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You want to have a smaller stomach. Of course you do. A lean and toned body with a flat stomach is the figure you want to look good and feel healthy. You start doing crunches like crazy to make your stomach smaller. Your stomach still looks the same. What can you do?
Although crunches will tone your stomach muscles, doing crunches alone is not going to give you the figure you want. Do you really want to know how to shrink your stomach? Let me teach you a special exercise you can do anytime, anywhere.
Now the size of your stomach is actually fixed when you reach adulthood. Scientifically speaking, there is nothing short of surgery that can make your stomach smaller. However your stomach can appear big if you have excess fat around it and if the muscles around your stomach are weak. If your problem is excess fat, you need to implement a fat burning workout routine and a diet low in sugar and refined carbs. If your problem is weak stomach muscles, you need to understand the two most important types of stomach muscles:
- The six pack muscle
- The corset muscle
The six pack muscle
Crunches ['sit-ups'] and leg raises work the rectus abdominis muscle, the muscle that runs down the front of your stomach, forming your 'six-pack'. The rectus abdominis muscle is used when you flex your spine forwards. If you work this muscle, you will develop your six-pack. Your stomach will become harder and firmer. However it will not become smaller.
The corset muscle
Now there is another of muscle that runs around your stomach, like a corset. This muscle is known as the transversus abdominis muscle. The transversus abdominis muscle is used to support your spine, ribs and pelvis. Now if you develop this muscle you will tighten the 'corset', with the effect of making your waist narrower and your abdomen flatter. This will make your stomach appear to have shrunk.
The question is, how to work this 'corset muscle'?
The stomach vacuum
The best exercise to target the corset muscle is the stomach vacuum. The stomach vacuum is not some new exercise fad. It originates from Yoga which is 5,000 years old. In Yoga teaching it is known as 'Nauli'. Yoga teachers tell us that this exercise cleanses your internal organs and aids your digestive processes. More to the point, it also shrinks your stomach.
The idea behind the stomach vacuum is to suck your stomach in with the corset muscle. It is a little like what you might do if you are trying to fit into jeans that are too tight.
How to do the stomach vacuum
You can do this exercise lying down, sitting or standing up. The most important thing is that your spine must be straight but relaxed. Here's what to do:
- Breathe in deeply. Let the air enter your body and flow into your lungs. Let your stomach expand as your lungs fill with air.
- Breathe out slowly. Feel your stomach contract as the air flows out of your lungs.
- Keep breathing out, forcing all of the air out of your lungs. As you do this, contract your stomach as hard as you can. Try to imagine pulling your belly button into your spine.
- Do not bend forwards when you are breathing out. Keep your spine straight and relaxed.
- Hold for 5 seconds, keeping the corset muscle as tight as possible.
- Relax your corset muscle. Allow your lungs fill with air.
- That's it, you're done
The stomach exercise you can do anywhere
The stomach vacuum is an exercise you can do anywhere. You can do it lying in bed, watching TV, or standing in line at the grocery store. I recommend you do it 10 times a day. If you want to know how to shrink your stomach, the stomach vacuum is your secret weapon.


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Online lead generation and email marketing are constantly changing the way business is done in the world today. However, at the end of the day, it always comes down to providing value to your audience and giving something to take action upon. The same holds true for email marketing today. While everything keeps changing at a fast pace, the core basics and fundamentals of email marketing still remain the same today.
To help with this process, we've sought out some of the top email marketing experts in the world today and asked them for their best tips, tricks and working methods to find success with email. This week's featured expert is Zac Johnson of ZacJohnson.com. With nearly 20 years of experience in the world of email and online marketing, he's sure to provide some useful tips and tricks on how to start using email marketing within your business.
1 – Please briefly tell us about yourself and how you got started with online marketing.
I first started making money online back in the mid-90s while I was still in high school. This actually started out by making graphic banners for other site owners in the AOL "Web Diner" chat room for just $1 each. This was years before anything like Paypal was around, so people had to send actually send me a physical dollar in the mail! This was cool for a while, but it wasn't til I started a celebrity resource site and used Amazon.com and their affiliate program, that I really started to make some good money online. I ended up doing six-figure in sales with them while still in high school and this also led me into the world of affiliate marketing and CPA (cost per action) marketing. I then discovered I could make more money with CPA marketing versus needing someone to take out their credit card with Amazon and only getting a fraction of the commission. This ultimately led to me creating new sites and CPA deals of my own (mainly in the contest and free stuff space). After playing around in this space for a while, I had around a 2 million email subscriber list size.
Having been in the online marketing space for nearly 20 years now, I've had my hands in many facets of the industry. Today I mainly focus on my personal brand and business that I've established through ZacJohnson.com. The site acts as a massive resource for anyone looking to get started with making money online. Email marketing still plays a huge part in my business today, as it's one of the best methods for staying in touch with your audience and getting fast results.
2 – Is email still the most effective marketing platform today… and how has it changed over the years with the addition of social media and mobile?
I definitely believe email marketing is one of the best forms of marketing today. I know I personally check and use email as my main way to conduct business and connect with others around the world. Mobile is definitely on the rise, but email is still #1 for me.
To further stress the point of email marketing, it's not just about email. With an email address, you can deliver retargeting advertising through Google Adwords, Content Network, Facebook, Twitter and much more. Once you have a user's email address, you can even use other third party networks to grab their name, physical address, and many other demographics.
What I'm getting at is, email marketing is extremely important and still one of the best ways to increase conversions and revenue across the board — especially when you are following up with retargeting-based advertising.
3 – With so many different email platforms to choose from, what should marketers specifically be looking for?
Email marketing and delivery has changed a lot over the years. When I first started mailing, prices were so much more expensive and many providers were charging on a simple CPM basis. Today it's all about automation and having a reliable solution in place.
Whether it's Aweber, MailChimp, Constant Contact or GetResponse… at the end of the day, they all pretty much offer the same thing. I would recommend every try each of them out and look at the features provided. The delivery rates and monthly costs will be quite similar.
For more advanced setup and mailings, there are definitely better alternatives — but these will likely cost you more as well. Do your research before going with a list hosting company and also search for reviews online and who the big players are using.
4 – What is your preferred method of collecting emails and building your list?
Popup and lightbox windows are what's working really well for me right now.
Since I focus a lot of my time on content creation and ranking higher in the search results, I'm always getting a lot of people to my site. With over 70% of the people coming to a website for the first time and never coming back, it's extremely important to grab their email address. Having a great call to action and using popup and lightbox windows, this is a great way to grab 5-15% of that audience. It might not sound like a lot, but it definitely adds up on a daily basis!
I also created a post on the top popup windows being used by top bloggers and sites on the internet today. Be sure to check out this list to see what's working and for getting ideas on how you can create something similar.
5 – What are you best tips for writing effective email titles/content that get opens and clicks?
Everyone is fighting for space within your inbox. Think about the ones that make you click open and the ones that make you click delete. This is one of the best ways to start coming up with new and creative headlines for your emails.
Also, try to stay away from misleading and click-bait headlines. You might be able to get people to open your email, but if the content isn't what they were expecting, it might lead them to clicking the unsubscribe button. Check out this useful guide and infographic on creating better email titles.
6 – Based off your own experience, is it better to send long form or short form written content in emails to your mailing list?
Write as much as you feel your message needs to get the point across. At the same time, I personally prefer shorter emails over longer.
As good way to look at this is to think about why you are sending your email in the first place. If you want to send out a mailing just to get people to click over to a site or offer, your email should be quick. On the flip side, if you have a trusted relationship in place and want to send out a message about something new in your life or business, feel free to keep it longer, but make sure it provides value and is interesting.
7 – What is the best way to setup an effective autoresponder series?
Everyone is using autoresponders these days, but not everyone is doing it correctly. One of the main reasons why autoresponders are commonly used is to build a relationship and gain the trust of an audience — not to pound promotions and sales down their throats on a daily basis. It's very easy to quickly see if a list you just subscribed to is going to provide value or just try and make a quick buck off of you. This is not something you want to be known for.
When setting up my own autoresponder series, I like to make sure they are personal, provide value and also coincide with content I've already published on my site. This way I can write my email content, then tell the user to click a link for further reading or resources.
I also like to set up autoresponders to have 50+ mailings in place to keep the conversation going. These mailings are usually sent out a few days a part in the beginning, then on a weekly basis after the first month or so. Make sure to focus on providing value in your first several emails and building the relationship. Once this is in place you can start focusing on promotional tactics.
8 – If you had to start over from scratch and only had $1,000 to start a new mailing list, how would you spend it?
I'll take a unique approach with this one, hopefully, to inspire others on how to do something similar. Starting from nothing and only having $1,000, I would…
- Get a domain name and create a site ($20)
- Set up an account with Aweber/MailChimp ($30)
- Pay $450 to two big marketers to run a free webinar
Now here's how this would work… The domain/site/mailing list are all easy enough and barely take up any money at all.
The majority of time and effort is going to be spent on finding your niche topic, having a great site and something of value to offer. Once all of this is in place, you can then perform outreach to different sites in your niche and see if any of them would like to do a free webinar for their audience. This is something you can straight up pay for in exchange for mailings to their list. When setting this up, be sure to create a webinar landing page (through something like Leadpages) where you can grab the email address and get them on your list. This way, when you have someone with 100,000 email subscribers sending out the webinar to their list, you would then be building a huge mailing list in the process.
If you ran just two webinars with two big list-site owners, you could easily end up with 1,000+ subscribers on your mailing list. That's less than $1 per subscriber! Try and find that ROI elsewhere.
9 – Lots of site owners and marketers have mailing lists, but they aren't making money with them. What are they doing wrong?
I think the best way to answer this is to reflect back on what I was saying about autoresponders. There is simply way too much content out there already, so when information is being delivered, it needs to be great.
Look at your inbox right now and see how many emails you are actually happy to be subscribed to. Those are the people that are doing email marketing right.
Find a niche audience and provide better content and value than the competition. No one said this was going to be easy… it's your website and mailing list against the world. That's how you need to make your audience feel — like they are your most important client and focus!
10 – If you could tell online marketers and brand one thing that could improve their email marketing and list growth, what would it be?
Right back at my previous point… this isn't going to be easy. However, when you put in the necessary time, effort and focus, the rewards are amazing!
