6,245 research outputs found
Network sensitivity to geographical configuration
Gravitational wave astronomy will require the coordinated analysis of data
from the global network of gravitational wave observatories. Questions of how
to optimally configure the global network arise in this context. We have
elsewhere proposed a formalism which is employed here to compare different
configurations of the network, using both the coincident network analysis
method and the coherent network analysis method. We have constructed a network
model to compute a figure-of-merit based on the detection rate for a population
of standard-candle binary inspirals. We find that this measure of network
quality is very sensitive to the geographic location of component detectors
under a coincident network analysis, but comparatively insensitive under a
coherent network analysis.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for proceedings of the 4th Edoardo
Amaldi conference, incorporated referees' suggestions and corrected diagra
Targeted search for continuous gravitational waves: Bayesian versus maximum-likelihood statistics
We investigate the Bayesian framework for detection of continuous
gravitational waves (GWs) in the context of targeted searches, where the phase
evolution of the GW signal is assumed to be known, while the four amplitude
parameters are unknown. We show that the orthodox maximum-likelihood statistic
(known as F-statistic) can be rediscovered as a Bayes factor with an unphysical
prior in amplitude parameter space. We introduce an alternative detection
statistic ("B-statistic") using the Bayes factor with a more natural amplitude
prior, namely an isotropic probability distribution for the orientation of GW
sources. Monte-Carlo simulations of targeted searches show that the resulting
Bayesian B-statistic is more powerful in the Neyman-Pearson sense (i.e. has a
higher expected detection probability at equal false-alarm probability) than
the frequentist F-statistic.Comment: 12 pages, presented at GWDAW13, to appear in CQ
Understanding the truth about subjectivity
Results of two experiments show childrenâs understanding of diversity in personal preference is incomplete. Despite acknowledging diversity, in Experiment 1(N=108), 6-
and 8-year-old children were less likely than adults to see preference as a legitimate basis for personal tastes and more likely to say a single truth could be found about a matter of taste. In Experiment 2 (N=96), 7- and 9-year-olds were less likely than 11- and 13-yearolds to say a dispute about a matter of preference might not be resolved. These data suggest that acceptance of the possibility of diversity does not indicate an adult-like understanding of subjectivity. An understanding of the relative emphasis placed on objective and subjective factors in different contexts continues to develop into adolescence
Comparison of data on Mutation Frequencies of Mice Caused by Radiation - Low Dose Model -
We propose LD(Low Dose) model, the extension of LDM model which was proposed
in the previous paper [Y. Manabe et al.: J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 81 (2012) 104004]
to estimate biological damage caused by irradiation. LD model takes account of
all the considerable effects including cell death effect as well as
proliferation, apoptosis, repair. As a typical example of estimation, we apply
LD model to the experiment of mutation frequency on the responses induced by
the exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation. The most famous and extensive
experiments are those summarized by Russell and Kelly [Russell, W. L. & Kelly,
E. M: Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 79 (1982) 539-541], which are known as
'Mega-mouse project'. This provides us with important information of the
frequencies of transmitted specific-locus mutations induced in mouse
spermatogonia stem-cells. It is found that the numerical results of the
mutation frequency of mice are in reasonable agreement with the experimental
data: the LD model reproduces the total dose and dose rate dependence of data
reasonably. In order to see such dose-rate dependence more explicitly, we
introduce the dose-rate effectiveness factor (DREF). This represents a sort of
preventable effects such as repair, apoptosis and death of broken cells, which
are to be competitive with proliferation effect of broken cells induced by
irradiation.Comment: subimitting to J. Phys. Soc. Jpn, 32 pages, 8 figure
Alexandrov spaces with integral current structure
We endow each closed, orientable Alexandrov space with an integral current of weight equal to 1, , in other words, we prove that is an integral current space with no boundary. Combining this result with a result of Li and Perales, we show that non-collapsing sequences of these spaces with uniform lower curvature and diameter bounds admit subsequences whose Gromov-Hausdorff and intrinsic flat limits agree
The Ontology of Intentional Agency in Light of Neurobiological Determinism: Philosophy Meets Folk Psychology
The moot point of the Western philosophical rhetoric about free will
consists in examining whether the claim of authorship to intentional, deliberative
actions fits into or is undermined by a one-way causal framework of determinism.
Philosophers who think that reconciliation between the two is possible are known as
metaphysical compatibilists. However, there are philosophers populating the other
end of the spectrum, known as the metaphysical libertarians, who maintain that claim
to intentional agency cannot be sustained unless it is assumed that indeterministic
causal processes pervade the action-implementation apparatus employed by the agent.
