Posts tagged email
CU researchers: Our brain is like a computer
Sep 23rd
Now, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have demonstrated that our brains could process these new situations by relying on a method similar to the “pointer” system used by computers. “Pointers” are used to tell a computer where to look for information stored elsewhere in the system to replace a variable.
For the study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team relied on sentences with words used in unique ways to test the brain’s ability to understand the role familiar words play in a sentence even when those words are used in unfamiliar, and even nonsensical, ways.
For example, in the sentence, “I want to desk you,” we understand the word “desk” is being used as a verb even though our past experience with the word “desk” is as a noun.
“The fact that you understand that the sentence is grammatically well formed means you can process these completely novel inputs,” said Randall O’Reilly, a professor in CU-Boulder’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and co-author of the study. “But in the past when we’ve tried to get computer models of a brain to do that, we haven’t been successful.”
This shows that human brains are able to understand the sentence as a structure with variables—a subject, a verb and often, an object—and that the brain can assign a wide variety of words to those variables and still understand the sentence structure. But the way the brain does this has not been understood.
Computers routinely complete similar tasks. In computer science, for example, a computer program could create an email form letter that has a pointer in the greeting line. The pointer would then draw the name information for each individual recipient into the greeting being sent to that person.
In the new study, led by Trenton Kriete, a postdoctoral researcher in O’Reilly’s lab, the scientists show that the connections in the brain between the prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia could play a similar role to the pointers used in computer science. The researchers added new information about how the connections between those two regions of the brain could work into their model.
The result was that the model could be trained to understand simple sentences using a select group of words. After the training period, the researchers fed the model new sentences using familiar words in novel ways and found that the model could still comprehend the sentence structure.
While the results show that a pointer-like system could be at play in the brain, the function is not identical to the system used in computer science, the scientists said. It’s similar to comparing an airplane’s wing and a bird’s wing, O’Reilly said. They’re both used for flying but they work differently.
In the brain, for example, the pointer-like system must still be learned. The brain has to be trained, in this case, to understand sentences while a computer can be programmed to understand sentences immediately.
“As your brain learns, it gets better and better at processing these novel kinds of information,” O’Reilly said.
Other study co-authors include David Noelle of the University of California, Merced, and Jonathan Cohen of Princeton University. The research was supported by an Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity grant through the U.S. Department of the Interior.
-CU-
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Free transportation will be provided to flood victims seeking disaster center help
Sep 22nd
Increased traffic and the lack of transportation options in the mountains and foothills of Boulder County continues to be a problem for our residents and road & utility work crews. Similarly, residents impacted by the flood may have difficulty getting to one of the disaster assistance centers, either in Boulder or Longmont.
In order to alleviate some of the congestion and isolation issues of getting to and from Boulder from our mountain communities, and to assist residents getting to or from a disaster assistance center, VIA, RTD, City of Boulder and Boulder County are working together to provide accessible transportation options for plains and mountain residents affected by the flood.
Transportation to/from Disaster Assistance Centers and for basic needs
From Sept. 21 through Oct. 17, Boulder County’s nonprofit Via Mobility Services will provide flood victims with free on-demand transportation to Boulder County’s disaster assistance centers, as long as Via staff can safely reach the pickup locations. This free service will also be provided to the disaster assistance center in Estes Park. To schedule a ride, call 303-447-9636 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Via will also provide free on-demand transportation for any flood victim in its service area to access healthcare, food, employment, or other essential services to help stabilize their lives. Via can also provide information about mobility options and referral to other transportation resources that may be available in local communities. Call 303-447-2848 ext. 1014 or email egallegos@viacolorado.org for more information.
Mountain community transportation updates
Beginning Monday, Sept. 23:
- The Climb bus will resume service with a modified route from Gold Hill Road through Sunshine Canyon Drive to the Boulder Transit Center. The Climb is operated by Via. Please see www.the-climb.org for additional route and schedule information.
- In collaboration with RTD and Boulder County, Via will also provide two mid-day routes from Boulder to Nederland through Sunshine Canyon Drive using four-wheel-drive paratransit vehicles.
- RTD’s reconstituted large coach N route, will provide early morning and late afternoon between Nederland and Boulder via Highway 119 and Blackhawk. See www.viacolorado.org or www.rtd-denver.com for more information.
Via Mobility Services
Via is a private, nonprofit organization providing on-demand transportation, individual, and group travel training and mobility options information and referral. For more information, please visit www.viacolorado.orgor call 303-447-2848.
—www.bouldercountyflood.org and www.boulderfloodinfo.net—
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Flooded areas water recedes, sewage leaks diminish
Sep 21st
Floodwaters recede and wastewater backups diminish; customer assistance needed
City requests customer help to identify localized backups as crews continue to respond
After extensive efforts, the City of Boulder Utilities Division has restored the ability of primary sanitary sewer pipelines to deliver wastewater from neighborhoods to the Wastewater Treatment Facility on 75th Street.
These efforts, combined with receding floodwaters, should allow pipes serving neighborhoods to drain and relieve backups into homes and businesses. Flows reaching the wastewater treatment facility have decreased, from an excess of 50 million gallons per day (following the flood event) to 31 million gallons this morning.
While flows still remain at approximately two times the normal rate for this time of year, the change reflects a significant decrease in the amount of groundwater and floodwater entering the wastewater collection system and has allowed crews to access key pipelines to remove dirt and debris.
Given the extent of major flooding, it is likely that numerous blockages and damaged pipes impacting smaller areas remain. In order to allow those issues to be addressed more efficiently, the city is requesting that residents and businesses who are still experiencing backups contact the Public Works Call Center at 303-413-7100 as soon as possible. Updated information from customers will help crews more quickly locate and resolve issues in the city’s more than 355 miles of pipe and approximately 9,200 manholes.
The Public Works Call Center is open Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If the public need remains, the city will extend call center hours over the weekend to be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
For complete flood response and recovery information, visit www.bouldefloodinfo.net. Residents may also sign up to get flood updates right to their email inbox.
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–CITY–