13,255 research outputs found
An approximation scheme for quasi-stationary distributions of killed diffusions
In this paper we study the asymptotic behavior of the normalized weighted
empirical occupation measures of a diffusion process on a compact manifold
which is killed at a smooth rate and then regenerated at a random location,
distributed according to the weighted empirical occupation measure. We show
that the weighted occupation measures almost surely comprise an asymptotic
pseudo-trajectory for a certain deterministic measure-valued semiflow, after
suitably rescaling the time, and that with probability one they converge to the
quasi-stationary distribution of the killed diffusion. These results provide
theoretical justification for a scalable quasi-stationary Monte Carlo method
for sampling from Bayesian posterior distributions.Comment: v2: revised version, 29 pages, 1 figur
Theoretical properties of quasi-stationary Monte Carlo methods
This paper gives foundational results for the application of
quasi-stationarity to Monte Carlo inference problems. We prove natural
sufficient conditions for the quasi-limiting distribution of a killed diffusion
to coincide with a target density of interest. We also quantify the rate of
convergence to quasi-stationarity by relating the killed diffusion to an
appropriate Langevin diffusion. As an example, we consider in detail a killed
Ornstein--Uhlenbeck process with Gaussian quasi-stationary distribution.Comment: 27 pages, 1 figure. Final version of accepted paper. Minor typos
correcte
The “broken escalator” phenomenon: Vestibular dizziness interferes with locomotor adaptation
BACKGROUND: Although vestibular lesions degrade postural control we do not know the relative contributions of the magnitude of the vestibular loss and subjective vestibular symptoms to locomotor adaptation. OBJECTIVE: To study how dizzy symptoms interfere with adaptive locomotor learning. METHODS: We examined patients with contrasting peripheral vestibular deficits, vestibular neuritis in the chronic stable phase (n = 20) and strongly symptomatic unilateral Meniere’s disease (n = 15), compared to age-matched healthy controls (n = 15). We measured locomotor adaptive learning using the “broken escalator” aftereffect, simulated on a motorised moving sled. RESULTS: Patients with Meniere’s disease had an enhanced “broken escalator” postural aftereffect. More generally, the size of the locomotor aftereffect was related to how symptomatic patients were across both groups. Contrastingly, the degree of peripheral vestibular loss was not correlated with symptom load or locomotor aftereffect size. During the MOVING trials, both patient groups had larger levels of instability (trunk sway) and reduced adaptation than normal controls. CONCLUSION: Dizziness symptoms influence locomotor adaptation and its subsequent expression through motor aftereffects. Given that the unsteadiness experienced during the “broken escalator” paradigm is internally driven, the enhanced aftereffect found represents a new type of self-generated postural challenge for vestibular/unsteady patients
Morphology and thermal conductivity of model organic aerogels
The intersection volume of two independent 2-level cut Gaussian random fields
is proposed to model the open-cell microstructure of organic aerogels. The
experimentally measured X-ray scattering intensity, surface area and solid
thermal conductivity of both polymeric and colloidal organic aerogels can be
accounted for by the model.Comment: 5 pages. RevTex with 4 encapsulated figures. Higher resolution
figures have been submitted for publication. To be published in Phys. Rev. E
(Rapid Comm.). email, [email protected]
Stability of Negative Image Equilibria in Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity
We investigate the stability of negative image equilibria in mean synaptic
weight dynamics governed by spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP). The
neural architecture of the model is based on the electrosensory lateral line
lobe (ELL) of mormyrid electric fish, which forms a negative image of the
reafferent signal from the fish's own electric discharge to optimize detection
of external electric fields. We derive a necessary and sufficient condition for
stability, for arbitrary postsynaptic potential functions and arbitrary
learning rules. We then apply the general result to several examples of
biological interest.Comment: 13 pages, revtex4; uses packages: graphicx, subfigure; 9 figures, 16
subfigure
The Rank four Heterotic Modular Invariant Partition Functions
In this paper, we develop several general techniques to investigate modular
invariants of conformal field theories whose algebras of the holomorphic and
anti-holomorphic sectors are different. As an application, we find all such
``heterotic'' WZNW physical invariants of (horizontal) rank four: there are
exactly seven of these, two of which seem to be new. Previously, only those of
rank have been completely classified. We also find all physical modular
invariants for , for , and ,
, completing the classification of ref.{} \SUSU.Comment: 25 pp., plain te
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