Four Poems from \u3cem\u3eThorny Roses\u3c/em\u3e by Ichinohe Kenzō

Translated from Japanese by Joshua Solomon: Thorny Roses Sand Pear Petals Rice Fish Early Spring Author acknowledges Ito Yumiko of Tsugaru Shobo for securing translation and publication rights

Model of Visual Contrast Gain Control and Pattern and Noise Masking

The first stage of the model can be subdivided into a global contrast sensitivity function (a 2-D log-parabolic filter of spatial frequency), followed by an array of sensors having Gabor-pattern receptive fields. The second stage is contrast gain control. At this stage, sensor outputs are subjected to an expansive transformation. Then the outputs are pooled and used to inhibit (or “normalize”) each other. Inhibition is strongest between sensors with similar preferences for orientation, spatial frequency and spatial location. In the final stage of the model, the nomalized sensor outputs for each image are subjected to Minkowski pooling. Two-alternative, forced-choice detection accuracy is determined by the probability that the difference between pooled outputs exceeds a random sample from the standard normal distribution

\u3cem\u3eI am a Child of the Sun\u3c/em\u3e by Fukushi Kōjirō

Translated from the Japanese by Joshua Solomon

Total Portfolio Activation: A Framework for Creating Social and Environmental Impact across Asset Classes

Interest in investment that pursues social and environmental impact has exploded in recent years. Although opportunities for impact investing have emerged across asset classes, most impact-investment activity has remained largely confined to a limited array of private investments, touching only a small percentage of investor portfolios. For organizations and individuals seeking greater impact and better alignment between their investment activities and their mission or values, there remains a pressing need for tools to help investors identify and seize opportunities to activate more of their assets for social and environmental benefit. To help fill this gap, this paper introduces a simple conceptual framework: Total Portfolio Activation

Connecting psychophysical performance to neuronal response properties II: Contrast decoding and detection

The purpose of this article is to provide mathematical insights into the results of some Monte Carlo simulations published by Tolhurst and colleagues (Clatworthy, Chirimuuta, Lauritzen, & Tolhurst, 2003; Chirimuuta & Tolhurst, 2005a). In these simulations, the contrast of a visual stimulus was encoded by a model spiking neuron or a set of such neurons. The mean spike count of each neuron was given by a sigmoidal function of contrast, the Naka-Rushton function. The actual number of spikes generated on each trial was determined by a doubly stochastic Poisson process. The spike counts were decoded using a Bayesian decoder to give an estimate of the stimulus contrast. Tolhurst and colleagues used the estimated contrast values to assess the model's performance in a number of ways, and they uncovered several relationships between properties of the neurons and characteristics of performance. Although this work made a substantial contribution to our understanding of the links between physiology and perceptual performance, the Monte Carlo simulations provided little insight into why the obtained patterns of results arose or how general they are. We overcame these problems by deriving equations that predict the model's performance. We derived an approximation of the model's decoding precision using Fisher information. We also analyzed the model's contrast detection performance and discovered a previously unknown theoretical connection between the Naka-Rushton contrast-response function and the Weibull psychometric function. Our equations give many insights into the theoretical relationships between physiology and perceptual performance reported by Tolhurst and colleagues, explaining how they arise and how they generalize across the neuronal parameter space

Small and Medium Enterprises\u27 Risk Exposures and Mitigation Approaches in Nigeria

Risks militating against small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been on the increase due to how risks mitigations are conducted by the owners/operators. Although thorough understanding of businesses undertaken by the owners of SMEs enables them to have a clear picture of risks affecting their businesses so as to act in proactive manner in order to mitigate or avoid the impending risks. To assess the risk exposures of SMEs, a random sampling technique was used to select 209 SMEs within Lagos and Benin City. Both descriptive and inferential statistics such as Phi and Gamma were used to analyse the data collected. The study revealed that the relationship between SMEs’ operators understanding of business with risk mitigation, and record backup system are significantly low. However, the understanding is moderately strong with availability of risk management team to mitigate risk after the event (ATE) by the operators of SMEs. The study concluded that SMEs’ risk exposures are significant with the operators’ understanding of the business which in turn affects how record backup system is maintained and how credit collection strategies are used. Consequently, the study recommended among other things that SMEs’ operators need to have thorough understanding of their businesses and they can even hire experts to train them on record backup of vital information of their businesses

Power output, microstructure, and microchemical analysis of high surface area Pd and Ti cathodes obtained by thermal treatment

Palladium and titanium foils were heated over a Bunsen burner flame to obtain a topography with a high surface area to volume ratio in the resulting metal oxide. These microstructures are hypothesized to form via spinodal decomposition, rather than classical recrystallization and grain growth. For metals that can undergo significant sorption of hydrogen isotopes, an increased surface area naturally leads to an increased hydrogen (and/or deuterium) loading capacity. Electrolysis experiments conducted in acidified, either light or heavy water, using the heat treated metal cathodes, showed anomalous elements, including V and Fe, from Ti cathodes after heat treatment and electrolysis. Following electrolysis, anomalous Ag was detected in the center of the dark pit on the Pd cathode. Power output from electrolysis with a heat treated Pd cathode will be compared with that from electrolysis with a Pd cathode in the cold rolled condition

Vitamin D receptor activity is differentially affected by the co-regulator Hic-5 in prostate and stromal cells

Prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) eventually develop castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D3), is a potential adjuvant therapy that confers anti-proliferative and pro-differentiation effects in vitro, but has had mixed results in clinical trials. The impact of the tumor microenvironment on 1,25D3 therapy in CRPC patients has not been assessed. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), which is associated with the development of tumorigenic “reactive stroma” in prostate cancer, induced VDR expression in the human WPMY-1 prostate stromal cell line. Similarly, TGF-β enhanced 1,25D3-induced upregulation of CYP24A1, which metabolizes of 1,25D3 and thereby limits VDR activity. Ablation of Hic-5, a TGF-β-inducible nuclear receptor co-regulator, inhibited basal VDR expression, 1,25D3-induced CYP24A1 expression and metabolism of 1,25D3 and TGF-β-enhanced CYP24A1 expression. Luciferase reporter mapping of the CYP24A1 promoter identified a Hic-5-responsive sequence 392-451 bp upstream of the transcription start site (TSS). Ectopic expression of Hic-5 sensitized LNCaP prostate tumor cells to growth-inhibitory effects of 1,25D3 at a lower concentration by a pathway independent of CYP24A1. The sensitivity of Hic-5-expressing LNCaP cells to 1,25D3-induced growth inhibition was accentuated in co-culture with Hic-5-ablated WPMY-1 cells. Therefore, my findings suggest that the search for mechanisms to sensitize prostate cancer cells to the anti-proliferative effects of VDR ligands needs to account for the impact of VDR activity in the tumor microenvironment. By acting as a co-regulator with distinct effects on VDR transactivation in prostate cancer and stromal cells, Hic-5 could exert diverse effects on adjuvant therapy designed to exploit VDR activity in prostate cancer