5,317 research outputs found
Rise of the centrist: from binary to continuous opinion dynamics
We propose a model that extends the binary ``united we stand, divided we
fall'' opinion dynamics of Sznajd-Weron to handle continuous and multi-state
discrete opinions. Disagreement dynamics are often ignored in continuous
extensions of the binary rules, so we make the most symmetric continuum
extension of the binary model that can treat the consequences of agreement
(debate) and disagreement (confrontation) within a population of agents. We use
the continuum extension as an opportunity to develop rules for persistence of
opinion (memory). Rules governing the propagation of centrist views are also
examined. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out. We find that both memory
effects and the type of centrist significantly modify the variance of average
opinions in the large timescale limits of the models. Finally, we describe the
limit of applicability for Sznajd-Weron's model of binary opinions as the
continuum limit is approached. By comparing Monte Carlo results and long
time-step limits, we find that the opinion dynamics of binary models are
significantly different to those where agents are permitted more than 3
opinions
Extracting the rho meson wavefunction from HERA data
We extract the light-cone wavefunctions of the rho meson using the HERA data
on diffractive rho photoproduction. We find good agreement with predictions for
the distribution amplitude based on QCD sum rules and from the lattice. We also
find that the data prefer a transverse wavefunction with enhanced end-point
contributions.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, significant improvements over the original
version with a new section on distribution amplitudes adde
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The characteristics of cognitive neuroscience tests in a schizophrenia cognition clinical trial: Psychometric properties and correlations with standard measures.
In comparison to batteries of standard neuropsychological tests, cognitive neuroscience tests may offer a more specific assessment of discrete neurobiological processes that may be aberrant in schizophrenia. However, more information regarding psychometric properties and correlations with standard neuropsychological tests and functional measures is warranted to establish their validity as treatment outcome measures. The N-back and AX-Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT) are two promising cognitive neuroscience tests designed to measure specific components of working memory and contextual processing respectively. In the current study, we report the psychometric properties of multiple outcome measures from these two tests as well as their correlations with standard neuropsychological measures and functional capacity measures. The results suggest that while the AX-CPT and N-back display favorable psychometric properties, they do not exhibit greater sensitivity or specificity with functional measures than standard neurocognitive tests
Nonlinear spectral calculus and super-expanders
Nonlinear spectral gaps with respect to uniformly convex normed spaces are
shown to satisfy a spectral calculus inequality that establishes their decay
along Cesaro averages. Nonlinear spectral gaps of graphs are also shown to
behave sub-multiplicatively under zigzag products. These results yield a
combinatorial construction of super-expanders, i.e., a sequence of 3-regular
graphs that does not admit a coarse embedding into any uniformly convex normed
space.Comment: Typos fixed based on referee comments. Some of the results of this
paper were announced in arXiv:0910.2041. The corresponding parts of
arXiv:0910.2041 are subsumed by the current pape
Local Causal States and Discrete Coherent Structures
Coherent structures form spontaneously in nonlinear spatiotemporal systems
and are found at all spatial scales in natural phenomena from laboratory
hydrodynamic flows and chemical reactions to ocean, atmosphere, and planetary
climate dynamics. Phenomenologically, they appear as key components that
organize the macroscopic behaviors in such systems. Despite a century of
effort, they have eluded rigorous analysis and empirical prediction, with
progress being made only recently. As a step in this, we present a formal
theory of coherent structures in fully-discrete dynamical field theories. It
builds on the notion of structure introduced by computational mechanics,
generalizing it to a local spatiotemporal setting. The analysis' main tool
employs the \localstates, which are used to uncover a system's hidden
spatiotemporal symmetries and which identify coherent structures as
spatially-localized deviations from those symmetries. The approach is
behavior-driven in the sense that it does not rely on directly analyzing
spatiotemporal equations of motion, rather it considers only the spatiotemporal
fields a system generates. As such, it offers an unsupervised approach to
discover and describe coherent structures. We illustrate the approach by
analyzing coherent structures generated by elementary cellular automata,
comparing the results with an earlier, dynamic-invariant-set approach that
decomposes fields into domains, particles, and particle interactions.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures;
http://csc.ucdavis.edu/~cmg/compmech/pubs/dcs.ht
Heavy Quark Symmetry Violation in Semileptonic Decays of D Mesons
The decays of mesons to and final states exhibit
significant deviations from the predictions of heavy-quark symmetry, as one
might expect since the strange quark's mass is of the same order as the QCD
scale. Nonetheless, in order to understand where the most significant effects
might lie for heavier systems (such as and ),
the pattern of these deviations is analyzed from the standpoint of perturbative
QCD and corrections. Two main effects are noted. First, the
perturbative QCD corrections lead to an overall decrease of predicted rates,
which can be understood in terms of production of excited kaonic states.
