156 research outputs found
Can adas distract driver’s attention? An rgb-d camera and deep learning-based analysis
Driver inattention is the primary cause of vehicle accidents; hence, manufacturers have introduced systems to support the driver and improve safety; nonetheless, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) must be properly designed not to become a potential source of distraction for the driver due to the provided feedback. In the present study, an experiment involving auditory and haptic ADAS has been conducted involving 11 participants, whose attention has been monitored during their driving experience. An RGB-D camera has been used to acquire the drivers’ face data. Subsequently, these images have been analyzed using a deep learning-based approach, i.e., a convolutional neural network (CNN) specifically trained to perform facial expression recognition (FER). Analyses to assess possible relationships between these results and both ADAS activations and event occurrences, i.e., accidents, have been carried out. A correlation between attention and accidents emerged, whilst facial expressions and ADAS activations resulted to be not correlated, thus no evidence that the designed ADAS are a possible source of distraction has been found. In addition to the experimental results, the proposed approach has proved to be an effective tool to monitor the driver through the usage of non-invasive techniques
Angular reconstruction of high energy air showers using the radio signal spectrum
The Hellenic Open University extensive air shower array (also known as
Astroneu array) is a small scale hybrid detection system operating in an area
with high levels of electromagnetic noise from anthropogenic activity. In the
present study we report the latest results of the data analysis concerning the
estimation of the shower direction using the spectrum of the RF system. In a
recent layout of the array, 4 RF antennas were operating receiving a common
trigger from an autonomous detection station of 3 particle detectors. The
directions estimated with the RF system are in very good agreement with the
corresponding estimations using the particle detectors demonstrating that a
single antenna has the potential for reconstructing the shower axis angular
direction
Entanglement Entropy from a Holographic Viewpoint
The entanglement entropy has been historically studied by many authors in
order to obtain quantum mechanical interpretations of the gravitational
entropy. The discovery of AdS/CFT correspondence leads to the idea of
holographic entanglement entropy, which is a clear solution to this important
problem in gravity. In this article, we would like to give a quick survey of
recent progresses on the holographic entanglement entropy. We focus on its
gravitational aspects, so that it is comprehensible to those who are familiar
with general relativity and basics of quantum field theory.Comment: Latex, 30 pages, invited review for Classical and Quantum Gravity,
minor correction
A primary electron beam facility at CERN -- eSPS Conceptual design report
The design of a primary electron beam facility at CERN is described. The
study has been carried out within the framework of the wider Physics Beyond
Colliders study. It re-enables the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) as an
electron accelerator, and leverages the development invested in Compact Linear
Collider (CLIC) technology for its injector and as an accelerator research and
development infrastructure. The facility would be relevant for several of the
key priorities in the 2020 update of the European Strategy for Particle
Physics, such as an electron-positron Higgs factory, accelerator R\&D, dark
sector physics, and neutrino physics. In addition, it could serve experiments
in nuclear physics. The electron beam delivered by this facility would provide
access to light dark matter production significantly beyond the targets
predicted by a thermal dark matter origin, and for natures of dark matter
particles that are not accessible by direct detection experiments. It would
also enable electro-nuclear measurements crucial for precise modelling the
energy dependence of neutrino-nucleus interactions, which is needed to
precisely measure neutrino oscillations as a function of energy. The
implementation of the facility is the natural next step in the development of
X-band high-gradient acceleration technology, a key technology for compact and
cost-effective electron/positron linacs. It would also become the only facility
with multi-GeV drive bunches and truly independent electron witness bunches for
plasma wakefield acceleration. A second phase capable to deliver positron
witness bunches would make it a complete facility for plasma wakefield collider
studies. [...
HE-LHC: The High-Energy Large Hadron Collider – Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 4
In response to the 2013 Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics (EPPSU), the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study was launched as a world-wide international collaboration hosted by CERN. The FCC study covered an energy-frontier hadron collider (FCC-hh), a highest-luminosity high-energy lepton collider (FCC-ee), the corresponding 100 km tunnel infrastructure, as well as the physics opportunities of these two colliders, and a high-energy LHC, based on FCC-hh technology. This document constitutes the third volume of the FCC Conceptual Design Report, devoted to the hadron collider FCC-hh. It summarizes the FCC-hh physics discovery opportunities, presents the FCC-hh accelerator design, performance reach, and staged operation plan, discusses the underlying technologies, the civil engineering and technical infrastructure, and also sketches a possible implementation. Combining ingredients from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the high-luminosity LHC upgrade and adding novel technologies and approaches, the FCC-hh design aims at significantly extending the energy frontier to 100 TeV. Its unprecedented centre-of-mass collision energy will make the FCC-hh a unique instrument to explore physics beyond the Standard Model, offering great direct sensitivity to new physics and discoveries
Conserved Genes Act as Modifiers of Invertebrate SMN Loss of Function Defects
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is caused by diminished function of the Survival of Motor Neuron (SMN) protein, but the molecular pathways critical for SMA pathology remain elusive. We have used genetic approaches in invertebrate models to identify conserved SMN loss of function modifier genes. Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans each have a single gene encoding a protein orthologous to human SMN; diminished function of these invertebrate genes causes lethality and neuromuscular defects. To find genes that modulate SMN function defects across species, two approaches were used. First, a genome-wide RNAi screen for C. elegans SMN modifier genes was undertaken, yielding four genes. Second, we tested the conservation of modifier gene function across species; genes identified in one invertebrate model were tested for function in the other invertebrate model. Drosophila orthologs of two genes, which were identified originally in C. elegans, modified Drosophila SMN loss of function defects. C. elegans orthologs of twelve genes, which were originally identified in a previous Drosophila screen, modified C. elegans SMN loss of function defects. Bioinformatic analysis of the conserved, cross-species, modifier genes suggests that conserved cellular pathways, specifically endocytosis and mRNA regulation, act as critical genetic modifiers of SMN loss of function defects across species
Understanding the Interplay Among Regulatory Self-Efficacy, Moral Disengagement, and Academic Cheating Behaviour During Vocational Education: A Three-Wave Study
The literature has suggested that to understand the diffusion of unethical conduct in the workplace, it is important to investigate the underlying processes sustaining engagement in misbehaviour and to study what occurs during vocational education. Drawing on social-cognitive theory, in this study, we longitudinally examined the role of two opposite dimensions of the self-regulatory moral system, regulatory self-efficacy and moral disengagement, in influencing academic cheating behaviour. In addition, in line with the theories highlighting the bidirectional relationship between cognitive processes and behaviour, we aimed to also examine the reciprocal influence of behaviour on these dimensions over time. Overall, no previous studies have examined the longitudinal interplay between these variables. The sample included 866 (62.8% female) nursing students who were assessed three times annually from the beginning of their vocational education. The findings from a cross-lagged model confirmed that regulatory self-efficacy and moral disengagement have opposite influences on cheating behaviour, that regulatory self-efficacy negatively influences not only the engagement in misconduct but also the justification mechanisms that allow the divorce between moral standards and action, and that moral disengagement and cheating behaviour reciprocally support each other over time. Specifically, not only did moral disengagement influence cheating behaviour even when controlling for its prior levels, but also cheating behaviour affected moral disengagement one year later, controlling for its prior levels. These findings suggest that recourse to wrongdoing could gradually lead to further normalising this kind of behaviour and morally desensitising individuals to misconduct
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