15,711 research outputs found
Building Machines That Learn and Think Like People
Recent progress in artificial intelligence (AI) has renewed interest in
building systems that learn and think like people. Many advances have come from
using deep neural networks trained end-to-end in tasks such as object
recognition, video games, and board games, achieving performance that equals or
even beats humans in some respects. Despite their biological inspiration and
performance achievements, these systems differ from human intelligence in
crucial ways. We review progress in cognitive science suggesting that truly
human-like learning and thinking machines will have to reach beyond current
engineering trends in both what they learn, and how they learn it.
Specifically, we argue that these machines should (a) build causal models of
the world that support explanation and understanding, rather than merely
solving pattern recognition problems; (b) ground learning in intuitive theories
of physics and psychology, to support and enrich the knowledge that is learned;
and (c) harness compositionality and learning-to-learn to rapidly acquire and
generalize knowledge to new tasks and situations. We suggest concrete
challenges and promising routes towards these goals that can combine the
strengths of recent neural network advances with more structured cognitive
models.Comment: In press at Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Open call for commentary
proposals (until Nov. 22, 2016).
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/information/calls-for-commentary/open-calls-for-commentar
High fidelity optogenetic control of individual prefrontal cortical pyramidal neurons in vivo
Precise spatial and temporal manipulation of neural activity in specific
genetically defined cell populations is now possible with the advent of
optogenetics. The emerging field of optogenetics consists of a set of
naturally-occurring and engineered light-sensitive membrane proteins that are
able to activate (e.g., channelrhodopsin-2, ChR2) or silence (e.g.,
halorhodopsin, NpHR) neural activity. Here we demonstrate the technique and the
feasibility of using novel adeno-associated viral (AAV) tools to activate
(AAV-CaMKll{\alpha}-ChR2-eYFP) or silence (AAV-CaMKll{\alpha}-eNpHR3.0-eYFP)
neural activity of rat prefrontal cortical prelimbic (PL) pyramidal neurons in
vivo. In vivo single unit extracellular recording of ChR2-transduced pyramidal
neurons showed that delivery of brief (10 ms) blue (473 nm) light-pulse trains
up to 20 Hz via a custom fiber optic-coupled recording electrode (optrode)
induced spiking with high fidelity at 20 Hz for the duration of recording (up
to two hours in some cases). To silence spontaneously active neurons we
transduced them with the NpHR construct and administered continuous green (532
nm) light to completely inhibit action potential activity for up to 10 seconds
with 100% fidelity in most cases. These versatile photosensitive tools combined
with optrode recording methods provide experimental control over activity of
genetically defined neurons and can be used to investigate the functional
relationship between neural activity and complex cognitive behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures F1000Research articl
The Economic Value of Basin Protection to Improve the Quality and Reliability of Potable Water Supply: Some Evidence from Ecuador
This study estimates the willingness to pay (WTP) of Loja’s households to protect two micro-basins that supply over 40 percent of potable water to the city. Results indicate that households have an average WTP of $5.80 per month, which corresponds to a 25 percent increase in the self-reported monthly water bill, to preserve the basins.Basin protection, contingent valuation, Loja, Ecuador, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use,
Dear Wife : the Civil War letters of Chester K. Leach
Occasional paper (University of Vermont. Center for Research on Vermont) ; no. 20
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