291 research outputs found
Geometry of Information Integration
Information geometry is used to quantify the amount of information
integration within multiple terminals of a causal dynamical system. Integrated
information quantifies how much information is lost when a system is split into
parts and information transmission between the parts is removed. Multiple
measures have been proposed as a measure of integrated information. Here, we
analyze four of the previously proposed measures and elucidate their relations
from a viewpoint of information geometry. Two of them use dually flat manifolds
and the other two use curved manifolds to define a split model. We show that
there are hierarchical structures among the measures. We provide explicit
expressions of these measures
A Tale of Two Animats: What does it take to have goals?
What does it take for a system, biological or not, to have goals? Here, this
question is approached in the context of in silico artificial evolution. By
examining the informational and causal properties of artificial organisms
('animats') controlled by small, adaptive neural networks (Markov Brains), this
essay discusses necessary requirements for intrinsic information, autonomy, and
meaning. The focus lies on comparing two types of Markov Brains that evolved in
the same simple environment: one with purely feedforward connections between
its elements, the other with an integrated set of elements that causally
constrain each other. While both types of brains 'process' information about
their environment and are equally fit, only the integrated one forms a causally
autonomous entity above a background of external influences. This suggests that
to assess whether goals are meaningful for a system itself, it is important to
understand what the system is, rather than what it does.Comment: This article is a contribution to the FQXi 2016-2017 essay contest
"Wandering Towards a Goal
Conscious Perception as Integrated Information Patterns in Human Electrocorticography
A significant problem in neuroscience concerns the distinction between neural processing that is correlated with conscious percepts from processing that is not. Here, we tested if a hierarchical structure of causal interactions between neuronal populations correlates with conscious perception. We derived the hierarchical causal structure as a pattern of integrated information, inspired by the integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness. We computed integrated information patterns from intracranial electrocorticography (ECoG) from six human neurosurgical patients with electrodes implanted over lateral and ventral cortices. During recording, subjects viewed continuous flash suppression (CFS) and backward masking (BM) stimuli intended to dissociate conscious percept from stimulus, and unmasked suprathreshold stimuli. Object-sensitive areas revealed correspondence between conscious percepts and integrated information patterns. We quantified this correspondence using unsupervised classification methods that revealed clustering of visual experiences with integrated information, but not with broader information measures including mutual information and entropy. Our findings point to a significant role of locally integrated information for understanding the neural substrate of conscious object perception
Impurity Effect on Superconducting Properties in Molecular Substituted Organic Superconductor -(ET)Cu(NCS)
We report an impurity effect in the organic superconductor
-(ET)Cu(NCS) by substitution of the ET molecule with an
analogue, bis(methyleneditio)tetrathiafulvalene (MT). The superconducting
transition temperature decreases with increasing substitution. The in-plane
magnetic penetration depth is enhanced with substitution, which is
quantitatively attributed to the decrease in the in-plane mean free path. The
enhancement of the penetration depth can also explain the reduction of the
effective pinning in terms of the condensation energy.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Complexity of multi-dimensional spontaneous EEG decreases during propofol induced general anaesthesia
Emerging neural theories of consciousness suggest a correlation between a specific type of neural dynamical complexity and the level of consciousness: When awake and aware, causal interactions between brain regions are both integrated (all regions are to a certain extent connected) and differentiated (there is inhomogeneity and variety in the interactions). In support of this, recent work by Casali et al (2013) has shown that Lempel-Ziv complexity correlates strongly with conscious level, when computed on the EEG response to transcranial magnetic stimulation. Here we investigated complexity of spontaneous high-density EEG data during propofol-induced general anaesthesia. We consider three distinct measures: (i) Lempel-Ziv complexity, which is derived from how compressible the data are; (ii) amplitude coalition entropy, which measures the variability in the constitution of the set of active channels; and (iii) the novel synchrony coalition entropy (SCE), which measures the variability in the constitution of the set of synchronous channels. After some simulations on Kuramoto oscillator models which demonstrate that these measures capture distinct ‘flavours’ of complexity, we show that there is a robustly measurable decrease in the complexity of spontaneous EEG during general anaesthesia
Possible Phase Transition Deep Inside the Hidden Order Phase of Ultraclean URu2Si2
To elucidate the underlying nature of the hidden order (HO) state in
heavy-fermion compound URu2Si2, we measure electrical transport properties of
ultraclean crystals in a high field/low temperature regime. Unlike previous
studies, the present system with much less impurity scattering resolves a
distinct anomaly of the Hall resistivity at H*=22.5 T well below the
destruction field of the HO phase ~36 T. In addition, a novel quantum
oscillation appears above a magnetic field slightly below H*. These results
indicate an abrupt reconstruction of the Fermi surface, which implies a
possible phase transition well within the HO phase caused by a band-dependent
destruction of the HO parameter. The present results definitely indicate that
the HO transition should be described by an itinerant electron picture.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
Inhomogeneous superconductivity in organic conductors: role of disorder and magnetic field
Several experimental studies have shown the presence of spatially
