15116838
Lateral connectivity as a scaffold for developing orientation preference maps
Abstract In the visual cortex of the cat and ferret, it is established that orientation selectivity is the consequence of experience-dependent plasticity. Recent experiments, however, indicate that the layout of orientation maps is remarkably stable and experience-independent. We present a model to account for these seemingly paradoxical results. In this model, a scaffold consisting of anisotropic lateral connections is laid down in horizontal circuitry prior to visual experience. These lateral connections provide an experience-independent framework for the developing orientation map by inducing broad orientation tuning. Adult-like, sharp orientation tuning emerges as the result of experience-dependent plasticity of the feedforward connections. This plasticity is modeled by the BCM synaptic plasticity rule in a natural scene environment. This model simultaneously satisfies the requirements of plasticity and stability that are seen in experiment. In addition, this model provides an explanation of the phenomenon where two eyes without common visual experience develop similar orientation maps.
36350590
Spike communication of dynamic stimuli: rate decoding versus temporal decoding
Abstract We compare two methods for extracting information about a dynamic analog stimulus from a spike train: a rate decoder, which is based on the number of spikes in a counting window, and a temporal decoder, which is based on interspike intervals. We derive analytical expressions for the distortion between a stimulus current that drives an integrate-and-fire spike generator and a reconstruction of that current based on the spike train. We consider intrinsic distortion, which arises due to the limitations of spike coding, and extrinsic distortion, which is due to explicit alterations of the spike train. We find that in the absence of extrinsic distortion, the temporal decoder is superior to the rate decoder. In the presence of extrinsic distortion, the temporal decoder is preferred when low latency is required, but the rate decoder is preferred when the latency requirement is relaxed.
16600244
Heterogeneous integration of biomimetic acoustic microsystems
We discuss biologically inspired devices and architectures for acoustic processing microsystems. We exploit state of the art integrated microsystems technologies to heterogeneously integrate electronics and micromechanical structures for acoustic sensing and signal processing.
14474778
Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity in the Address Domain
Address-event representation (AER), originally proposed as a means to communicate sparse neural events between neuromorphic chips, has proven efficient in implementing large-scale networks with arbitrary, configurable synaptic connectivity. In this work, we further extend the functionality of AER to implement arbitrary, configurable synaptic plasticity in the address domain. As proof of concept, we implement a biologically inspired form of spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) based on relative timing of events in an AER framework. Experimental results from an analog VLSI integrate-and-fire network demonstrate address domain learning in a task that requires neurons to group correlated inputs.
10633458
Field test results for low power bearing estimator sensor nodes
The paper describes experimental results of low power sensor nodes designed to perform bearing estimation. The nodes are intended to form a wireless sensor network able to locate an audio source. Two different nodes are tested: one is based on a cross-correlation derivative integrated circuit (IC), and the other on a gradient flow IC. Implementation details and experimental results of both systems working in a natural environment are presented.
2599649
A wake-up detector for an acoustic surveillance sensor network: algorithm and VLSI implementation
We describe a low-power VLSI wake-up detector for use in an acoustic surveillance sensor network. The detection criterion is based on the degree of low-frequency periodicity in the acoustic signal. To this end, we have developed a periodicity estimation algorithm that maps particularly well to a low-power VLSI implementation. The time-domain algorithm is based on the "bumpiness" of the autocorrelation of one-bit version of the signal. We discuss the relationship of this algorithm to the maximum-likelihood estimator for periodicity. We then describe a full-custom CMOS ASIC that implements this algorithm. This ASIC is fully functional and its core consumes 835 nanoWatts. The ASIC was integrated into an acoustic enclosure and tested outdoors on synthesized sounds. This unit was also deployed in a three-node sensor network and tested on ground-based vehicles.
2216158
Automatic Quality Assessment of Peptide Tandem Mass Spectra
MOTIVATION
A powerful proteomics methodology couples high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry and database-search software, such as SEQUEST. Such a set-up, however, produces a large number of spectra, many of which are of too poor quality to be useful. Hence a filter that eliminates poor spectra before the database search can significantly improve throughput and robustness. Moreover, spectra judged to be of high quality, but that cannot be identified by database search, are prime candidates for still more computationally intensive methods, such as de novo sequencing or wider database searches including post-translational modifications.


RESULTS
We report on two different approaches to assessing spectral quality prior to identification: binary classification, which predicts whether or not SEQUEST will be able to make an identification, and statistical regression, which predicts a more universal quality metric involving the number of b- and y-ion peaks. The best of our binary classifiers can eliminate over 75% of the unidentifiable spectra while losing only 10% of the identifiable spectra. Statistical regression can pick out spectra of modified peptides that can be identified by a de novo program but not by SEQUEST. In a section of independent interest, we discuss intensity normalization of mass spectra.
4796791
A global approach to automatic solution of jigsaw puzzles
We present a new algorithm for automatically solving jigsaw puzzles by shape alone. The algorithm can solve more difficult puzzles than could be solved before, without the use of backtracking or branch-and-bound. The algorithm can handle puzzles in which pieces border more than four neighbors, and puzzles with as many as 200 pieces. Our overall strategy follows that of previous algorithms but applies a number of new ideas, such as robust fiducial points, "highest- confidence-first" search, and frequent global reoptimization of partial solutions.
26906105
Trustworthy Paper Documents
In the first part of this paper, we propose a watermarking method for text documents that is less vulnerable to attacks than previous methods. In the second part, we propose a method for protecting the actual content of the document. In a section of independent interest, we discuss the interplay between error-correcting codes and steganography.
9584467
Improved Ranking Functions for Protein and Modification-Site Identifications
There are a number of computational tools for assigning identifications to peptide tandem mass spectra, but many fewer tools for the crucial next step of integrating spectral identifications into higher-level identifications, such as proteins or modification sites. Here we describe a new program called ComByne for scoring and ranking higher-level identifications. We compare ComByne to existing algorithms on several complex biological samples, including a sample of mouse blood plasma spiked with known concentrations of human proteins. A Web interface to our software is at http://bio.parc.xerox.com.
1562350
Constructing Comparative Genome Maps with Unresolved Marker Order
Comparative genome maps are a powerful tool for interpreting the genomes of related organisms. The species maps which are the input to the process of constructing comparative maps are often themselves constructed from incomplete or inconsistent data, resulting in markers (or genes) whose order is not fully resolved. This incomplete marker order information is often handled by placing markers whose relative order cannot be reliably inferred together in a bin which is mapped to a common location. Previous automated and manual methods have handled such markers in an ad hoc or arbitrary way. We present efficient algorithms for comparative map construction that provide a principled method for handling unresolved marker order. The algorithms are based on a technique for efficiently computing a marker order that optimizes a natural parsimony criterion; in this way, they also yield a working hypothesis about the original incomplete data set.