10,259 research outputs found
Analysis of dropout learning regarded as ensemble learning
Deep learning is the state-of-the-art in fields such as visual object
recognition and speech recognition. This learning uses a large number of
layers, huge number of units, and connections. Therefore, overfitting is a
serious problem. To avoid this problem, dropout learning is proposed. Dropout
learning neglects some inputs and hidden units in the learning process with a
probability, p, and then, the neglected inputs and hidden units are combined
with the learned network to express the final output. We find that the process
of combining the neglected hidden units with the learned network can be
regarded as ensemble learning, so we analyze dropout learning from this point
of view.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Conferenc
Metagenomic analysis of silage
This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Metagenomics is defined as the direct analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) purified from environmental samples and enables taxonomic
identification of the microbial communities present within them. Two main metagenomic approaches exist; sequencing the 16S rRNA gene
coding region, which exhibits sufficient variation between taxa for identification, and shotgun sequencing, in which genomes of the organisms
that are present in the sample are analyzed and ascribed to "operational taxonomic units"; species, genera or families depending on the extent of
sequencing coverage.
In this study, shotgun sequencing was used to analyze the microbial community present in cattle silage and, coupled with a range of
bioinformatics tools to quality check and filter the DNA sequence reads, perform taxonomic classification of the microbial populations present
within the sampled silage, and achieve functional annotation of the sequences. These methods were employed to identify potentially harmful
bacteria that existed within the silage, an indication of silage spoilage. If spoiled silage is not remediated, then upon ingestion it could be
potentially fatal to the livestock.Authors would like to thank Andrew Bird for the silage samples and Audrey Farbos of the Exeter Sequencing Service for her assistance in
preparing DNA sequencing libraries. Exeter Sequencing Service and Computational core facilities at the University of Exeter. Medical Research
Council Clinical Infrastructure award (MR/M008924/1). Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (WT097835MF), Wellcome Trust
Multi User Equipment Award (WT101650MA) and BBSRC LOLA award (BB/K003240/1
Assessment of accuracy and recognition of three-dimensional computerized forensic craniofacial reconstruction
Facial reconstruction is a technique that aims to reproduce the individual facial characteristics based on interpretation of the skull, with the objective of recognition leading to identification. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the accuracy and recognition level of three-dimensional (3D) computerized forensic craniofacial reconstruction (CCFR) performed in a blind test on open-source software using computed tomography (CT) data from live subjects. Four CCFRs were produced by one of the researchers, who was provided with information concerning the age, sex, and ethnic group of each subject. The CCFRs were produced using Blender® with 3D models obtained from the CT data and templates from the MakeHuman® program. The evaluation of accuracy was carried out in CloudCompare, by geometric comparison of the CCFR to the subject 3D face model (obtained from the CT data). A recognition level was performed using the Picasa® recognition tool with a frontal standardized photography, images of the subject CT face model and the CCFR. Soft-tissue depth and nose, ears and mouth were based on published data, observing Brazilian facial parameters. The results were presented from all the points that form the CCFR model, with an average for each comparison between 63% and 74% with a distance -2.5 ≤ x ≤ 2.5 mm from the skin surface. The average distances were 1.66 to 0.33 mm and greater distances were observed around the eyes, cheeks, mental and zygomatic regions. Two of the four CCFRs were correctly matched by the Picasa® tool. Free software programs are capable of producing 3D CCFRs with plausible levels of accuracy and recognition and therefore indicate their value for use in forensic applications
Antikaon production in nucleon-nucleon reactions near threshold
The antikaon production cross section from nucleon-nucleon reactions near
threshold is studied in a meson exchange model. We include both pion and kaon
exchange, but neglect the interference between the amplitudes. In case of pion
exchange the antikaon production cross section can be expressed in terms of the
antikaon production cross section from a pion-nucleon interaction, which we
take from the experimental data if available. Otherwise, a -resonance
exchange model is introduced to relate the different reaction cross sections.
In case of kaon exchange the antikaon production cross section is related to
the elastic and cross sections, which are again taken from
experimental measurements. We find that the one-meson exchange model gives a
satisfactory fit to the available data for the cross section
at high energies. We compare our predictions for the cross section near
threshold with an earlier empirical parameterization and that from phase space
models.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, 5 postscript figures included, submitted to Z. Phys.
