Genetic recombination in the hop-wilt fungus Verticillium albo-atrum

RESP-459

The Loss Rank Principle for Model Selection

We introduce a new principle for model selection in regression and classification. Many regression models are controlled by some smoothness or flexibility or complexity parameter c, e.g. the number of neighbors to be averaged over in k nearest neighbor (kNN) regression or the polynomial degree in regression with polynomials. Let f_D^c be the (best) regressor of complexity c on data D. A more flexible regressor can fit more data D' well than a more rigid one. If something (here small loss) is easy to achieve it's typically worth less. We define the loss rank of f_D^c as the number of other (fictitious) data D' that are fitted better by f_D'^c than D is fitted by f_D^c. We suggest selecting the model complexity c that has minimal loss rank (LoRP). Unlike most penalized maximum likelihood variants (AIC,BIC,MDL), LoRP only depends on the regression function and loss function. It works without a stochastic noise model, and is directly applicable to any non-parametric regressor, like kNN. In this paper we formalize, discuss, and motivate LoRP, study it for specific regression problems, in particular linear ones, and compare it to other model selection schemes.Comment: 16 page

MIRIAM: A Multimodal Chat-Based Interface for Autonomous Systems

We present MIRIAM (Multimodal Intelligent inteRactIon for Autonomous systeMs), a multimodal interface to support situation awareness of autonomous vehicles through chat-based interaction. The user is able to chat about the vehicle's plan, objectives, previous activities and mission progress. The system is mixed initiative in that it pro-actively sends messages about key events, such as fault warnings. We will demonstrate MIRIAM using SeeByte's SeeTrack command and control interface and Neptune autonomy simulator.Comment: 2 pages, ICMI'17, 19th ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction, November 13-17 2017, Glasgow, U

The Impact of Two Curricular Models on Motivation, Engagement and Achievement in Physical Educatio

The purpose of this study was to compare motivation, engagement and achievement in two teaching conditions; one focusing on a skill-drill-game approach, and the second using Sport Education. Forty high school students were randomly selected to participate in either a Sport Education season or a Skill-Drill-Game unit. Post intervention measures of student enjoyment/interest, effort/importance, perceived competence, and pressure/tension were obtained for both groups. A daily gauge of engagement was obtained through pedometry. A pre- and postintervention measure of aerobic fitness was used to assess achievement. ANOVAs indicated a significant difference between groups for effort/importance (p= .012) and enjoyment/interest (p= .005), but not for pressure/tension (p= .762) or perceived competence (p= .218). Three separate oneway ANOVAs indicated that the SEM group took significantly more steps than the SDG group during the introduction and skill practice phase of the season/unit, during the preseason/modified games phase, and also during the regular season/game play phase. ANOVAs indicated a significant difference between groups on both engagement (p= .005) and aerobic fitness (p= .048). The results of this study provide initial, but cautious support for the notion that participation in Sport Education moves students towards more autonomous forms of motivation, which in turn results in greater levels of engagement in classes. The results support Sport Education as a viable curricular model for teachers in order to promote engagement in physical education. The challenge now is to plan studies that formally test this notion, and also use more sophisticated measures of engagement that use both the dimensions of active involvement as well as emotional intensity and effort

Effect of current corrugations on the stability of the tearing mode

The generation of zonal magnetic fields in laboratory fusion plasmas is predicted by theoretical and numerical models and was recently observed experimentally. It is shown that the modification of the current density gradient associated with such corrugations can significantly affect the stability of the tearing mode. A simple scaling law is derived that predicts the impact of small stationary current corrugations on the stability parameter $\Delta'$. The described destabilization mechanism can provide an explanation for the trigger of the Neoclassical Tearing Mode (NTM) in plasmas without significant MHD activity.Comment: Accepted to Physics of Plasma

Resistive MHD Transport Model for an RFP: Part II - Results

No. DE-FG02-91ER-54109. Reproduction, translation, publication, use and disposal, in whole or in part, by or for the United States government is permitted. Submitted for publication to Physics ofPlasmas

Resistive MHD Transport Model for an RFP: Part I - The Model

No. DE-FG02-91ER-54109. Reproduction, translation, publication, use and disposal, in whole or in part, by or for the United States government is permitted. Submitted for publication to Physics ofPlasmas