Know your audience and provide them with the best content possible. It doesn't matter if you are an entrepreneur, a brand or selling physical products online… everyone is searching for something online and if you can provide them with a solution, they are going to want to do business with you. The same holds true for email marketing and how you should be engaging with your audience as well.
Also, don't forget about what I said in the beginning of the article with email retargeting. This is simply one of the best ways to increase conversions and lower costs across the board.
Special thanks to Zac for taking the time to share his email marketing tips and expertise. Check back weekly for a new interview in our Email Marketing Experts series!

subset: commoncrawl


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Missing My Model
Missing My Model2 Nov 2012 4:32PM Views : 598 Unique : 441
Now that my favourite model, my dear departed Ashley, is gone, I find myself looking around to see what others there are to photograph. On a boat trip during my summer holiday, there were several dogs on board. Couldn't get a clear shot of most of them (pity, there were some really good-looking cocker spaniels among them), but this Jack Russell was close and sat still long enough for me to get this shot.
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Baby's first Korean Barbecue (BBQ) Adventure: Yummy, Fun and Healthy Foods for Baby
As parents, J. and I want to encourage our little Phil Bae to be as adventurous as he can be when it comes to eating. Imagine the delight and magic a baby's tongue experiences when it touches new and exciting tastes for the very first time.
I spoiled Phil with the umami (pleasant savory taste) of breast milk for 13 months. When he was five months old, we introduced him to solid food (rice cereal, homemade congees, yogurt and bananas). Now that he's 13 months old, we're taking him to eat at restaurants.
We recently took him to Kang Ho-Dong Baekjeong (KHDB), a family-friendly Korean barbecue restaurant in Flushing, Queens. If you want to experience good Korean BBQ, you can't go wrong by going to KHDB. The restaurant is spacious and on off days and nights, you won't have to wait long for a table. (We experienced a five minute wait time on a Sunday night with a party of five.)
At a Korean BBQ restaurant, the waiters often cook the meats on a barbecue grill atop your table and serve it to you. Without having to man the grill, you can fully enjoy dinner time with your little one. Your baby will love watching the waiters work the grill. An entertained baby at the dinner table is a good baby.
At a Korean BBQ joint like KHDB, babies can eat the delicious complimentary small side dishes (banchan) and appetizers such as Gaeran Jim (steamed egg), yachaejeon (vegetable pancake), romaine lettuce, grilled veggies and grilled corn and cheese. I placed 10 small pieces of yachaejeon on a plate in front of Phil. Phil skillfully and happily served himself the food and minutes later, his plate was empty. By the time our meats were cooked, Phil was quite full (though he refused to acknowledge that fact). He also ripped through many pieces of lettuce (which are used to wrap the cooked meats, but this time they sprinkled the floor beneath Phil as decorations for the floor and more work for the waiters). Phil did get to sample a piece of cooked rib-eye. Yummy yummy! What an adventure for Phil it was!
I don't suggest exposing babies to kimchi (spicy fermented Napa cabbage) or too much BBQ grilled meats too early. Kimchi is too spicy and can upset the babies' stomach. BBQ meats have little nutritional value in my honest opinion, and can be deleterious to health, so we will reserve eating BBQ meats to the adults.
What a guilty pleasure for the parents! UMAMI!
This adventure was rated super awesome for Phil Bae, Mama and Dada and we highly recommend for you to take your babies on a similar adventure.


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Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity
Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity
The best experimental setup for exploring plasticity in a controlled manner is the in vitro setup. By using pairs of neurons clearly isolated and connected (using either brain slices or cultured neurons), one can patch the pre- and the post-synaptic neuron and observe the synaptic modifications between them according to their discharge. Based on those controlled experiments, the most recent and promising candidate to support unsupervised learning algorithms in the brain, based on neuronal activity, is the spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP). There is indeed several evidence [Bi1998, Markram1997, Gerstner1996] in neocortex that the efficiency of a synaptic connection between two neurons may be regulated by the precise timing of the joint activity of the neurons. This postulate, originally made by [Hebb1949] , has been demonstrated in a lot of in vitro experimental studies in the form of the STDP rule. This is an associative rule that needs to be distinguished from short term plasticity or homeostasis phenomena, involving only integration of pre-synaptic activity [Tsodyks2000, Turrigiano2004]. As one can see in Figure, taken from [Bi1998], when pre-post pairings are made repeatedly at a fixed frequency of 1 Hz, with a particular time difference between pre and post spikes, synaptic modifications are observed whose magnitude depends on . For positive values of , when pre-synaptic spike occurs before the post, the synapse is potentiated. Oppositely, if is negative, the synapse is depressed. Both mechanisms occur in relatively short time windows of 20 ms, and a double exponential fit made on the data is the classical shape everybody has in mind when talking about STDP. That 20 ms time scale is the time window for triggering a change, but the actual change happens much more slowly.
While some recent evidence may suggests that STDP can also be found in vivo [Crochet2006, Zhang1998, Young2007a, Jacob2007], the impact of such a rule on a network level is still misunderstood, and part of the problem comes from the fact that there is a lack of data on the properties and the relevance of STDP in vivo. The STDP phenomenon as seen in vitro is appealing from a theoretical point of view. If a pre-synaptic spike occurs just before a post-synaptic one, the strength of the synapse between the two neurons tends to be increased. Conversely, if the pre-synaptic spike comes just after a post-synaptic one, the synaptic strength tends to be decreased. This rule establishes a link with Hebb's postulate and could allow neurons to learn causal chains of information: if pre-synaptic information is important in the discharge of the post-synaptic neuron, then synapse is strengthened, otherwise it is weakened. Interestingly, rules symmetric in sign have been observed in the electro senseory lobe of the electric fish by [Bell1997] and have been used in models to decorrelate the sensory stream from expected inputs linked with the motor-induced reafference.
STDP as an optimization principle
Since this seminal work, several theories have been proposed for a conceptual explanation of these STDP curves. The promising link between STDP and the Hebbian rule has led several authors to try to find a more generic optimization principle behind this canonical shape. The quest is "can STDP be seen as a biological response to an optimization problem?" with a goal function like , if are the inputs to the neuron, and its responses. Are the shapes of those curves telling us something about the learning strategies performed by the neuron? According to [Toyoizumi2007, Chechik2003], STDP could be seen as an attempt, by the neurons, to maximize the transmission of information and therefore the mutual information between inputs and outputs, . For [Bohte2005b], STDP is more a way to reduce the variability of the output knowing the input: (with being the entropy). We can cite other examples such as slow feature analysis [Sprekeler2006], where STDP aims to decompose the signals into a basis of signals, slowly varying in time, or the predictive coding [Rao2001] theory, where STDP is used to encode only time differences. Nevertheless, as we will see later, since STDP is still, from a biological point of view, a phenomenon which is not understood, all these theories, even if conceptually promising, can not pretend to understand STDP in its globality.
From a modeller's point of view, the rule is ill defined. A good review on all the important aspects of such modelling is given in [Morrison2008]. In its most widely used formulation, one can model STDP with the following system of equations:
\delta w = \lambda \left\{
a_{\mathrm{pot}} w^{\mu_{\mathrm{pot}}}e^{-\frac{\delta t}{\tau_{\mathrm{pot}}}} & \textrm{if }
\delta t=t_{\mathrm{post}}-t_{\mathrm{pre}} > 0 \\
a_{\mathrm{dep}} w^{\mu_{\mathrm{dep}}}e^{-\frac{\delta t}{\tau_{\mathrm{dep}}}} & \textrm{if }
\delta t=t_{\mathrm{post}}-t_{\mathrm{pre}} < 0 \\
\end{array} \right.
is the learning rate, and the scaling increments of the synaptic weights performed at each pairing, for potentiation and depression. Each time a pre or a post-synaptic event appears, weights are updated accordingly. and are the time constants of the double exponential shape observed in biological data, such as the one that can be seen in Figure. Typical values are in the range 10-30 ms. and are generic exponents to model the fact that weight increments can depend on the current values of the weights.
Taking advantage of the exponential, the most efficient way to implement this systems, at the synapse level, is to define two local variables and , such that:
\frac{d\theta_{\mathrm{pot}}(t)}{dt} = -\frac{\theta_{\mathrm{pot}}(t)}{\tau_{\mathrm{pot}}} \\
\frac{d\theta_{\mathrm{dep}}(t)}{dt} = -\frac{\theta_{\mathrm{dep}}(t)}{\tau_{\mathrm{dep}}}
Each time a pre-synaptic spike occurs, , and each time a post synaptic spike occurs, . In this case, if and are not bounded, the integration scheme of the STDP is said to be all-to-all. All previous pre- or post-synaptic spikes contribute to the modification of the weight at time , since they have an impact on and .
In the so-called nearest-neighbour interaction scheme, and are bounded by 1, and only the nearest either pre or post synaptic spike is considered for potentiation or depression. This difference is important, because STDP in its basic form with an all-to-all interaction scheme is not compatible with the BCM theory, as shown in [Izhikevich2003]. Only the nearest-neighbour scheme can provide a BCM behaviour with the rule. The values of a_{\mathrm{pot}}$, , , , and are selected according to the STDP desired rule. To simplify the following notations, we set (and thus we should have , because depression decreases the weight). The pairing scheme used during all the the simulations is all-to-all, meaning that all the interactions between pre and post synaptic spikes are taken into account.
Weight-dependence of STDP
Regarding the weight modifications performed by such plasticity rules, there are two main classes of STDP rules that are commonly used in modelling studies of neuronal networks. They are categorized as either "additive" or "weight-dependent", depending on how current synaptic weight impacts the change in the weight of the synapse [Guetig2003]. These classes are established with the exponents and . If both are set to 0, then the STDP is "additive". Each time a weight modification is made, increments are only determined by and , without taking into account the current weight of the synapse. The rule needs a hard bound thresholding to constrain the weights between [,].
