16,867 research outputs found
Mathematical Analysis and Simulations of the Neural Circuit for Locomotion in Lamprey
We analyze the dynamics of the neural circuit of the lamprey central pattern
generator (CPG). This analysis provides insights into how neural interactions
form oscillators and enable spontaneous oscillations in a network of damped
oscillators, which were not apparent in previous simulations or abstract phase
oscillator models. We also show how the different behaviour regimes
(characterized by phase and amplitude relationships between oscillators) of
forward/backward swimming, and turning, can be controlled using the neural
connection strengths and external inputs.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
Oregon, My Oregon
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/5723/thumbnail.jp
Power-law random walks
We present some new results about the distribution of a random walk whose
independent steps follow a Gaussian distribution with exponent
. In the case we show that a stochastic
representation of the point reached after steps of the walk can be
expressed explicitly for all . In the case we show that the random
walk can be interpreted as a projection of an isotropic random walk, i.e. a
random walk with fixed length steps and uniformly distributed directions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
An Assessment of Stone Weapon Tip Standardization During the Clovis-Folsom Transition in the Western United States
It has long been assumed that Folsom points are more standardized than Clovis points, although an adequate test of this proposition has yet to be undertaken. Here, we address that deficiency by using data from a sample of Folsom and Clovis points recovered from sites across the western United States. We used geometric morphometric techniques to capture point shape and then conducted statistical analyses of variability associated with Clovis and Folsom point bases and blades. Our results demonstrate that Folsom bases and blades are less variable than those on earlier Clovis points, indicating an increase in point standardization during the Early Paleoindian period. In addition, despite published claims to the contrary, Clovis and Folsom point bases are no more variable than blades. Based on these results, we conducted additional analyses to examine the modularity and size of Clovis and Folsom points. The results suggest Clovis points have more integrated base and blade segments than Folsom points. We suggest that several classes of Clovis points - intended for different functions - might have been in use during the Clovis period and that the later Folsom points might have served only as weapon tips, the shape of which were constrained by the fluting process
COVARIANCE ADJUSTMENT IN STUDIES INVOLVING OBSERVATIONAL FACTORS OR COVARIATES INFLUENCED BY TREATMENTS
We extend the definition of adjusted treatment means in the analysis of covariance to deal with the case where some of the covariates are influenced by treatments or where some of the factors are observational. In these cases, comparison of treatment means adjusted to a common value of the covariate may be inappropriate. Partially adjusted means are defined and it is shown that special cases include the usual adjusted means (adjusted to a common value for each of the covariates) and unadjusted means. In fact, in a multifactorial experiment, one can, by appropriate choice of adjustment, compare adjusted means for one factor but unadjusted means for the second factor. Partially adjusted means can be computed by any linear models software which will estimate linear combinations of the parameters
Search for antiproton decay at the Fermilab Antiproton Accumulator
A search for antiproton decay has been made at the Fermilab Antiproton
Accumulator. Limits are placed on thirteen antiproton decay modes. The results
include the first explicit experimental limits on the muonic decay modes of the
antiproton, and the first limits on the decay modes e- gamma gamma, and e-
omega. The most stringent limit is for the decay mode pbar-> e- gamma. At 90%
C.L. we find that tau/B(pbar-> e- gamma) > 7 x 10^5 yr. The most stringent
limit for decay modes with a muon in the final state is for the decay pbar->
mu- gamma. At 90% C.L. we find that tau/B(pbar-> mu- gamma) > 5 x 10^4 yr.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. D. Final results on 13
channels (was 15) are presente
Testing the Rule with Exclusive Semi-Leptonic Kaon Decays
We consider the possibility of violations of the selection rule at an appreciable level in {\it exclusive} semi-leptonic decays of
Kaons. At -Factories, intense Kaon beams will be available and will probe
among others, the semi-leptonic decays and in addition
to and could provide novel testing grounds for the
rule. In particular, the branching ratio of is non-negligible
and could be used to probe new phenomena associated with the violation of this
selection rule. Furthermore, we modify certain di-lepton event rate ratios and
asymmetries and time asymmetries that have been constructed by Dass and Sarma
for di-lepton events from Beon decays to test the at the
, to the Kaon system at the . We find that the large
width of the relative to that of plays an important role in
enhancing some of the time asymmetries.Comment: 10 pages, Plain Latex, To be run twice
Three-dimensional segmentation of three-dimensional ultrasound carotid atherosclerosis using sparse field level sets.
PURPOSE: Three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) vessel wall volume (VWV) provides a 3D measurement of carotid artery wall remodeling and atherosclerotic plaque and is sensitive to temporal changes of carotid plaque burden. Unfortunately, although 3DUS VWV provides many advantages compared to measurements of arterial wall thickening or plaque alone, it is still not widely used in research or clinical practice because of the inordinate amount of time required to train observers and to generate 3DUS VWV measurements. In this regard, semiautomated methods for segmentation of the carotid media-adventitia boundary (MAB) and the lumen-intima boundary (LIB) would greatly improve the time to train observers and for them to generate 3DUS VWV measurements with high reproducibility.
METHODS: The authors describe a 3D algorithm based on a modified sparse field level set method for segmenting the MAB and LIB of the common carotid artery (CCA) from 3DUS images. To the authors\u27 knowledge, the proposed algorithm is the first direct 3D segmentation method, which has been validated for segmenting both the carotid MAB and the LIB from 3DUS images for the purpose of computing VWV. Initialization of the algorithm requires the observer to choose anchor points on each boundary on a set of transverse slices with a user-specified interslice distance (ISD), in which larger ISD requires fewer user interactions than smaller ISD. To address the challenges of the MAB and LIB segmentations from 3DUS images, the authors integrated regional- and boundary-based image statistics, expert initializations, and anatomically motivated boundary separation into the segmentation. The MAB is segmented by incorporating local region-based image information, image gradients, and the anchor points provided by the observer. Moreover, a local smoothness term is utilized to maintain the smooth surface of the MAB. The LIB is segmented by constraining its evolution using the already segmented surface of the MAB, in addition to the global region-based information and the anchor points. The algorithm-generated surfaces were sliced and evaluated with respect to manual segmentations on a slice-by-slice basis using 21 3DUS images.
RESULTS: The authors used ISD of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10 mm for algorithm initialization to generate segmentation results. The algorithm-generated accuracy and intraobserver variability results are comparable to the previous methods, but with fewer user interactions. For example, for the ISD of 3 mm, the algorithm yielded an average Dice coefficient of 94.4% ± 2.2% and 90.6% ± 5.0% for the MAB and LIB and the coefficient of variation of 6.8% for computing the VWV of the CCA, while requiring only 1.72 min (vs 8.3 min for manual segmentation) for a 3DUS image.
CONCLUSIONS: The proposed 3D semiautomated segmentation algorithm yielded high-accuracy and high-repeatability, while reducing the expert interaction required for initializing the algorithm than the previous 2D methods
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