11,260 research outputs found
Analysis of Linsker's simulations of Hebbian rules
Linsker has reported the development of center-surround receptive fields and oriented receptive fields in simulations of a Hebb-type equation in a linear network. The dynamics of the learning rule are analyzed in terms of the eigenvectors of the covariance matrix of cell activities. Analytic and computational results for Linsker's covariance matrices, and some general theorems, lead to an explanation of the emergence of center-surround and certain oriented structures. We estimate criteria for the parameter regime in which center-surround structures emerge
The Role of Constraints in Hebbian Learning
Models of unsupervised, correlation-based (Hebbian) synaptic plasticity are typically unstable: either all synapses grow until each reaches the maximum allowed strength, or all synapses decay to zero strength. A common method of avoiding these outcomes is to use a constraint that conserves or limits the total synaptic strength over a cell. We study the dynamic effects of such constraints.
Two methods of enforcing a constraint are distinguished, multiplicative and subtractive. For otherwise linear learning rules, multiplicative enforcement of a constraint results in dynamics that converge to the principal eigenvector of the operator determining unconstrained synaptic development. Subtractive enforcement, in contrast, typically leads to a final state in which almost all synaptic strengths reach either the maximum or minimum allowed value. This final state is often dominated by weight configurations other than the principal eigenvector of the unconstrained operator. Multiplicative enforcement yields a “graded” receptive field in which most mutually correlated inputs are represented, whereas subtractive enforcement yields a receptive field that is “sharpened” to a subset of maximally correlated inputs. If two equivalent input populations (e.g., two eyes) innervate a common target, multiplicative enforcement prevents their segregation (ocular dominance segregation) when the two populations are weakly correlated; whereas subtractive enforcement allows segregation under these circumstances.
These results may be used to understand constraints both over output cells and over input cells. A variety of rules that can implement constrained dynamics are discussed
Diffraction-limited CCD imaging with faint reference stars
By selecting short exposure images taken using a CCD with negligible readout
noise we obtained essentially diffraction-limited 810 nm images of faint
objects using nearby reference stars brighter than I=16 at a 2.56 m telescope.
The FWHM of the isoplanatic patch for the technique is found to be 50
arcseconds, providing ~20% sky coverage around suitable reference stars.Comment: 4 page letter accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Error correcting code using tree-like multilayer perceptron
An error correcting code using a tree-like multilayer perceptron is proposed.
An original message \mbi{s}^0 is encoded into a codeword \boldmath{y}_0
using a tree-like committee machine (committee tree) or a tree-like parity
machine (parity tree). Based on these architectures, several schemes featuring
monotonic or non-monotonic units are introduced. The codeword \mbi{y}_0 is
then transmitted via a Binary Asymmetric Channel (BAC) where it is corrupted by
noise. The analytical performance of these schemes is investigated using the
replica method of statistical mechanics. Under some specific conditions, some
of the proposed schemes are shown to saturate the Shannon bound at the infinite
codeword length limit. The influence of the monotonicity of the units on the
performance is also discussed.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures, Content has been extended and revise
An inverse problem of reconstructing the electrical and geometrical parameters characterising airframe structures and connector interfaces
This article is concerned with the detection of environmental ageing in adhesively bonded structures used in the aircraft industry. Using a transmission line approach a forward model for the reflection coefficients is constructed and is shown to have an analytic solution in the case of constant permeability and permittivity. The inverse problem is analysed to determine necessary conditions for a unique recovery. The main thrust of this article then involves modelling the connector and then experimental rigs are built for the case of the air-filled line to enable the connector parameters to be identified and the inverse solver to be tested. Some results are also displayed for the dielectric-filled line
Comprehensive cosmographic analysis by Markov Chain Method
We study the possibility to extract model independent information about the
dynamics of the universe by using Cosmography. We intend to explore it
systematically, to learn about its limitations and its real possibilities. Here
we are sticking to the series expansion approach on which Cosmography is based.
We apply it to different data sets: Supernovae Type Ia (SNeIa), Hubble
parameter extracted from differential galaxy ages, Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) and
the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) data. We go beyond past results in the
literature extending the series expansion up to the fourth order in the scale
factor, which implies the analysis of the deceleration, q_{0}, the jerk, j_{0}
and the snap, s_{0}. We use the Markov Chain Monte Carlo Method (MCMC) to
analyze the data statistically. We also try to relate direct results from
Cosmography to dark energy (DE) dynamical models parameterized by the
Chevalier-Polarski-Linder (CPL) model, extracting clues about the matter
content and the dark energy parameters. The main results are: a) even if
relying on a mathematical approximate assumption such as the scale factor
series expansion in terms of time, cosmography can be extremely useful in
assessing dynamical properties of the Universe; b) the deceleration parameter
clearly confirms the present acceleration phase; c) the MCMC method can help
giving narrower constraints in parameter estimation, in particular for higher
order cosmographic parameters (the jerk and the snap), with respect to the
literature; d) both the estimation of the jerk and the DE parameters, reflect
the possibility of a deviation from the LCDM cosmological model.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figure
SM-1 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM INTERIM REPORT NO. 2 ON CORE MEASUREMENTS. Task No. VII
Physics experiments were performed on the SM-1 core. Measurements were made on five rod bank positions and rod calibrations. The reactivity effects of core modifications were investigated. Modifications to the core included replacement of the boron absorbers in rods 1, 2, 3, 4 and C with europium absorbers; replacement of a control rod fuel element with one containing an integral europium flux suppressor; and replacement of a stationary fuel element. Additional experiments were designed to determine the reactivity of the SM-1 with 4 and 8 stationary elements removed; the neutron flux in the biological shield and in the region of an integrai europlum flux suppressor; and the gamma flux above the core and from irradiated control rod components. (auth
Looking Good With Flickr Faves: Gaussian Processes for Finding Difference Makers in Personality Impressions
Flickr allows its users to generate galleries of "faves", i.e., pictures that they have tagged as favourite. According to recent studies, the faves are predictive of the personality traits that people attribute to Flickr users. This article investigates the phenomenon and shows that faves allow one to predict whether a Flickr user is perceived to be above median or not with respect to each of the Big-Five Traits (accuracy up to 79\% depending on the trait). The classifier - based on Gaussian Processes with a new kernel designed for this work - allows one to identify the visual characteristics of faves that better account for the prediction outcome
Photon counting strategies with low light level CCDs
Low light level charge coupled devices (L3CCDs) have recently been developed,
incorporating on-chip gain. They may be operated to give an effective readout
noise much less than one electron by implementing an on-chip gain process
allowing the detection of individual photons. However, the gain mechanism is
stochastic and so introduces significant extra noise into the system. In this
paper we examine how best to process the output signal from an L3CCD so as to
minimize the contribution of stochastic noise, while still maintaining
photometric accuracy.
We achieve this by optimising a transfer function which translates the
digitised output signal levels from the L3CCD into a value approximating the
photon input as closely as possible by applying thresholding techniques. We
identify several thresholding strategies and quantify their impact on photon
counting accuracy and effective signal-to-noise.
We find that it is possible to eliminate the noise introduced by the gain
process at the lowest light levels. Reduced improvements are achieved as the
light level increases up to about twenty photons per pixel and above this there
is negligible improvement. Operating L3CCDs at very high speeds will keep the
photon flux low, giving the best improvements in signal-to-noise ratio.Comment: 7 pages, accepted by MNRA
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