Oppositely, in the weight-dependent rule, the weight increments are a function of the current weight of the synapse. This is the case if and are positive. The biological evidence for ``additive''-only rules is quite thin. The original data for STDP, and especially the synaptic modification observed as a function of the initial amplitude of the EPSP show (see Figure) that the relative changes are not similar for potentiation and depression. Modifications for potentiation seem to be independent of the initial amplitude of the EPSP, while this is not the case for depression. \cite{Bi1998} proposed, initially, a log-linear relationship for depression, while potentiation is much more additive. For a precise fit, see [Morrison2008, Standage2007], but the exact values for and are not crucial, as long as they are not zero. As pointed out in [Guetig2003], the additive case, often used in models, is a very particular case with particular dynamics. It has been shown in [Rossum2000, Billings2009], through a Fokker Plank approach, that an additive STDP rule always drive the weight distribution to a bimodal one, with all weights being clipped either at or at . Nevertheless, they encourage synaptic competition and allow a better storage of patterns [Fusi2007]. As we will see in the following, they are less sensitive to the memory retention problem occurring in recurrent networks. Moreover, it is also known that in cortex, and also in the cerebellum a lot of the synapses are considered as almost silent. One could see here the evidence for bimodal distribution resulting from the additive rules. On the contrary, weight-dependent rule leads to a unimodal distribution of the weights, more biologically plausible, but does not allow the emergence and the survival of neuronal structures in balanced random networks [Billings2009, Morrison2007].
STDP at inhibitory synapses
Although inhibitory interneurons modulate many neuronal processes, the evidence for plasticity at inhibitory synapses remains scarce. Some studies report strengthening of inhibitory synapses in negative rate covariance regimes [Komatsu1993], and spike timing dependent plasticity of inhibitory synapses has also been reported [Haas2006] as well as spike timing dependent depression of excitatory synapses on fast spiking inhibitory interneurons. Almost all models of plastic networks consider that only excitatory synapses are plastic, because most of the biological evidence for STDP has been gathered for synapse between excitatory neurons, far more numerous and easy to patch than inhibitory ones. Nevertheless, the question of plasticity at inhibitory synapses remains open, and could greatly help stabilization in recurrent networks. [Haas2006] found an anti-Hebbian rule for inhibitory synapses. Pre-post pairing led to reinforcement of the synapse, meaning to an increase in the amplitude of the post-synaptic inhibitory post synaptic potential (IPSP), while post-pre led to a decrease. This anti-Hebbian rule, from a conceptual point of view, offers nice theoretical possibilities. In artificial neural networks, anti-Hebbian rules for inhibition are important to balance the changes at the excitatory synapses and allow the network to perform robust principal or independent component analysis [Plumbley1993].
abstract = {In cultures of dissociated rat hippocampal neurons, persistent potentiation and depression of glutamatergic synapses were induced by correlated spiking of presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons. The relative timing between the presynaptic and postsynaptic spiking determined the direction and the extent of synaptic changes. Repetitive postsynaptic spiking within a time window of 20 msec after presynaptic activation resulted in long-term potentiation (LTP), whereas postsynaptic spiking within a window of 20 msec before the repetitive presynaptic activation led to long-term depression (LTD). Significant LTP occurred only at synapses with relatively low initial strength, whereas the extent of LTD did not show obvious dependence on the initial synaptic strength. Both LTP and LTD depended on the activation of NMDA receptors and were absent in cases in which the postsynaptic neurons were GABAergic in nature. Blockade of L-type calcium channels with nimodipine abolished the induction of LTD and reduced the extent of LTP. These results underscore the importance of precise spike timing, synaptic strength, and postsynaptic cell type in the activity-induced modification of central synapses and suggest that Hebb's rule may need to incorporate a quantitative consideration of spike timing that reflects the narrow and asymmetric window for the induction of synaptic modification.},
author = {Bi, G Q and Poo, M M},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Bi, Poo - 1998.pdf:pdf},
journal = {J Neurosci},
keywords = {3-dione; Action Potentials; Animals; Bicuculline; ,6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,Cultured; Embryo; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentia},
pages = {10464--10472},
pmid = {9852584},
title = {{Synaptic modifications in cultured hippocampal neurons: dependence on spike timing, synaptic strength, and postsynaptic cell type.}},
volume = {18},
year = {1998}
abstract = {Activity-driven modifications in synaptic connections between neurons in the neocortex may occur during development and learning. In dual whole-cell voltage recordings from pyramidal neurons, the coincidence of postsynaptic action potentials (APs) and unitary excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) was found to induce changes in EPSPs. Their average amplitudes were differentially up- or down-regulated, depending on the precise timing of postsynaptic APs relative to EPSPs. These observations suggest that APs propagating back into dendrites serve to modify single active synaptic connections, depending on the pattern of electrical activity in the pre- and postsynaptic neurons.},
author = {Markram, H. and Lubke, J and Frotscher, M and Sakmann, B},
doi = {10.1126/science.275.5297.213},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Markram et al. - 1997.pdf:pdf},
issn = {00368075},
journal = {Science},
keywords = {Action Potentials,Animals,Calcium,Cerebral Cort,N-Methyl-D-Aspartate,Receptors,Synapses,Synaptic Transmiss,Wistar},
month = jan,
number = {5297},
pages = {213--215},
pmid = {8985014},
title = {{Regulation of Synaptic Efficacy by Coincidence of Postsynaptic APs and EPSPs}},
url = {http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.275.5297.213},
volume = {275},
year = {1997}
author = {Gerstner, W and Kempter, R and Hemmen, JL Van and Wagner, H},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Gerstner et al. - 1996.pdf:pdf},
journal = {Nature},
title = {{A neuronal learning rule for sub-millisecond temporal coding}},
url = {http://diwww.epfl.ch/~gerstner/PUBLICATIONS/Gerstner96.pdf},
year = {1996}
abstract = {Throughout the neocortex, groups of neurons have been found to fire synchronously on the time scale of several milliseconds. This near coincident firing of neurons could coordinate the multifaceted information of different features of a stimulus. The mechanisms of generating such synchrony are not clear. We simulated the activity of a population of excitatory and inhibitory neurons randomly interconnected into a recurrent network via synapses that display temporal dynamics in their transmission; surprisingly, we found a behavior of the network where action potential activity spontaneously self-organized to produce highly synchronous bursts involving virtually the entire network. These population bursts were also triggered by stimuli to the network in an all-or-none manner. We found that the particular intensities of the external stimulus to specific neurons were crucial to evoke population bursts. This topographic sensitivity therefore depends on the spectrum of basal discharge rates across the population and not on the anatomical individuality of the neurons, because this was random. These results suggest that networks in which neurons are even randomly interconnected via frequency-dependent synapses could exhibit a novel form of reflex response that is sensitive to the nature of the stimulus as well as the background spontaneous activity.},
author = {Tsodyks, M and Uziel, A and Markram, H},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Tsodyks, Uziel, Markram - 2000.pdf:pdf},
journal = {J Neurosci},
keywords = {Action Potentials; Models,Neurological; Nerve Net; Neuronal Plasticity; Neur,Non-U.S. Gov't; Synapses},
month = jan,
pages = {RC50},
pmid = {10627627},
title = {{Synchrony generation in recurrent networks with frequency-dependent synapses.}},
volume = {20},
year = {2000}
author = {Turrigiano, Gina G and Nelson, Sacha B},
doi = {10.1038/nrn1327},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Turrigiano, Nelson - 2004.pdf:pdf},
issn = {1471-003X},
journal = {Nat Rev Neurosci},
keywords = {Animals; Homeostasis; Humans; Nervous System; Neur,Neurotransmitter; Synapses; Synaptic Transmission},
number = {2},
pages = {97--107},
pmid = {14735113},
shorttitle = {Nat Rev Neurosci},
title = {{Homeostatic plasticity in the developing nervous system.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrn1327},
volume = {5},
year = {2004}
abstract = {Neocortical neurons maintain high firing rates across all behavioral states of vigilance but the discharge patterns vary during different types of brain oscillations, which are assumed to play an important role in information processing and memory consolidation. In the present study, we report that trains of stimuli applied to local neocortical networks of cats, at frequencies that mimic endogenous brain rhythms, produced depression or potentiation of postsynaptic potentials, which lasted for several minutes. This form of synaptic plasticity was not mediated through NMDA receptors since it persisted after blockade of these receptors, but was strongly modulated by the level of background neuronal activity. Using different preparations in vivo, we found that increased background neuronal activity decreased the probability of plastic changes but enhanced the probability of potentiation over depression. Conversely, when the level of background neuronal activity was low, plasticity was observed in all neurons, but mainly depression was induced. Our results demonstrate that high levels of neuronal activity in the cortical network promote potentiation and insure the stability of synaptic connections.},
author = {Crochet, Sylvain and Fuentealba, Pablo and Cisse, Youssouf and Timofeev, Igor and Steriade, Mircea},
doi = {10.1093/cercor/bhj008},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Crochet et al. - 2006.pdf:pdf},
issn = {1047-3211},
journal = {Cereb Cortex},
keywords = {Anesthesia,Animals,Barbiturates,Cats,Cerebral,Databases,Electric Stimulation,Electroencephalogra,Factual,Statistical},
number = {5},
pages = {618--631},
pmid = {16049189},
shorttitle = {Cereb Cortex},
title = {{Synaptic plasticity in local cortical network in vivo and its modulation by the level of neuronal activity.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhj008},
volume = {16},
year = {2006}
abstract = {In the developing frog visual system, topographic refinement of the retinotectal projection depends on electrical activity. In vivo whole-cell recording from developing Xenopus tectal neurons shows that convergent retinotectal synapses undergo activity-dependent cooperation and competition following correlated pre- and postsynaptic spiking within a narrow time window. Synaptic inputs activated repetitively within 20 ms before spiking of the tectal neuron become potentiated, whereas subthreshold inputs activated within 20 ms after spiking become depressed. Thus both the initial synaptic strength and the temporal order of activation are critical for heterosynaptic interactions among convergent synaptic inputs during activity-dependent refinement of developing neural networks.},
author = {Zhang, L I and Tao, H W and Holt, C E and Harris, W A and Poo, M},
doi = {10.1038/25665},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Zhang et al. - 1998.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0028-0836},
journal = {Nature},
keywords = {Animals; Brain; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials,Non-P.H.S.; Research Support,Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support,P.H.S.; Retina; Superior Colliculus; Synapses; Xen,U.S. Gov't},
month = sep,
number = {6697},
pages = {37--44},
pmid = {9738497},
shorttitle = {Nature},
title = {{A critical window for cooperation and competition among developing retinotectal synapses.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/25665},