Second, effects tend to cancel the perturbative QCD
corrections in the case of decay, while they have minimal effect in
decay.Comment: 25 pages (LaTeX) + 7 pages of Postscript figures (included at end),
EFI-92-3
Gender, foundation degrees and the knowledge economy
This article questions the concept of âeducation for employmentâ, which constructs a discourse of individual and societal benefit in a knowledgeâdriven economy. Recent policy emphasis in the European Union promotes the expansion of higher education and shortâcycle vocational awards such as the intermediate twoâyear Foundation Degree recently introduced into England and Wales. Studies of vocational education and training (VET) and the knowledge economy have focused largely on the governance of education and on the development and drift of policy. Many VET programmes have also been considered for their classed, raced and gendered takeâup and subsequent effect on employment. This article builds on both fields of study to engage with the finer crossâanalyses of gender, social class, poverty, race and citizenship. In its analysis of policy texts the article argues that in spite of a discourse of inclusivity, an expanded higher education system has generated new inequalities, deepening social stratification. Drawing on early analyses of national quantitative data sets, it identifies emerging gendered, classed and raced patterns and considers these in relation to occupationally and hierarchically stratified labour markets, both within and without the knowledge economy
Elasticity near the vulcanization transition
Signatures of the vulcanization transition--amorphous solidification induced
by the random crosslinking of macromolecules--include the random localization
of a fraction of the particles and the emergence of a nonzero static shear
modulus. A semi-microscopic statistical-mechanical theory is presented of the
latter signature that accounts for both thermal fluctuations and quenched
disorder. It is found (i) that the shear modulus grows continuously from zero
at the transition, and does so with the classical exponent, i.e., with the
third power of the excess cross-link density and, quite surprisingly, (ii) that
near the transition the external stresses do not spoil the spherical symmetry
of the localization clouds of the particles.Comment: REVTEX, 5 pages. Minor change
Design, Implementation and First Measurements with the Medipix Neutron Camera in CMS
The Medipix detector is the first device dedicated to measuring mixed-field
radiation in the CMS cavern and able to distinguish between different particle
types. Medipix2-MXR chips bump bonded to silicon sensors with various neutron
conversion layers developed by the IEAP CTU in Prague were successfully
installed for the 2008 LHC start-up in the CMS experimental and services
caverns to measure the flux of various particle types, in particular neutrons.
They have operated almost continuously during the 2010 run period, and the
results shown here are from the proton run between the beginning of July and
the end of October 2010. Clear signals are seen and different particle types
have been observed during regular LHC luminosity running, and an agreement in
the measured flux rate is found with the simulations. These initial results are
promising, and indicate that these devices have the potential for further and
future LHC and high energy physics applications as radiation monitoring devices
for mixed field environments, including neutron flux monitoring. Further
extensions are foreseen in the near future to increase the performance of the
detector and its coverage for monitoring in CMS.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, submitted to JINS
Lattice QCD calculation of decay form factors at zero recoil
A lattice QCD calculation of the decay form factors
is presented. We obtain the value of the form factor at the
zero-recoil limit with high precision by considering a ratio of
correlation functions in which the bulk of the uncertainties cancels. The other
form factor is calculated, for small recoil momenta, from a similar
ratio. In both cases, the heavy quark mass dependence is observed through
direct calculations with several combinations of initial and final heavy quark
masses. Our results are and
. For both the first error is statistical,
the second stems from the uncertainty in adjusting the heavy quark masses, and
the last from omitted radiative corrections. Combining these results, we obtain
a precise determination of the physical combination , where the mentioned systematic errors are added in
quadrature. The dependence on lattice spacing and the effect of quenching are
not yet included, but with our method they should be a fraction of .Comment: 32 pp, 10 figs; final, published versio
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