An endogenous crepuscular rhythm of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) photomechanical movements

1. The position of the epithelial pigment and cones in the retina of Salmo gairdneri was determined during extended periods of darkness in fish entrained to both artificial and natural light/dark cycles. 2. An endogenous rhythm of such photomechanical movements, unique among species so far examined, was observed in both groups of fish, with two peaks of light adaptation coincident with dawn and dusk. 3. It is suggested that such an apparently non-adaptive physiological rhythm is related to the behavioural pattern of trout and reveals a basic crepuscular organisation. 4. No endogenous rhythm was observed in continual light. 5. These results suggest that control of photomechanical changes in rainbow trout has two components: an endogenous component, that causes the bimodal pattern in maintained darkness, and a direct effect of light, that maintains light adaptation throughout a normal day

The pupillary response of cephalopods

This paper provides the first detailed description of the time courses of light-evoked pupillary constriction for two species of cephalopods, Sepia officinalis (a cuttlefish) and Eledone cirrhosa (an octopus). The responses are much faster than hitherto reported, full contraction in Sepia taking less than 1 s, indicating it is among the most rapid pupillary responses in the animal kingdom. We also describe the dependence of the degree of pupil constriction on the level of ambient illumination and show considerable variability between animals. Furthermore, both Sepia and Eledone lack a consensual light-evoked pupil response. Pupil dilation following darkness in Sepia is shown to be very variable, often occurring within a second but at other times taking considerably longer. This may be the result of extensive light-independent variations in pupil diameter in low levels of illumination

Machine learning techniques for fault isolation and sensor placement

Fault isolation and sensor placement are vital for monitoring and diagnosis. A sensor conveys information about a system's state that guides troubleshooting if problems arise. We are using machine learning methods to uncover behavioral patterns over snapshots of system simulations that will aid fault isolation and sensor placement, with an eye towards minimality, fault coverage, and noise tolerance

5D Yang-Mills instantons from ABJM Monopoles

In the presence of a background supergravity flux, N M2-branes will expand via the Myers effect into M5-branes wrapped on a fuzzy three-sphere. In previous work the fluctuations of the M2-branes were shown to be described by the five-dimensional Yang-Mills gauge theory associated to D4-branes. We show that the ABJM prescription for eleven-dimensional momentum in terms of magnetic flux lifts to an instanton flux of the effective five-dimensional Yang-Mills theory on the sphere, giving an M-theory interpretation for these instantons.Comment: 29 pages, Latex; v2: added references and a comment on the graviphoton coupling in section 5; v3: typos corrected and references adde

"Saving and Interest Rates in Japan: Why They Have Fallen and Why They Will Remain Low"

This paper quantifies the role of alternative shocks in accounting for the recent declines in Japanese saving rates and interest rates and provides some projections about their future course. We consider four distinct sources of variation in saving rates and real interest rates: changes in fertility rates, changes in survival rates, changes in technology and changes in uninsurable labor income risk. The emprical relevance of these factors is explored using a computable dynamic OLG model. We find that the combined effects of demographics and slower total factor productivity growth successfully explain both the levels and the magnitudes of the declines in the saving rate and the after-tax real interest rate during the 1990s. Model simulations indicate that the Japanese savings puzzle is over.