volume = {395},
year = {1998}
abstract = {The receptive fields of neurons in primary visual cortex that are inactivated by retinal damage are known to 'shift' to nondamaged retinal locations, seemingly due to the plasticity of intracortical connections. We have observed in cats that these shifts occur in a pattern that is highly convergent, even among receptive fields that are separated by large distances before inactivation. Here we show, using a computational model of primary visual cortex, that the observed convergent shifts are inconsistent with the common assumption that the underlying intracortical connection plasticity is dependent on the temporal correlation of pre- and postsynaptic action potentials. The shifts are, however, consistent with the hypothesis that this plasticity is dependent on the temporal order of pre- and postsynaptic action potentials. This convergent reorganization seems to require increased neuronal gain, revealing a mechanism that networks may use to selectively facilitate the didactic transfer of neuronal response properties.},
author = {Young, Joshua M and Waleszczyk, Wioletta J and Wang, Chun and Calford, Michael B and Dreher, Bogdan and Obermayer, Klaus},
doi = {10.1038/nn1913},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Young et al. - 2007.pdf:pdf},
issn = {1097-6256},
journal = {Nat Neurosci},
number = {7},
pages = {887--895},
pmid = {17529985},
shorttitle = {Nat Neurosci},
title = {{Cortical reorganization consistent with spike timing-but not correlation-dependent plasticity.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nn1913},
volume = {10},
year = {2007}
abstract = {Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a computationally powerful form of plasticity in which synapses are strengthened or weakened according to the temporal order and precise millisecond-scale delay between presynaptic and postsynaptic spiking activity. STDP is readily observed in vitro, but evidence for STDP in vivo is scarce. Here, we studied spike timing-dependent synaptic depression in single putative pyramidal neurons of the rat primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in vivo, using two techniques. First, we recorded extracellularly from layer 2/3 (L2/3) and L5 neurons, and paired spontaneous action potentials (postsynaptic spikes) with subsequent subthreshold deflection of one whisker (to drive presynaptic afferents to the recorded neuron) to produce "post-leading-pre" spike pairings at known delays. Short delay pairings (<17 ms) resulted in a significant decrease of the extracellular spiking response specific to the paired whisker, consistent with spike timing-dependent synaptic depression. Second, in whole-cell recordings from neurons in L2/3, we paired postsynaptic spikes elicited by direct-current injection with subthreshold whisker deflection to drive presynaptic afferents to the recorded neuron at precise temporal delays. Post-leading-pre pairing (<33 ms delay) decreased the slope and amplitude of the PSP evoked by the paired whisker, whereas "pre-leading-post" delays failed to produce depression, and sometimes produced potentiation of whisker-evoked PSPs. These results demonstrate that spike timing-dependent synaptic depression occurs in S1 in vivo, and is therefore a plausible plasticity mechanism in the sensory cortex.},
author = {Jacob, Vincent and Brasier, Daniel J and Erchova, Irina and Feldman, Dan and Shulz, Daniel E},
doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4264-06.2007},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Jacob et al. - 2007.pdf:pdf},
issn = {1529-2401},
journal = {The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience},
keywords = {Action Potentials,Animals,Electroencephalography,Long-Term Synaptic Depression,Long-Term Synaptic Depression: physiology,Male,Microelectrodes,Models, Neurological,Neurons,Neurons: physiology,Patch-Clamp Techniques,Presynaptic Terminals,Presynaptic Terminals: physiology,Pyramidal Cells,Pyramidal Cells: physiology,Rats,Rats, Wistar,Reaction Time,Somatosensory Cortex,Somatosensory Cortex: physiology,Stochastic Processes,Time Factors,Touch,Vibrissae,Vibrissae: innervation},
month = feb,
number = {6},
pages = {1271--84},
pmid = {17287502},
title = {{Spike timing-dependent synaptic depression in the in vivo barrel cortex of the rat.}},
url = {http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=3070399\&tool=pmcentrez\&rendertype=abstract},
volume = {27},
year = {2007}
abstract = {Cerebellum-like structures in fish appear to act as adaptive sensory processors, in which learned predictions about sensory input are generated and subtracted from actual sensory input, allowing unpredicted inputs to stand out. Pairing sensory input with centrally originating predictive signals, such as corollary discharge signals linked to motor commands, results in neural responses to the predictive signals alone that are 'negative images' of the previously paired sensory responses. Adding these 'negative images' to actual sensory inputs minimizes the neural response to predictable sensory features. At the cellular level, sensory input is relayed to the basal region of Purkinje-like cells, whereas predictive signals are relayed by parallel fibres to the apical dendrites of the same cells. The generation of negative images could be explained by plasticity at parallel fibre synapses. We show here that such plasticity exists in the electrosensory lobe of mormyrid electric fish and that it has the necessary properties for such a model: it is reversible, anti-hebbian (excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) are depressed after pairing with a postsynaptic spike) and tightly dependent on the sequence of pre- and postsynaptic events, with depression occurring only if the postsynaptic spike follows EPSP onset within 60 ms.},
author = {Bell, C C and Han, V Z and Sugawara, Y and Grant, K},
doi = {10.1038/387278a0},
issn = {0028-0836},
journal = {Nature},
keywords = {Animals; Cerebellum; Electric Fish; Evoked Potenti,Neurological; Neuronal Plasticity; Research Suppor,Non-P.H.S.; Research Support,Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support,P.H.S.; Synapses; Time Factors,U.S. Gov't},
month = may,
number = {6630},
pages = {278--281},
pmid = {9153391},
shorttitle = {Nature},
title = {{Synaptic plasticity in a cerebellum-like structure depends on temporal order.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/387278a0},
volume = {387},
year = {1997}
abstract = {We studied the hypothesis that synaptic dynamics is controlled by three basic principles: (1) synapses adapt their weights so that neurons can effectively transmit information, (2) homeostatic processes stabilize the mean firing rate of the postsynaptic neuron, and (3) weak synapses adapt more slowly than strong ones, while maintenance of strong synapses is costly. Our results show that a synaptic update rule derived from these principles shares features, with spike-timing-dependent plasticity, is sensitive to correlations in the input and is useful for synaptic memory. Moreover, input selectivity (sharply tuned receptive fields) of postsynaptic neurons develops only if stimuli with strong features are presented. Sharply tuned neurons can coexist with unselective ones, and the distribution of synaptic weights can be unimodal or bimodal. The formulation of synaptic dynamics through an optimality criterion provides a simple graphical argument for the stability of synapses, necessary for synaptic memory.},
author = {Toyoizumi, Taro and Pfister, Jean-Pascal and Aihara, Kazuyuki and Gerstner, Wulfram},
doi = {10.1162/neco.2007.19.3.639},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Toyoizumi et al. - 2007.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0899-7667},
journal = {Neural Comput},
month = mar,
number = {3},
pages = {639--671},
pmid = {17298228},
shorttitle = {Neural Comput},
title = {{Optimality Model of Unsupervised Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity: Synaptic Memory and Weight Distribution.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/neco.2007.19.3.639},
volume = {19},
year = {2007}
abstract = {Synaptic plasticity was recently shown to depend on the relative timing of the pre- and postsynaptic spikes. This article analytically derives a spike-dependent learning rule based on the principle of information maximization for a single neuron with spiking inputs. This rule is then transformed into a biologically feasible rule, which is compared to the experimentally observed plasticity. This comparison reveals that the biological rule increases information to a near-optimal level and provides insights into the structure of biological plasticity. It shows that the time dependency of synaptic potentiation should be determined by the synaptic transfer function and membrane leak. Potentiation consists of weight-dependent and weight-independent components whose weights are of the same order of magnitude. It further suggests that synaptic depression should be triggered by rare and relevant inputs but at the same time serves to unlearn the baseline statistics of the network's inputs. The optimal depression curve is uniformly extended in time, but biological constraints that cause the cell to forget past events may lead to a different shape, which is not specified by our current model. The structure of the optimal rule thus suggests a computational account for several temporal characteristics of the biological spike-timing-dependent rules.},
author = {Chechik, Gal},
doi = {10.1162/089976603321891774},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Chechik - 2003.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0899-7667},
journal = {Neural Comput},
keywords = {Action Potentials; Models,Neurological; Neuronal Plasticity; Research Suppor,Non-U.S. Gov't},
month = jul,
number = {7},
pages = {1481--1510},
pmid = {12816563},
shorttitle = {Neural Comput},
title = {{Spike-timing-dependent plasticity and relevant mutual information maximization.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/089976603321891774},
volume = {15},
year = {2003}
author = {Bohte, Sander M and Mozer, Michael C},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Bohte, Mozer - 2005.pdf:pdf},
journal = {NIPS},
keywords = {Plasticity},
title = {{Reducing Spike Train Variability: A Computational Theory Of Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity}},
volume = {2005},
year = {2005}
abstract = {Slow Feature Analysis (SFA) is an efficient algorithm for learning input-output functions that extract the most slowly varying features from a quickly varying signal. It has been successfully applied to the unsupervised learning of translation-, rotation-, and other invariances in a model of the visual system, to the learning of complex cell receptive fields, and, combined with a sparseness objective, to the self-organized formation of place cells in a model of the hippocampus. In order to arrive at a biologically more plausible implementation of this learning rule, we consider analytically how SFA could be realized in simple linear continuous and spiking model neurons. It turns out that for the continuous model neuron SFA can be implemented by means of a modified version of standard Hebbian learning. In this framework we provide a connection to the trace learning rule for invariance learning. We then show that for Poisson neurons spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) with a specific learning window can learn the same weight distribution as SFA. Surprisingly, we find that the appropriate learning rule reproduces the typical STDP learning window. The shape as well as the timescale are in good agreement with what has been measured experimentally. This offers a completely novel interpretation for the functional role of spike-timing-dependent plasticity in physiological neurons.},
annote = {($\backslash$EG\{abstract\}\{Zusammenfassung\})},
author = {Sprekeler, Henning and Michaelis, Christian and Wiskott, Laurenz},
booktitle = {Proc. 2nd Bernstein Symposium for Computational Neuroscience 2006, Berlin, October 1--3},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Sprekeler, Michaelis, Wiskott - 2006.pdf:pdf},
keywords = {SFA,STDP,Slow Feature Analysis,computational neuroscience,invariance learning,modeling,slowness,spike-timing dependent plasticity,trace rule},
pages = {24},
title = {{Slowness: An Objective for Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity?}},
year = {2006}