The metaphysical libertarians differ among themselves on the question of whether the
indeterministic causal relation exists between the series of intentional states and
processes, both conscious and unconscious, and the action, making claim for what has
come to be known as the event-causal view, or between the agent and the action,
arguing that a sort of agent causation is at work. In this paper, I have tried to propose
that certain features of both event-causal and agent-causal libertarian views need to be
combined in order to provide a more defendable compatibilist account accommodating
deliberative actions with deterministic causation. The ââagent-executed-eventcausal
libertarianismââ, the account of agency I have tried to develop here, integrates
certain plausible features of the two competing accounts of libertarianism turning
them into a consistent whole. I hope to show in the process that the integration of these
two variants of libertarianism does not challenge what some accounts of metaphysical
compatibilism proposeâthat there exists a broader deterministic relation between the
web of mental and extra-mental components constituting the agentâs dispositional
systemâthe agentâs beliefs, desires, short-term and long-term goals based on them,
the acquired social, cultural and religious beliefs, the general and immediate and
situational environment in which the agent is placed, etc. on the one hand and the
decisions she makes over her lifetime on the basis of these factors. While in the
ââIntroductionââ the philosophically assumed anomaly between deterministic causation
and the intentional act of deciding has been briefly surveyed, the second section is
devoted to the task of bridging the gap between compatibilism and libertarianism. The
next section of the paper turns to an analysis of folk-psychological concepts and
intuitions about the effects of neurochemical processes and prior mental events on the
freedom of making choices. How philosophical insights can be beneficially informed
by taking into consideration folk-psychological intuitions has also been discussed,
thus setting up the background for such analysis. It has been suggested in the end that
support for the proposed theory of intentional agency can be found in the folk-psychological intuitions, when they are taken in the right perspective
Null-stream veto for two co-located detectors: Implementation issues
Time-series data from multiple gravitational wave (GW) detectors can be
linearly combined to form a null-stream, in which all GW information will be
cancelled out. This null-stream can be used to distinguish between actual GW
triggers and spurious noise transients in a search for GW bursts using a
network of detectors. The biggest source of error in the null-stream analysis
comes from the fact that the detector data are not perfectly calibrated. In
this paper, we present an implementation of the null-stream veto in the
simplest network of two co-located detectors. The detectors are assumed to have
calibration uncertainties and correlated noise components. We estimate the
effect of calibration uncertainties in the null-stream veto analysis and
propose a new formulation to overcome this. This new formulation is
demonstrated by doing software injections in Gaussian noise.Comment: Minor changes; To appear in Class. Quantum Grav. (Proc. GWDAW10
Cognitive Computation sans Representation
The Computational Theory of Mind (CTM) holds that cognitive processes are essentially computational, and hence computation provides the scientific key to explaining mentality. The Representational Theory of Mind (RTM) holds that representational content is the key feature in distinguishing mental from non-mental systems. I argue that there is a deep incompatibility between these two theoretical frameworks, and that the acceptance of CTM provides strong grounds for rejecting RTM. The focal point of the incompatibility is the fact that representational content is extrinsic to formal procedures as such, and the intended interpretation of syntax makes no difference to the execution of an algorithm. So the unique 'content' postulated by RTM is superfluous to the formal procedures of CTM. And once these procedures are implemented in a physical mechanism, it is exclusively the causal properties of the physical mechanism that are responsible for all aspects of the system's behaviour. So once again, postulated content is rendered superfluous. To the extent that semantic content may appear to play a role in behaviour, it must be syntactically encoded within the system, and just as in a standard computational artefact, so too with the human mind/brain - it's pure syntax all the way down to the level of physical implementation. Hence 'content' is at most a convenient meta-level gloss, projected from the outside by human theorists, which itself can play no role in cognitive processing
Computation in Physical Systems: A Normative Mapping Account
The relationship between abstract formal procedures and the activities of actual physical systems has proved to be surprisingly subtle and controversial, and there are a number of competing accounts of when a physical system can be properly said to implement a mathematical formalism and hence perform a computation. I defend an account wherein computational descriptions of physical systems are high-level normative interpretations motivated by our pragmatic concerns. Furthermore, the criteria of utility and success vary according to our diverse purposes and pragmatic goals. Hence there is no independent or uniform fact to the matter, and I advance the âanti-realistâ conclusion that computational descriptions of physical systems are not founded upon deep ontological distinctions, but rather upon interest-relative human conventions. Hence physical computation is a âconventionalâ rather than a ânaturalâ kind
Effect of exercise referral schemes in primary care on physical activity and improving health outcomes: Systematic review and meta-analysis
This is an open access article - Copyright @ 2011 BMJObjective: To assess the impact of exercise referral schemes on physical activity and health outcomes.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data sources Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and ongoing trial registries up to October 2009. We also checked study references.
Study selection Design: randomised controlled trials or non-randomised
controlled (cluster or individual) studies published in peer review journals.
Population: sedentary individuals with or without medical diagnosis.
Exercise referral schemes defined as: clear referrals by primary care professionals to third party service providers to increase physical activity or exercise, physical activity or exercise programmes tailored to
individuals, and initial assessment and monitoring throughout programmes. Comparators: usual care, no intervention, or alternative exercise referral schemes.
Results Eight randomised controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, comparing exercise referral schemes with usual care (six trials), alternative physical activity intervention (two), and an exercise referral
scheme plus a self determination theory intervention (one). Compared with usual care, follow-up data for exercise referral schemes showed an increased number of participants who achieved 90-150 minutes of
physical activity of at least moderate intensity per week (pooled relative risk 1.16, 95% confidence intervals 1.03 to 1.30) and a reduced level of depression (pooled standardised mean difference â0.82, â1.28 to â0.35). Evidence of a between group difference in physical activity of moderate
or vigorous intensity or in other health outcomes was inconsistent at follow-up. We did not find any difference in outcomes between exercise referral schemes and the other two comparator groups. None of the
included trials separately reported outcomes in individuals with specific medical diagnoses. Substantial heterogeneity in the quality and nature of the exercise referral schemes across studies might have contributed
to the inconsistency in outcome findings.
Conclusions Considerable uncertainty remains as to the effectiveness of exercise referral schemes for increasing physical activity, fitness, or health indicators, or whether they are an efficient use of resources for
sedentary people with or without a medical diagnosis.This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme
(project number 08/72/01) (www.hta.ac.uk/)
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