2,601 research outputs found

    A polynomial training algorithm for calculating perceptrons of optimal stability

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    Recomi (REpeated COrrelation Matrix Inversion) is a polynomially fast algorithm for searching optimally stable solutions of the perceptron learning problem. For random unbiased and biased patterns it is shown that the algorithm is able to find optimal solutions, if any exist, in at worst O(N^4) floating point operations. Even beyond the critical storage capacity alpha_c the algorithm is able to find locally stable solutions (with negative stability) at the same speed. There are no divergent time scales in the learning process. A full proof of convergence cannot yet be given, only major constituents of a proof are shown.Comment: 11 pages, Latex, 4 EPS figure

    The evolution of mutualism with modifiers

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    Mutualisms are widespread, yet their evolution has received less theoretical attention than within-species social behaviors. Here, we extend previous models of unconditional pairwise interspecies social behavior, to consider selection for donation but also for donation-suppressing modifiers. We present conditions under which modifiers that suppress costly donation receive either positive or negative selection; assortment only at the donation locus always leads to selection for donation suppression, as in within-species greenbeard traits. However, genomewide assortment with modifier loci can lead to intermediate levels of donation, and these can differ in the two species even when payoffs from donation are additive and symmetric. When costly donation between species can evolve without being suppressed, we argue that it is most appropriately explained by indirect fitness benefits within the donating species, using partner species as vectors for altruism. Our work has implications for identifying both the stability and the ultimate beneficiaries of social behavior between species

    The Rayleigh-Taylor instability and internal waves in quantum plasmas

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    Influence of quantum effects on the internal waves and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in plasma is investigated. It is shown that quantum pressure always stabilizes the RT instability. The problem is solved both in the limit of short-wavelength perturbations and exactly for density profiles with layers of exponential stratification. In the case of stable stratification, quantum pressure modifies the dispersion relation of the inertial waves. Because of the quantum effects, the internal waves may propagate in the transverse direction, which was impossible in the classical case. A specific form of pure quantum internal waves is obtained, which do not require any external gravitational field.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

    Considering the feasibility, tolerability and safety of high-intensity interval training as a novel treatment for patients with intermittent claudication

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    Considering the Feasibility, Tolerability and Safety of High-Intensity Interval Training as a Novel Treatment for Patients with Intermittent Claudication.Structured AbstractPurpose: This study assessed the feasibility, tolerability, safety and potential efficacy of a novel, 6-week, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programme for patients with intermittent claudication (IC).Methods: Patients referred to a usual-care supervised exercise programme were invited to undertake a HIIT programme. All recruited patients performed a baseline cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) to inform their exercise prescription. HIIT involved ten, one-minute high-intensity cycling intervals interspersed with one-minute recovery intervals, performed three times per week for six-weeks. Outcomes included feasibility, tolerability, safety, walking distance and quality of life. Results: 144 patients with IC were referred, 95 met initial eligibility criteria (66%) and 30 (32%) were recruited for HIIT, of which 15 (50%) completed. Of the recruited patients, 90% were on optimal medical therapy and 40% had concomitant cardiac, cerebrovascular and/or respiratory disease. Patients who completed the programme attended 100% of the sessions and one serious adverse event was recorded. Improvements in walking distances and quality of life were observed.Following recruitment of the first 20 patients, the inclusion criteria was refined on the basis of CPX, leading to improved completion rates.Conclusions: This study provides preliminary findings indicating that patients with IC can complete a short-term HIIT programme. We provide very early evidence that HIIT may be safe and well-tolerated. In addition, walking distances seem to improve following HIIT. After a small change in the exclusion criteria, the intervention and inclusion/exclusion criteria now seem appropriate for this population, meaning further research to evaluate HIIT in patients with IC is warranted. Condensed abstractThis study considered the safety, feasibility and tolerability of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for patients with intermittent claudication. Following a small change in the exclusion criteria, patients with intermittent claudication can complete HIIT and it appears well-tolerated and seems to provide improvements in walking distances

    Illusions and Delusions: Relating Experimentally-Induced False Memories to Anomalous Experiences and Ideas

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    The salience hypothesis of psychosis rests on a simple but profound observation that subtle alterations in the way that we perceive and experience stimuli have important consequences for how important these stimuli become for us, how much they draw our attention, how they embed themselves in our memory and, ultimately, how they shape our beliefs. We put forward the idea that a classical memory illusion – the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) effect – offers a useful way of exploring processes related to such aberrant belief formation. The illusion occurs when, as a consequence of its relationship to previous stimuli, a stimulus that has not previously been presented is falsely remembered. Such illusory familiarity is thought to be generated by the surprising fluency with which the stimulus is processed. In this respect, the illusion relates directly to the salience hypothesis and may share common cognitive underpinnings with aberrations of perception and attribution that are found in psychosis. In this paper, we explore the theoretical importance of this experimentally-induced illusion in relation to the salience model of psychosis. We present data showing that, in healthy volunteers, the illusion relates directly to self reported anomalies of experience and magical thinking. We discuss this finding in terms of the salience hypothesis and of a broader Bayesian framework of perception and cognition which emphasizes the salience both of predictable and unpredictable experiences

