Belief propagation (BP) is a powerful tool to solve distributed inference problems, though it is limited by short cycles in the corresponding factor graph. Such cycles may lead to incorrect solutions or oscillatory behavior. Only for certain types of problems are convergence properties understood. We extend this knowledge by investigating the use of reweighted BP for likelihood consensus proble...

-In this paper we realize the connected sum of two identical torus knots by giving the details of a previously described technique for realizing the connected sum of two arbitrary knots. The theory is generalized from linear to Van der Pol oscillators and an example carried out for the connected sum of two (3,4)-torus Van der Pol knots.

In this paper, we test whether aggregate productivity movements, especially convergence, are also reflected at the industry level. Using a new result on the asymptotic normality of panel unit root estimators, we find evidence for convergence in total factor productivity for sectors such as services and construction in 14 OECD countries from 1970-1987. However, surprisingly, we find that converg...

Donald Hebb postulated that if neurons fire together they wire together. However, Hebbian learning is inherently unstable because synaptic weights will self-amplify themselves: the more a synapse drives a postsynaptic cell the more the synaptic weight will grow. We present a new biologically realistic way of showing how to stabilise synaptic weights by introducing a third factor which switches ...

We introduce a multidimensional continued fraction algorithm based on Arnoux-Rauzy and Poincaré algorithms, and we study its associated S-adic system. An S-adic system is made of infinite words generated by the composition of infinite sequences of substitutions with values in a given finite set of substitutions, together with some restrictions concerning the allowed sequences of substitutions, ...

A convergence model of interest rates explains the evolution of the domestic short rate in connection with the European rate. The first model of this kind was proposed by Corzo and Schwartz in 2000 and its generalizations were studied later. In all these models, the European rates are modelled by a one-factor model. This, however, does not provide a satisfactory fit to the market data. A better...

The Five Factor Model of Personality (FFM) has been proposed as a potential alternative to the current DSM-IV-TR model, which conceptualizes personality disorders (PDs) as categorical constructs. While an extensive literature has pointed out the flaws of the diagnostic categories, they are quite familiar to clinicians and there may still be instances when identifying these constructs for clinic...

We propose a strategy to achieve the fastest convergence in the Wang-Landau algorithm with varying modification factors. With this strategy, the convergence of a simulation is at least as good as the conventional Monte Carlo algorithm, i.e., the statistical error vanishes as 1/sqrt t, where t is a normalized time of the simulation. However, we also prove that the error cannot vanish faster than...

Cell fate in the cephalic neural primordium is controlled by an organizer located at the midbrain-hindbrain boundary. Studies in chick, mouse and zebrafish converge to show that mutually repressive interactions between homeodomain transcription factors of the Otx and Gbx class position this organizer in the neural primordium. Once positioned, independent signaling pathways converge in their act...