Thomas B. Blank

Neural network models of potential energy surfaces

Neural networks provide an efficient, general interpolation method for nonlinear functions of several variables. This paper describes the use of feed‐forward neural networks to model global properties of potential energy surfaces from information available at a limited number of configurations. As an initial demonstration of the method, several fits are made to data derived from an empirical potential model of CO adsorbed on Ni(111). The data are error‐free and geometries are selected from uniform grids of two and three dimensions. The neural network model predicts the potential to within a few hundredths of a kcal/mole at arbitrary geometries. The accuracy and efficiency of the neural network in practical calculations are demonstrated in quantum transition state theory rate calculations for surface diffusion of CO/Ni(111) using a Monte Carlo/path integral method. The network model is much faster to evaluate than the original potential from which it is derived. As a more complex test of the method, the in...

Clinical results from a noninvasive blood glucose monitor

Non-invasive blood glucose monitoring has long been proposed as a means for advancing the management of diabetes through increased measurement and control. The use of a near-infrared, NIR, spectroscopy based methodology for noninvasive monitoring has been pursued by a number of groups. The accuracy of the NIR measurement technology is limited by challenges related to the instrumentation, the heterogeneity and time-variant nature of skin tissue, and the complexity of the calibration methodology. In this work, we discuss results from a clinical study that targeted the evaluation of individual calibrations for each subject based on a series of controlled calibration visits. While the customization of the calibrations to individuals was intended to reduce model complexity, the extensive requirements for each individual set of calibration data were difficult to achieve and required several days of measurement. Through the careful selection of a small subset of data from all samples collected on the 138 study participants in a previous study, we have developed a methodology for applying a single standard calibration to multiple persons. The standard calibrations have been applied to a plurality of individuals and shown to be persistent over periods greater than 24 weeks.