    Legal and Moral Responsibility

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    The paper begins with the plausible view that criminal responsibility should track moral responsibility, and explains its plausibility. A necessary distinction is then drawn between liability and answerability as two dimensions of responsibility, and is shown to underpin the distinction in criminal law between offences and defences. This enables us to distinguish strict liability from strict answerability, and to see that whilst strict criminal liability seems inconsistent with the principle that criminal responsibility should track moral responsibility, strict criminal answerability is not. We must ask, therefore, whether, when and why strict criminal responsibility is unacceptable

    Estimation of Radiation Dosimetry for 68Ga-HBED-CC (PSMA-11) in Patients with Suspected Recurrence of Prostate Cancer

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    Introduction This study was performed to estimate the human radiation dosimetry for [68Ga]Ga-HBED-CC (PSMA-11) (68Ga PSMA-11). Methods Under an RDRC-approved research protocol, we evaluated the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of 68Ga PSMA-11 with serial PET imaging following intravenous administration to nine prostate cancer patients in whom clinical [11C]acetate PET/CT exams had been independently performed under Expanded Access IND 118,204. List-mode imaging was performed over the initial 0–10 min post-injection with the pelvis in the field-of-view. Whole-body images were acquired, pelvis-to-head, at 15, 60, and 90-min post-injection. Additional images of the pelvis were acquired at 40-min and 115-min, and voided urine collected from each subject at 48-min and 120-min post-injection. Radiation dosimetry estimates were calculated from these data using the OLINDA software package. Results Renal uptake was high and relatively invariant, ranging from 11% to 14% of the injected dose between 15 and 90-min post-injection. Radioactivity collected in the voided urine accounted for 14% of the injected dose over a period of 120-min. Lymph nodes and skeletal metastases suspicious for prostate cancer recurrence were detected in a greater number of patients using 68Ga PSMA-11 than using 11C-acetate. Conclusion Kidneys are the critical organ following 68Ga PSMA-11 administration, receiving an estimated dose of 0.413 mGy/MBq. Advances in knowledge and implications for patient care This study confirms that the kidneys will be the critical organ following intravenous administration of 68Ga PSMA-11, and provided data consistent with the expectation that 68Ga PSMA-11 will be superior to [11C]acetate for defining sites of recurrence in prostate cancer patients presenting with biochemical relapse

    A modelling approach towards Epidermal homoeostasis control

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    In order to grasp the features arising from cellular discreteness and individuality, in large parts of cell tissue modelling agent-based models are favoured. The subclass of off-lattice models allows for a physical motivation of the intercellular interaction rules. We apply an improved version of a previously introduced off-lattice agent-based model to the steady-state flow equilibrium of skin. The dynamics of cells is determined by conservative and drag forces,supplemented with delta-correlated random forces. Cellular adjacency is detected by a weighted Delaunay triangulation. The cell cycle time of keratinocytes is controlled by a diffusible substance provided by the dermis. Its concentration is calculated from a diffusion equation with time-dependent boundary conditions and varying diffusion coefficients. The dynamics of a nutrient is also taken into account by a reaction-diffusion equation. It turns out that the analysed control mechanism suffices to explain several characteristics of epidermal homoeostasis formation. In addition, we examine the question of how {\em in silico} melanoma with decreased basal adhesion manage to persist within the steady-state flow-equilibrium of the skin.Interestingly, even for melanocyte cell cycle times being substantially shorter than for keratinocytes, tiny stochastic effects can lead to completely different outcomes. The results demonstrate that the understanding of initial states of tumour growth can profit significantly from the application of off-lattice agent-based models in computer simulations.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, 1 table; version that is to appear in Journal of Theoretical Biolog

    Structure in the polarized Galactic synchrotron emission, in particular `depolarization canals'

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    The polarized component of the diffuse radio synchrotron emission of our Galaxy shows structure, which is apparently unrelated to the structure in total intensity, on many scales. The structure in the polarized emission can be due to several processes or mechanisms. Some of those are related to the observational setup, such as beam depolarization -- the vector combination and (partial) cancellation of polarization vectors within a synthesized beam --, or the insensitivity of a synthesis telescope to structure on large scales, also known as the 'missing short spacings problem'. Other causes for structure in the polarization maps are intrinsic to the radiative transfer of the emission in the warm ISM, which induces Faraday rotation and depolarization. We use data obtained with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope at 5 frequencies near 350 MHz to estimate the importance of the various mechanisms in producing structure in the linearly polarized emission. In the two regions studied here, which are both at positive latitudes in the second Galactic quadrant, the effect of 'missing short spacings' is not important. The properties of the narrow depolarization 'canals' that are observed in abundance lead us to conclude that they are mostly due to beam depolarization, and that they separate regions with different rotation measures. As beam depolarization only creates structure on the scale of the synthesized beam, most of the structure on larger scales must be due to depth depolarization. We do not discuss that aspect of the observations here, but in a companion paper we derive information about the properties of the ISM from the structure of the polarized emission.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication by A&
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