102,636 research outputs found
A group model for stable multi-subject ICA on fMRI datasets
Spatial Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is an increasingly used
data-driven method to analyze functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
data. To date, it has been used to extract sets of mutually correlated brain
regions without prior information on the time course of these regions. Some of
these sets of regions, interpreted as functional networks, have recently been
used to provide markers of brain diseases and open the road to paradigm-free
population comparisons. Such group studies raise the question of modeling
subject variability within ICA: how can the patterns representative of a group
be modeled and estimated via ICA for reliable inter-group comparisons? In this
paper, we propose a hierarchical model for patterns in multi-subject fMRI
datasets, akin to mixed-effect group models used in linear-model-based
analysis. We introduce an estimation procedure, CanICA (Canonical ICA), based
on i) probabilistic dimension reduction of the individual data, ii) canonical
correlation analysis to identify a data subspace common to the group iii)
ICA-based pattern extraction. In addition, we introduce a procedure based on
cross-validation to quantify the stability of ICA patterns at the level of the
group. We compare our method with state-of-the-art multi-subject fMRI ICA
methods and show that the features extracted using our procedure are more
reproducible at the group level on two datasets of 12 healthy controls: a
resting-state and a functional localizer study
Microcanonical finite-size scaling in specific heat diverging 2nd order phase transitions
A Microcanonical Finite Site Ansatz in terms of quantities measurable in a
Finite Lattice allows to extend phenomenological renormalization (the so called
quotients method) to the microcanonical ensemble. The Ansatz is tested
numerically in two models where the canonical specific-heat diverges at
criticality, thus implying Fisher-renormalization of the critical exponents:
the 3D ferromagnetic Ising model and the 2D four-states Potts model (where
large logarithmic corrections are known to occur in the canonical ensemble). A
recently proposed microcanonical cluster method allows to simulate systems as
large as L=1024 (Potts) or L=128 (Ising). The quotients method provides
extremely accurate determinations of the anomalous dimension and of the
(Fisher-renormalized) thermal exponent. While in the Ising model the
numerical agreement with our theoretical expectations is impressive, in the
Potts case we need to carefully incorporate logarithmic corrections to the
microcanonical Ansatz in order to rationalize our data.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure
AdS/CFT correspondence and Geometry
In the first part of this paper we provide a short introduction to the
AdS/CFT correspondence and to holographic renormalization. We discuss how QFT
correlation functions, Ward identities and anomalies are encoded in the bulk
geometry. In the second part we develop a Hamiltonian approach to the method of
holographic renormalization, with the radial coordinate playing the role of
time. In this approach regularized correlation functions are related to
canonical momenta and the near-boundary expansions of the standard approach are
replaced by covariant expansions where the various terms are organized
according to their dilatation weight. This leads to universal expressions for
counterterms and one-point functions (in the presence of sources) that are
valid in all dimensions. The new approach combines optimally elements from all
previous methods and supersedes them in efficiency.Comment: 30 pages, for Proceedings of the Strasburg meeting on AdS/CFT; v2:
additional Comments, refs adde
Robust Sparse Canonical Correlation Analysis
Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is a multivariate statistical method
which describes the associations between two sets of variables. The objective
is to find linear combinations of the variables in each data set having maximal
correlation. This paper discusses a method for Robust Sparse CCA. Sparse
estimation produces canonical vectors with some of their elements estimated as
exactly zero. As such, their interpretability is improved. We also robustify
the method such that it can cope with outliers in the data. To estimate the
canonical vectors, we convert the CCA problem into an alternating regression
framework, and use the sparse Least Trimmed Squares estimator. We illustrate
the good performance of the Robust Sparse CCA method in several simulation
studies and two real data examples
Frontoparietal action-oriented codes support novel task set implementation
A key aspect of human cognitive flexibility concerns the ability to rapidly convert complex symbolic instructions into novel behaviors. Previous research proposes that this fast configuration is supported by two differentiated neurocognitive states, namely, an initial declarative maintenance of task knowledge, and a progressive transformation into a pragmatic, action-oriented state necessary for optimal task execution. Furthermore, current models predict a crucial role of frontal and parietal brain regions in this transformation. However, direct evidence for such frontoparietal formatting of novel task representations is still lacking. Here, we report the results of an fMRI experiment in which participants had to execute novel instructed stimulus-response associations. We then used a multivariate pattern-tracking procedure to quantify the degree of neural activation of instructions in declarative and procedural representational formats. This analysis revealed, for the first time, format-unique representations of relevant task sets in frontoparietal areas, prior to execution. Critically, the degree of procedural (but not declarative) activation predicted subsequent behavioral performance. Our results shed light on current debates on the architecture of cognitive control and working memory systems, suggesting a contribution of frontoparietal regions to output gating mechanisms that drive behavior
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