Activity

Although a number of studies have explored deep learning in neuroscience, the application of these algorithms to neural systems on a microscopic scale, i.e. parameters relevant to lower scales of organization, remains relatively novel. Motivated by advances in whole-brain imaging, we examined the performance of deep learning models on microscopic neural dynamics and resulting emergent behaviors using calcium imaging data from the nematode C. elegans. As one of the only species for which neuron-level dynamics can be recorded, C. elegans serves as the ideal organism for designing and testing models bridging recent advances in deep learning and established concepts in neuroscience. We show that neural networks perform remarkably well on both neuron-level dynamics prediction and behavioral state classification. In addition, we compared the performance of structure agnostic neural networks and graph neural networks to investigate if graph structure can be exploited as a favourable inductive bias. To perform this experiment, we designed a graph neural network which explicitly infers relations between neurons from neural activity and leverages the inferred graph structure during computations. In our experiments, we found that graph neural networks generally outperformed structure agnostic models and excel in generalization on unseen organisms, implying a potential path to generalizable machine learning in neuroscience.This paper describes a new automated disengagement tracking system (DTS) that detects learners’ maladaptive behaviors, e.g. mind-wandering and impetuous responding, in an intelligent tutoring system (ITS), called AutoTutor. AutoTutor is a conversation-based intelligent tutoring system designed to help adult literacy learners improve their reading comprehension skills. Learners interact with two computer agents in natural language in 30 lessons focusing on word knowledge, sentence processing, text comprehension, and digital literacy. Each lesson has one to three dozen questions to assess and enhance learning. DTS automatically retrieves and aggregates a learner’s response accuracies and time on the first three to five questions in a lesson, as a baseline performance for the lesson when they are presumably engaged, and then detects disengagement by observing if the learner’s following performance significantly deviates from the baseline. DTS is computed with an unsupervised learning method and thus does not rely on any self-reports of disengagement. We analyzed the response time and accuracy of 252 adult literacy learners who completed lessons in AutoTutor. Our results show that items that the detector identified as the learner being disengaged had a performance accuracy of 18.5%, in contrast to 71.8% for engaged items. Moreover, the three post-test reading comprehension scores from Woodcock Johnson III, RISE, and RAPID had a significant association with the accuracy of engaged items, but not disengaged items.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has developed into a global pandemic, affecting every nation and territory in the world. Machine learning-based approaches are useful when trying to understand the complexity behind the spread of the disease and how to contain its spread effectively. The unsupervised learning method could be useful to evaluate the shortcomings of health facilities in areas of increased infection as well as what strategies are necessary to prevent disease spread within or outside of the country. To contribute toward the well-being of society, this paper focusses on the implementation of machine learning techniques for identifying common prevailing public health care facilities and concerns related to COVID-19 as well as attitudes to infection prevention strategies held by people from different countries concerning the current pandemic situation. Regression tree, random forest, cluster analysis and principal component machine learning techniques are used to analyze the global COVID-19 data of 133 countries obtained from the Worldometer website as of April 17, 2020. find more The analysis revealed that there are four major clusters among the countries. Eight countries having the highest cumulative infected cases and deaths, forming the first cluster. Seven countries, United States, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and Iran, play a vital role in explaining the 60% variation of the total variations by us of the first component characterized by all variables except for the rate variables. The remaining countries explain only 20% of the variation of the total variation by use of the second component characterized by only rate variables. Most strikingly, the analysis found that the variable number of tests by the country did not play a vital role in the prediction of the cumulative number of confirmed cases.Air-filtering masks, also known as respirators, protect wearers from inhaling fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in polluted air, as well as airborne pathogens during a pandemic, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Fibrous medium, used as the filtration layer, is the most essential component of an air-filtering mask. This article presents an overview of the development of fibrous media for air filtration. We first synthesize the literature on several key factors that affect the filtration performance of fibrous media. We then concentrate on two major techniques for fabricating fibrous media, namely, meltblown and electrospinning. In addition, we underscore the importance of electret filters by reviewing various methods for imparting electrostatic charge on fibrous media. Finally, this article concludes with a perspective on the emerging research opportunities amid the COVID-19 crisis.Coronavirus has had a large-scale impact on transportation. This study attempts to assess the effects of COVID-19 on biking. Bikeshare data was used to understand the impacts of COVID-19 during the initial wave of the disease on biking in New York City, Boston, and Chicago. As the cases increased, these cities experienced a reduction in bikeshare trips, and the reductions were different in the three cities. Correlations were developed between COVID-19 cases and various bikeshare related variables. The study period was split into three phases-no COVID-19 phase, cases increasing phase, and cases decreasing phase-to examine how the residents of the three cities reacted during the different phases of the coronavirus spread. While bike trips decreased, the average duration of the trips increased during the pandemic. NYC’s average trip duration was consistently less than that of Boston and Chicago, which could be due to its sprawl (NYC is considered as more compact and connected compared to the other two cities).