Pre-integration lateral inhibition enhances unsupervised learning

A large and influential class of neural network architectures use post-integration lateral inhibition as a mechanism for competition. We argue that these algorithms are computationally deficient in that they fail to generate, or learn, appropriate perceptual representations under certain circumstances. An alternative neural network architecture is presented in which nodes compete for the right to receive inputs rather than for the right to generate outputs. This form of competition, implemented through pre-integration lateral inhibition, does provide appropriate coding properties and can be used to efficiently learn such representations. Furthermore, this architecture is consistent with both neuro-anatomical and neuro-physiological data. We thus argue that pre-integration lateral inhibition has computational advantages over conventional neural network architectures while remaining equally biologically plausible

A Profile of Frail Older Americans and Their Caregivers

Provides a profile of older Americans and their caregivers, focusing on people age 65 and older who are not in nursing homes, and those with severe disabilities. Includes policy implications and recommendations for community-based home care options

Improved Superlinks for Higher Spin Operators

Traditional smearing or blocking techniques serve well to increase the overlap of operators onto physical states but allow for links orientated only along lattice axes. Recent attempts to construct more general propagators have shown promise at resolving the higher spin states but still rely on iterative smearing. We present a new method of superlink construction which creates meared links from (sparse) matrix multiplications, allowing for gluonic propagation in arbitrary directions. As an application and example, we compute the positive-parity, even-spin glueball spectrum up to spin 6 for pure gauge SU(2) at beta = 6, L = 16, in D = 2+1 dimensions.Comment: 27 pages, 10 tables, 8 figures, uses RevTex4, minor corrections and further development, reunitarized superlinks, as accepted by PR

A measurement of energetic test electron interactions with a plasma

Interaction of energetic test electrons with dense high temperature plasma and energy dissipation distributio

Higher homotopy operations and cohomology

We explain how higher homotopy operations, defined topologically, may be identified under mild assumptions with (the last of) the Dwyer-Kan-Smith cohomological obstructions to rectifying homotopy-commutative diagrams.Comment: 28 page

Excitation energies, polarizabilities, multipole transition rates, and lifetimes of ions along the francium isoelectronic sequence

Relativistic many-body perturbation theory is applied to study properties of ions of the francium isoelectronic sequence. Specifically, energies of the 7s, 7p, 6d, and 5f states of Fr-like ions with nuclear charges Z = 87 - 100 are calculated through third order; reduced matrix elements, oscillator strengths, transition rates, and lifetimes are determined for 7s - 7p, 7p - 6d, and 6d - 5f electric-dipole transitions; and 7s - 6d, 7s - 5f, and 5f_5/2 - 5f_7/2 multipole matrix elements are evaluated to obtain the lifetimes of low-lying excited states. Moreover, for the ions Z = 87 - 92 calculations are also carried out using the relativistic all-order single-double method, in which single and double excitations of Dirac-Fock wave functions are included to all orders in perturbation theory. With the aid of the SD wave functions, we obtain accurate values of energies, transition rates, oscillator strengths, and the lifetimes of these six ions. Ground state scalar polarizabilities in Fr I, Ra II, Ac III, and Th IV are calculated using relativistic third-order and all-order methods. Ground state scalar polarizabilities for other Fr-like ions are calculated using a relativistic second-order method. These calculations provide a theoretical benchmark for comparison with experiment and theory.Comment: 13 figures, 11 table

Excitation energies, polarizabilities, multipole transition rates, and lifetimes in Th IV

Excitation energies of the ns_{1/2} (n=7-10), np_j (n=7-9), nd_j (n=6-8), nf_{j} (n=5-7), and ng_{j} (n=5-6) states in Th IV are evaluated. First-, second-, third-, and all-order Coulomb energies and first- and second-order Coulomb-Breit energies are calculated. Reduced matrix elements, oscillator strengths, transition rates, and lifetimes are determined for the 96 possible nl_j-n'l'_j' electric-dipole transitions. Multipole matrix elements (7s_{1/2}-6d_j, 7s_{1/2}-5f_j, and 5f_{5/2}-5f_{7/2}) are evaluated to obtain the lifetimes of the $5f_{7/2}$ and 7s_{1/2}$ states. Matrix elements are calculated using both relativistic many-body perturbation theory, complete through third order, and a relativistic all-order method restricted to single and double (SD) excitations. Scalar and tensor polarizabilities for the 5f_{5/2} ground state in Th3+ are calculated using relativistic third-order and all-order methods. These calculations provide a theoretical benchmark for comparison with experiment and theory.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure