28,457 research outputs found
Design, development and performance study of six-gap glass MRPC detectors
The Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs) are gas ionization detectors
with multiple gas sub-gaps made of resistive electrodes. The high voltage (HV)
is applied on the outer surfaces of outermost resistive plates only, while the
interior plates are left electrically floating. The presence of multiple narrow
sub--gaps with high electric field results in faster signals on the outer
electrodes, thus improving the detector's time resolution. Due to their
excellent performance and relatively low cost, the MRPC detector has found
potential application in Time-of-Flight (TOF) systems. Here we present the
design, fabrication, optimization of the operating parameters such as the HV,
the gas mixture composition, and, performance of six--gap glass MRPC detectors
of area 27cm 27 cm, which are developed in order to find application
as trigger detectors, in TOF measurement etc. The design has been optimized
with unique spacers and blockers to ensure a proper gas flow through the narrow
sub-gaps, which are 250 m wide. The gas mixture consisting of R134A,
Isobutane and SF, and the fraction of each constituting gases has been
optimized after studying the MRPC performance for a set of different
concentrations. The counting efficiency of the MRPC is about 95% at kV.
At the same operating voltage, the time resolution, after correcting for the
walk effect, is found to be about ps.Comment: Revised version with 15 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for
publication in the European Physical Journal
Conformational studies of various hemoglobins by natural-abundance 13C NMR spectroscopy
Studies of variously liganded hemoglobins (both from human and rabbit) by natural-abundance 13C NMR spectroscopy have revealed apparent conformational differences that have been interpreted on the basis of two quaternary structures for the α2ß2 tetramer, and variable tertiary structures for the individual α and ß subunits. In solution, rabbit hemoglobins appear to have somewhat more flexibility than human hemoglobins
Ensemble estimation of multivariate f-divergence
f-divergence estimation is an important problem in the fields of information
theory, machine learning, and statistics. While several divergence estimators
exist, relatively few of their convergence rates are known. We derive the MSE
convergence rate for a density plug-in estimator of f-divergence. Then by
applying the theory of optimally weighted ensemble estimation, we derive a
divergence estimator with a convergence rate of O(1/T) that is simple to
implement and performs well in high dimensions. We validate our theoretical
results with experiments.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, a condensed version of this paper was accepted
to ISIT 2014, Version 2: Moved the proofs of the theorems from the main body
to appendices at the en
Privacy in Gaming
Video game platforms and business models are increasingly built on collection, use, and sharing of personal information for purposes of both functionality and revenue. This paper examines privacy issues and explores data practices, technical specifications, and policy statements of the most popular games and gaming platforms to provide an overview of the current privacy legal landscape for mobile gaming, console gaming, and virtual reality devices. The research observes how modern gaming aligns with information privacy notions and norms and how data practices and technologies specific to gaming may affect users and, in particular, child gamers.
After objectively selecting and analyzing major players in gaming, the research notes the many different ways that game companies collect data from users, including through cameras, sensors, microphones, and other hardware, through platform features for social interaction and user-generated content, and by means of tracking technologies like cookies and beacons. The paper also notes how location and biometric data are collected routinely through game platforms and explores issues specific to mobile gaming and pairing with smartphones and other external hardware devices.
The paper concludes that transparency as to gaming companies’ data practices could be much improved, especially regarding sharing with third party affiliates. In addition, the research considers how children’s privacy may be particularly affected while gaming, determining that special attention should be paid to user control mechanisms and privacy settings within games and platforms, that social media and other interactive features create unique privacy and safety concerns for children which require gamer and parent education, and that privacy policy language is often incongruent with age ratings advertised to children and parents. To contribute additional research value and resources, the paper attaches a comprehensive set of appendices, on which the research conclusions are in part based, detailing the technical specifications and privacy policy statements of popular games and gaming platforms for mobile gaming, console gaming, and virtual reality devices
Nonstationary Panel Data Analysis: An Overview of Some Recent Developments
This paper overviews some recent developments in panel data asymptotics, concentrating on the nonstationary panel case and gives a new result for models with individual effects. Underlying recent theory are asymptotics for multi-indexed processes in which both indexes may pass to infinity. We review some of the new limit theory that has been developed, show how it can be applied and give a new interpretation of individual effects in nonstationary panel data. Fundamental to the interpretation of much of the asymptotics is the concept of a panel regression coefficient which measures the long run average relation across a section of the panel. This concept is analogous to the statistical interpretation of the coefficient in a classical regression relation. A variety of nonstationary panel data models are discussed and the paper reviews the asymptotic properties of estimators in these various models. Some recent developments in panel unit root tests and stationary dynamic panel regression models are also reviewed.
Estimation of Autoregressive Roots Near Unity Using Panel Data
Time series data are often well modelled by using the device of an autoregressive root that is local to unity. Unfortunately, the localizing parameter (c) is not consistently estimable using existing time series econometric techniques and the lack of a consistent estimator complicates inference. This paper develops procedures for the estimation of a common localizing parameter using panel data. Pooling information across individuals in a panel aids the identification and estimation of the localising parameter and leads to consistent estimation in simple panel models. However, in the important case of models with concomitant deterministic trends, it is shown that pooled panel estimators of the localising parameter are asymptotically biased. Some techniques are developed to overcome this difficulty and consistent estimators of c in the region cBias, local to unity, panel data, pooled regression, subgroup testing
Quantum Hall Ferromagnets: Induced Topological term and electromagnetic interactions
The quantum Hall ground state in materials like GaAs is well known
to be ferromagnetic in nature. The exchange part of the Coulomb interaction
provides the necessary attractive force to align the electron spins
spontaneously. The gapless Goldstone modes are the angular deviations of the
magnetisation vector from its fixed ground state orientation. Furthermore, the
system is known to support electrically charged spin skyrmion configurations.
It has been claimed in the literature that these skyrmions are fermionic owing
to an induced topological Hopf term in the effective action governing the
Goldstone modes. However, objections have been raised against the method by
which this term has been obtained from the microscopics of the system. In this
article, we use the technique of the derivative expansion to derive, in an
unambiguous manner, the effective action of the angular degrees of freedom,
including the Hopf term. Furthermore, we have coupled perturbative
electromagnetic fields to the microscopic fermionic system in order to study
their effect on the spin excitations. We have obtained an elegant expression
for the electromagnetic coupling of the angular variables describing these spin
excitations.Comment: 23 pages, Plain TeX, no figure
Magnetic helicity transported by flux emergence and shuffling motions in Solar Active Region NOAA 10930
We present a new methodology which can determine magnetic helicity transport
by the passage of helical magnetic field lines from sub-photosphere and the
shuffling motions of foot-points of preexisting coronal field lines separately.
It is well known that only the velocity component which is perpendicular to the
magnetic field () has contribution to the helicity
accumulation. Here, we demonstrate that can be deduced
from horizontal motion and vector magnetograms, under a simple relation of
as suggested by
Dmoulin & Berger (2003). Then after dividing
into two components, as one is tangential and the other is normal to the solar
surface, we can determine both terms of helicity transport. Active region (AR)
NOAA 10930 is analyzed as an example during its solar disk center passage by
using data obtained by the Spectro-Polarimeter and the Narrowband Filter Imager
of Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode. We find that in our calculation,
the helicity injection by flux emergence and shuffling motions have the same
sign. During the period we studied, the main contribution of helicity
accumulation comes from the flux emergence effect, while the dynamic transient
evolution comes from the shuffling motions effect. Our observational results
further indicate that for this AR, the apparent rotational motion in the
following sunspot is the real shuffling motions on solar surface
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