaptive complex systems information about the environment is not simply recorded in a look-up table, but is rather encoded in a theory, schema, or model, which compresses information. The grammar of a language can be viewed as such a schema or theory. In a prior study [Teal et al., 1999] we proposed several conjectures about the learning and evolution of language that should follow from these observations: (C1) compression aids in generalization; (C2) compression occurs more easily in a "smooth," as opposed to a "rugged," problem space: and (C3) constraints from compression make it likely that natural languages evolve towards smooth string spaces. This previous work found general, if not complete support for these three conjectures. Here we build on that study to clarify the relationship between Minimum Description Length (MDL) and error in our model and examine evolution of certain languages in more detail. Our results suggest a fourth conjecture: that all else being equal, (C4) more complex languages change more rapidly during evolution.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1994

Laboratory blunders revisited.

Blunders which occurred over a 1 year period in the clinical chemistry departments of two health districts were recorded and categorized according to type and detection stage. A blunder was defined as an incident leading to an incorrect result/set of results either being reported or detected at the final checking-out stage in the laboratory. Of the total of 120 blunders--which is a blunder rate of less than 0.1% of requests--53 (44%) were detected at the final checking-out stage. Blunders detected after the report had left the laboratory were divided into those subsequently picked up by laboratory personnel (23); those detected by clinicians (19); and those by external quality assessment schemes (21). The types of blunder were fairly equally distributed between the booking-in (36), analysis (38), and reporting (35) stages of the laboratory process. A formal review of blunders detected in laboratories is a valuable aid to overall performance.

Chemistry, Clinical↗
PubMed1988

Serum lipids, lipoproteins and macrovascular disease in non-insulin-dependent diabetics: a possible new approach to prevention.

The relationship between macrovascular disease and serum lipids, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), and subfraction cholesterol, and apolipoproteins has been examined in 53 female and 95 male patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). In males, those with macrovascular disease had higher serum and LDL cholesterol concentrations than those without. In females, those with macrovascular disease had higher levels of serum triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, as well as lower HDL, HDL2, and HDL3 cholesterol and apoprotein A-1, than those without. On multivariate analysis, LDL cholesterol was the most important association with macrovascular disease in males and apoprotein A-1 in females. In a subgroup of 36 patients, a double-blind placebo controlled study using bezafibrate or placebo, in addition to conventional oral hypoglycaemic therapy over 4 months, showed falls in serum and LDL cholesterol and in serum triglyceride and a rise in HDL cholesterol in the treated group. These changes should reduce the incidence of macrovascular disease in NIDDM and we suggest further prospective studies of such therapy in addition to conventional oral hypoglycaemic agents.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Chlorpropamide lowers serum and lipoprotein cholesterol in insulin-dependent diabetes.

Changes in serum lipids and lipoproteins were examined during eight weeks chlorpropamide therapy in eight C-peptide negative, insulin-dependent diabetic patients (mean age 40 years, mean onset of diabetes 20 years). Chlorpropamide was found to have a generalized cholesterol lowering effect (progressive significant fall in mean total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and HDL3-C) with no significant change in the ratio of high-density lipoprotein to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol which was independent of insulin secretion.

Adult↗