Neural network models capable of storing memory have been extensively studied in computer science and computational neuroscience. The Hopfield network is a prototypical example of a model designed for associative, or content-addressable, memory and has been analyzed in many forms. Further, ideas and methods from complex network theory have been incorporated into artificial neural networks and learning, emphasizing their structural properties. Nevertheless, the temporal dynamics also play a vital role in biological neural networks, whose temporal structure is a crucial feature to examine. Biological neural networks display complex intermittency and, thus, can be studied through the lens of the temporal complexity (TC) theory. The TC approach look at the metastability of self-organized states, characterized by a power-law decay in the inter-event time distribution and in the total activity distribution or a scaling behavior in the corresponding event-driven diffusion processes. In this study, we present a temporal complexity (TC) analysis of a biologically-inspired Hopfield-type neural network model. We conducted a comparative assessment between scale-free and random network topologies, with particular emphasis on their global activation patterns. Our parametric analysis revealed comparable dynamical behaviors across both neural network architectures. Furthermore, our investigation into temporal complexity characteristics uncovered that seemingly distinct dynamical patterns exhibit similar temporal complexity behaviors. In particular, similar power-law decay in the activity distribution and similar complexity levels are observed in both topologies, but with a much reduced noise in the scale-free topology. Notably, most of the complex dynamical profiles were consistently observed in scale-free network configurations, thus confirming the crucial role of hubs in neural network dynamics.

The precise definition of causality is currently an open problem in philosophy and statistics. We believe causality should be defined as functions (in mathematics) that map causes to effects. We propose a reductive definition of causality based on Structural Functional Model (SFM). Using delta compression and contrastive forward inference, SFM can produce causal utterances like "X causes Y" and "X is the cause of Y" that match our intuitions. We compile a dataset of causal scenarios and use SFM in all of them. SFM is compatible with but not reducible to probability theory. We also compare SFM with other theories of causation and apply SFM to downstream problems like free will, causal explanation, and mental causation.

Toyota has apologised for the "overconfidence" of a self-driving bus after it ran over a Paralympic judoka in the athletes' village and said it would temporarily suspend the service. The Japanese athlete, Aramitsu Kitazono, will be unable to compete in his 81kg category this weekend after being left with cuts and bruises following the impact with the "e-Palette" vehicle. His injuries prompted a personal intervention from the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda. As part of its sponsorship of Tokyo 2020, Toyota has been showcasing its autonomous vehicles via a shuttle service, which has been running around the clock in the athletes' village. On Thursday, however, one of the buses pulled away from a T-junction and drove through a pedestrian crossing while Kitazono, a visually impaired athlete, was walking across.

Smart speakers with artificial intelligence technology are increasingly being employed to help older people or those with disabilities in their daily lives, with their voice-activated functionalities proving especially convenient for those with mobility issues or wanting to connect. The daily routine of Katsunori Endo, a 63-year-old resident of Yamagata Prefecture, includes greeting his AI speaker and asking for the day's weather and news. "It's convenient because it tells me the weather for specific regions," Endo said, adding that it will also tell him what happened on a particular day in history, or alert him to seasonal dates. Developed by e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc., Alexa is a smart speaker capable of performing a plethora of tasks in response to voice commands, including providing real-time information and controlling several other smart devices as a home automation system.

Hirotada Ototake, a Japanese writer born without arms and legs who is best known for his 1998 memoir "No One's Perfect," has embarked on a project to develop electrically operated "robot" legs that will enable him and others like him to walk. The 43-year-old Ototake, who writes about his challenge in a new book released on Friday, said he hopes to give hope to people who have lost their legs due to disabilities or accidents. Recently in Tokyo, Ototake took another try at walking with the devices, which were developed by Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc. Each one, including the shoe, weighs 5 kg. While attempting to keep his balance, he walked cautiously but twisted his face in exhaustion after finishing the exercise. "After much practice and walking just a short distance I can see that there are many difficulties in using this," Ototake said.

It plans to launch a system in Japan in mid-2019 using GPS and gyro sensors, which sense rotational motion, to assess the best way to manage the power system of its Profia trucks - its largest diesel-hybrid models, marketed abroad as the 700 series. Along with existing automatic cruise-control technology, the system calculates ways to limit the impact of tailgating and other driving habits which can reduce mileage, improving fuel economy by 15 percent over diesel-only counterparts. "Fuel efficiency in large commercial trucks varies significantly given driving habits," Executive Vice President Shin Endo told reporters at Hino's research and development center on the outskirts of Tokyo. "With this system, the vehicle can achieve better mileage regardless of the skill of the driver." Hino plans to sell all-battery commercial trucks from around 2020, though its lineup initially will likely be limited to smaller models due to batteries' cost and weight considerations.

The publisher of Kojien, the nation's most authoritative dictionary, has drawn complaints from advocates for sexual minorities for incorrectly defining the term, "LGBT," in its latest edition released Friday. "Lesbian," "gay" and "bisexual" are terms used to describe sexual orientations, while "transgender" is used to "describe people whose gender identity does not match the sex or gender they were identified as having at birth." But the seventh edition of Kojien failed to separate the meaning of "lesbian," "gay" and "bisexual," from "transgender," defining the meaning of "LGBT" collectively as "people whose sexual orientations are different from the majority." Following its release, many LGBT advocates took to Twitter and Facebook to point out the mistake, urging the publisher to make a correction. Iwanami Shoten, the publisher, admitted the inaccuracy, saying the explanation of the term was "insufficient."

Hisashi Taniguchi used a sabbatical from developing software for driverless taxis and drones to take a pilgrimage to a Buddhist temple in western Japan. He shaved his head, donned black robes and studied to become its leader. He passed the test, yet within a week was back at the Tokyo offices of ZMP Inc., overseeing his robotics company in the more typical garb of jeans and red Converse sneakers. As ZMP's founder and chief executive officer, he tries to sync millenniums-old teachings with efforts to make artificial intelligence part of everyday life. "The temple teaches you that if you shine, you'll shed light on those around you," Taniguchi, 52, said.

Hisashi Taniguchi took a sabbatical from developing software for driverless taxis and drones to pilgrimage to a Buddhist temple in western Japan. He shaved his head, donned black robes and studied to become the shrine's leader. He passed the test, yet within a week was back at the Tokyo offices of ZMP Inc., overseeing his robotics company in a more-typical wardrobe of jeans and red Converse sneakers. As ZMP's founder and chief executive officer, he tries to sync millennia-old teachings with efforts to make artificial intelligence part of everyday life. "The temple teaches you that if you shine, you'll shed light on those around you," Taniguchi, 52, said.