Error driven synapse augmented neurogenesis

Capturing the learning capabilities of the brain has the potential to revolutionize artificial intelligence. Humans display an impressive ability to acquire knowledge on the fly and immediately store it in a usable format. Parametric models of learning, such as gradient descent, focus on capturing the statistical properties of a data set. Information is precipitated into a network through repeated updates of connection weights in the direction gradients dictate will lead to less error. This work presents the EDN (Error Driven Neurogenesis) algorithm which explores how neurogenesis coupled with non-linear synaptic activations enables a biologically plausible mechanism to immediately store data in a one-shot, online fashion and readily apply it to a task without the need for parameter updates. Regression (auto-mpg) test error was reduced more than 135 times faster and converged to an error around three times smaller compared to gradient descent using ADAM optimization. EDN also reached the same level of performance in wine cultivar classification 25 times faster than gradient descent and twice as fast when applied to MNIST and the inverted pendulum (reinforcement learning)

Facial redness increases men’s perceived healthiness and attractiveness

Past research has shown that peripheral and facial redness influences perceptions of attractiveness for men viewing women. The current research investigated whether a parallel effect is present when women rate men with varying facial redness. In four experiments, women judged the attractiveness of men’s faces, which were presented with varying degrees of redness. We also examined perceived healthiness and other candidate variables as mediators of the red attractiveness effect. The results show that facial redness positively influences ratings of men’s attractiveness. Additionally, perceived healthiness was documented as a mediator of this effect, independent of other potential mediator variables. The current research emphasizes facial coloration as an important feature of social judgments.PostprintPeer reviewe

Women’s facial redness increases their perceived attractiveness : mediation through perceived healthiness

In the present research, we investigated whether the red-attraction relation that has been observed for men viewing women may also be observed with regard to women’s facial redness. We manipulated facial redness by slightly increasing or decreasing the redness on the faces of baseline pictures of target women, and then had men judge the attractiveness of the women. We also examined healthiness perceptions as a mediator of the redness-attraction relation, along with several other candidate mediator variables. A series of experiments showed that increased redness led to increased ratings of attractiveness, and decreased redness led to decreased ratings of attractiveness. Perceived healthiness was documented as a mediator of the influence of female facial redness on male perceptions of attractiveness, and this mediation was independent of other candidate mediator variables. The findings highlight the importance of attending to facial coloration as an attraction-relevant cue and point to interesting areas for subsequent research.PostprintPeer reviewe

Emotion-color associations in the context of the face

Facial expressions of emotion contain important information that is perceived and used by observers to understand others’ emotional state. While there has been considerable research into perceptions of facial musculature and emotion, less work has been conducted to understand perceptions of facial coloration and emotion. The current research examined emotion-color associations in the context of the face. Across four experiments, participants were asked to manipulate the color of face, or shape, stimuli along two color axes (i.e., red-green, yellow-blue) for six target emotions (i.e., anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise). The results yielded a pattern that is consistent with physiological and psychological models of emotion.PostprintPeer reviewe

Reconnecting Downtown to the Riverfront. Springfield, MA. Senior Urban Design Studio,

The work of this urban design studio illustrates visions for the revitalization of Springfield’s downtown riverfront through landscape architecture facing the challenges of a dissecting I-91 highway corridor. Re-Connecting people to the riverfront capi­talizes on the great Connecticut River and will revitalize the city to attract and engage residents and visitors alike. The proposals foster creating spaces in Riverfront Park for multiple activities such as recreation, places for arts and culture, education and enhancement of the River’s ecology. They further promote pedestrian/bicycle arteries to and along the riverfront that are embedded in a livable, mixed-use, diverse neighborhood. The work explores a community service learning strategy within the framework of an urban design studio with the goal of revitalizing the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, through sustainable design, planning, and engagement with the community. This studio produced six tangible visions and are based on three scenarios; 1) Scenario 1keeps the highway I-91 on an elevated level above ground; 2) Scenario 2 lowers I-91 down to an on-ground level; 3) Scenario 3 lowers I-91 underground as a completely or partially covered corridor. All six design visions share the following recommendations and principles to create a livable and sustainable city that engages the riverfront as a place for people and as a landscape that will be crucial for a great future of Springfield’s downtown: Creating spaces in Riverfront Park that are more centered and generous for multiple activities; add floodplains to improve the ecology of the River and educate the public. Creating pedestrian/bicycle arteries from Main Street to the riverfront. Elimination of on- and off- ramps within the core of downtown to prioritize pedestrian movement to the Connecticut River and reduce noise. Eliminate parking structures underneath the highway for visibility of the River. Redesigning East and West Columbus Avenue as pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly corridors through a road diet and speed reduction. Foster mixed-use development along East Columbus Avenue at the edge of the South End Neighborhood. Connect the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway to Forest Park in the south

