Improved Convergence Rate of Stochastic Gradient Langevin Dynamics with Variance Reduction and its Application to Optimization

The stochastic gradient Langevin Dynamics is one of the most fundamental algorithms to solve sampling problems and non-convex optimization appearing in several machine learning applications. Especially, its variance reduced versions have nowadays gained particular attention. In this paper, we study two variants of this kind, namely, the Stochastic Variance Reduced Gradient Langevin Dynamics and the Stochastic Recursive Gradient Langevin Dynamics. We prove their convergence to the objective distribution in terms of KL-divergence under the sole assumptions of smoothness and Log-Sobolev inequality which are weaker conditions than those used in prior works for these algorithms. With the batch size and the inner loop length set to $\sqrt{n}$, the gradient complexity to achieve an $\epsilon$-precision is $\tilde{O}((n+dn^{1/2}\epsilon^{-1})\gamma^2 L^2\alpha^{-2})$, which is an improvement from any previous analyses. We also show some essential applications of our result to non-convex optimization

Transformations of the courtyard : an exploration in Chinese architecture

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1989.Includes bibliographical references (p. 29).This thesis deals with the design of a large hotel with modern facilities in Suzhou, China, using a reinterpretation of traditional Chinese architecture. This was approached by analyzing the city fabric in Old Suzhou, isolating several characteristics in terms of ordering, spatial definitions, architectural experience and quality of space, and transforming an existing system to become a new.by Yuri Kinoshita.M.Arch

Controlling Posterior Collapse by an Inverse Lipschitz Constraint on the Decoder Network

Variational autoencoders (VAEs) are one of the deep generative models that have experienced enormous success over the past decades. However, in practice, they suffer from a problem called posterior collapse, which occurs when the encoder coincides, or collapses, with the prior taking no information from the latent structure of the input data into consideration. In this work, we introduce an inverse Lipschitz neural network into the decoder and, based on this architecture, provide a new method that can control in a simple and clear manner the degree of posterior collapse for a wide range of VAE models equipped with a concrete theoretical guarantee. We also illustrate the effectiveness of our method through several numerical experiments.Comment: accepted to ICML 2023, some notations adjusted from the submitted versio

東日本大震災から9年半後の高齢者の主観的幸福感とその関連要因の検討：相馬市沿岸部での横断研究

博士（医学）福島県立医科大

Sex-specific retinal pigmentation results in sexually dimorphic long-wavelength-sensitive photoreceptors in the Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow butterfly,Colias erate.

The compound eyes of the eastern pale clouded yellow butterfly, Colias erate, contain three types of ommatidia (I, II and III), identifiable by the differing arrangements of pigment clusters around the rhabdoms. The pigment color is red in all ommatidial types except for type II ommatidia of females, where the pigment is orange. Intracellular recordings demonstrated that the spectral sensitivities of the proximal photoreceptors (R5–8) of all ommatidia in both sexes are strongly tuned by the perirhabdomal pigments. These pigments act as long-pass filters, shifting the peak sensitivities into the wavelength range above 600 nm. Due to the sex-specific pigments in type II ommatidia, the spectral sensitivities of the R5–8 photoreceptors of females peaked at 620 nm while those in males peaked at 660 nm. The measured spectral sensitivities could be well reproduced by an optical model assuming a long-wavelength-absorbing visual pigment with peak absorbance at 565 nm. Whereas the sexual dimorphism was unequivocally demonstrated for the ventral eye region, dimorphism in the dorsal region was not found. Presumably the ventral region is adapted for sexual behaviors such as courtship and oviposition

Idobata-Nagaya: a community housing solution for socially isolated older adults following the great East Japan earthquake

IntroductionFollowing the Great East Japan Earthquake, the living environment of socially isolated older adults has become a pressing concern. In response, Nagaya, a collective housing program, was established in Soma City, Fukushima, Japan to address social isolation among older adults and support their long-term health. This study aimed to identify characteristics of individuals in Nagaya and examine the sustainability of this initiative.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of residents who were relocated to Nagaya, emphasizing their characteristics, the continuity of their stay in Nagaya, and their care certification levels, using data up to December 31, 2022. We employed Kaplan–Meier curves to analyze the duration for which residents continued to reside in Nagaya and the time leading up to the requiring care-level certification.ResultsOf 65 people who moved to Nagaya after the disaster, 30 people (46.2%) continued to live there, 21 (32.3%) died during their stay, and 14 (21.5%) moved out. The overall duration of occupancy averaged 6.39 years (SD 3.83 years). The proportion of requiring care-level certification occurrences per person-year was 0.0577 for those without care certification and 0.3358 for those with requiring support level at the time of moving in.ConclusionIn summary, Nagaya-style communal housing may offer suitable living environments for older adults with diverse needs during disasters and serve as a valuable tool for developing public policies in aging societies

