Partial Information Decomposition as a Unified Approach to the Specification of Neural Goal Functions

In many neural systems anatomical motifs are present repeatedly, but despite their structural similarity they can serve very different tasks. A prime example for such a motif is the canonical microcircuit of six-layered neo-cortex, which is repeated across cortical areas, and is involved in a number of different tasks (e.g.sensory, cognitive, or motor tasks). This observation has spawned interest in finding a common underlying principle, a 'goal function', of information processing implemented in this structure. By definition such a goal function, if universal, cannot be cast in processing-domain specific language (e.g. 'edge filtering', 'working memory'). Thus, to formulate such a principle, we have to use a domain-independent framework. Information theory offers such a framework. However, while the classical framework of information theory focuses on the relation between one input and one output (Shannon's mutual information), we argue that neural information processing crucially depends on the combination of \textit{multiple} inputs to create the output of a processor. To account for this, we use a very recent extension of Shannon Information theory, called partial information decomposition (PID). PID allows to quantify the information that several inputs provide individually (unique information), redundantly (shared information) or only jointly (synergistic information) about the output. First, we review the framework of PID. Then we apply it to reevaluate and analyze several earlier proposals of information theoretic neural goal functions (predictive coding, infomax, coherent infomax, efficient coding). We find that PID allows to compare these goal functions in a common framework, and also provides a versatile approach to design new goal functions from first principles. Building on this, we design and analyze a novel goal function, called 'coding with synergy'. [...]Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, appendi

Stochastic Simulation of Process Calculi for Biology

Biological systems typically involve large numbers of components with complex, highly parallel interactions and intrinsic stochasticity. To model this complexity, numerous programming languages based on process calculi have been developed, many of which are expressive enough to generate unbounded numbers of molecular species and reactions. As a result of this expressiveness, such calculi cannot rely on standard reaction-based simulation methods, which require fixed numbers of species and reactions. Rather than implementing custom stochastic simulation algorithms for each process calculus, we propose to use a generic abstract machine that can be instantiated to a range of process calculi and a range of reaction-based simulation algorithms. The abstract machine functions as a just-in-time compiler, which dynamically updates the set of possible reactions and chooses the next reaction in an iterative cycle. In this short paper we give a brief summary of the generic abstract machine, and show how it can be instantiated with the stochastic simulation algorithm known as Gillespie's Direct Method. We also discuss the wider implications of such an abstract machine, and outline how it can be used to simulate multiple calculi simultaneously within a common framework.Comment: In Proceedings MeCBIC 2010, arXiv:1011.005

Raising Cash Under Duress And The Role Of Cash Value Life Insurance: An Educational Example

Consumers face hard choices when they need cash quickly. Hard choices can lead to emotional or economically unsound decisions. Traditional classroom discussions of raising funds to pay for expenses usually focus on generating income, borrowing, or the sale of real and financial assets, if hardship is discussed at all. However, many families have additional “non-traditional” sources of cash. This article examines the use of life insurance surrenders and policy loans as a source of funds for both routine funding needs as well as a source of emergency financing. The article concludes with a review of the economic considerations of life insurance for Insurance and Financial Planning educators and students

Transforming NICU Care to Provide Comprehensive Family Support

AbstractParents whose babies are admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are subject to a variety of stresses that increase their risk to suffer from postpartum depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders. Parental distress can adversely impact parent-infant bonding, which in turn can lead to worse outcomes for the child. An interdisciplinary workgroup convened by the National Perinatal Association (NPA) has published recommendations for psychosocial support of NICU parents. This article presents nurses, who are key players in quality improvement (QI) initiatives in their hospitals, with a QI approach to transforming care in NICUs to provide comprehensive family support using the NPA recommendations as a road map

Why Downside Beta Is Better: An Educational Example

An educational example is presented that is an effective teaching illustration to help students understand the difference between traditional CAPM beta and downside (or down-market) beta and why downside beta is a superior measure for use in personal financial planning investment policy statements

An Overview Of Fiduciary Standards And Suitability For Financial Planning Students

Financial planning is an interdisciplinary field including finance and business law topics. Consequently, standard pedagogical resources often omit topics that fall between these fields. To address a key gap in educational materials for financial planning students and faculty, this article reviews recent regulatory developments for financial planning students, including strengthened fiduciary standards and FINRA suitability requirements. The discussion introduces FINRA 2090, FINRA 2111, the Uniform Prudent Investor Act, and other widely adopted fiduciary-oriented model laws. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for financial planning professors and students

Restoration of the Red Wolf

WOLFERS IN NORTHEASTERN North Carolina were busy on February 5, 1768. Records from the Tyrrell County courthouse read: “Giles Long and Thomas Wllkinson awarded one pound for a certified wolf scalp; Jeremiah Norman awarded two pounds for certified wolf and wild-cat scalps; Davenport Smithwick awarded one pound for a certified wolf-scalp. Such was the nature of the war on the wolf: people killed them for money. The belief of the time held that the war was necessary because it was humankind\u27s manifest destiny to tame the wilderness. And for the wilderness to be tame, the wolf had to be exterminated. The wolf was resourceful and hardy, but the wolfers persisted with increasingly sophisticated methods of killing. The war lasted 200 years, and the wolf lost.

Asset Attribution Stability And Portfolio Construction: An Educational Example

This paper illustrates how a third statistic from asset pricing models, the R-squared statistic, may have information that can help in portfolio construction. Using a traditional CAPM model in comparison to an 18-factor Arbitrage Pricing Style Model, a portfolio separation test is conducted. Portfolio returns and risk metrics are compared using data from the Dow Jones 30 stocks over the period January 2007 through October 2013. Various teaching points are discussed and illustrated

Inhibition by small-molecule ligands of formation of amyloid fibrils of an immunoglobulin light chain variable domain.

Overproduction of immunoglobulin light chains leads to systemic amyloidosis, a lethal disease characterized by the formation of amyloid fibrils in patients' tissues. Excess light chains are in equilibrium between dimers and less stable monomers which can undergo irreversible aggregation to the amyloid state. The dimers therefore must disassociate into monomers prior to forming amyloid fibrils. Here we identify ligands that inhibit amyloid formation by stabilizing the Mcg light chain variable domain dimer and shifting the equilibrium away from the amyloid-prone monomer

Cultivar Selection, Seed Stratification and Surface Cover Effects on Switchgrass Establishment on Coal Mine Spoil

Surface mining in the Appalachian region of Kentucky often involves steep slopes and spoil limitations for revegetation not encountered in other reclamation situations. Herbaceous species (mono cultures or mixtures) provide quick cover required in revegetation of mined land for control of erosion as well as promoting soil development, improving wildlife habitat, and livestock production through hay and pasture production as well as a potential use as renewable energy for cofiring with high sulfur coal. However, due to the many challenging chemical and physical characteristics of mine spoil, selection of adaptable herbaceous species should be carefully considered