Relative blocking in posets
Poset-theoretic generalizations of set-theoretic committee constructions are
presented. The structure of the corresponding subposets is described. Sequences
of irreducible fractions associated to the principal order ideals of finite
bounded posets are considered and those related to the Boolean lattices are
explored; it is shown that such sequences inherit all the familiar properties
of the Farey sequences.Comment: 29 pages. Corrected version of original publication which is
available at http://www.springerlink.com, see Corrigendu
Geometric aspects of space-time reflection symmetry in quantum mechanics
For nearly two decades, much research has been carried out on properties of physical systems described by Hamiltonians that are not Hermitian in the conventional sense, but are symmetric under space-time reflection; that is, they exhibit PT symmetry. Such Hamiltonians can be used to model the behavior of closed quantum systems, but they can also be replicated in open systems for which gain and loss are carefully balanced, and this has been implemented in laboratory experiments for a wide range of systems. Motivated by these ongoing research activities, we investigate here a particular theoretical aspect of the subject by unraveling the geometric structures of Hilbert spaces endowed with the parity and time-reversal operations, and analyze the characteristics ofPT -symmetric Hamiltonians. A canonical relation between aPT -symmetric operator and a Hermitian operator is established in a geometric setting. The quadratic form corresponding to the parity operator, in particular, gives rise to a natural partition of the Hilbert space into two halves corresponding to states having positive and negative PT norm. Positive definiteness of the norm can be restored by introducing a conjugation operator C ; this leads to a positive-definite inner product in terms of CPT conjugation
Relativistic Mean-Field Theory Equation of State of Neutron Star Matter and a Maxwellian Phase Transition to Strange Quark Matter
The equation of state of neutron star matter is examined in terms of the
relativistic mean-field theory, including a scalar-isovector -meson
effective field. The constants of the theory are determined numerically so that
the empirically known characteristics of symmetric nuclear matter are
reproduced at the saturation density. The thermodynamic characteristics of both
asymmetric nucleonic matter and -equilibrium hadron-electron
-plasmas are studied. Assuming that the transition to strange quark matter
is an ordinary first-order phase transition described by Maxwell's rule, a
detailed study is made of the variations in the parameters of the phase
transition owing to the presence of a -meson field. The quark phase is
described using an improved version of the bag model, in which interactions
between quarks are accounted for in a one-gluon exchange approximation. The
characteristics of the phase transition are determined for various values of
the bag parameter within the range and it is shown
that including a -meson field leads to a reduction in the phase
transition pressure and in the concentrations and at
the phase transition point.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Effect of time and day of admission on hospital care quality for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation in England and Wales: single cohort study
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if observed increased weekend mortality was associated with poorer quality of care for patients admitted to hospital with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. DESIGN: Prospective case ascertainment cohort study. SETTING: 199 acute hospitals in England and Wales, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive COPD admissions, excluding subsequent readmissions, from 1 February to 30 April 2014 of whom 13 414 cases were entered into the study. MAIN OUTCOMES: Process of care mapped to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical quality standards, access to specialist respiratory teams and facilities, mortality and length of stay, related to time and day of the week of admission. RESULTS: Mortality was higher for weekend admissions (unadjusted OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.43), and for case-mix adjusted weekend mortality when calculated for admissions Friday morning through to Monday night (adjusted OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.43). Median time to death was 6 days. Some clinical processes were poorer on Mondays and during normal working hours but not weekends or out of hours. Specialist respiratory care was less available and less prompt for Friday and Saturday admissions. Admission to a specialist ward or high dependency unit was less likely on a Saturday or Sunday. CONCLUSIONS: Increased mortality observed in weekend admissions is not easily explained by deficiencies in early clinical guideline care. Further study of out-of-hospital factors, specialty care and deaths later in the admission are required if effective interventions are to be made to reduce variation by day of the week of admission
The Association of Cusp-Aligned Arcs With Plasma in the Magnetotail Implies a Closed Magnetosphere
We investigate a 15-day period in October 2011. Auroral observations by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager instrument onboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F16, F17, and F18 spacecraft indicate that the polar regions were covered by weak cusp-aligned arc (CAA) emissions whenever the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) clock angle was small, |θ| < 45°, which amounted to 30% of the time. Simultaneous observations of ions and electrons in the tail by the Cluster C4 and Geotail spacecraft showed that during these intervals dense (≈1 cm−3) plasma was observed, even as far from the equatorial plane of the tail as |ZGSE| ≈ 13 RE. The ions had a pitch angle distribution peaking parallel and antiparallel to the magnetic field and the electrons had pitch angles that peaked perpendicular to the field. We interpret the counter-streaming ions and double loss-cone electrons as evidence that the plasma was trapped on closed field lines, and acted as a source for the CAA emission across the polar regions. This suggests that the magnetosphere was almost entirely closed during these periods. We further argue that the closure occurred as a consequence of dual-lobe reconnection. Our finding forces a significant re-evaluation of the magnetic topology of the magnetosphere during periods of northwards IMF
- …