5,234 research outputs found
Unsupervised Emergence of Egocentric Spatial Structure from Sensorimotor Prediction
Despite its omnipresence in robotics application, the nature of spatial knowledgeand the mechanisms that underlie its emergence in autonomous agents are stillpoorly understood. Recent theoretical works suggest that the Euclidean structure ofspace induces invariants in an agent’s raw sensorimotor experience. We hypothesizethat capturing these invariants is beneficial for sensorimotor prediction and that,under certain exploratory conditions, a motor representation capturing the structureof the external space should emerge as a byproduct of learning to predict futuresensory experiences. We propose a simple sensorimotor predictive scheme, applyit to different agents and types of exploration, and evaluate the pertinence of thesehypotheses. We show that a naive agent can capture the topology and metricregularity of its sensor’s position in an egocentric spatial frame without any a prioriknowledge, nor extraneous supervision
Using Wavelets to reject background in Dark Matter experiments
A method based on wavelet techniques has been developed and applied to
background rejection in the data of the IGEX dark matter experiment. The method
is presented and described in some detail to show how it efficiently rejects
events coming from noise and microphonism through a mathematical inspection of
their recorded pulse shape. The result of the application of the method to the
last data of IGEX is presented.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to Astrop. Phy
Neutron background at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory and its contribution to the IGEX-DM dark matter experiment
A quantitative study of the neutron environment in the Canfranc Underground
Laboratory has been performed. The analysis is based on a complete set of
simulations and, particularly, it is focused on the IGEX-DM dark matter
experiment. The simulations are compared to the IGEX-DM low energy data
obtained with different shielding conditions. The results of the study allow us
to conclude, with respect to the IGEX-DM background, that the main neutron
population, coming from radioactivity from the surrounding rock, is practically
eliminated after the implementation of a suitable neutron shielding. The
remaining neutron background (muon-induced neutrons in the shielding and in the
rock) is substantially below the present background level thanks to the muon
veto system. In addition, the present analysis gives us a further insight on
the effect of neutrons in other current and future experiments at the Canfranc
Underground Laboratory. The comparison of simulations with the body of data
available has allowed to set the flux of neutrons from radioactivity of the
Canfranc rock, (3.82 +- 0.44) x 10^{-6} cm^{-2} s^{-1}, as well as the flux of
muon-induced neutrons in the rock, (1.73 +- 0.22(stat) \+- 0.69(syst)) x
10^{-9} cm^{-2} s^{-1}, or the rate of neutron production by muons in the lead
shielding, (4.8 +- 0.6 (stat) +- 1.9 (syst)) x 10^{-9} cm^{-3} s^{-1}.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, elsart document class; final version to appear
in Astroparticle Physic
One year follow-up of a randomized trial with a dilemma-focused intervention for depression: Exploring an alternative to problem-oriented strategies
© 2018 Feixas et al.Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is aimed to counteract cognitions and behaviours that are considered as dysfunctional. The aim of the study is to test whether the inclusion of a non-counteractive approach (dilemma-focused intervention, DFI) in combination with CBT group therapy will yield better short- and long-term outcomes than an intervention conducted entirely using CBT.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
Status of the ANAIS Dark Matter Project at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory
The ANAIS experiment aims at the confirmation of the DAMA/LIBRA signal. A
detailed analysis of two NaI(Tl) crystals of 12.5 kg each grown by Alpha
Spectra will be shown: effective threshold at 1 keVee is at reach thanks to
outstanding light collection and robust PMT noise filtering protocols and the
measured background is well understood down to 3 keVee, having quantified K, U
and Th content and cosmogenic activation in the crystals. A new detector was
installed in Canfranc in March 2015 together with the two previous modules and
preliminary characterization results will be presented. Finally, the status and
expected sensitivity of the full experiment with 112 kg will be reviewed.Comment: Contributed to the 11th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs,
Zaragoza, June 22 to 26, 201
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