scholarly journals Reading-out task variables as a low-dimensional reconstruction of neural spike trains in single trials

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Koren ◽  
Ariana R. Andrei ◽  
Ming Hu ◽  
Valentin Dragoi ◽  
Klaus Obermayer

AbstractWe propose a new model of the read-out of spike trains that exploits the multivariate structure of responses of neural ensembles. Assuming the point of view of a read-out neuron that receives synaptic inputs from a population of projecting neurons, synaptic inputs are weighted with a heterogeneous set of weights. We propose that synaptic weights reflect the role of each neuron within the population for the computational task that the network has to solve. In our case, the computational task is discrimination of binary classes of stimuli, and weights are such as to maximize the discrimination capacity of the network. We compute synaptic weights as the feature weights of an optimal linear classifier. Once weights have been learned, they weight spike trains and allow to compute the post-synaptic current that modulates the spiking probability of the read-out unit in real time. We apply the model on parallel spike trains from V1 and V4 areas in the behaving monkey macaca mulatta, while the animal is engaged in a visual discrimination task with binary classes of stimuli. The read-out of spike trains with our model allows to discriminate the two classes of stimuli, while population PSTH entirely fails to do so. Splitting neurons in two subpopulations according to the sign of the weight, we show that population signals of the two functional subnetworks are negatively correlated. Disentangling the superficial, the middle and the deep layer of the cortex, we show that in both V1 and V4, superficial layers are the most important in discriminating binary classes of stimuli.

Problemos ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 153-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jūratė Baranova

Straipsnyje nagrinėjama Kanto nužymėtos ir Deleuze’o eksperimentiniame mąstyme rekonstruotos vaizduotės kaip vieno iš trijų proto gebėjimų raiškos lauko alternatyvos. Siekiama atsakyti į paties Deleuze’o išsikeltą kantišką klausimą: kokia yra giliausia paslaptis? Aptinkamos kelios atsakymo alternatyvos. Šiame tyrime paaiškėjo, kad Deleuze’o atsakymai į paties išsikeltą klausimą „kokia yra giliausia vaizduotės paslaptis?“ patiria metamorfozes, kurios apsuka ratą. Nuo pradinės pozicijos, kai vaizduotė veikia tik paklusdama intelektui ar protui, ji juda link laisvo trijų nepriklausomų sugebėjimų – intelekto, proto, vaizduotės atitikimo, paskui – link jų nedarnios dermės, jų kovos, kuri skatina kiekvienos naują atsiskleidimą, galiausiai – prie vaizduotės anihiliacijos, kuri leidžia užgimti naujai minčiai, taigi, ratas apsisuka ir grįžtama prie jų dermės naujame lygmenyje, moderuojant filosofiniam skoniui. Tačiau visas šias metaformorfozes jungia viena bendra Kanto suformuluota prielaida: vaizduotė niekada neišvengia triadinės priklausomybės, ji neveikia viena; ji galima tik santykyje su intelektu ir protu, t. y. kitais trimis jai paraleliais ir simultaniškais sugebėjimais.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: Kantas, Deleuze’as, vaizduotėKant and Deleuze: What is the Deepest Secret of Imagination? Jūratė Baranova Abstract The paper discusses the problem of possible philosophical understanding of imagination from the Kantian-Deleuzean point of view. At the begining of his philosophical carreer, one can say, “early Deleuze” in 1963 published the book „Kant’s Critical Philosophy“ (La philosophie critique de Kant). The same year he wrote an essay “The Idea of Genesis in Kant’s Esthetics”. In both texts returning to Kant’s book Critique of Pure Reason, Deleuze notices, that it is widely acknowledged that schematizing is an original and irreducible act of imagination: only imagination can and knows how to schematize. Nevertheless, the imagination does not schematize of its own accord, simply because it is free to do so. It schematizes only for a speculative purpose, in accordance with the determinate concepts of the understanding; when the understanding itself plays the role of legislator. This is why it would be misguided to search the mistery of schematizing for the last word on the imagination in its essence or in its free spontaneity. “Schematizing is indeed a secret, but not the deepest secret of imagination,” – writes Deleuze. Some questions arise at this point. The first one – who speaks here: Kant or Deleuze? The second one – what is this deepest secret of imagination, as an intrigue of this kantian-deleuzean voice? How many possible answers to this question one can discern passing from “early Deleuze” to “late Deleuze”? In this article the author discoved some possible metamorphosis or twists of imagination in the experimental reading of Deleuze. It starts from the submissive position being directed by Understanding or Reason, to the free accord of three independent faculties, towards their discord, even fight, even death of the imagination for the sake of the thought and at least – the whirl closes and comes to the same point but from a different point of view: imagination, together with understanding and reason participate as an integral part of philosophical taste in later Deleuze. But one point united all these different adventures of imagination. Imagination always acts only in relation to the understanding and reason, it never plays free. It could never be able to play alone. Keywords: Kant, Deleuze, imagination.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. e0222649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Koren ◽  
Ariana R. Andrei ◽  
Ming Hu ◽  
Valentin Dragoi ◽  
Klaus Obermayer