abstract = {A spike-timing-dependent Hebbian mechanism governs the plasticity of recurrent excitatory synapses in the neocortex: synapses that are activated a few milliseconds before a postsynaptic spike are potentiated, while those that are activated a few milliseconds after are depressed. We show that such a mechanism can implement a form of temporal difference learning for prediction of input sequences. Using a biophysical model of a cortical neuron, we show that a temporal difference rule used in conjunction with dendritic backpropagating action potentials reproduces the temporally asymmetric window of Hebbian plasticity observed physio-logically. Furthermore, the size and shape of the window vary with the distance of the synapse from the soma. Using a simple example, we show how a spike-timing-based temporal difference learning rule can allow a network of neocortical neurons to predict an input a few milliseconds before the input's expected arrival.},
author = {Rao, R P and Sejnowski, T J},
doi = {10.1162/089976601750541787},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Rao, Sejnowski - 2001.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0899-7667},
journal = {Neural Comput},
keywords = {Action Potentials; Animals; Learning; Models,Neurological; Neocortex; Neuronal Plasticity; Reac,Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support,P.H.S.; Synapses,U.S. Gov't},
month = oct,
number = {10},
pages = {2221--2237},
pmid = {11570997},
shorttitle = {Neural Comput},
title = {{Spike-timing-dependent Hebbian plasticity as temporal difference learning.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/089976601750541787},
volume = {13},
year = {2001}
abstract = {Synaptic plasticity is considered to be the biological substrate of learning and memory. In this document we review phenomenological models of short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity, in particular spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP). The aim of the document is to provide a framework for classifying and evaluating different models of plasticity. We focus on phenomenological synaptic models that are compatible with integrate-and-fire type neuron models where each neuron is described by a small number of variables. This implies that synaptic update rules for short-term or long-term plasticity can only depend on spike timing and, potentially, on membrane potential, as well as on the value of the synaptic weight, or on low-pass filtered (temporally averaged) versions of the above variables. We examine the ability of the models to account for experimental data and to fulfill expectations derived from theoretical considerations. We further discuss their relations to teacher-based rules (supervised learning) and reward-based rules (reinforcement learning). All models discussed in this paper are suitable for large-scale network simulations.},
author = {Morrison, Abigail and Diesmann, Markus and Gerstner, Wulfram},
doi = {10.1007/s00422-008-0233-1},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Morrison, Diesmann, Gerstner - 2008.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0340-1200},
journal = {Biological cybernetics},
keywords = {Action Potentials,Action Potentials: physiology,Animals,Models,Neurological,Neuronal Plasticity,Neuronal Plasticity: physiology,Neurons,Neurons: physiology,Synapses,Synapses: physiology,Time Factors},
month = jun,
number = {6},
pages = {459--78},
pmid = {18491160},
publisher = {Springer Berlin / Heidelberg},
shorttitle = {Biol Cybern},
title = {{Phenomenological models of synaptic plasticity based on spike timing.}},
url = {http://www.springerlink.com/content/b5r5314jn3001203/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00422-008-0233-1},
volume = {98},
year = {2008}
abstract = {We demonstrate that the BCM learning rule follows directly from STDP when pre- and postsynaptic neurons fire uncorrelated or weakly correlated Poisson spike trains, and only nearest-neighbor spike interactions are taken into account.},
author = {Izhikevich, Eugene M and Desai, Niraj S},
doi = {10.1162/089976603321891783},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Izhikevich, Desai - 2003.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0899-7667},
journal = {Neural Comput},
keywords = {Action Potentials; Neuronal Plasticity; Poisson Di,Non-U.S. Gov't; Synapses},
month = jul,
number = {7},
pages = {1511--1523},
pmid = {12816564},
shorttitle = {Neural Comput},
title = {{Relating STDP to BCM.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/089976603321891783},
volume = {15},
year = {2003}
abstract = {Triggered by recent experimental results, temporally asymmetric Hebbian (TAH) plasticity is considered as a candidate model for the biological implementation of competitive synaptic learning, a key concept for the experience-based development of cortical circuitry. However, because of the well known positive feedback instability of correlation-based plasticity, the stability of the resulting learning process has remained a central problem. Plagued by either a runaway of the synaptic efficacies or a greatly reduced sensitivity to input correlations, the learning performance of current models is limited. Here we introduce a novel generalized nonlinear TAH learning rule that allows a balance between stability and sensitivity of learning. Using this rule, we study the capacity of the system to learn patterns of correlations between afferent spike trains. Specifically, we address the question of under which conditions learning induces spontaneous symmetry breaking and leads to inhomogeneous synaptic distributions that capture the structure of the input correlations. To study the efficiency of learning temporal relationships between afferent spike trains through TAH plasticity, we introduce a novel sensitivity measure that quantifies the amount of information about the correlation structure in the input, a learning rule capable of storing in the synaptic weights. We demonstrate that by adjusting the weight dependence of the synaptic changes in TAH plasticity, it is possible to enhance the synaptic representation of temporal input correlations while maintaining the system in a stable learning regime. Indeed, for a given distribution of inputs, the learning efficiency can be optimized.},
annote = { From Duplicate 1 ( Learning input correlations through nonlinear temporally asymmetric Hebbian plasticity. - G\"{u}tig, R; Aharonov, R; Rotter, S; Sompolinsky, Haim; G�tig, R )
From Duplicate 1 ( Learning input correlations through nonlinear temporally asymmetric Hebbian plasticity. - G�tig, R; Aharonov, R; Rotter, S; Sompolinsky, Haim )
From Duplicate 2 ( Learning input correlations through nonlinear temporally asymmetric Hebbian plasticity. - G\"{u}tig, R; Aharonov, R; Rotter, S; Sompolinsky, Haim; G�tig, R )
From Duplicate 1 ( Learning input correlations through nonlinear temporally asymmetric Hebbian plasticity. - G\"{u}tig, R; Aharonov, R; Rotter, S; Sompolinsky, Haim; G�tig, R )
From Duplicate 1 ( Learning input correlations through nonlinear temporally asymmetric Hebbian plasticity. - G�tig, R; Aharonov, R; Rotter, S; Sompolinsky, Haim )
From Duplicate 2 ( Learning input correlations through nonlinear temporally asymmetric Hebbian plasticity. - G\"{u}tig, R; Aharonov, R; Rotter, S; Sompolinsky, Haim )
author = {G\"{u}tig, R and Aharonov, R and Rotter, S and Sompolinsky, Haim and G�tig, R},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/G\"{u}tig et al. - 2003.pdf:pdf},
issn = {1529-2401},
journal = {The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience},
keywords = {Action Potentials,Action Potentials: physiology,Computer Simulation,Learning,Learning: physiology,Models,Neural Networks (Computer),Neurological,Neuronal,Neuronal Plasticity,Neuronal Plasticity: physiology,Neurons,Neurons: physiology,Non-P.H.S.,Non-U.S. Gov't,Nonlinear Dynamics,Poisson Distribution,Research Support,Sensory Thresholds,Sensory Thresholds: physiology,Synapses,Synapses: physiology,U.S. Gov't},
month = may,
number = {9},
pages = {3697--3714},
pmid = {12736341},
title = {{Learning input correlations through nonlinear temporally asymmetric Hebbian plasticity.}},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12736341},
volume = {23},
year = {2003}
abstract = {We present two weight- and spike-time dependent synaptic plasticity rules consistent with the physiological data of Bi and Poo (J Neurosci 18:10464-10472, 1998). One rule assumes synaptic saturation, while the other is scale free. We extend previous analyses of the asymptotic consequences of weight-dependent STDP to the case of strongly correlated pre- and post-synaptic spiking, more closely resembling associative learning. We further provide a general formula for the contribution of any number of spikes to synaptic drift. Asymptotic weights are shown to principally depend on the correlation and rate of pre- and post-synaptic activity, decreasing with increasing rate under correlated activity, and increasing with rate under uncorrelated activity. Spike train statistics reveal a quantitative effect only in the pre-asymptotic regime, and we provide a new interpretation of the relation between BCM and STDP data.},
annote = { From Duplicate 1 ( Computational consequences of experimentally derived spike-time and weight dependent plasticity rules. - Standage, Dominic; Jalil, Sajiya; Trappenberg, Thomas; Paper, Original )
From Duplicate 2 ( Computational consequences of experimentally derived spike-time and weight dependent plasticity rules. - Standage, Dominic; Jalil, Sajiya; Trappenberg, Thomas; Paper, Original )
From Duplicate 1 ( Computational consequences of experimentally derived spike-time and weight dependent plasticity rules. - Paper, Original; Standage, Dominic; Jalil, Sajiya; Trappenberg, Thomas )
From Duplicate 1 ( Computational consequences of experimentally derived spike-time and weight dependent plasticity rules. - Standage, Dominic; Jalil, Sajiya; Trappenberg, Thomas )
From Duplicate 2 ( Computational consequences of experimentally derived spike-time and weight dependent plasticity rules. - Standage, Dominic; Jalil, Sajiya; Trappenberg, Thomas )
From Duplicate 2 ( Computational consequences of experimentally derived spike-time and weight dependent plasticity rules. - Paper, Original; Standage, Dominic; Jalil, Sajiya; Trappenberg, Thomas )
From Duplicate 1 ( Computational consequences of experimentally derived spike-time and weight dependent plasticity rules. - Standage, Dominic; Jalil, Sajiya; Trappenberg, Thomas )
author = {Paper, Original and Standage, Dominic and Jalil, Sajiya and Trappenberg, Thomas},
doi = {10.1007/s00422-007-0152-6},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley//Paper et al. - 2007.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0340-1200},
journal = {Biol Cybern},
keywords = {Action Potentials,Action Potentials: physiology,Animals,Computer Simulation,Models,Nerve Net,Neurological,Neuronal Plasticity,Neuronal Plasticity: physiology,Neurons,Neurons: physiology,Synapses,Synapses: physiology,Synaptic Transmission,Time Factors},
month = jun,
number = {6},
pages = {615--23},
pmid = {17468882},
shorttitle = {Biol Cybern},
title = {{Computational consequences of experimentally derived spike-time and weight dependent plasticity rules.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00422-007-0152-6 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17468882},
volume = {96},
year = {2007}
abstract = {We explore a synaptic plasticity model that incorporates recent findings that potentiation and depression can be induced by precisely timed pairs of synaptic events and postsynaptic spikes. In addition we include the observation that strong synapses undergo relatively less potentiation than weak synapses, whereas depression is independent of synaptic strength. After random stimulation, the synaptic weights reach an equilibrium distribution which is stable, unimodal, and has positive skew. This weight distribution compares favorably to the distributions of quantal amplitudes and of receptor number observed experimentally in central neurons and contrasts to the distribution found in plasticity models without size-dependent potentiation. Also in contrast to those models, which show strong competition between the synapses, stable plasticity is achieved with little competition. Instead, competition can be introduced by including a separate mechanism that scales synaptic strengths multiplicatively as a function of postsynaptic activity. In this model, synaptic weights change in proportion to how correlated they are with other inputs onto the same postsynaptic neuron. These results indicate that stable correlation-based plasticity can be achieved without introducing competition, suggesting that plasticity and competition need not coexist in all circuits or at all developmental stages.},
