{
  "stage": "rain_ep_comparative32_beta_smoke_s4",
  "status": "negative_beta_functional_under_author_protocol",
  "protocol": {
    "network": "author comparative-study ConvHopfieldEnergy32",
    "dataset": "FashionMNIST",
    "train_examples": 10000,
    "evaluation_examples": 2000,
    "epochs": 1,
    "training_relaxation_iterations": 15,
    "inference_relaxation_iterations": 60,
    "schedule_epochs": 100,
    "bias_ratio": 0.0
  },
  "rows": [
    {
      "beta_policy": "fixed_positive",
      "training_accuracy": 0.2823,
      "evaluation_accuracy": 0.614,
      "wall_seconds": 129.7868938446045
    },
    {
      "beta_policy": "fixed_negative",
      "training_accuracy": 0.1553,
      "evaluation_accuracy": 0.3155,
      "wall_seconds": 130.82120490074158
    },
    {
      "beta_policy": "random_sign",
      "training_accuracy": 0.2316,
      "evaluation_accuracy": 0.391,
      "wall_seconds": 133.95944809913635,
      "positive_steps": 36,
      "negative_steps": 43
    }
  ],
  "interpretation": "Negative and random-sign beta learn above chance under the pinned author's comparative-study Conv32 architecture and hyperparameters. Their failure in the earlier Conv28 screen is protocol-specific. Random-sign beta must be included as a functioning same-cost baseline in the comparative32 bias matrix.",
  "test_policy": "development test subset observed after one epoch; no accuracy claim"
}