Encouraging the perceptual underdog: positive affective priming of nonpreferred local–global processes

Two experiments examined affective priming of global and local perception. Participants attempted to detect a target that might be present as either a global or a local shape. Verbal primes were used in 1 experiment, and pictorial primes were used in the other. In both experiments, positive primes led to improved performance on the nonpreferred dimension. For participants exhibiting global precedence, detection of local targets was significantly improved, whereas for participants exhibiting local precedence, detection of global targets was significantly improved. The results provide support for an interpretation of the effects of positive affective priming in terms of increased perceptual flexibility

On the existence of finite-energy lumps in classic field theories

We show how the existence of non-trivial finite-energy time-dependent classical lumps is restricted by a generalized virial theorem. For simple model Lagrangians, bounds on energies follow.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; substantial change

Probing lepton flavour violation in νμ+N→τ+...\nu_{\mu} + N \to \tau + ... scattering and μ→tau\mu \to tau conversion on nucleons

We study lepton flavour-violating interactions which could result in the $\tau$-lepton production in the $\nu_{\mu}N$ scattering or in $\mu \to \tau$ conversion on nucleons at high energies. Phenomenological bounds on the strength of $\bar{\tau}\nu_{\mu}\bar{q}q^{'}$ interactions are extracted from the combined result of the NOMAD and CHORUS experiments on searching for $\nu_{\mu} - \nu_{\tau}$ oscillations. Some of these bounds supersede limits from rare decays. We also propose a ``missing energy'' type experiment searching for $\mu - \tau$ conversion on nucleons. The experiment can be performed at a present accelerator or at a future neutrino factory.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation in humans - Results in 59 consecutive patients

Background - Right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction with valved conduits in infancy and childhood leads to reintervention for pulmonary regurgitation and stenosis in later life.Methods and Results - Patients with pulmonary regurgitation with or without stenosis after repair of congenital heart disease had percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI). Mortality, hemodynamic improvement, freedom from explantation, and subjective and objective changes in exercise tolerance were end points. PPVI was performed successfully in 58 patients, 32 male, with a median age of 16 years and median weight of 56 kg. The majority had a variant of tetralogy of Fallot (n = 36), or transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect with pulmonary stenosis (n = 8). The right ventricular (RV) pressure (64.4 +/- 17.2 to 50.4 +/- 14 mm Hg, P < 0.001), RVOT gradient (33 +/- 24.6 to 19.5 +/- 15.3, P < 0.001), and pulmonary regurgitation ( PR) (grade 2 of greater before, none greater than grade 2 after, P < 0.001) decreased significantly after PPVI. MRI showed significant reduction in PR fraction (21 +/- 13% versus 3 +/- 4%, P < 0.001) and in RV end-diastolic volume (EDV) (94 +/- 28 versus 82 +/- 24 mL (.) beat(-1) (.) m(-2), P < 0.001) and a significant increase in left ventricular EDV ( 64 +/- 12 versus 71 +/- 13 mL (.) beat(-1.) m(-2), P = 0.005) and effective RV stroke volume ( 37 +/- 7 versus 42 +/- 9 mL (.) beat(-1) (.) m(-2), P = 0.006) in 28 patients (age 19 +/- 8 years). A further 16 subjects, on metabolic exercise testing, showed significant improvement in V(O2)max (26 +/- 7 versus 29 +/- 6 mL (.) kg(-1) (.) min(-1), P < 0.001). There was no mortality.Conclusions - PPVI is feasible at low risk, with quantifiable improvement in MRI-defined ventricular parameters and pulmonary regurgitation, and results in subjective and objective improvement in exercise capacity

Charged Particle Multiplicity in Diffractive Deep Inelastic Scattering

The recent data from H1 Collaboration on hadron multiplicity in diffractive DIS has been studied in the framework of perturbative QCD as a function of invariant diffractive mass. The formulas obtained explain the observed excess of particle production in diffractive DIS relative to that in DIS and $e^+e^-$ annihilation. It is shown that the results are sensitive to the quark--gluon structure of the Pomeron. Namely, the data say in favour of a super-hard gluon distribution at the initial scale.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; to be published in Phys. Rev.

Time-based selection in complex displays : visual marking does not occur in multi-element asynchronous dynamic (MAD) search

In visual search, a preview benefit occurs when half of the distractor items (the preview set) are presented before the remaining distractor items and the target (the search set). Separating the display across time allows participants to prioritize the search set, leading to increased search efficiency. To date, such time-based selection has been examined using relatively simple types of search displays. However, recent research has shown that when displays better mimic real-world scenes by including a combination of stationary, moving and luminance-changing items (Multi-element Asynchronous Dynamic [MAD] displays), previous search principles reported in the literature no longer apply. In the current work, we examined time-base selection in MAD search conditions. Overall the findings illustrated an advantage for processing new items based on overall RTs but no advantage in terms of search rates. In the absence of a speed–accuracy trade-off no preview benefit emerged when using more complex MAD stimuli

Small-x behavior of the structure function F_2 and its slope partial ln(F_2)/partial ln(1/x) for "frozen" and analytic strong-coupling constants

Using the leading-twist approximation of the Wilson operator product expansion with "frozen" and analytic versions of the strong-coupling constant, we show that the Bessel-inspired behavior of the structure function F_2 and its slope\break partial ln(F_2)/partial ln(1/x) at small values of x, obtained for a flat initial condition in the DGLAP evolution equations, leads to good agreement with experimental data of deep-inelastic scattering at DESY HERA.Comment: new curves added to Figs. 1 and 2, minor changes to the text, accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.

Quark fragmentation functions in a diquark model for proton and Λ\Lambda hyperon production

A simple quark-diquark model for nucleon and $\Lambda$ structure is used to calculate leading twist light-cone fragmentation functions for a quark to inclusively decay into P or $\Lambda$. The parameters of the model are determined by fitting to the known deep-inelastic structure functions of the nucleon. When evolved from the initial to the final $Q^2$ scale, the calculated fragmentation functions are in remarkable agreement (for $z>0.4$) with those extracted from partially inclusive $ep$ and $e^+ e^-$ experiments at high energies. Predictions are made, using no additional parameters, for longitudinally and transversely polarized quarks to fragment into p or $\Lambda$.Comment: 15 pages, latex, figures may be obtained by writing to hafsa%png-qau%[email protected]

Shafranov's virial theorem and magnetic plasma confinement

Shafranov's virial theorem implies that nontrivial magnetohydrodynamical equilibrium configurations must be supported by externally supplied currents. Here we extend the virial theorem to field theory, where it relates to Derrick's scaling argument on soliton stability. We then employ virial arguments to investigate a realistic field theory model of a two-component plasma, and conclude that stable localized solitons can exist in the bulk of a finite density plasma. These solitons entail a nontrivial electric field which implies that purely magnetohydrodynamical arguments are insufficient for describing stable, nontrivial structures within the bulk of a plasma.Comment: 9 pages no figure

Novel features of diffraction at the LHC

Interest and problems in the studies of diffraction at LHC are highlighted. Predictions for the global characteristics of proton-proton interactions at the LHC energy are given. Potential discoveries of the antishadow scattering mode and diffractive scattering conjugated with high--$E_T$ jets are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, journal version, 1 figure added, extended introductio