989 research outputs found
Quark and Lepton Mass Patterns and the Absolute Neutrino Mass Scale
We investigate what could be learned about the absolute scale of neutrino
masses from comparisons among the patterns within quark and lepton mass
hierarchies. First, we observe that the existing information on neutrino masses
fits quite well to the unexplained, but apparently present regularities in the
quark and charged lepton sectors. Second, we discuss several possible mass
patterns, pointing out that this quite generally leads towards hierarchical
neutrino mass patterns especially disfavoring the vacuum solution.Comment: final version to be published in PRD, 5 pages, 2 figures, RevTe
Owl and Lizard: Patterns of Head Pose and Eye Pose in Driver Gaze Classification
Accurate, robust, inexpensive gaze tracking in the car can help keep a driver
safe by facilitating the more effective study of how to improve (1) vehicle
interfaces and (2) the design of future Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. In
this paper, we estimate head pose and eye pose from monocular video using
methods developed extensively in prior work and ask two new interesting
questions. First, how much better can we classify driver gaze using head and
eye pose versus just using head pose? Second, are there individual-specific
gaze strategies that strongly correlate with how much gaze classification
improves with the addition of eye pose information? We answer these questions
by evaluating data drawn from an on-road study of 40 drivers. The main insight
of the paper is conveyed through the analogy of an "owl" and "lizard" which
describes the degree to which the eyes and the head move when shifting gaze.
When the head moves a lot ("owl"), not much classification improvement is
attained by estimating eye pose on top of head pose. On the other hand, when
the head stays still and only the eyes move ("lizard"), classification accuracy
increases significantly from adding in eye pose. We characterize how that
accuracy varies between people, gaze strategies, and gaze regions.Comment: Accepted for Publication in IET Computer Vision. arXiv admin note:
text overlap with arXiv:1507.0476
Anomalous single production of the fourth SM family quarks at Tevatron
Possible single productions of fourth family u_{4} and d_{4} quarks via
anomalous q_{4}qV interactions at Tevatron are studied. Signature of such
processes are discussed and compared with the recent results from Tevatron.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, 4 table
Bifurcations of self-similar solutions for reversing interfaces in the slow diffusion equation with strong absorption
Bifurcations of self-similar solutions for reversing interfaces are studied in the slow diffusion equation with strong absorption. The self-similar solutions bifurcate from the time-independent solutions for standing interfaces. We show that such bifurcations occur at particular points in parameter space (characterizing the exponents in the diffusion and absorption terms) where the confluent hypergeometric functions satisfying Kummer's differential equation truncate to finite polynomials. A two-scale asymptotic method is employed to obtain the local dependencies of the self-similar reversing interfaces near the bifurcation points. The asymptotic results are shown to be in excellent agreement with numerical approximations of the self-similar solutions
Efficacy of novel recombinant fowlpox vaccine against recent Mexican H7N3 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Since 2012, H7N3 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has produced negative economic and animal welfare impacts on poultry in central Mexico. In the present study, chickens were vaccinated with two different recombinant fowlpox virus vaccines (rFPV-H7/3002 with 2015 H7 hemagglutinin [HA] gene insert, and rFPV-H7/2155 with 2002 H7 HA gene insert), and were then challenged three weeks later with H7N3 HPAI virus (A/chicken/Jalisco/CPA-37905/2015). The rFPV-H7/3002 vaccine conferred 100% protection against mortality and morbidity, and significantly reduced virus shed titers from the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. In contrast, 100% of sham and rFPV-H7/2155 vaccinated birds shed virus at higher titers and died within 4 days. Pre- (15/20) and post- (20/20) challenge serum of birds vaccinated with rFPV-H7/3002 had antibodies detectable by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay using challenge virus antigen. However, only a few birds (3/20) in the rFPV-H7/2155 vaccinated group had antibodies that reacted against the challenge strain but all birds had antibodies that reacted against the homologous vaccine antigen (A/turkey/Virginia/SEP-66/2002) (20/20). One possible explanation for differences in vaccines efficacy is the antigenic drift between circulating viruses and vaccines. Molecular analysis demonstrated that the Mexican H7N3 strains have continued to rapidly evolve since 2012. In addition, we identified in silico three potential new N-glycosylation sites on the globular head of the H7 HA of A/chicken/Jalisco/CPA-37905/2015 challenge virus, which were absent in 2012 H7N3 outbreak virus. Our results suggested that mutations in the HA antigenic sites including increased glycosylation sites, accumulated in the new circulating Mexican H7 HPAIV strains, altered the recognition of neutralizing antibodies from the older vaccine strain rFPV-H7/2155. Therefore, the protective efficacy of novel rFPV-H7/3002 against recent outbreak Mexican H7N3 HPAIV confirms the importance of frequent updating of vaccines seed strains for long-term effective control of H7 HPAI virus