annote = { From Duplicate 1 ( Stable Hebbian learning from spike timing-dependent plasticity. - Rossum, M C W Van; Bi, G Q; Turrigiano, G G; van Rossum, M C )
From Duplicate 1 ( Stable Hebbian learning from spike timing-dependent plasticity. - van Rossum, M C; Bi, G Q; Turrigiano, G G )
From Duplicate 2 ( Stable Hebbian learning from spike timing-dependent plasticity. - van Rossum, M C; Bi, G Q; Turrigiano, G G )
author = {van Rossum, M C and Bi, G Q and Turrigiano, G G and Rossum, M C W Van},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley//van Rossum et al. - 2000.pdf:pdf},
issn = {1529-2401},
journal = {The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience},
keywords = {Action Potentials,Action Potentials: physiology,Animals,Computer Simulation,L,Learning,Learning: physiology,Long-Term Potentiation,Long-Term Potentiation: physiology,Models,Neurological,Neuronal Plasticity,Neuronal Plasticity: physiology,Neurons,Neurons: physiology,Rats,Reaction Time,Reaction Time: physiology,Stochastic Processes,Synaptic Transmission,Synaptic Transmission: physiology,activity-dependent scaling,hebbian plasticity,petition,stochas-,synaptic com-,synaptic weights,temporal learning},
month = dec,
number = {23},
pages = {8812--21},
pmid = {11102489},
title = {{Stable Hebbian learning from spike timing-dependent plasticity.}},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16711840},
volume = {20},
year = {2000}
abstract = {Memory systems should be plastic to allow for learning; however, they should also retain earlier memories. Here we explore how synaptic weights and memories are retained in models of single neurons and networks equipped with spike-timing-dependent plasticity. We show that for single neuron models, the precise learning rule has a strong effect on the memory retention time. In particular, a soft-bound, weight-dependent learning rule has a very short retention time as compared with a learning rule that is independent of the synaptic weights. Next, we explore how the retention time is reflected in receptive field stability in networks. As in the single neuron case, the weight-dependent learning rule yields less stable receptive fields than a weight-independent rule. However, receptive fields stabilize in the presence of sufficient lateral inhibition, demonstrating that plasticity in networks can be regulated by inhibition and suggesting a novel role for inhibition in neural circuits.},
author = {Billings, Guy and van Rossum, Mark C W},
doi = {10.1152/jn.91007.2008},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Billings, van Rossum - 2009.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0022-3077},
journal = {Journal of neurophysiology},
keywords = {Action Potentials,Action Potentials: physiology,Animals,Humans,Models, Neurological,Neural Inhibition,Neural Inhibition: physiology,Neural Networks (Computer),Neuronal Plasticity,Neuronal Plasticity: physiology,Neurons,Neurons: physiology,Retention (Psychology),Retention (Psychology): physiology,Time Factors},
month = jun,
number = {6},
pages = {2775--88},
pmid = {19297513},
title = {{Memory retention and spike-timing-dependent plasticity.}},
url = {http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2694112\&tool=pmcentrez\&rendertype=abstract},
volume = {101},
year = {2009}
abstract = {Volitional behavior relies on the brain's ability to remap sensory flow to motor programs whenever demanded by a changed behavioral context. To investigate the circuit basis of such flexible behavior, we have developed a biophysically based decision-making network model of spiking neurons for arbitrary sensorimotor mapping. The model quantitatively reproduces behavioral and prefrontal single-cell data from an experiment in which monkeys learn visuomotor associations that are reversed unpredictably from time to time. We show that when synaptic modifications occur on multiple timescales, the model behavior becomes flexible only when needed: slow components of learning usually dominate the decision process. However, if behavioral contexts change frequently enough, fast components of plasticity take over, and the behavior exhibits a quick forget-and-learn pattern. This model prediction is confirmed by monkey data. Therefore, our work reveals a scenario for conditional associative learning that is distinct from instant switching between sets of well-established sensorimotor associations.},
author = {Fusi, Stefano and Asaad, Wael F and Miller, Earl K and Wang, Xiao-Jing},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2007.03.017},
institution = {Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.},
issn = {0896-6273},
journal = {Neuron},
keywords = {Algorithms; Animals; Association Learning,Neurological; Neural Networks (Computer); Neurons,phys/iology; Models,physiology,physiology; Cues; Decision Making; Haplorhini; Lea,physiology; Memory,physiology; Mental Recall,physiology; Prefrontal Cortex,physiology; Psychomotor Performance,physiology; Synapses},
number = {2},
pages = {319--333},
pmid = {17442251},
shorttitle = {Neuron},
title = {{A neural circuit model of flexible sensorimotor mapping: learning and forgetting on multiple timescales.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2007.03.017},
volume = {54},
year = {2007}
abstract = {The balanced random network model attracts considerable interest because it explains the irregular spiking activity at low rates and large membrane potential fluctuations exhibited by cortical neurons in vivo. In this article, we investigate to what extent this model is also compatible with the experimentally observed phenomenon of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Confronted with the plethora of theoretical models for STDP available, we reexamine the experimental data. On this basis, we propose a novel STDP update rule, with a multiplicative dependence on the synaptic weight for depression, and a power law dependence for potentiation. We show that this rule, when implemented in large, balanced networks of realistic connectivity and sparseness, is compatible with the asynchronous irregular activity regime. The resultant equilibrium weight distribution is unimodal with fluctuating individual weight trajectories and does not exhibit development of structure. We investigate the robustness of our results with respect to the relative strength of depression. We introduce synchronous stimulation to a group of neurons and demonstrate that the decoupling of this group from the rest of the network is so severe that it cannot effectively control the spiking of other neurons, even those with the highest convergence from this group.},
author = {Morrison, Abigail and Aertsen, Ad and Diesmann, Markus},
doi = {10.1162/neco.2007.19.6.1437},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Morrison, Aertsen, Diesmann - 2007.pdf:pdf;:home/pierre/Mendeley//Morrison, Aertsen, Diesmann - 2007.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0899-7667},
journal = {Neural Comput},
keywords = {Action Potentials,Animals,Electric Stimulation},
month = jun,
number = {6},
pages = {1437--1467},
pmid = {17444756},
shorttitle = {Neural Comput},
title = {{Spike-timing-dependent plasticity in balanced random networks.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/neco.2007.19.6.1437},
volume = {19},
year = {2007}
abstract = {The long-term modification of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) was studied in visual cortex slices taken from developing rats. IPSPs evoked by layer IV stimulation were intracellularly recorded from layer V cells while excitatory synaptic transmission was blocked by NMDA and non-NMDA receptor antagonists. High-frequency conditioning stimulation of layer IV induced long-term potentiation of IPSPs. By contrast, long-term depression (LTD) of IPSPs was induced by the same conditioning stimulation applied while NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission was unmasked by removing the NMDA antagonist from and adding a GABAA receptor antagonist to the medium. The LTD of IPSPs was also induced by NMDA application to the cells. The plasticity of IPSPs might explain the postnatal development of selective responsiveness of visual cortical cells.},
author = {Komatsu, Y and Iwakiri, M},
issn = {0959-4965},
journal = {Neuroreport},
keywords = {2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate,2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate: pharmacology,Animals,Animals, Newborn,Animals, Newborn: physiology,Bicuculline,Bicuculline: analogs \& derivatives,Bicuculline: pharmacology,Conditioning (Psychology),Conditioning (Psychology): physiology,Electric Stimulation,Evoked Potentials,Evoked Potentials: drug effects,Evoked Potentials: physiology,GABA-A Receptor Antagonists,Membrane Potentials,Membrane Potentials: physiology,Neuronal Plasticity,Neuronal Plasticity: drug effects,Neurons, Afferent,Neurons, Afferent: drug effects,Neurons, Afferent: physiology,Quinoxalines,Quinoxalines: pharmacology,Rats,Rats, Sprague-Dawley,Receptors, GABA-A,Receptors, GABA-A: drug effects,Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate,Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate: antagonists \& inh,Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate: drug effects,Synapses,Synapses: drug effects,Synapses: physiology,Synaptic Transmission,Synaptic Transmission: drug effects,Synaptic Transmission: physiology,Visual Cortex,Visual Cortex: drug effects,Visual Cortex: growth \& development,Visual Cortex: physiology},
month = jul,
number = {7},
pages = {907--10},
pmid = {8103683},
title = {{Long-term modification of inhibitory synaptic transmission in developing visual cortex.}},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8103683},
volume = {4},
year = {1993}
abstract = {Actions of inhibitory interneurons organize and modulate many neuronal processes, yet the mechanisms and consequences of plasticity of inhibitory synapses remains poorly understood. We report on spike-timing-dependent plasticity of inhibitory synapses in the entorhinal cortex. After pairing presynaptic stimulations at time tpre with evoked postsynaptic spikes at time tpost under pharmacological blockade of excitation we found, via whole-cell recordings, an asymmetrical timing rule for plasticity of the remaining inhibitory responses. Strength of response varied as a function of the time interval Deltat = tpost - tpre : for Deltat >0 inhibitory responses potentiated, peaking at a delay of 10 ms. For Deltat <0 the synaptic coupling depressed, again with a maximal effect near 10 ms of delay. We also show that changes in synaptic strength depend on changes in intracellular calcium concentrations, and demonstrate that the calcium enters the postsynaptic cell through voltage-gated channels. Using network models, we demonstrate how this novel form of plasticity can sculpt network behavior efficiently and with remarkable flexibility.},
author = {Haas, Julie S and Nowotny, Thomas and Abarbanel, Henry D I},
doi = {10.1152/jn.00551.2006},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley/Haas, Nowotny, Abarbanel - 2006.pdf:pdf},
issn = {0022-3077},
journal = {J Neurophysiol},
month = dec,
number = {6},
pages = {3305--13},
pmid = {16928795},
shorttitle = {J Neurophysiol},
title = {{Spike-timing-dependent plasticity of inhibitory synapses in the entorhinal cortex.}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00551.2006},
volume = {96},
year = {2006}
abstract = {this paper we extend this work to develop an algorithm for the case of both input and output noise, with an output power constraint. We find that it is possible to simplify the obvious algorithm obtained by concatenating the two previous solutions. Previous Algorithms},
annote = { From Duplicate 1 ( A Hebbian/anti-Hebbian network which optimizes information capacity by orthonormalizing the principal subspace - Plumbley, MD D )
From Duplicate 2 ( A Hebbian/anti-Hebbian Network Which Optimizes Information Capacity By Orthonormalizing The Principal Subspace - Plumbley, M D )
M D Plumbley (King s College London , UK);
From Duplicate 2 ( A Hebbian/anti-Hebbian Network Which Optimizes Information Capacity By Orthonormalizing The Principal Subspace - Plumbley, M D )
M D Plumbley (King s College London , UK);
author = {Plumbley, MD D},
file = {:home/pierre/Mendeley//Plumbley - 1993.pdf:pdf},
journal = {Artificial Neural Networks, 1993., Third \ldots},
title = {{A Hebbian/anti-Hebbian network which optimizes information capacity by orthonormalizing the principal subspace}},
url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs\_all.jsp?arnumber=263251 http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/207161.html;},
year = {1993}


text:
Jesus said to his disciples: 'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.
