Data-Adaptive Probabilistic Likelihood Approximation for Ordinary Differential Equations

Parameter inference for ordinary differential equations (ODEs) is of fundamental importance in many scientific applications. While ODE solutions are typically approximated by deterministic algorithms, new research on probabilistic solvers indicates that they produce more reliable parameter estimates by better accounting for numerical errors. However, many ODE systems are highly sensitive to their parameter values. This produces deep local minima in the likelihood function -- a problem which existing probabilistic solvers have yet to resolve. Here, we show that a Bayesian filtering paradigm for probabilistic ODE solution can dramatically reduce sensitivity to parameters by learning from the noisy ODE observations in a data-adaptive manner. Our method is applicable to ODEs with partially unobserved components and with arbitrary non-Gaussian noise. Several examples demonstrate that it is more accurate than existing probabilistic ODE solvers, and even in some cases than the exact ODE likelihood.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Twilight of the Boss: All the King’s Men and Norse Mythology

This essay explores the deep connections between Warren’s third novel and Norse mythology, particularly the Ragnarok myth. By comparing characters, settings, and events in the novel with various figures from Norse mythology, as well as Richard Wagner’s operatic interpretation of the Ragnarok myth Ring of the Nibelung, this paper contends that Warren employs Norse myths that mirror his own themes of balance and acceptance that run throughout his novel

Jo Nesbø’s The Snowman and the Myth of Týr: Addressing Contemporary Issues through Literary Tradition

Il saggio esplora il modo in cui l'autore di Scandi-noir Jo Nesbø rifunzionalizza il mito norreno del dio germanico Týr (e anche alcuni altri episodi mitologici) nel suo popolare romanzo The Snowman (2007). Nesbø adatta questi miti medievali per creare situazioni ed enigmi allusivi e sfrutta il gioco intellettuale del medievalismo per creare un significato semanticamente denso. Il romanzo quindi esplora e considera varie questioni contemporanee tra cui, per esempio, il valore della “verità” rispetto alla percezione individuale (e contestuale), la supposta dicotomia tra vittima e carnefice, e il conflitto tra individuo e società. L'analisi dimostra non solo la densità semantica di The Snowman di Nesbø, ma anche la rilevanza dello studio del passato culturale per una corretta comprensione della società moderna e della sua produzione letteraria, un passato culturale che si rivela uno strumento indispensabile per la decodifica della sua complessa e stratificata comunicazione.The essay explores the way in which the Scandi-noir author Jo Nesbø reimagines the Norse myth of the Germanic god Týr (and also some other cognate mythological incidents) in his popular novel The Snowman (2007). Nesbø adapts these medieval myths to create allusive incidents and puzzles, and exploits the intellectual play of medievalism to produce a dense semantic meaning. The novel is thus able to explore and debate contemporary issues including the value of truth versus perspective (and context), the flawed dichotomy of victim and offender, and the tensions between individual and society. The analysis demonstrates not only the semantic density of Nesbø’s The Snowman, but also the relevance of the study of the cultural past for a proper understanding of modern society and of its literary production, a study favoring also a better grasp of its complex nature and issues

Artemis at Ragnarok: E.R. Eddison\u27s Queen Antiope

Building on his paper in Mythlore #117/118, calls for a change in critical attitudes towards E.R. Eddison, revealing a deep philosophical and spiritual foundation at the base of the lush, glittering surface of the Zimiamvia trilogy. A careful unraveling of mythological references and evidence from previously unpublished Eddison letters at the Bodleian back up his conclusion

\u3ci\u3eLove - And Hate - Among The Runes\u3c/i\u3e: Two Norse Tales retold

Freya’s Tears: Why must you go, Od? Freyja\u27s voice was plaintive as, hugging her knees, she sat up on the bearskin rug where they had spent the night. Loki Bound: “Hurry, woman, hurry”! The scream is torn from my lips despite my determination not to acknowledge the pain— the excruciating pain— that wracks my face and chest every time the bowl fills with venom and Sigyn has to leave the cave to empty it