143 research outputs found
Fast emulation of anisotropies induced in the cosmic microwave background by cosmic strings
Cosmic strings are linear topological defects that may have been produced
during symmetry-breaking phase transitions in the very early Universe. In an
expanding Universe the existence of causally separate regions prevents such
symmetries from being broken uniformly, with a network of cosmic string
inevitably forming as a result. To faithfully generate observables of such
processes requires computationally expensive numerical simulations, which
prohibits many types of analyses. We propose a technique to instead rapidly
emulate observables, thus circumventing simulation. Emulation is a form of
generative modelling, often built upon a machine learning backbone. End-to-end
emulation often fails due to high dimensionality and insufficient training
data. Consequently, it is common to instead emulate a latent representation
from which observables may readily be synthesised. Wavelet phase harmonics are
an excellent latent representations for cosmological fields, both as a summary
statistic and for emulation, since they do not require training and are highly
sensitive to non-Gaussian information. Leveraging wavelet phase harmonics as a
latent representation, we develop techniques to emulate string induced CMB
anisotropies over a 7.2 degree field of view, with sub-arcminute resolution, in
under a minute on a single GPU. Beyond generating high fidelity emulations, we
provide a technique to ensure these observables are distributed correctly,
providing a more representative ensemble of samples. The statistics of our
emulations are commensurate with those calculated on comprehensive Nambu-Goto
simulations. Our findings indicate these fast emulation approaches may be
suitable for wide use in, e.g., simulation based inference pipelines. We make
our code available to the community so that researchers may rapidly emulate
cosmic string induced CMB anisotropies for their own analysis
A fast stroboscopic spectral method for rotating systems in numerical relativity
We present a numerical technique for solving evolution equations, as the wave
equation, in the description of rotating astrophysical compact objects in
comoving coordinates, which avoids the problems associated with the light
cylinder. The technique implements a fast spectral matching between two domains
in relative rotation: an inner spherical domain, comoving with the sources and
lying strictly inside the light cylinder, and an outer inertial spherical
shell. Even though the emphasis is placed on spectral techniques, the matching
is independent of the specific manner in which equations are solved inside each
domain, and can be adapted to different schemes. We illustrate the strategy
with some simple but representative examples.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figure
TITLE: An informative study of data migration between repositories utilising JSON, OAI-PMH/ORE and Dublin Core/RIOXX metadata standards (Everything Version)
ABSTRACT: This is a test record for the purposes of analysis of collected meta against particular input fieldname titles and how it is exposed through JSON export from eprints (Everything Version
Whole brain comparative anatomy using connectivity blueprints
Comparing the brains of related species faces the challenges of establishing homologies whilst accommodating evolutionary specializations. Here we propose a general framework for understanding similarities and differences between the brains of primates. The approach uses white matter blueprints of the whole cortex based on a set of white matter tracts that can be anatomically matched across species. The blueprints provide a common reference space that allows us to navigate between brains of different species, identify homologous cortical areas, or to transform whole cortical maps from one species to the other. Specializations are cast within this framework as deviations between the species’ blueprints. We illustrate how this approach can be used to compare human and macaque brains
From Geometry to Numerics: interdisciplinary aspects in mathematical and numerical relativity
This article reviews some aspects in the current relationship between
mathematical and numerical General Relativity. Focus is placed on the
description of isolated systems, with a particular emphasis on recent
developments in the study of black holes. Ideas concerning asymptotic flatness,
the initial value problem, the constraint equations, evolution formalisms,
geometric inequalities and quasi-local black hole horizons are discussed on the
light of the interaction between numerical and mathematical relativists.Comment: Topical review commissioned by Classical and Quantum Gravity.
Discussion inspired by the workshop "From Geometry to Numerics" (Paris, 20-24
November, 2006), part of the "General Relativity Trimester" at the Institut
Henri Poincare (Fall 2006). Comments and references added. Typos corrected.
Submitted to Classical and Quantum Gravit
Using resting-state DMN effective connectivity to characterize the neurofunctional architecture of empathy
Neuroimaging studies in social neuroscience have largely relied on functional connectivity (FC) methods to characterize the functional integration between different brain regions. However, these methods have limited utility in social-cognitive studies that aim to understand the directed information flow among brain areas that underlies complex psychological processes. In this study we combined functional and effective connectivity approaches to characterize the functional integration within the Default Mode Network (DMN) and its role in self-perceived empathy. Forty-two participants underwent a resting state fMRI scan and completed a questionnaire of dyadic empathy. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) showed that higher empathy scores were associated with an increased contribution of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to the DMN spatial mode. Dynamic causal modelling (DCM) combined with Canonical Variance Analysis (CVA) revealed that this association was mediated indirectly by the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) via the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). More specifically, in participants with higher scores in empathy, the PCC had a greater effect on bilateral IPL and the right IPL had a greater influence on mPFC. These results highlight the importance of using analytic approaches that address directed and hierarchical connectivity within networks, when studying complex psychological phenomena, such as empathy.- This study was funded by BIAL Foundation (Grant number 87/12); by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653); by the postdoctoral scholarship UMINHO/BPD/18/2017 and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science Doctoral scholarship (PD/BD/105963/2014). This work was conducted at Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho
New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele
Kinetics and Mechanism of Dimethyl Ether Oxidation to Formaldehyde on Supported Molybdenum Oxide Domains
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