601 research outputs found
Crown Lengthening Revisited
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141178/1/cap0233.pd
B-L Cosmic Strings in Heterotic Standard Models
E_{8} X E_{8} heterotic string and M-theory, when compactified on smooth
Calabi-Yau manifolds with SU(4) vector bundles, can give rise to softly broken
N=1 supersymmetric theories with the exact matter spectrum of the MSSM,
including three right-handed neutrinos and one Higgs-Higgs conjugate pair of
supermultiplets. These vacua have the SU(3)_{C} X SU(2)_{L} X U(1)_{Y} gauge
group of the standard model augmented by an additional gauged U(1)_{B-L}. Their
minimal content requires that the B-L symmetry be spontaneously broken by a
vacuum expectation value of at least one right-handed sneutrino. The soft
supersymmetry breaking operators can induce radiative breaking of the B-L gauge
symmetry with an acceptable B-L/electroweak hierarchy. In this paper, it is
shown that U(1)_{B-L} cosmic strings occur in this context, potentially with
both bosonic and fermionic superconductivity. We present a numerical analysis
that demonstrates that boson condensates can, in principle, form for theories
of this type. However, the weak Yukawa and gauge couplings of the right-handed
sneutrino suggests that bosonic superconductivity will not occur in the
simplest vacua in this context. The electroweak phase transition also disallows
fermion superconductivity, although substantial bound state fermion currents
can exist.Comment: 41 pages, 5 figure
Object Detection Through Exploration With A Foveated Visual Field
We present a foveated object detector (FOD) as a biologically-inspired
alternative to the sliding window (SW) approach which is the dominant method of
search in computer vision object detection. Similar to the human visual system,
the FOD has higher resolution at the fovea and lower resolution at the visual
periphery. Consequently, more computational resources are allocated at the
fovea and relatively fewer at the periphery. The FOD processes the entire
scene, uses retino-specific object detection classifiers to guide eye
movements, aligns its fovea with regions of interest in the input image and
integrates observations across multiple fixations. Our approach combines modern
object detectors from computer vision with a recent model of peripheral pooling
regions found at the V1 layer of the human visual system. We assessed various
eye movement strategies on the PASCAL VOC 2007 dataset and show that the FOD
performs on par with the SW detector while bringing significant computational
cost savings.Comment: An extended version of this manuscript was published in PLOS
Computational Biology (October 2017) at
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.100574
Ordinary-derivative formulation of conformal totally symmetric arbitrary spin bosonic fields
Conformal totally symmetric arbitrary spin bosonic fields in flat space-time
of even dimension greater than or equal to four are studied. Second-derivative
(ordinary-derivative) formulation for such fields is developed. We obtain gauge
invariant Lagrangian and the corresponding gauge transformations. Gauge
symmetries are realized by involving the Stueckelberg and auxiliary fields.
Realization of global conformal boost symmetries on conformal gauge fields is
obtained. Modified de Donder gauge condition and de Donder-Stueckelberg gauge
condition are introduced. Using the de Donder-Stueckelberg gauge frame,
equivalence of the ordinary-derivative and higher-derivative approaches is
demonstrated. On-shell degrees of freedom of the arbitrary spin conformal field
are analyzed. Ordinary-derivative light-cone gauge Lagrangian of conformal
fields is also presented. Interrelations between the ordinary-derivative gauge
invariant formulation of conformal fields and the gauge invariant formulation
of massive fields are discussed.Comment: 51 pages, v2: Results and conclusions of v1 unchanged. In Sec.3,
brief review of higher-derivative approaches added. In Sec.4, new
representations for Lagrangian, modified de Donder gauge, and de
Donder-Stueckelberg gauge added. In Sec.5, discussion of interrelations
between the ordinary-derivative and higher-derivative approaches added.
