THE FARMER'S STAKE IN FOREIGN TRADE

International Relations/Trade,

LEADERSHIP TRAINING IN MICHIGAN

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

METHODS OF SUPPORTING FARM PRICES AND INCOME

Agricultural Finance,

AMERICAN FARMERS AND WORLD AFFAIRS

International Relations/Trade,

THE MICHIGAN STUDY-DISCUSSION PROGRAM, "DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES IN MICHIGAN"

Labor and Human Capital,

FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL POLICY AND FAR EAST FARM MARKETS

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Demonstrating Advantages of Neuromorphic Computation: A Pilot Study

Neuromorphic devices represent an attempt to mimic aspects of the brain's architecture and dynamics with the aim of replicating its hallmark functional capabilities in terms of computational power, robust learning and energy efficiency. We employ a single-chip prototype of the BrainScaleS 2 neuromorphic system to implement a proof-of-concept demonstration of reward-modulated spike-timing-dependent plasticity in a spiking network that learns to play the Pong video game by smooth pursuit. This system combines an electronic mixed-signal substrate for emulating neuron and synapse dynamics with an embedded digital processor for on-chip learning, which in this work also serves to simulate the virtual environment and learning agent. The analog emulation of neuronal membrane dynamics enables a 1000-fold acceleration with respect to biological real-time, with the entire chip operating on a power budget of 57mW. Compared to an equivalent simulation using state-of-the-art software, the on-chip emulation is at least one order of magnitude faster and three orders of magnitude more energy-efficient. We demonstrate how on-chip learning can mitigate the effects of fixed-pattern noise, which is unavoidable in analog substrates, while making use of temporal variability for action exploration. Learning compensates imperfections of the physical substrate, as manifested in neuronal parameter variability, by adapting synaptic weights to match respective excitability of individual neurons.Comment: Added measurements with noise in NEST simulation, add notice about journal publication. Frontiers in Neuromorphic Engineering (2019

Percepção de Jovens Brasileiros sobre as Repercussões das Redes Sociais na Subjetividade

This study has the objective of analyzing the perception of young Brazilians about the possible repercussions of social networks on users' subjectivity. A total of 50 young adults of both genders, ranging from ages 18 to 26, the majority undergraduate students, all residents in the Federal District participated in the study. Based on the qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were performed and the data was analyzed through the Zones of Sense (Zonas de Sentido) technique. The results evidence that social networks have a determined influence in the user's conception of the world and self through interesting resources that generate rewards, catch the attention and promote the constant use of these networks.O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar a percepção de jovens brasileiros acerca de possíveis repercussões das redes sociais na subjetividade dos usuários. Participaram da pesquisa 50 jovens, de ambos os sexos, faixa etária de 18 a 26 anos de idade, em sua maioria com escolaridade de nível superior incompleto e todos residentes no Distrito Federal. Com base na metodologia qualitativa, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas e os dados obtidos foram analisados por meio da técnica da Zona de Sentidos. Os resultados evidenciam que as redes sociais exercem influência determinante na concepção de mundo e de si mesmo dos participantes por meio de recursos atrativos que geram gratificações, capturam a atenção e promovem a utilização constante das redes

Versatile emulation of spiking neural networks on an accelerated neuromorphic substrate

We present first experimental results on the novel BrainScaleS-2 neuromorphic architecture based on an analog neuro-synaptic core and augmented by embedded microprocessors for complex plasticity and experiment control. The high acceleration factor of 1000 compared to biological dynamics enables the execution of computationally expensive tasks, by allowing the fast emulation of long-duration experiments or rapid iteration over many consecutive trials. The flexibility of our architecture is demonstrated in a suite of five distinct experiments, which emphasize different aspects of the BrainScaleS-2 system

A measurement of the millimetre emission and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect associated with low-frequency radio sources

We present a statistical analysis of the millimetre-wavelength properties of 1.4GHz-selected sources and a detection of the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) effect associated with the haloes that host them. We stack data at 148, 218 and 277GHz from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope at the positions of a large sample of radio AGN selected at 1.4GHz. The thermal SZ effect associated with the haloes that host the AGN is detected at the 5σ level through its spectral signature, representing a statistical detection of the SZ effect in some of the lowest mass haloes (average M 200 ≈ 10 13 M. h −1 70 ) studied to date. The relation between the SZ effect and mass (based on weak lensing measurements of radio galaxies) is consistent with that measured by Planck for local bright galaxies. In the context of galaxy evolution models, this study confirms that galaxies with radio AGN also typically support hot gaseous haloes. Adding Herschel observations allows us to show that the SZ signal is not significantly contaminated by dust emission. Finally, we analyse the contribution of radio sources to the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background