'For I tell you, if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
'You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother "Fool" he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him "Renegade" he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.
'You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your right hand should cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body go to hell.
'It has also been said: Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. But I say this to you: everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
'Again, you have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God's throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is "Yes" if you mean yes, "No" if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.'
Gospel reading – Courtesy of Universalis Publishing Ltd. – www.universalis.com
"The path to the Kingdom"
by Arkadiusz Orzechowski
The words of today's Gospel, directs our attention to the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. That is where Jesus gave guidance to humanity on the journey to the Kingdom of God.
The choice of location where Jesus gives these tips, indicates that the journey of his followers will not be easy. Anyone who has ever climbed a high mountain knows how much effort and sacrifice is necessary to get to the summit. That is why Jesus gives his disciples a sort of map with directions.
For the people of the Old Testament, the Torah was such a map, and in particular the Ten Commandments. Jesus, however, wants to focus the Kingdom journey for his disciples and gives them only the two most important commandments – to love God and to love one's neighbour.
Today, Jesus explains what it means to love one's neighbour. He has already experienced some difficult relationships in his own ministry, and therefore he does focus on what is negative, but proposes positive guidelines. Instead of putting the focus on the prevention of negative and sinful acts, He concentrates and offers propositions to develop virtues. He looks to what is positive and constructive.
The path of peace, the path of forgiveness, the way of faithfulness, the way of truth and honesty – It seems that all these paths proposed by Jesus, come together in one place and create a path of mercy. Pope Francis has spoken of people who strive to follow these paths, as "Christians who let God clothe them with goodness and mercy, with Christ, so as to become, like Christ, servants of God and others".
Standing atop the Mount of Beatitudes today, and observing the landscape at its feet, it becomes clear why it was here, and not anywhere else, that Christ gave his famous sermon. The Words of Jesus and the beautiful view stretching from the mountain can certainly bring to mind the image of Paradise – the homeland of the first people, where everything was good.
Let us pray today, so we have strength to follow the path of Christ, the way that He offers us, so together we can reach His Kingdom, where everything is good.
by Fr Juan José Bartolomé SDB
Introduction to Lectio Divine
The image of Jesus that emerges from today's Gospel passage may seem strange – a jealous Jesus insisting in detail on the law. It is not the kind of Jesus that evokes enthusiasm. We don't expect a Jesus who has little regard for the disciple who disobeys even one of the least of the commandments of the law. However, and this adds to our surprise, Jesus has come to fulfil the law in its entirety, and with a radicalism that may seem to us impossible. But this is what he himself proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount which remains, even after twenty centuries, the heart of the message of Jesus.
Read: understand what the text is saying, focussing on how it says it
Today's gospel passage is long and difficult. It has given rise to many interpretations, often contradictory. It would be easier to understand if it were presented in shorter more homogeneous extracts.
When Jesus had told his disciples what he wanted them to be, salt of the earth and light of the world, he went on to tell them how – by obeying the law and the prophets to the letter. The written word of God is not a topic for discussion but a matter of obedience, to be observed even to the last letter. Jesus confirms this principle, quoting three legal norms and explaining their demands. The laws quoted do not touch directly the relationship between the believer and God and do not permit exceptions. They are precepts of the Ten Commandments which govern inter-personal relationships and the things that threaten them: homicide, divorce, oath-taking.
We should note that the laws and the norms that Jesus deduces from them are merely examples of the reason for which Jesus came, namely to bring the law to completion. It is not his mission to abolish it. The will of God is more obvious than heaven and earth, which for ancient man were a symbol of firmness and constancy. Before God – and this is the thing that really shocks us – the one who observes the law and teaches others to observe it will be considered great. The one who does not observe even the smallest detail of the law and teaches others to do the same will be considered little. God's judgement on us depends on observance of the law. Jesus concludes his explanation with another demand, even more unexpected: the disciple must be better than the best of his contemporaries, the Pharisees, who were obsessed with obeying the law in their daily life.
The four legal norms serve, at first sight, to confirm the principle: they are an example of the absolute validity of the law. Jesus clarifies what he expects of his disciples. The four cases are formulated in the same way: the commandment is introduced with the words "you have learnt how it was said."
Not only must you not kill, but you must not ill-treat, even with the slightest of insults. The one who is not on good terms with his brother, cannot be on good terms with God. Brotherly love is a prior condition for divine worship. It makes more sense, therefore, to settle accounts with your brother before presenting yourself to your Judge.
Not only is it forbidden to have relations with your neighbour's wife, but she must not be the object of lustful desire, even if unfulfilled. The gravity of the prohibition is shown by the seriousness of the measure to be taken: it is better to cut off a member of the body that causes you to sin than to be totally condemned.
Not only is divorce forbidden, but divorce as allowed by the Law of Moses leads inevitably to adultery, for the woman rejected as well as for the man who marries her. Jesus contemplates only one exception: one who does not live marriage with purity and fidelity can be repudiated.
Not only is it forbidden to swear a false oath, but there should be no deception. Say 'Yes' if you mean yes and 'No' if you mean no. The believer should be worthy of trust in all he does or says, and so he should not feel the need to support his own personal honesty, either with the authority of another nor with an appeal to his own integrity. "Anything more than this comes from the evil one".
Meditate: apply what the text says to life
Matthew presents us not just with a collection of sayings of Jesus but with his position in relation to the law of God and the basic attitude the Christian ought to have in its regard. Jesus of Nazareth was not a liberal preacher, much less an anarchist. He wanted to fulfil God's law not just to the last letter but also in what remained unwritten, that is, the primary intention of the law. That is the secret of his radicalism. If his demands seem utopian and impracticable, it is because we do not see them from his point of view. Those who, like Jesus, put the Kingdom of God at the centre of their lives, should not allow themselves to be led astray in their desires or in their actions. A community that betrays the obedience it owes to the law of God, and disciples who do not practise a level of righteousness higher than that of the rivals of Jesus, will not succeed in becoming Christian.
Among good Christians, as we like to think we are, it is normal to deceive ourselves into believing that we are good enough, just because we do not kill, or take our neighbour's wife, or because we always tell the truth, and that we are not prejudiced. We think we are living up to God's demands. It is not by chance, then, that his demands seem burdensome. Jesus did not think that way. He did not think that the price we pay to obey God's law is proof of the goodness of our lives. The four examples referred to show this. In response to the law of God, written in antiquity, Jesus makes some unheard-of demands. External obedience to God's will was not enough for him, and he was not satisfied with those who lived by the prescriptions of the law. It was necessary at every moment to seek the non-written will of God, to obey the intention of the law and not just the letter.
From someone like Jesus who was viewed by his contemporaries as an unrepentant liberal, and even a transgressor of the prescriptions of the law on eating, we would have expected a very different teaching. There is no doubt that it would have been easier to be followers of someone who attached less importance to God's will, or rejected its demands, or reduced them to when it suits us to respect them. But he was not like that! He himself said that, if we want one day to inherit his kingdom and rejoice in his presence, we must try to live obedient lives to the very limit of what is possible. This is what Jesus asks of us – a level of obedience that to us seems impossible.
It is evident that we must not kill. But the disciple of Jesus cannot be satisfied simply with not taking someone's life if he continues to deny his neighbour the place in his heart that he deserves. Hatred, insults, inability to forgive, wishing evil or refusing good, failure to help, ignoring someone, or refusing to speak to someone – all these are ways of denying the life and the rights of our neighbour. Jesus did not demand of his disciples a goodness that limits itself to doing harm to no one. He wanted his followers to treat others well, even those who do not deserve it. How can we consider ourselves good simply because we respect God if we do not also respect those with whom we live? Fine words are not enough if they are not accompanied by acts of mercy.
