23,199 research outputs found
Building Adaptive Basis Functions with a Continuous Self-Organizing Map
This paper introduces CSOM, a continuous version of the Self-Organizing Map (SOM). The CSOM network generates maps similar to those created with the original SOM algorithm but, due to the continuous nature of the mapping, CSOM outperforms the SOM on function approximation tasks. CSOM integrates self-organization and smooth prediction into a single process. This is a departure from previous work that required two training phases, one to self-organize a map using the SOM algorithm, and another to learn a smooth approximation of a function. System performance is illustrated with three examples.Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-10409, N00014-95-0657
The Dyer-Roeder relation in a universe with particle production
We have obtained analytical exact solutions of the Dyer-Roeder equation in a
cosmological model where creation of particles occurs at the expenses of the
gravitational field. We discussed the influences of inhomogeneities in the path
of a light beam on the apparent diameter of astrophysical objects and consider
both redshift independent as redshift dependent distributions of the
inhomogeneities.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Accepted to be published in the Astronomy and
Astrophysics Journa
Social protection programs and employment: The case of Mexicoâs âSeguro Popularâ program
Mexico created Seguro Popular in 2002 with the goal of providing free or subsidized health insurance coverage to 47 million uninsured people by the year 2013. Only individuals lacking the social security protections granted to all formal sector workers and their families are eligible. Hence, one unintended consequence of the program could be an increase in the size of the informal sector. The introduction of the Seguro Popular program was conducted in stages, across municipalities and time. We exploit this variation and implement a differences-in-differences approach in order to identify the causal effect of the program in formal employment outcomes. We analyze the effect of Seguro Popular using 33 large and relatively rich cities from labor force surveys conducted from 2001 to 2004. In order to measure the effect for poorer municipalities, we also use the individual-level Oportunidades dataset that covers 136 municipalities from 2002 to 2004. We find little evidence of any correlation between Seguro Popular and the decision of workers to be employed in the formal or informal sector. One possible explanation of our findings is the low enrollment of the Seguro Popular program during the period we study. We provide suggestive evidence from the 33 cities that the result holds for the 2005 to 2006 period as well. We conclude that the recent increase in informal employment in Mexico is due to other causes.Mexico, informality, employment
Large Scale Morphological Segregation in Optically Selected Galaxy Redshift Catalogs
We present the results of an exhaustive analysis of the morphological
segregation of galaxies in the CfA and SSRS catalogs through the scaling
formalism. Morphological segregation between ellipticals and spirals has been
detected at scales up to 15-20 h Mpc in the CfA catalog, and up to 20-30
h Mpc in the SSRS catalog. Moreover, it is present not only in the
densest areas of the galaxy distribution, but also in zones of moderate
density.Comment: 9 pages, (1 figure included), uuencode compressed Postscript,
(accepted for publication in ApJ Letters), FTUAM-93-2
Cerebral and cardiovascular effects of analgesic doses of ketamine during a target controlled general anesthesia: a prospective randomized study
Introduction: Ketamine is increasingly being used in various pain settings. The purpose of this study was to
assess the effect of an analgesic dose of ketamine in the bispectral index (BIS), spectral edge frequency (SEF-95), density spectral array (DSA), cerebral oximetry (rSO2) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) during general
anaesthesia with a target controlled infusion.
Methods: A prospective, single-blinded and randomized study on adult patients scheduled for elective spine
surgery was carried out. After anaesthesia induction with propofol, remifentanil and rocuronium, when a stable BIS
value (45-55) was achieved, an automatic recording of BIS, SEF-95, rSO2 and MAP values during 9 min was
performed to establish patients baseline values. Subsequently, patients were randomly assigned to receive a
ketamine bolus dose of 0.2 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg or 1 mg/kg; all variables were recorded for additional 9 min after the
ketamine bolus, in the absence of any surgical stimulus. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant in the statistical
analysis.
Results and discussion: Thirty-nine patients were enrolled in the study. Our results show a dose-related
increase of SEF-95 and BIS values. DSA demonstrate a shift in the frequency range and power distribution towards
higher frequencies. Our results do not show significant differences in MAP and rSO2 values.
Conclusion: When ketamine is used intraoperatively in analgesic doses, the anaesthetist should anticipate an
increase in SEF-95 and BIS values which will not be associated with the level of anaesthesia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
- âŠ