37,029 research outputs found
Temporal Evolution of Both Premotor and Motor Cortical Tuning Properties Reflect Changes in Limb Biomechanics
A prevailing theory in the cortical control of limb movement posits that premotor cortex initiates a high-level motor plan that is transformed by the primary motor cortex (MI) into a low-level motor command to be executed. This theory implies that the premotor cortex is shielded from the motor periphery and therefore its activity should not represent the low-level features of movement. Contrary to this theory, we show that both dorsal (PMd) and ventral premotor (PMv) cortices exhibit population-level tuning properties that reflect the biomechanical properties of the periphery similar to those observed in M1. We recorded single-unit activity from M1, PMd, and PMv and characterized their tuning properties while six rhesus macaques performed a reaching task in the horizontal plane. Each area exhibited a bimodal distribution of preferred directions during execution consistent with the known biomechanical anisotropies of the muscles and limb segments. Moreover, these distributions varied in orientation or shape from planning to execution. A network model shows that such population dynamics are linked to a change in biomechanics of the limb as the monkey begins to move, specifically to the state-dependent properties of muscles. We suggest that, like M1, neural populations in PMd and PMv are more directly linked with the motor periphery than previously thought
Run-time Support to Manage Architectural Variability Speci ed with CVL
The execution context in which pervasive systems or mobile
computing run changes continuously. Hence, applications for these systems
should be adapted at run-time according to the current context.
In order to implement a context-aware dynamic reconfiguration service,
most approaches usually require to model at design-time both the list of
all possible configurations and the plans to switch among them. In this
paper we present an alternative approach for the automatic run-time generation
of application configurations and the reconfiguration plans. The
generated configurations are optimal regarding di erent criteria, such as
functionality or resource consumption (e.g. battery or memory). This is
achieved by: (1) modelling architectural variability at design-time using
Common Variability Language (CVL), and (2) using a genetic algorithm
that finds at run-time nearly-optimal configurations using the information
provided by the variability model. We also specify a case study
and we use it to evaluate our approach, showing that it is efficient and
suitable for devices with scarce resources.Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucia Tech y proyectos de investigación TIN2008-01942, P09-TIC-5231 and INTER-TRUST FP7-317731
Life Insurance Funding of Buy-Sell Arrangements in Small Businesses
Buy-sell arrangements for the death of a co-owner may be funded with life insurance. The mechanisms and details of buy-sell arrangements were discussed. The decision whether to use life insurance was modeled using the expected utility theorem. State dependent utility was used since a surviving partner may become more (or less) risk averse upon the death of a co-owner. Life insurance funding is preferred at relatively low amounts of risk aversion, especially if the surviving partner becomes more risk averse after the co-owner's death. A lower percentage of life insurance would be used if insurance premiums are significantly above actuarially fair premiums. Given currently available insurance rates, most closely held small businesses probably should fund their buy-sell arrangements with life insurance.Risk and Uncertainty,
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