We may think that adultery is something far removed from our lives, thank God. But that is not enough to render us pure in heart, as Jesus wants us to be. It is not enough to avoid sin – we must stop desiring it. Jesus is not satisfied with us only because we do not take someone else's spouse. It is not the hands that render the body of a Christian impure, but impure sentiments and intentions. Simply not giving one's body to another does not guarantee that our most intimate desires, or thoughts that have not been confessed, are directed solely to God and to our dear ones or those to whom we owe fidelity. Bodily abstinence could be only a sign of disinterest or lack of love. Our neighbour must be respected also in our hearts. This is what was new in the teaching of Jesus. In the light of this demand, who among us can consider ourselves already good?
The Christian should not swear, because his constant attitude of truthfulness should make an oath unnecessary. Unfortunately, we have learnt a thousand excuses for lying, so as not to feel bad about things we have done. Even if we have often been deceived, this does not make our own lies less culpable. The fact that others deceive us whenever they can, must not make liars of us if we aspire to become disciples of Jesus. What others do cannot become the law of our behaviour. Maybe there is nothing shameful in our lives, but this is not enough to make us authentic disciples of Jesus. The disciple's reason for being truthful is to be found in Jesus who does not want his followers to be liars or to have to support their statements by oath. If what we say corresponds, always, with what we think, then we are living as he wants us to live, and this, in itself, is our reward.
Respect for our neighbour, for his life, his love and honour, is an exercise of Christian living that must come from the heart. Merely external respect for others does not mean that we have respect for God's law in our hearts. The fact that these demands of Jesus are extreme does not make them optional. Jesus knows very well how much they cost us, and he has said so in language that is particularly hard: it is better to lose an eye or a hand for a time, than to lose God forever.
We must have God within us, in the depths of our hearts, in order to want what God wills with all our strength. Only people who love God more than self can respect their neighbour as themselves. If God and his kingdom are not present in our lives, taking first place in our hearts, our hands and our sentiments will threaten the life of our neighbour. That would be our perdition. It is only when we return to God and respect his will that we are able to see in our neighbour a brother to be defended, respected and loved. God and his kingdom are near to us when we draw near to our neighbour and love him as we love ourselves.
you promise to come with your Son
and make your home within them.
Come, then, with your purifying grace
and make our hearts a place where you can dwell.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.


text:
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Teaka Meets Couponing
I'm not sure how we started watching this program but we found ourselves completely engulfed by a TLC show about these extreme couponers. First off I was rather critical that once again there was a new program out about something so silly and how anybody could get their own program these days but that cynicism soon turned into utter amazement. These every day, normal people were discovering ways to walk into a grocery store, fill 4, 5, 6 carts FULL of items totaling from $600 to $5000 and every one of them spent under $10. TEN DOLLARS!!! And on top of that you should see their stock piles. They could have their own store with all the accumulated stuff in their homes. Some were super organized with shelves, everything categorized and accounted for while others where just piling their goods up in any spare space in their homes. What I loved the most about these people was that only were they super smart but many gave the majority of their finds to food banks, charities and churches in their town. These people seriously have a God given talent for couponing!
Now after seeing this show I'm hooked. I can honestly say I've never really even looked through coupons before. Every time I get flyers and the paper I simply toss them out. Well no more of that people! There's no way I'm going to turn into one of those world champion couponing people. But it wouldn't hurt to do a little research on the stores I shop at and maybe save a few bucks here and there with coupons.
So I've decided I'm going to try to dip my pinky toe into the vast ocean of the world of Extreme Couponing. :)
2 comments:
- Emme said...
that's so strange, i JUST found a friend's photo album on facebook dedicated to her coupon purchases. ok, get this, she bought: Mr. Clean magic erasers, a big bottle of Mr. Clean All purpose cleaner, 2 bottles of Dawn dish soap, a bottle of downy fabric softener, a big bottle of Old Spice body wash, 4 Old spice deodorants, a bottle of carpet stain remover, a tube of Crest toothpaste, 2 tubes Covergirl mascara, aaaaaand a bottle of vaseline lotion for $1.81 +tax!!!! isn't that INSANE! she got me hooked on clipping coupons for sure! i don't know if you're able to see her profile, but her name is lena reed, you should check out her album, it's pretty awesome.
- TEakA said...
That's incredible!
I think there are way more coupons for items in the States as it's hard to even come across a few here. You're friend sure has some form of system figured out. :D


text:
Help Monkey Kick Furball to the hills and beyond! How far can you get?
Help Porkin escape from HELL! A strange accident happened.. and he found himself in hell.
Porkin is a nice little teenager pig of the '80s. He does what every teenager of the '80s does, watch TV, listen music with his walkman. But one day, due to an unexpected accident. He discovered a whole new dimension, totally different from his hometown!
There are no awards for this game!


text:
Christian in Santa suit.
Christian in UT pjs.
Uncle Michael and Christian.
Elizabeth and Michael.
Vidar and Larce.
Henry and Nathan.
Joy and Laurie.
John and David.
Vidar and Loki.
Kelly, Aunt Clara and Uncle Bob.
Kelly, Aunt Clara, Uncle Bob, Vidar, Henry and Hayden.
Laurie and Hayden.
Elizabeth and Henry.
Emily and Nathan.
Christan with Granddad.
Kelly's first time at the Johnson Reunion.
Christian with Granddad.
Tracey, Emily, Henry, Nathan, Kevin and Joy.
Portia holding Christian and speaking with Hayden.
Portia with Christian and Henry.
Michael and Kevin playing basketball.
Johnson group photo.


text:
The new Golf GTE is unlike any other hybrid. That is, a plug-in performance hybrid that's capable of zero driving emissions, but can still knock your socks off. In the not too distant past, test drivers would groan at the mere mention of having to drive a hybrid.
You try telling that to the jammy so-and-so who got to thrash the GTE round Dunsfold. Its outing at the test track proved that it's a hybrid that is able to be all things to all people and perfectly honours its hot hatch heritage, with an intelligence that's evident at every turn. Whichever of its five modes you're in, it feels like you're driving the future.
The electric motor is perfect for cruising along as you please, but if you're feeling the need for a boost, a press of the GTE button combines the driving force of the petrol engine and electric motor, doubling the power from 100bhp to 201bhp, and getting you from 0 to 62 in a mere 7.6 seconds. It's not quite time travel, but it sure feels like it.
This all well and good, but questions still persist about how convenient would it actually be to own the GTE on a day-to-day basis? Well, the e mode setting allows you to get a whole day's city driving done on one charge, with an intelligently recharging battery that's highly convenient.
If the key decision makers in your life still need convincing, they won't when you can roll seamlessly into a vacant electrical parking bay in a prime urban location. This really is a hybrid that lets you have your cake and eat it. One that has the benefit we all crave in these environmentally conscious times: a more responsible use of power.
You can engage hybrid mode, ideal for longer journeys, seamlessly switching between the electric motor and petrol engine to give you a combined range of 514 miles. You've got all the right-foot grunt you need, but with an enviable economy of up to 166mpg and CO2 emissions from 38g/km, it's a more responsible way to drive.
"But what if you run out of charge in the middle of your trip?" Answer? It doesn't matter. In battery charge mode, the petrol engine is engaged while the electric battery recharges using energy recuperation from braking and acceleration.
But the real excitement comes from pressing the GTE button and unlocking power that can take you all the way to 138mph. Although, to experience that at its best, you might have to head to Dunsfold.


text:
FINAL: VCU 7 (18-3), St. Bonaventure 0 (4-11) (Richmond, Va.) – The Diamond
VCU STARTERS: Acker (RF), Bunn (LF), Cujas (3B), Machin (SS), Ayers (C), Cullen (CF), Farrar (DH), Davis (2B), Marino (1B), Greene (RHP)
ST. BONAVENTURE STARTERS: Trimble (C), T. Johnson (SS), Rosencrance (1B), Dunn (DH), Bell (CF), Weightman (RF), Cox (2B), Diaz (LF), Delanoy (3B), A. Johnson (RHP)
THE BASICS: After both teams were held scoreless over the first three frames but VCU plated three in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. The Rams went on to score four runs over the next three innings to coast to a 7-0 win. With the win the Black and Gold move to 18-3, marking the best start in school history.
- After trading scoreless innings through three frames, VCU broke through in the fourth. The Rams collected the game's first run off of a Bonnies' error that would have ended the inning. The error proved to be costly, as the following two VCU hitters: freshman Matt Davis and senior Trevor Marino picked up RBIs on a double and single respectively.
- Sophomore James Bunn led off the following inning with an infield single. The left fielder advanced to second on a stolen base and moved to third on a senior Joey Cujas fly out. These plays setup a Vimael Machin sacrifice fly to plate Bunn and push the lead out to 4-0.
- The sixth frame began with a bang as freshman Darian Carpenter led off the inning with a pinch-hit homerun over the left field wall.
- A Cujas sacrifice fly plated the frame's second run and extended the lead to six, 6-0.
- VCU's last run came in the seventh when Marino singled up the middle to drive home senior Bill Cullen.
- After senior Seth Greene's seven innings of scoreless work, sophomore Michael Carpenter and senior Logan Kanuik provided a shutout frame each to complete the shutout.
- Sitting at 18-3, this year's edition of the Rams are off to the best start in school history.
- After being held without a decision in his first four starts, senior Seth Greene picked up his second consecutive win to move to 2-0. On the day Greene went 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing four hits, and striking out six.
- Darian Carpenter's pinch-hit homerun marked the freshman's first hit of his career.
- After missing the previous five games due to injury, James Bunn returned in style, going 3-for-4 on the day. Bunn has now recorded multiple hits in a team-high eight games.
- Trevor Marino's three-hit day marked the third time the senior has totaled two or more hits in a game.
It's great to get the first game of the series. Seth Greene gave us a great start tonight and gave us a great chance to get things going through the middle innings of the game. We took advantage of an error and we were ready to capitalize and that's huge for us.
VCU Head Coach Shawn Stiffler
It was good to get James Bunn back in the lineup tonight, we put him right back in there and he rewarded us with three hits tonight.
VCU Head Coach Shawn Stiffler
We have to come out ready to go tomorrow with a 0-0 mentality, ready to win the series.
VCU Head Coach Shawn Stiffler
- VCU continues the series with the Bonnies tomorrow at The Diamond, with first pitch coming at 3 p.m.