Appendices A,B,C,D and references adde
Iterative approximation of k-limited polling systems
The present paper deals with the problem of calculating queue length distributions in a polling model with (exhaustive) k-limited service under the assumption of general arrival, service and setup distributions. The interest for this model is fueled by an application in the field of logistics. Knowledge of the queue length distributions is needed to operate the system properly. The multi-queue polling system is decomposed into single-queue vacation systems with k-limited service and state-dependent vacations, for which the vacation distributions are computed in an iterative approximate manner. These vacation models are analyzed via matrix-analytic techniques. The accuracy of the approximation scheme is verified by means of an extensive simulation study. The developed approximation turns out be accurate, robust and computationally efficient
The Effects Of N, P And Crude Oil On The Decomposition Of Spartina Alterniflora Belowground Biomass
We conducted a laboratory experiment to examine how the decomposition of particulate belowground organic matter from a salt marsh is enhanced, or not, by different mixtures of crude oil, nitrogen (N), or phosphorus (P) acting individually or synergistically. The experiment was conducted in 3.8 L sampling chambers producing varying quantities of gas whose volume was used as a surrogate measure of organic decomposition under anaerobic conditions. Gas production after 28 days, from highest to lowest, was +NP = +N \u3e\u3e\u3e +P, or +oil. The gas production under either +P or +oil conditions was indistinguishable from gas production in the control chamber. Nitrogen, not phosphorus, or +NP, was the dominant factor controlling organic decomposition rates in these experiments. The implication for organic salt marsh soils is that shoreline erosion is enhanced by salt marsh oiling, presumably by its toxicity, but not by its effect on the decomposition rates of plant biomass belowground. Nutrient additions, on the other hand, may compromise the soil strength, creating a stronger disparity in soil strength between upper and lower soil layers leading to marsh loss. Nutrient amendments intended to decrease oil concentration in the marsh may not have the desired effect, and are likely to decrease soil strength, thereby enhancing marsh-to-water conversions in organic salt marsh soils
Effects of climate and snow depth on Bromus tectorum population dynamics at high elevation
Invasive plants are thought to be especially capable of range shifts or expansion in response to climate change due to high dispersal and colonization abilities. Although highly invasive throughout the Intermountain West, the presence and impact of the grass Bromus tectorum has been limited at higher elevations in the eastern Sierra Nevada, potentially due to extreme wintertime conditions. However, climate models project an upward elevational shift of climate regimes in the Sierra Nevada that could favor B. tectorum expansion. This research specifically examined the effects of experimental snow depth manipulations and interannual climate variability over 5 years on B. tectorum populations at high elevation (2,175 m). Experimentally-increased snow depth had an effect on phenology and biomass, but no effect on individual fecundity. Instead an experimentally-increased snowpack inhibited population growth in 1 year by reducing seedling emergence and early survival. A similar negative effect of increased snow was observed 2 years later. However, a strong negative effect on B. tectorum was also associated with a naturally low-snow winter, when seedling emergence was reduced by 86%. Across 5 years, winters with greater snow cover and a slower accumulation of degree-days coincided with higher B. tectorum seedling density and population growth. Thus, we observed negative effects associated with both experimentally-increased and naturally-decreased snowpacks. It is likely that the effect of snow at high elevation is nonlinear and differs from lower elevations where wintertime germination can be favorable. Additionally, we observed a doubling of population size in 1 year, which is alarming at this elevation
TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives
Measurement of the Dipion Mass Spectrum in X(3872) -> J/Psi Pi+ Pi- Decays
We measure the dipion mass spectrum in X(3872)--> J/Psi Pi+ Pi- decays using
360 pb-1 of pbar-p collisions at 1.96 TeV collected with the CDF II detector.
The spectrum is fit with predictions for odd C-parity (3S1, 1P1, and 3DJ)
charmonia decaying to J/Psi Pi+ Pi-, as well as even C-parity states in which
the pions are from Rho0 decay. The latter case also encompasses exotic
interpretations, such as a D0-D*0Bar molecule. Only the 3S1 and J/Psi Rho
hypotheses are compatible with our data. Since 3S1 is untenable on other
grounds, decay via J/Psi Rho is favored, which implies C=+1 for the X(3872).
Models for different J/Psi-Rho angular momenta L are considered. Flexibility in
the models, especially the introduction of Rho-Omega interference, enable good
descriptions of our data for both L=0 and 1.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures -- Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Measurement of Lifetime and Decay-Width Difference in B0s -> J/psi phi Decays
We measure the mean lifetime, tau=2/(Gamma_L+Gamma_H), and the width
difference, DeltaGamma=Gamma_L-Gamma_H, of the light and heavy mass eigenstates
of the B0s meson, B0sL and B0sH, in B0s -> J/psi phi decays using 1.7 fb^-1 of
data collected with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar
collider. Assuming CP conservation, a good approximation for the B0s system in
the Standard Model, we obtain DeltaGamma = 0.076^+0.059_-0.063 (stat.) +- 0.006
(syst.) ps^-1 and tau = 1.52 +- 0.04 (stat.) +- 0.02 (syst.) ps, the most
precise measurements to date. Our constraints on the weak phase and DeltaGamma
are consistent with CP conservation.
Dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and colleague, Michael P. Schmid
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