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-133
Author(s):  
Jolanta Maj ◽  
Sabina Kubiciel-Lodzińska ◽  
Katarzyna Widera

AbstractObjective: For a long time Poland has been perceived as a rather homogenous society. However, cultural diversity and differences started to become visible after 1989 and have gained on importance since then. Combined with an increasing shortage of native workforce, the question of immigrants’ employment by Polish organisations becomes a burning issue. We have therefore decided to determine whether the fact of employing immigrants or the intention to do so in the foreseeable future affects the perception of foreign workers and the necessity of hiring themMethodology: For this purpose, we conducted a survey among 263 entrepreneurs from the Opolskie Voivodship.Findings: The study has demonstrated a very strong, statistically-relevant correlation between the willingness to employ immigrants and the attitude towards an employee’s country of origin. Also correlations between other analysed variables have been found statistically relevantValue Added: The paper is an introduction to a debate on the role of immigrants on the Polish labour-market as it presents the point-of view of employers and their willingness to employ immigrants.Recommendations: It is recommended for decision-makers to facilitate access of a wider group of immigrants to the Polish labour market, especially since a significant group of employees recognises the upcoming issue of workforce shortages and the necessity to reach for foreign employees in order to stay competitive.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Rivera García ◽  
Carmen Trigueros Cervantes ◽  
Alberto Moreno Doña ◽  
Eduardo De la Torre Navarro

Resumen: El proyecto “formar docentes, formar personas” es un intento de romper la inercia de la formación inicial del profesorado e inducir a nuestros estudiantes hacia una reflexión crítica desde tres ejes: interdisciplinariedad, autoevalución y participación. El trabajo interdisciplinar se construye desde tres asignaturas, buscando integrar a los docentes en un solo objetivo. Animamos a la participación democratizando el aula. Provocamos la responsabilidad del alumnado desde la confianza en su capacidad crítica y autocrítica para asumir el compromiso de su aprendizaje y, por ende, de la evaluación y calificación del mismo. La experiencia se presenta desde la doble mirada del docente y de los estudiantes, con el acento puesto en la evaluación. A la exposición de nuestros argumentos, hemos querido sumar las percepciones de nuestros alumnos, dejando al lector la puerta abierta para que pueda extraer sus propias conclusiones. The role of self-assesment the interdisciplinary project «educating teachers, training people». A view from students’ perspective assessing from self-assessment Abstract: The project “educating teachers, educating people” is an attempt to go beyond the original training/education of teachers. This project tries to make our students think critically taking into account three different aspects: interdisciplinarity, self-assessment and participation. Interdisciplinarity is developed by three different subjects (will be later explained). We encourage participation by democratizing the classroom environment. We try to make students aware of their own responsibilities, and we do so by making them feel confident about their own critical abilities. Our intention is that they become used to assess themselves and in that way they become truly engaged in their learning process. The experience is presented from the point of view of the professor and also from the point of view of the student, stressing the importance of assessment process. Apart from our ideas/arguments, we wanted to include our students’ perceptions, allowing the reader to arrive at their own conclusions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-56
Author(s):  
Hális Alves do Nascimento França ◽  
Luis Alfredo Fernandes de Assis

This paper aims to present an analysis considering the works “The Lawless Roads” (1939) and “The Power and the Glory” (1940) by Graham Greene from the perspective of perceptions and representations of the Mexican people constructed by the author. In order to do so, the paper is grounded on theories of post-colonial literary criticism and travel literature, specially regarding topics on identity, otherness and hybridism, in order to make a brief observation on the perception and representation of the Mexican by Greene, particularly regarding the role of the eyes of the Mexicans, with the purpose of outlining his personal point of view that is universalizing towards the native and of framing how he characterizes the Mexicans from a Eurocentric and colonial perspective. This research adopts qualitative, interpretative and documental methods in the proposed analysis and points towards the prevalence of perceptions and representations of the Mexicans that set forth a hostile gaze over the Mexican natives.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 5819
Author(s):  
Nawapong Unsuree ◽  
Sorasak Phanphak ◽  
Pongthep Prajongtat ◽  
Aritsa Bunpheng ◽  
Kulpavee Jitapunkul ◽  
...  

Ion transport is a significant concept that underlies a variety of technologies including membrane technology, energy storages, optical, chemical, and biological sensors and ion-mobility exploration techniques. These applications are based on the concepts of capacitance and ion transport, so a prior understanding of capacitance and ion transport phenomena is crucial. In this review, the principles of capacitance and ion transport are described from a theoretical and practical point of view. The review covers the concepts of Helmholtz capacitance, diffuse layer capacitance and space charge capacitance, which is also referred to as quantum capacitance in low-dimensional materials. These concepts are attributed to applications in the electrochemical technologies such as energy storage and excitable ion sieving in membranes. This review also focuses on the characteristic role of channel heights (from micrometer to angstrom scales) in ion transport. Ion transport technologies can also be used in newer applications including biological sensors and multifunctional microsupercapacitors. This review improves our understanding of ion transport phenomena and demonstrates various applications that is applicable of the continued development in the technologies described.