N -Ethyl- N -Nitrosourea Induces Retinal Photoreceptor Damage in Adult Rats

Seven-week-old male Lewis rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) (100, 200, 400 or 600 mg/kg), and retinal damage was evaluated 7 days after the treatment. Sequential morphological features of the retina and retinal DNA damage, as determined by a TUNEL assay and phospho-histone H2A.X (γ-H2AX), were analyzed 3, 6, 12, 24 and 72 hr, 7 days, and/or 30 days after 400 mg/kg ENU treatment. Activation of the nuclear enzyme poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was analyzed immunohistochemically by poly (ADP-ribose) (PAR) expression in response to DNA damage of the retina. All rats that received ≥ 400 mg/kg of ENU developed retinal degeneration characterized by the loss of photoreceptor cells in both the central and peripheral retina within 7 days. In the 400 mg/kg ENU-treated rats, TUNEL-positive signals were only located in the photoreceptor cells and peaked 24 hr after ENU treatment. The γ-H2AX signals in inner retinal cells appeared at 24 hr and peaked at 72 hr after ENU treatment, and the PAR signals selectively located in the photoreceptor cell nuclei appeared at 12 hr and peaked at 24 hr after ENU treatment. However, degeneration was restricted to photoreceptor cells, and no degenerative changes in inner retinal cells were seen at any time points. Retinal thickness and the photoreceptor cell ratio in the central and peripheral retina were significantly decreased, and the retinal damage ratio was significantly increased 7 days after ENU treatment. In conclusion, ENU induced retinal degeneration in adult rats that was characterized by photoreceptor cell apoptosis through PARP activity

Mechanosensory trichome cells evoke a mechanical stimuli–induced immune response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Perception of pathogen-derived ligands by corresponding host receptors is a pivotal strategy in eukaryotic innate immunity. In plants, this is complemented by circadian anticipation of infection timing, promoting basal resistance even in the absence of pathogen threat. Here, we report that trichomes, hair-like structures on the epidermis, directly sense external mechanical forces, including raindrops, to anticipate pathogen infections in Arabidopsis thaliana. Exposure of leaf surfaces to mechanical stimuli initiates the concentric propagation of intercellular calcium waves away from trichomes to induce defence-related genes. Propagating calcium waves enable effective immunity against pathogenic microbes through the CALMODULIN-BINDING TRANSCRIPTION ACTIVATOR 3 (CAMTA3) and mitogen-activated protein kinases. We propose an early layer of plant immunity in which trichomes function as mechanosensory cells that detect potential risks

A review of toxic epidermal necrolysis management in Japan

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe adverse drug reaction characterized by necrosis of the epidermis. Its incidence is approximately 1 per million a year and average mortality rate is high at 25–50%. TEN has a flu-like prodrome, followed by atypical, targetoid erythematous or purpuric macules on the skin. These macules coalesce to form flaccid blisters that slough off as areas of epidermal necrosis. Drugs such as allopurinol, sulfonamides, and carbamazepine are the most common causes. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*15:02 in Asians being administered carbamazepine and the HLA-B*58:01 antigen in patients of all ethnicities being administered allopurinol are known to be high-risk factors. Rapid diagnosis, discontinuation of the causative drug, and supportive treatment are essential for better prognosis and improvement of sequelae. Till now, systemic corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins have been used as the most common active interventions; however, no gold standard has been established. In Japan, physicians follow a unique diagnostic criteria and treatment guideline to improve the diagnosis rate and streamline treatments. This may be a contributing factor for the lower mortality rate (14.3%). The efficacy of systemic corticosteroids, immunoglobulins, and plasmapheresis may have been beneficial as well. In Japan, TEN is defined as an epidermal detachment of over 10% of the body surface area (BSA), while the globally accepted definition established by Bastuji-Garin describes it as an epidermal detachment of over 30% of the BSA. In Japanese individuals, HLA-A*02:06, HLA-A*02:07, HLA-A*31:01 and HLA-B*51:01 may be linked to higher risks of TEN