Aggregate tensile strength and friability characteristics of furrow and sprinkler irrigated fields in Southern Idaho
Agricultural crops grown in southern Idaho are furrow or sprinkler irrigated. Therefore, the soil experiences several wetting and drying cycles each growing season that can contribute to changes in aggregate tensile strength and friability. The objective of the research was to evaluate the influence of irrigation on soil structural properties. Four furrow irrigated fields were sampled at the top and bottom of the field, in the furrow and on the bed location of the furrow. Five sprinkler irrigated fields were sampled at 0-5 and 5-15 cm depth and at the top and bottom of the field. Results from this study indicate that differences in tensile strength in furrow irrigated fields were only evident soon after irrigation; otherwise, there were few differences in tensile strength and friability. In sprinkler irrigated fields tensile strength increased with depth in 3 of the 5 fields measured.Friability was less affected by depth
Coping with the effects of fear of failure in young elite athletes
Coping with stress is an important element in effective functioning at the elite level in sports, and fear of failure (FF) is an example of a stressor that athletes experience. Three issues underpin the present preliminary study. First, the prevalence of problems attributed to FF in achievement settings. Second, sport is a popular and significant achievement domain for children and adolescents. Third, there is a lack of research on FF in sport among this population. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to examine the effects of FF on young athletes and to find out their coping responses to the effects of FF. Interviews were conducted individually with nine young elite athletes (5 males, 4 females; ages 14-17 years). It was inferred from the data that FF affected the athletes' well-being, interpersonal behavior, sport performance, and schoolwork. The athletes employed a combination of problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance-focused coping strategies, with avoidance strategies being the most frequently reported
Non-linear regression models for Approximate Bayesian Computation
Approximate Bayesian inference on the basis of summary statistics is
well-suited to complex problems for which the likelihood is either
mathematically or computationally intractable. However the methods that use
rejection suffer from the curse of dimensionality when the number of summary
statistics is increased. Here we propose a machine-learning approach to the
estimation of the posterior density by introducing two innovations. The new
method fits a nonlinear conditional heteroscedastic regression of the parameter
on the summary statistics, and then adaptively improves estimation using
importance sampling. The new algorithm is compared to the state-of-the-art
approximate Bayesian methods, and achieves considerable reduction of the
computational burden in two examples of inference in statistical genetics and
in a queueing model.Comment: 4 figures; version 3 minor changes; to appear in Statistics and
Computin
Theoretical predictions for the direct detection of neutralino dark matter in the NMSSM
We analyse the direct detection of neutralino dark matter in the framework of
the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. After performing a detailed
analysis of the parameter space, taking into account all the available
constraints from LEPII, we compute the neutralino-nucleon cross section, and
compare the results with the sensitivity of detectors. We find that sizable
values for the detection cross section, within the reach of dark matter
detectors, are attainable in this framework. For example, neutralino-proton
cross sections compatible with the sensitivity of present experiments can be
obtained due to the exchange of very light Higgses with m_{h_1^0}\lsim 70
GeV. Such Higgses have a significant singlet composition, thus escaping
detection and being in agreement with accelerator data. The lightest neutralino
in these cases exhibits a large singlino-Higgsino composition, and a mass in
the range 50\lsim m_{\tilde\chi_1^0}\lsim 100 GeV.Comment: Final version to appear in JHEP. References added. LaTeX, 53 pages,
23 figure
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