inhomogeneous phase coexistence of superconducting and non superconducting
domains in low dimensional organic superconductors. The superconducting
properties of these systems are found to be strongly dependent on the amount of
disorder introduced in the sample regardless of its origin. The suppression of
the superconducting transition temperature shows clear discrepancy with
the result expected from the Abrikosov-Gor'kov law giving the behavior of
with impurities. Based on the time dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory, we derive
a model to account for the striking feature of in organic superconductors
for different types of disorder by considering the segregated texture of the
system. We show that the calculated quantitatively agrees with
experiments. We also focus on the role of superconducting fluctuations on the
upper critical fields of layered superconductors showing slab
structure where superconducting domains are sandwiched by non-superconducting
regions. We found that may be strongly enhanced by such fluctuations.Comment: to appear in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte
Conscious Perception as Integrated Information Patterns in Human Electrocorticography
A significant problem in neuroscience concerns the distinction between neural processing that is correlated with conscious percepts from processing that is not. Here, we tested if a hierarchical structure of causal interactions between neuronal populations correlates with conscious perception. We derived the hierarchical causal structure as a pattern of integrated information, inspired by the integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness. We computed integrated information patterns from intracranial electrocorticography (ECoG) from six human neurosurgical patients with electrodes implanted over lateral and ventral cortices. During recording, subjects viewed continuous flash suppression (CFS) and backward masking (BM) stimuli intended to dissociate conscious percept from stimulus, and unmasked suprathreshold stimuli. Object-sensitive areas revealed correspondence between conscious percepts and integrated information patterns. We quantified this correspondence using unsupervised classification methods that revealed clustering of visual experiences with integrated information, but not with broader information measures including mutual information and entropy. Our findings point to a significant role of locally integrated information for understanding the neural substrate of conscious object perception
Dynamical complexity in the C.elegans neural network
We model the neuronal circuit of the C.elegans soil worm in terms of a Hindmarsh-Rose system of ordinary differential equa- tions, dividing its circuit into six communities which are determined via the Walktrap and Louvain methods. Using the numerical solution of these equations, we analyze important measures of dynamical com- plexity, namely synchronicity, the largest Lyapunov exponent, and the ?AR auto-regressive integrated information theory measure. We show that ?AR provides a useful measure of the information contained in the C.elegans brain dynamic network. Our analysis reveals that the C.elegans brain dynamic network generates more information than the sum of its constituent parts, and that attains higher levels of integrated information for couplings for which either all its communities are highly synchronized, or there is a mixed state of highly synchronized and de- synchronized communities
Nine weeks of supplementation with a multi-nutrient product augments gains in lean mass, strength, and muscular performance in resistance trained men
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of supplementation with Gaspari Nutrition's SOmaxP Maximum Performance™ (SOmaxP) versus a comparator product (CP) containing an equal amount of creatine (4 g), carbohydrate (39 g maltodextrin), and protein (7 g whey protein hydrolysate) on muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition during nine weeks of intense resistance training.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a prospective, randomized, double-blind design, 20 healthy men (mean ± SD age, height, weight, % body fat: 22.9 ± 2.6 y, 178.4 ± 5.7 cm, 80.5 ± 6.6 kg, 16.6 ± 4.0%) were matched for age, body weight, resistance training history, bench press strength, bench press endurance, and percent body fat and then randomly assigned via the ABBA procedure to ingest 1/2 scoop (dissolved in 15 oz water) of SOmaxP or CP prior to, and another 1/2 scoop (dissolved in 15 oz water) during resistance exercise. Body composition (DEXA), muscular performance (1-RM bench press and repetitions to failure [RTF: 3 sets × baseline body weight, 60-sec rest between sets]), and clinical blood chemistries were measured at baseline and after nine weeks of supplementation and training. Subjects were required to maintain their normal dietary habits and follow a specific, progressive overload resistance training program (4-days/wk, upper body/lower body split) during the study. An intent-to-treat approach was used and data were analyzed via ANCOVA using baseline values as the covariate. Statistical significance was set <it>a priori </it>at p ≤ 0.05.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When adjusted for initial differences, significant between group post-test means were noted in: 1-RM bench press (SOmaxP: 133.3 ± 1.3 kg [19.8% increase] vs. CP: 128.5 ± 1.3 kg [15.3% increase]; p < 0.019); lean mass (SOmaxP: 64.1 ± 0.4 kg [2.4% increase] vs. 62.8 ± 0.4 kg [0.27% increase], p < 0.049); RTF (SOmaxP: 33.3 ± 1.1 reps [44.8% increase] vs. 27.8 ± 1.1 reps [20.9% increase], p < 0.004); and fat mass (SOmaxP: 12.06 ± 0.53 kg [9.8% decrease] vs. 13.90 ± 0.53 kg [4.1% increase], p < 0.024). No statistically significant differences in vital signs (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures) or clinical blood chemistries were noted.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data indicate that compared to CP, SOmaxP administration augments and increases gains in lean mass, bench press strength, and muscular performance during nine weeks of intense resistance training. Studies designed to confirm these results and clarify the molecular mechanisms by which SOmaxP exerts the observed salutary effects have begun. Both SOmaxP and the CP were well-tolerated, and no supplement safety issues were identified.</p
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