32,096 research outputs found
Flavor Mixing in the Gauge-Higgs Unification
Gauge-Higgs unification is the fascinating scenario solving the hierarchy
problem without supersymmetry. In this scenario, the Standard Model (SM) Higgs
doublet is identified with extra component of the gauge field in higher
dimensions and its mass becomes finite and stable under quantum corrections due
to the higher dimensional gauge symmetry. On the other hand, Yukawa coupling is
provided by the gauge coupling, which seems to mean that the flavor mixing and
CP violation do not arise at it stands. In this talk, we discuss that the
flavor mixing is originated from simultaneously non-diagonalizable bulk and
brane mass matrices. Then, this mechanism is applied to various flavor changing
neutral current (FCNC) processes via Kaluza-Klein (KK) gauge boson exchange at
tree level and constraints for compactification scale are obtained.Comment: 5 pages, prepared for the proceedings of the International Workshop
on Grand Unified Theories (GUT2012) held at Yukawa Institute for Theoretical
Physics, March 15-17 2012, Kyoto, Japa
Widely separated binary systems of very low mass stars
In this paper we review some recent detections of wide binary brown dwarf
systems and discuss them in the context of the multiplicity properties of very
low-mass stars and brown dwarfs.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure (new version with minor corrections); to appear in
the proceedings of the workshop "Ultra-low mass star formation and
evolution", to be published in A
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An Examination of Motivation to Change and Neural Alcohol Cue Reactivity Following a Brief Intervention.
Background: Brief interventions represent a promising psychological intervention targeting individuals with heavy alcohol use. Motivation to change represents an individual's openness to engage in a behavior change strategy and is thought to be a crucial component of brief interventions. Neuroimaging techniques provide a translational tool to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying potential mediators of treatment response, including motivation to change. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of a brief intervention on motivation to change drinking behavior and neural alcohol taste cue reactivity. Methods: Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers were randomized to receive a brief drinking intervention (n = 22) or an attention-matched control (n = 24). Three indices of motivation to change were assessed at baseline and after the intervention or control session: importance, confidence, and readiness. Immediately following the intervention or control session, participants also underwent an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during which they completed an alcohol taste cues paradigm. Results: There was a significant effect of the brief intervention on increasing ratings of importance of changing drinking behavior, but not on ratings of confidence or readiness to change. Ratings of importance after the intervention or control session were associated with neural alcohol taste cue reactivity, but notably, this effect was only significant for participants who received the intervention. Individuals in the intervention condition showed a positive association between ratings of importance and activation in the precuneus, posterior cingulate, and insula. Conclusions: The brief drinking intervention was successful at improving one dimension of motivation to change among non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers. The brief intervention moderated the relationship between ratings of importance and brain activation in circuitry associated with interoceptive awareness and self-reflection. Together, findings represent an initial step toward understanding the neurobiological mechanisms through which a brief intervention may improve motivation to change
Hand and face segmentation using motion and colour cues in digital image sequences
© 2001 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.In this paper, we present a hand and face segmentation algorithm using motion and color cues. The algorithm is proposed for the content based representation of sign language image sequences, where the hands and face constitute a video object. Our hand and face segmentation algorithm consists of three stages, namely color segmentation, temporal segmentation, and video object plane generation. In color segmentation, we model the skin color as a normal distribution and classify each pixel as skin or non-skin based on its Mahalanobis distance. The aim of temporal segmentation is to localize moving objects in image sequences. A statistical variance test is employed to detect object motion between two consecutive images. Finally, the results from color and temporal segmentation are analyzed to yield a change detection mask. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated by simulation carried out on the silent test sequence.Nariman Habili ; Cheng-Chew Lim ; Alireza Moin
Segmentation of the face and hands in sign language video sequences using color and motion cues
Copyright © 2004 IEEEWe present a hand and face segmentation methodology using color and motion cues for the content-based representation of sign language video sequences. The methodology consists of three stages: skin-color segmentation; change detection; face and hand segmentation mask generation. In skin-color segmentation, a universal color-model is derived and image pixels are classified as skin or nonskin based on their Mahalanobis distance. We derive a segmentation threshold for the classifier. The aim of change detection is to localize moving objects in a video sequences. The change detection technique is based on the F test and block-based motion estimation. Finally, the results from skin-color segmentation and change detection are analyzed to segment the face and hands. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated by simulations carried out on standard test sequences.Nariman Habili, Cheng Chew Lim, and Alireza Moin
Comparing different approaches for generating random numbers device-independently using a photon pair source
What is the most efficient way to generate random numbers
device-independently using a photon pair source based on spontaneous parametric
down conversion (SPDC)? We consider this question by comparing two
implementations of a detection-loophole-free Bell test. In particular, we study
in detail a scenario where a heralded single photon source (HSPS) is used to
herald path-entangled states, i.e. entanglement between two spatial modes
sharing a single photon and where non-locality is revealed using photon
counting preceded by small displacement operations. We start by giving a
theoretical description of such a measurement. We then show how to optimize the
Bell-CHSH violation through a non-perturbative calculation, taking the main
experimental imperfections into account. We finally bound the amount of
randomness that can be extracted and compare it to the one obtained with the
conventional scenario using photon pairs entangled e.g. in polarization and
analyzed through photon counting. While the former requires higher overall
detection efficiencies, it is far more efficient in terms of both the entropy
per experimental run and the rate of random bit generation.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
New explicit spike solution -- non-local component of the generalized Mixmaster attractor
By applying a standard solution-generating transformation to an arbitrary
vacuum Bianchi type II solution, one generates a new solution with spikes
commonly observed in numerical simulations. It is conjectured that the spike
solution is part of the generalized Mixmaster attractor.Comment: Significantly revised. Colour figures simplified to accommodate
non-colour printin
Orbital and valley state spectra of a few-electron silicon quantum dot
Understanding interactions between orbital and valley quantum states in
silicon nanodevices is crucial in assessing the prospects of spin-based qubits.
We study the energy spectra of a few-electron silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor
quantum dot using dynamic charge sensing and pulsed-voltage spectroscopy. The
occupancy of the quantum dot is probed down to the single-electron level using
a nearby single-electron transistor as a charge sensor. The energy of the first
orbital excited state is found to decrease rapidly as the electron occupancy
increases from N=1 to 4. By monitoring the sequential spin filling of the dot
we extract a valley splitting of ~230 {\mu}eV, irrespective of electron number.
This indicates that favorable conditions for qubit operation are in place in
the few-electron regime.Comment: 4 figure
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