277 research outputs found
A Lorentzian Gromov-Hausdoff notion of distance
This paper is the first of three in which I study the moduli space of
isometry classes of (compact) globally hyperbolic spacetimes (with boundary). I
introduce a notion of Gromov-Hausdorff distance which makes this moduli space
into a metric space. Further properties of this metric space are studied in the
next papers. The importance of the work can be situated in fields such as
cosmology, quantum gravity and - for the mathematicians - global Lorentzian
geometry.Comment: 20 pages, 0 figures, submitted to Classical and quantum gravity,
seriously improved presentatio
The limit space of a Cauchy sequence of globally hyperbolic spacetimes
In this second paper, I construct a limit space of a Cauchy sequence of
globally hyperbolic spacetimes. In the second section, I work gradually towards
a construction of the limit space. I prove the limit space is unique up to
isometry. I als show that, in general, the limit space has quite complicated
causal behaviour. This work prepares the final paper in which I shall study in
more detail properties of the limit space and the moduli space of (compact)
globally hyperbolic spacetimes (cobordisms). As a fait divers, I give in this
paper a suitable definition of dimension of a Lorentz space in agreement with
the one given by Gromov in the Riemannian case.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Classical and Quantum gravity,
seriously improved presentatio
The moduli space of isometry classes of globally hyperbolic spacetimes
This is the last article in a series of three initiated by the second author.
We elaborate on the concepts and theorems constructed in the previous articles.
In particular, we prove that the GH and the GGH uniformities previously
introduced on the moduli space of isometry classes of globally hyperbolic
spacetimes are different, but the Cauchy sequences which give rise to
well-defined limit spaces coincide. We then examine properties of the strong
metric introduced earlier on each spacetime, and answer some questions
concerning causality of limit spaces. Progress is made towards a general
definition of causality, and it is proven that the GGH limit of a Cauchy
sequence of , path metric Lorentz spaces is again a
, path metric Lorentz space. Finally, we give a
necessary and sufficient condition, similar to the one of Gromov for the
Riemannian case, for a class of Lorentz spaces to be precompact.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Class. Quant. Gra
The NITE XML Toolkit Meets the ICSI Meeting Corpus: Import, Annotation, and Browsing
Abstract. The NITE XML Toolkit (NXT) provides library support for working with multimodal language corpora. We describe work in progress to explore its potential for the AMI project by applying it to the ICSI Meeting Corpus. We discuss converting existing data into the NXT data format; using NXT’s query facility to explore the corpus; hand-annotation and automatic indexing; and the integration of data obtained by applying NXT-external processes such as parsers. Finally, we describe use of NXT as a meeting browser itself, and how it can be used to integrate other browser components.
Making sense of social pretense: The effect of the dyad, sex and language ability in a large observational study of children’s behaviors in a social pretend play context
Pretend play with peers is purportedly an important driver of social development in the preschool period, however, fundamental questions regarding the features of children’s pretend play with a peer, and the effect of the dyad for pretend play, have been overlooked. The current study undertook detailed behavioral coding of social pretend play in 134 pairs of 5-year-old children (54% boys) in order to address three main aims: (i) describe the duration and proportion of children engaging in key social pretend play behaviors, namely, calls for attention, negotiation (comprising role assignment and joint proposals) and enactment of pretend play, (ii) examine the effect of the dyad in influencing the occurrence of different social pretend play behaviors, and (iii) assess the independent and combined effect of individual child characteristics (i.e., language ability and sex) that may influence social pretend play behaviors beyond the influence of the dyad. Results demonstrated the overwhelming effect of the dyad in shaping children’s social pretend play behaviors, with language ability and sex explaining relatively little of the total variability in play behaviors. Results are discussed considering the contribution that this type of study can make to theories of associations between children’s social development and social pretend play.LEGO Foundatio
Continuous affect state annotation using a joystick-based user interface
Ongoing research at the DLR (German Aerospace Center) aims to employ affective computing techniques to ascertain the emotional states of users in motion simulators. In this work, a novel user feedback interface employing a joystick to acquire subjective evaluation of the affective experience is presented. This interface allows the subjects to continuously annotate their affect states, elicited in this scenario by watching video clips. Several physiological parameters (e.g. heart rate, electrodermal activity, respiration rate, etc.) were acquired during the viewing session. A statistical analysis is presented, which shows expected patterns in data that validate the design and methodology of the experiment and lay the groundwork for further experiments to be undertaken at the DLR
Evidence for an entropy bound from fundamentally discrete gravity
The various entropy bounds that exist in the literature suggest that
spacetime is fundamentally discrete, and hint at an underlying relationship
between geometry and "information". The foundation of this relationship is yet
to be uncovered, but should manifest itself in a theory of quantum gravity. We
present a measure for the maximal entropy of spherically symmetric spacelike
regions within the causal set approach to quantum gravity. In terms of the
proposal, a bound for the entropy contained in this region can be derived from
a counting of potential "degrees of freedom" associated to the Cauchy horizon
of its future domain of dependence. For different spherically symmetric
spacelike regions in Minkowski spacetime of arbitrary dimension, we show that
this proposal leads, in the continuum approximation, to Susskind's well-known
spherical entropy bound.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures. Comment on Bekenstein bound added and smaller
corrections. To be published in Class.Quant.Gra
Positive evidence for neonatal imitation:A general response, adaptive engagement
The study employed four gestural models using frame-by-frame microanalytic methods, and followed how the behaviours unfolded over time. Forty-two human newborns (0-3 days) were examined for their imitation of tongue protrusion, 'head tilt with looking up', three-finger and two-finger gestures. The results showed that all three gesture groups were imitated. Results of the temporal analyses revealed an early and a later, second stage of responses. Later responses were characterized by a suppression of similar, but non-matching movements. Perinatal imitation is not a phenomenon served by a single underlying mechanism; it has at least two different stages. An early phase is followed by voluntary matching behaviour by the neonatal infant
Reproducibility via coordinated standardization:A multi-center study in a Shank2 genetic rat model for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Inconsistent findings between laboratories are hampering scientific progress and are of increasing public concern. Differences in laboratory environment is a known factor contributing to poor reproducibility of findings between research sites, and well-controlled multisite efforts are an important next step to identify the relevant factors needed to reduce variation in study outcome between laboratories. Through harmonization of apparatus, test protocol, and aligned and non-aligned environmental variables, the present study shows that behavioral pharmacological responses in Shank2 knockout (KO) rats, a model of synaptic dysfunction relevant to autism spectrum disorders, were highly replicable across three research centers. All three sites reliably observed a hyperactive and repetitive behavioral phenotype in KO rats compared to their wild-type littermates as well as a dose-dependent phenotype attenuation following acute injections of a selective mGluR1 antagonist. These results show that reproducibility in preclinical studies can be obtained and emphasizes the need for high quality and rigorous methodologies in scientific research. Considering the observed external validity, the present study also suggests mGluR1 as potential target for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders
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