27,172 research outputs found
Statistical mechanics of error exponents for error-correcting codes
Error exponents characterize the exponential decay, when increasing message
length, of the probability of error of many error-correcting codes. To tackle
the long standing problem of computing them exactly, we introduce a general,
thermodynamic, formalism that we illustrate with maximum-likelihood decoding of
low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes on the binary erasure channel (BEC) and
the binary symmetric channel (BSC). In this formalism, we apply the cavity
method for large deviations to derive expressions for both the average and
typical error exponents, which differ by the procedure used to select the codes
from specified ensembles. When decreasing the noise intensity, we find that two
phase transitions take place, at two different levels: a glass to ferromagnetic
transition in the space of codewords, and a paramagnetic to glass transition in
the space of codes.Comment: 32 pages, 13 figure
Shaping bursting by electrical coupling and noise
Gap-junctional coupling is an important way of communication between neurons
and other excitable cells. Strong electrical coupling synchronizes activity
across cell ensembles. Surprisingly, in the presence of noise synchronous
oscillations generated by an electrically coupled network may differ
qualitatively from the oscillations produced by uncoupled individual cells
forming the network. A prominent example of such behavior is the synchronized
bursting in islets of Langerhans formed by pancreatic \beta-cells, which in
isolation are known to exhibit irregular spiking. At the heart of this
intriguing phenomenon lies denoising, a remarkable ability of electrical
coupling to diminish the effects of noise acting on individual cells.
In this paper, we derive quantitative estimates characterizing denoising in
electrically coupled networks of conductance-based models of square wave
bursting cells. Our analysis reveals the interplay of the intrinsic properties
of the individual cells and network topology and their respective contributions
to this important effect. In particular, we show that networks on graphs with
large algebraic connectivity or small total effective resistance are better
equipped for implementing denoising. As a by-product of the analysis of
denoising, we analytically estimate the rate with which trajectories converge
to the synchronization subspace and the stability of the latter to random
perturbations. These estimates reveal the role of the network topology in
synchronization. The analysis is complemented by numerical simulations of
electrically coupled conductance-based networks. Taken together, these results
explain the mechanisms underlying synchronization and denoising in an important
class of biological models
Mean-field limit of systems with multiplicative noise
A detailed study of the mean-field solution of Langevin equations with
multiplicative noise is presented. Three different regimes depending on
noise-intensity (weak, intermediate, and strong-noise) are identified by
performing a self-consistent calculation on a fully connected lattice. The most
interesting, strong-noise, regime is shown to be intrinsically unstable with
respect to the inclusion of fluctuations, as a Ginzburg criterion shows. On the
other hand, the self-consistent approach is shown to be valid only in the
thermodynamic limit, while for finite systems the critical behavior is found to
be different. In this last case, the self-consistent field itself is broadly
distributed rather than taking a well defined mean value; its fluctuations,
described by an effective zero-dimensional multiplicative noise equation,
govern the critical properties. These findings are obtained analytically for a
fully connected graph, and verified numerically both on fully connected graphs
and on random regular networks. The results presented here shed some doubt on
what is the validity and meaning of a standard mean-field approach in systems
with multiplicative noise in finite dimensions, where each site does not see an
infinite number of neighbors, but a finite one. The implications of all this on
the existence of a finite upper critical dimension for multiplicative noise and
Kardar-Parisi-Zhang problems are briefly discussed.Comment: 9 Pages, 8 Figure
The geometry of spontaneous spiking in neuronal networks
The mathematical theory of pattern formation in electrically coupled networks
of excitable neurons forced by small noise is presented in this work. Using the
Freidlin-Wentzell large deviation theory for randomly perturbed dynamical
systems and the elements of the algebraic graph theory, we identify and analyze
the main regimes in the network dynamics in terms of the key control
parameters: excitability, coupling strength, and network topology. The analysis
reveals the geometry of spontaneous dynamics in electrically coupled network.
Specifically, we show that the location of the minima of a certain continuous
function on the surface of the unit n-cube encodes the most likely activity
patterns generated by the network. By studying how the minima of this function
evolve under the variation of the coupling strength, we describe the principal
transformations in the network dynamics. The minimization problem is also used
for the quantitative description of the main dynamical regimes and transitions
between them. In particular, for the weak and strong coupling regimes, we
present asymptotic formulas for the network activity rate as a function of the
coupling strength and the degree of the network. The variational analysis is
complemented by the stability analysis of the synchronous state in the strong
coupling regime. The stability estimates reveal the contribution of the network
connectivity and the properties of the cycle subspace associated with the graph
of the network to its synchronization properties. This work is motivated by the
experimental and modeling studies of the ensemble of neurons in the Locus
Coeruleus, a nucleus in the brainstem involved in the regulation of cognitive
performance and behavior
Recurrence-based time series analysis by means of complex network methods
Complex networks are an important paradigm of modern complex systems sciences
which allows quantitatively assessing the structural properties of systems
composed of different interacting entities. During the last years, intensive
efforts have been spent on applying network-based concepts also for the
analysis of dynamically relevant higher-order statistical properties of time
series. Notably, many corresponding approaches are closely related with the
concept of recurrence in phase space. In this paper, we review recent
methodological advances in time series analysis based on complex networks, with
a special emphasis on methods founded on recurrence plots. The potentials and
limitations of the individual methods are discussed and illustrated for
paradigmatic examples of dynamical systems as well as for real-world time
series. Complex network measures are shown to provide information about
structural features of dynamical systems that are complementary to those
characterized by other methods of time series analysis and, hence,
substantially enrich the knowledge gathered from other existing (linear as well
as nonlinear) approaches.Comment: To be published in International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos
(2011
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