Hughesmcpherson5723
Neural networks implemented with traditional hardware face inherent limitation of memory latency. Specifically, the processing units like GPUs, FPGAs, and customized ASICs, must wait for inputs to read from memory and outputs to write back. This motivates memristor-based neuromorphic computing in which the memory units (i.e., memristors) have computing capabilities. However, training a memristor-based neural network is difficult since memristors work differently from CMOS hardware. This paper proposes a new training approach that enables prevailing neural network training techniques to be applied for memristor-based neuromorphic networks. Particularly, we introduce momentum and adaptive learning rate to the circuit training, both of which are proven methods that significantly accelerate the convergence of neural network parameters. Furthermore, we show that this circuit can be used for neural networks with arbitrary numbers of layers, neurons, and parameters. Simulation results on four classification tasks demonstrate that the proposed circuit achieves both high accuracy and fast speed. Compared with the SGD-based training circuit, on the WBC data set, the training speed of our circuit is increased by 37.2% while the accuracy is only reduced by 0.77%. On the MNIST data set, the new circuit even leads to improved accuracy.Multi-view feature extraction methods mainly focus on exploiting the consistency and complementary information between multi-view samples, and most of the current methods apply the F-norm or L2-norm as the metric, which are sensitive to the outliers or noises. In this paper, based on L2,1-norm, we propose a unified robust feature extraction framework, which includes four special multi-view feature extraction methods, and extends the state-of-art methods to a more generalized form. The proposed methods are less sensitive to outliers or noises. An efficient iterative algorithm is designed to solve L2,1-norm based methods. Comprehensive analyses, such as convergence analysis, rotational invariance analysis and relationship between our methods and previous F-norm based methods illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods. Experiments on two artificial datasets and six real datasets demonstrate that the proposed L2,1-norm based methods have better performance than the related methods.As a major step forward in machine learning, generative adversarial networks (GANs) employ the Wasserstein distance as a metric between the generative distribution and target data distribution, and thus can be viewed as optimal transport (OT) problems to reflect the underlying geometry of the probability distribution. CT-707 However, the unequal dimensions between the source random distribution and the target data, result in often instability in the training processes, and lack of diversity in the generative images. To resolve the challenges, we propose here a multiple-projection approach, to project the source and target probability measures into multiple different low-dimensional subspaces. Moreover, we show that the original problem can be transformed into a variant multi-marginal OT problem, and we provide the explicit properties of the solutions. In addition, we employ parameterized approximation for the objective, and study the corresponding differentiability and convergence properties, ensuring that the problem can indeed be computed.We tested whether the acquisition of grapheme-color synesthesia during childhood is related to difficulties in written language learning by measuring whether it is more frequent in 79 children receiving speech and language therapy for such difficulties than in the general population of children (1.3%). By using criteria as similar as possible to those used in the reference study (Simner et al., 2009), we did not identify any synesthete (Bayesian 95% credible interval [0, 4.5]% for a flat prior). The odds of the null model (no difference between 0/79 and 1.3%) over alternative models is 28 (Bayes Factor). A higher prevalence of grapheme-color synesthetes among children with learning difficulties is therefore very unlikely, questioning the hypothesis of a link between synesthesia and difficulties in language acquisition. We also describe the difficulty of diagnosing synesthesia in children and discuss the need for new approaches to do so.The role of asymptomatic carriers in transmission poses challenges for control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study of asymptomatic transmission and implications for surveillance and disease burden are ongoing, but there has been little study of the implications of asymptomatic transmission on dynamics of disease. We use a mathematical framework to evaluate expected effects of asymptomatic transmission on the basic reproduction number R0 (i.e., the expected number of secondary cases generated by an average primary case in a fully susceptible population) and the fraction of new secondary cases attributable to asymptomatic individuals. If the generation-interval distribution of asymptomatic transmission differs from that of symptomatic transmission, then estimates of the basic reproduction number which do not explicitly account for asymptomatic cases may be systematically biased. Specifically, if asymptomatic cases have a shorter generation interval than symptomatic cases, R0 will be over-estimated, and if they have a longer generation interval, R0 will be under-estimated. Estimates of the realized proportion of asymptomatic transmission during the exponential phase also depend on asymptomatic generation intervals. Our analysis shows that understanding the temporal course of asymptomatic transmission can be important for