Author(s):  
N.V. Belov ◽  
U.I. Papiashwili ◽  
B.E. Yudovich

It has been almost universally adopted that dissolution of solids proceeds with development of uniform, continuous frontiers of reaction.However this point of view is doubtful / 1 /. E.g. we have proved the active role of the block (grain) boundaries in the main phases of cement, these boundaries being the areas of hydrate phases' nucleation / 2 /. It has brought to the supposition that the dissolution frontier of cement particles in water is discrete. It seems also probable that the dissolution proceeds through the channels, which serve both for the liquid phase movement and for the drainage of the incongruant solution products. These channels can be appeared along the block boundaries.In order to demonsrate it, we have offered the method of phase-contrast impregnation of the hardened cement paste with the solution of methyl metacrylahe and benzoyl peroxide. The viscosity of this solution is equal to that of water.


1966 ◽  
Vol 15 (03/04) ◽  
pp. 519-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Levin ◽  
E Beck

SummaryThe role of intravascular coagulation in the production of the generalized Shwartzman phenomenon has been evaluated. The administration of endotoxin to animals prepared with Thorotrast results in activation of the coagulation mechanism with the resultant deposition of fibrinoid material in the renal glomeruli. Anticoagulation prevents alterations in the state of the coagulation system and inhibits development of the renal lesions. Platelets are not primarily involved. Platelet antiserum produces similar lesions in animals prepared with Thorotrast, but appears to do so in a manner which does not significantly involve intravascular coagulation.The production of adrenal cortical hemorrhage, comparable to that seen in the Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, following the administration of endotoxin to animals that had previously received ACTH does not require intravascular coagulation and may not be a manifestation of the generalized Shwartzman phenomenon.


2009 ◽  
pp. 4-27
Author(s):  
A. Cohen ◽  
G. Harcourt

The article written by the well-known theorists and historians of economic thought contains a detailed overview of the Cambridge capital controversy, which had raged from the mid-1950-s through the mid-1970-s. The authors track the origins of the controversy and cover arguments of both sides in chronological order. From their point of view, the discussion hasnt been resolved, and its main underlying aspects were ideological beliefs and fundamental methodological controversies on the nature of equilibrium and on the role of time in economic theory. The article is published with comments written by other leading theoreticians.


2019 ◽  
pp. 22-29
Author(s):  
Н. В. Фрадкіна

The purpose and tasks of the work are to analyze the contemporary Ukrainian mass culture in terms of its value and humanistic components, as well as the importance of cultural studies and Ukrainian studies in educational disciplines for the formation of a holistic worldview of modern youth.Analysis of research and publications. Scientists repeatedly turned to the problems of the role of spirituality in the formation of society and its culture. This problem is highlighted in the publications by O. Losev, V. Lytvyn, D. Likhachev, S. Avierintsev, M. Zakovych, I. Stepanenko and E. Kostyshyn.Experts see the main negative impact of mass culture on the quality approach, which determines mass culture through the market, because mass culture, from our point of view, is everything that is sold and used in mass demand.One of the most interesting studies on this issue was the work by the representatives of Frankfurt School M. Horkheimer and T. Adorno «Dialectics of Enlightenment» (1947), devoted to a detailed analysis of mass culture. Propaganda at all socio-cultural levels in the form is similar in both totalitarian and democratic countries. It is connected, according to the authors, with the direction of European enlightenment. The tendency to unify people is a manifestation of the influence of mass culture, from cinema to pop. Mass culture is a phenomenon whose existence is associated with commerce (accumulation in any form – this is the main feature of education), in general, the fact that it exists in this form is related to the direction of the history of civilization.Modern mass culture, with its externally attractive and easily assimilated ideas and symbols, appealing to the trends of modern fashion, becomes a standard of prestigious consumption, does not require intense reflection, allows you to relax, distract, not teach, but entertains, preaches hedonism as the main spiritual value. And as a consequence, there are socio-cultural risks: an active rejection of other people, which leads to the formation of indifference; cruelty as a character trait; increase of violent and mercenary crime; increase in the number of alcohol and drug addicts; anti-patriotism; indifference to the values of the family and as a result of social orphanhood and prostitution.Conclusions, perspectives of research. Thus, we can conclude that modern Ukrainian education is predominantly formed by the values of mass culture. Namely, according to the «Dialectic» by Horkheimer and Adorno, «semi-enlightenment becomes an objective spirit» of our modern society.It is concluded that only high-quality education can create the opposite of the onset of mass culture and the destruction of spirituality in our society. It is proved that only by realizing the importance of cultivating disciplines in the educational process and the spiritual upbringing of the nation, through educational reforms, humanitarian knowledge will gradually return to student audiences.Formation of youth occurs under the influence of social environment, culture, education and self-education. The optimal combination of these factors determines both the process of socialization itself and how successful it will be. In this context, one can see the leading role of education and upbringing. It turns out that the main task of modern education is to spread its influence on the development of spiritual culture of the individual, which eventually becomes a solid foundation for the formation of the individual. Such a subject requires both philosophical and humanitarian approaches in further integrated interdisciplinary research, since the availability of such research will provide the theoretical foundation for truly modern educational and personal development.


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