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An efficient approach to automated geometry diagram parsing

Date et al. | Oct 02, 2022

An efficient approach to automated geometry diagram parsing

Here, beginning from an initial interest in the possibility to use a computer to automatically solve a geometry diagram parser, the authors developed their own Fast Geometry Diagram Parser (FastGDP) that uses clustering and corner information. They compared their own methods to a more widely available, method, GeoSolver, finding their own to be an order of magnitude faster in most cases that they considered.

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The Effect of Varying Training on Neural Network Weights and Visualizations

Fountain et al. | Dec 04, 2019

The Effect of Varying Training on Neural Network Weights and Visualizations

Neural networks are used throughout modern society to solve many problems commonly thought of as impossible for computers. Fountain and Rasmus designed a convolutional neural network and ran it with varying levels of training to see if consistent, accurate, and precise changes or patterns could be observed. They found that training introduced and strengthened patterns in the weights and visualizations, the patterns observed may not be consistent between all neural networks.

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Identifying Neural Networks that Implement a Simple Spatial Concept

Zirvi et al. | Sep 13, 2022

Identifying Neural Networks that Implement a Simple Spatial Concept

Modern artificial neural networks have been remarkably successful in various applications, from speech recognition to computer vision. However, it remains less clear whether they can implement abstract concepts, which are essential to generalization and understanding. To address this problem, the authors investigated the above vs. below task, a simple concept-based task that honeybees can solve, using a conventional neural network. They found that networks achieved 100% test accuracy when a visual target was presented below a black bar, however only 50% test accuracy when a visual target was presented below a reference shape.

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Effects on Learning and Memory of a Mutation in Dα7: A D. melanogaster Homolog of Alzheimer's Related Gene for nAChR α7

Sanyal et al. | Oct 01, 2019

Effects on Learning and Memory of a Mutation in Dα7: A <em>D. melanogaster</em> Homolog of Alzheimer's Related Gene for nAChR α7

Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves the reduction of cholinergic activity due to a decrease in neuronal levels of nAChR α7. In this work, Sanyal and Cuellar-Ortiz explore the role of the nAChR α7 in learning and memory retention, using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. The performance of mutant flies (PΔEY6) was analyzed in locomotive and olfactory-memory retention tests in comparison to wild type (WT) flies and an Alzheimer's disease model Arc-42 (Aβ-42). Their results suggest that the lack of the D. melanogaster-nAChR causes learning, memory, and locomotion impairments, similar to those observed in Alzheimer's models Arc-42.

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Using machine learning to detect outliers of red clump stars

Meng et al. | Oct 10, 2026

Using machine learning to detect outliers of red clump stars

Machine learning offers a powerful way to analyze large astronomical datasets and identify stars with unusual properties. In this study, students used Extreme Gradient Boosting and Isolation Forest models to investigate why some red clump stars deviate from their expected luminosities. Their results show that stellar age plays a much stronger role than metallicity in driving luminosity variation, and the models successfully detected outlier stars that may affect distance measurements in galactic studies.

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Understanding the impossibility of machine learning fairness with data examples

Pillutla et al. | Sep 04, 2026

Understanding the impossibility of machine learning fairness with data examples

Machine learning systems are often expected to make fair decisions, yet the most widely used fairness criteria—independence, separation, and sufficiency—cannot generally be satisfied at the same time. In this study, students tested these criteria using a logistic regression model on a real-world student performance dataset and found that each criterion was met only at different prediction thresholds, with no threshold satisfying all three simultaneously. These results illustrate the inherent trade-offs in algorithmic fairness and highlight why achieving perfectly fair machine learning models is often impossible in practice.

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