405 research outputs found
Synchronization, Diversity, and Topology of Networks of Integrate and Fire Oscillators
We study synchronization dynamics of a population of pulse-coupled
oscillators. In particular, we focus our attention in the interplay between
networks topological disorder and its synchronization features. Firstly, we
analyze synchronization time in random networks, and find a scaling law
which relates to networks connectivity. Then, we carry on comparing
synchronization time for several other topological configurations,
characterized by a different degree of randomness. The analysis shows that
regular lattices perform better than any other disordered network. The fact can
be understood by considering the variability in the number of links between two
adjacent neighbors. This phenomenon is equivalent to have a non-random topology
with a distribution of interactions and it can be removed by an adequate local
normalization of the couplings.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX 209, uses RevTe
Dynamical mean-field theory of spiking neuron ensembles: response to a single spike with independent noises
Dynamics of an ensemble of -unit FitzHugh-Nagumo (FN) neurons subject to
white noises has been studied by using a semi-analytical dynamical mean-field
(DMF) theory in which the original -dimensional {\it stochastic}
differential equations are replaced by 8-dimensional {\it deterministic}
differential equations expressed in terms of moments of local and global
variables. Our DMF theory, which assumes weak noises and the Gaussian
distribution of state variables, goes beyond weak couplings among constituent
neurons. By using the expression for the firing probability due to an applied
single spike, we have discussed effects of noises, synaptic couplings and the
size of the ensemble on the spike timing precision, which is shown to be
improved by increasing the size of the neuron ensemble, even when there are no
couplings among neurons. When the coupling is introduced, neurons in ensembles
respond to an input spike with a partial synchronization. DMF theory is
extended to a large cluster which can be divided into multiple sub-clusters
according to their functions. A model calculation has shown that when the noise
intensity is moderate, the spike propagation with a fairly precise timing is
possible among noisy sub-clusters with feed-forward couplings, as in the
synfire chain. Results calculated by our DMF theory are nicely compared to
those obtained by direct simulations. A comparison of DMF theory with the
conventional moment method is also discussed.Comment: 29 pages, 2 figures; augmented the text and added Appendice
A Review of the fossil record of turtles of the clade Baenidae
The fossil record of the turtle clade Baenidae ranges from the Early Cretaceous (AptianâAlbian) to the Eocene. The group is present throughout North America during the Early Cretaceous, but is restricted to the western portions of the continents in the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene. No credible remains of the clade have been reported outside of North America to date. Baenids were warmadapted freshwater aquatic turtles that supported high levels of diversity at times through niche partitioning, particularly by adapting to a broad range of dietary preferences ranging from omnivorous to molluscivorous. Current phylogenies place Baenidae near the split of crown-group Testudines. Within Baenidae three more inclusive, named clades are recognized: Baenodda, Palatobaeninae and Eubaeninae. A taxonomic review of the group concludes that of 49 named taxa, 30 are nomina valida, 12 are nomina invalida and 7 are nomina dubia
Machine Learning in Automated Text Categorization
The automated categorization (or classification) of texts into predefined
categories has witnessed a booming interest in the last ten years, due to the
increased availability of documents in digital form and the ensuing need to
organize them. In the research community the dominant approach to this problem
is based on machine learning techniques: a general inductive process
automatically builds a classifier by learning, from a set of preclassified
documents, the characteristics of the categories. The advantages of this
approach over the knowledge engineering approach (consisting in the manual
definition of a classifier by domain experts) are a very good effectiveness,
considerable savings in terms of expert manpower, and straightforward
portability to different domains. This survey discusses the main approaches to
text categorization that fall within the machine learning paradigm. We will
discuss in detail issues pertaining to three different problems, namely
document representation, classifier construction, and classifier evaluation.Comment: Accepted for publication on ACM Computing Survey
Vertical distribution of fish larvae in the Canaries-African coastal transition zone, in summer
13 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables.-- Printed version published Jul 2006.This study reports the vertical distribution of fish larvae during the 1999 summer upwelling season in the Canaries-African Coastal Transition Zone (the Canaries-ACTZ). The transition between the African coastal upwelling and the typical subtropical offshore conditions is a region of intense mesoscale activity that supports a larval fish population dominated by African neritic species. During the study, the thermal stratification extended almost to the surface everywhere, and the surface mixed layer was typically shallow or non-existent. Upwelling occurred on the African shelf in a limited coastal sub-area of our sampling. The vertical distributions of the entire larval fish population, as well as of individual species, were independent of the seasonal thermocline. Fish larvae and mesozooplankton were concentrated at intermediate depths regardless of the thermocline position, probably because of its weak signature and spatial and temporal variability. Day/night vertical distributions suggest that some species did not perform diel vertical migration (DVM), whereas others showed either type I DVM or type II DVM. The opposing DVM patterns of different species compensate for each other resulting in no net DVM for the larval fish population as a whole.Fieldwork was carried out as part of the CANIGO project, funded by the EU, and of the "Pelagic (EU-CICYT 1FD97-1084)" project from the Spanish Ministry of Education and the European Union
Longitudinal medical resources and costs among type 2 diabetes patients participating in the Trial Evaluating Cardiovascular Outcomes with Sitagliptin (TECOS)
Aims: TECOS, a cardiovascular safety trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00790205) involving 14 671 patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, demonstrated that sitagliptin was non-inferior to placebo for the primary composite cardiovascular outcome when added to best usual care. This study tested hypotheses that medical resource use and costs differed between these 2 treatment strategies. Materials and methods: Information concerning medical resource use was collected on case report forms throughout the trial and was valued using US costs for: Medicare payments for hospitalizations, medical procedures and outpatient visits, and wholesale acquisition costs (WAC) for diabetes-related medications. Hierarchical generalized linear models were used to compare resource use and US costs, accounting for variable intercountry practice patterns. Sensitivity analyses included resource valuation using English costs for a UK perspective. Results: There were no significant differences in hospitalizations, inpatient days, medical procedures, or outpatient visits during follow-up (mean and median 3.0 years in both groups). Hospitalization rates appeared to diverge after 2 years, with lower rates among sitagliptin-treated vs placebo patients after 2.5 years (relative rate, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.83-0.97]; P =.01). Mean medical costs, exclusive of study medication, were 11 937 USD in the sitagliptin arm and 12 409 USD in the placebo arm (P =.06). Mean sitagliptin costs based on undiscounted WAC were 9978 USD per patient. Differential UK total costs including study drug costs were smaller (911 GBP), primarily because of lower mean costs for sitagliptin (1072 GBP). Conclusions: Lower hospitalization rates across time with sitagliptin slightly offset sitagliptin treatment costs over 3 years in type 2 diabetes patients at high risk for cardiovascular events
Measurement of the cross section for isolated-photon plus jet production in pp collisions at âs=13 TeV using the ATLAS detector
The dynamics of isolated-photon production in association with a jet in protonâproton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are studied with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using a dataset with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fbâ1. Photons are required to have transverse energies above 125 GeV. Jets are identified using the anti- algorithm with radius parameter and required to have transverse momenta above 100 GeV. Measurements of isolated-photon plus jet cross sections are presented as functions of the leading-photon transverse energy, the leading-jet transverse momentum, the azimuthal angular separation between the photon and the jet, the photonâjet invariant mass and the scattering angle in the photonâjet centre-of-mass system. Tree-level plus parton-shower predictions from Sherpa and Pythia as well as next-to-leading-order QCD predictions from Jetphox and Sherpa are compared to the measurements
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