assessing the importance of this route of transmission, and for disease dynamics. This provides an additional motivation for investigating both the importance and relative duration of asymptomatic transmission.Purinergic signalling is involved in physiological processes, particularly during ischemia-reperfusion injuries for which it has a protective effect. The purpose of this work was to develop a method for simultaneous quantification of eight nucleotides and adenosine in biological matrices by liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. A method was developed that was sufficiently robust to quantify the targeted analytes in 20 min with good sensitivity. Analysis of extracellular media from cultured endothelial cells detected the release of nucleotides and adenosine during 2 h of hypoxia. The quantification of cylic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) allowed to establish a dose-response curve after receptor stimulation. Therefore, our method allows us to study the involvement of nucleotides in various processes in both the intracellular and extracellular compartment.Commercial benzamide fungicides are applied to crops to control damage caused by oomycete fungi and are used as veterinary pharmaceuticals in aquaculture. The mechanism of action of these fungicides is to induce mitotic arrest via binding to beta-tubulin, thus inhibiting tubulin polymerization. However, there are little toxicity data available for benzimidazole fungicides in fish. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted zebrafish embryo toxicity tests to assess deformities, survival, and sub-lethal responses following exposure to zoxamide (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10 μM zoxamide). We hypothesized that skeletal deformities would be prevalent in zebrafish due to its mechanism of inhibiting beta-tubulin polymerization. Zoxamide was relatively toxic to zebrafish embryos and larvae, and survival was reduced ∼50 % at 2 days post fertilization (dpf) with 10 μM exposure and over time at 6 dpf, 2.5 μM exposure reduced survival by ∼20 %. Frequency of hatch was also reduced/delayed in zebrafish at 3 dpf with >2.5 μM zoxamide. Pericardial edema, body length shortening, and spine curvature were observed in larvae exposed to >5 μM. Mitochondrial bioenergetics were assessed in ∼30 hpf embryos (24-hour exposure) using an XFe24 Flux Analyzer and regression analysis revealed a negative relationship between basal respiration and zoxamide concentration. Superoxide dismutase 1 and caspase 3 mRNA levels were both decreased in 6 dpf larvae exposed to 2.5 μM zoxamide, but were not changed in expression at 0.5 nor 1 μM zoxamide. Continuous 6-day exposure to zoxamide reduced larval activity at 2.5 μM; conversely a 24-hour exposure (at 5-6 dpf) induced hyperactivity at 5 μM suggesting dose and time dependent effects on fish behavior. Based on sub-lethal endpoints, we conceptualize an adverse outcome pathway for chemicals that inhibit tubulin polymerization.Objective Infection is the most critical cause of early death after liver transplantation (LT). However, the effect of preoperative body composition on bacteremia after LT is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of preoperative body composition on bacteremia after living donor LT (LDLT). Methods The study comprised 277 patients who underwent LDLT at Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, between January 2008 and June 2016. We evaluated body composition parameters including skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC), and visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (VSR) using preoperative plain computed tomography at the L3 level. We compared the incidence of bacteremia, species, period of antibiotic administration, mortality due to bacteremia, and survival rates according to the number of abnormal body composition factors (low SMI, high IMAC, and high VSR). Moreover, risk factors for post-transplant bacteremia were examined. Results Incidence of bacteremia was significantly higher in patients with three abnormal factors (47.1%), two factors (42%), or a single factor (37%) than in patients with no factors (22.5%; P = 0.027). Species of bacteremia did not differ significantly among the four groups. The period of antibiotic administration was significantly shorter (P = 0.039) and mortality of patients with bacteremia and survival rates were significantly better (P less then 0.001, each) in patients with no factors. Multivariate analysis identified ABO incompatibility (P = 0.002) and low SMI (P = 0.045) as independent risk factors for bacteremia after LT. Conclusion Preoperative abnormal body composition was closely related to bacteremia after LDLT.North America is experiencing an unprecedented overdose crisis driven by the proliferation of fentanyl and its analogues in the illicit drug supply. In 2018 there were 67,367 drug overdose deaths in the United States, and since 2016, there have been more than 14,700 overdose deaths in Canada, with most related to fentanyl. Despite concerted efforts and some positive progress, current public health, substance use treatment, and harm reduction interventions (such as widespread naloxone distribution and implementation of supervised consumption sites) have not been able to rapidly decrease overdose fatalities. In view of the persistent gaps in services and the limitations of available options, immediate scale-up of low-barrier opioid distribution programs are urgently needed. This includes "off-label" prescription of pharmaceutical grade opioids (e.g., hydromorphone) to disrupt the toxic drug supply and make safer opioids widely available to people at high risk of fatal overdose.