Green Infrastructure for Framingham, Massachusetts: Greenway Planning and Cultural Landscape Design

The senior undergraduate, Bachelors of Landscape Architecture studio at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst developed a town-wide greenway plan for the Town of Framingham’s Department of Community and Economic Development. This conceptual plan connects the town’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources through a network of pedestrian and bike trails. This plan also seeks to connect the diverse neighborhoods within the Town to these resources and provide alternative means of local residents to access jobs, schools, and retail centers. The greenway plan builds on Framingham’s Open Space and Recreation Plan (2013), which identified the need for a regional greenway system to link the town to the many local and regional recreational, cultural, ecological, and economic resources. This capstone planning and design studio began with an analysis and assessment of the Town of Framingham’s natural, recreational, cultural, and transportation/land use resources. Teams of students developed alternative greenway plans for the town and region, respectively. These plans were synthesized halfway through the class to produce the composite greenway plan shown in this report. For the second half of the class, individual students developed neighborhood and site specific greenway and park designs for key linkages within the greenway network in the rural northeast section of Framingham, industrial village of Saxonville, historic Framingham Center, the Tech Park, and downtown Framingham. These detailed designs form the body of this report

The Carnegie Supernova Project: First Near-Infrared Hubble Diagram to z~0.7

The Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP) is designed to measure the luminosity distance for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) as a function of redshift, and to set observational constraints on the dark energy contribution to the total energy content of the Universe. The CSP differs from other projects to date in its goal of providing an I-band {rest-frame} Hubble diagram. Here we present the first results from near-infrared (NIR) observations obtained using the Magellan Baade telescope for SNe Ia with 0.1 < z < 0.7. We combine these results with those from the low-redshift CSP at z <0.1 (Folatelli et al. 2009). We present light curves and an I-band Hubble diagram for this first sample of 35 SNe Ia and we compare these data to 21 new SNe Ia at low redshift. These data support the conclusion that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating. When combined with independent results from baryon acoustic oscillations (Eisenstein et al. 2005), these data yield Omega_m = 0.27 +/- 0.0 (statistical), and Omega_DE = 0.76 +/- 0.13 (statistical) +/- 0.09 (systematic), for the matter and dark energy densities, respectively. If we parameterize the data in terms of an equation of state, w, assume a flat geometry, and combine with baryon acoustic oscillations, we find that w = -1.05 +/- 0.13 (statistical) +/- 0.09 (systematic). The largest source of systematic uncertainty on w arises from uncertainties in the photometric calibration, signaling the importance of securing more accurate photometric calibrations for future supernova cosmology programs. Finally, we conclude that either the dust affecting the luminosities of SNe Ia has a different extinction law (R_V = 1.8) than that in the Milky Way (where R_V = 3.1), or that there is an additional intrinsic color term with luminosity for SNe Ia independent of the decline rate.Comment: 44 pages, 23 figures, 9 tables; Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Cerebellar-dependent delay eyeblink conditioning in adolescents with Specific Language Impairment

Cerebellar impairments have been hypothesized as part of the pathogenesis of Specific Language Impairment (SLI), although direct evidence of cerebellar involvement is sparse. Eyeblink Conditioning (EBC) is a learning task with well documented cerebellar pathways. This is the first study of EBC in affected adolescents and controls. 16 adolescent controls, 15 adolescents with SLI, and 12 adult controls participated in a delay EBC task. Affected children had low general language performance, grammatical deficits but no speech impairments. The affected group did not differ from the control adolescent or control adult group, showing intact cerebellar functioning on the EBC task. This study did not support cerebellar impairment at the level of basic learning pathways as part of the pathogenesis of SLI. Outcomes do not rule out cerebellar influences on speech impairment, or possible other forms of cerebellar functioning as contributing to SLI