437 research outputs found
A Learning Framework for Morphological Operators using Counter-Harmonic Mean
We present a novel framework for learning morphological operators using
counter-harmonic mean. It combines concepts from morphology and convolutional
neural networks. A thorough experimental validation analyzes basic
morphological operators dilation and erosion, opening and closing, as well as
the much more complex top-hat transform, for which we report a real-world
application from the steel industry. Using online learning and stochastic
gradient descent, our system learns both the structuring element and the
composition of operators. It scales well to large datasets and online settings.Comment: Submitted to ISMM'1
Friends or Foes? Emerging Impacts of Biological Toxins
Toxins are substances produced from biological sources (e.g., animal, plants, microorganisms) that have deleterious effects on a living organism. Despite the obvious health concerns of being exposed to toxins, they are having substantial positive impacts in a number of industrial sectors. Several toxin-derived products are approved for clinical, veterinary, or agrochemical uses. This review sets out the case for toxins as ‘friends’ that are providing the basis of novel medicines, insecticides, and even nucleic acid sequencing technologies. We also discuss emerging toxins (‘foes’) that are becoming increasingly prevalent in a range of contexts through climate change and the globalisation of food supply chains and that ultimately pose a risk to health
AdS Branes Corresponding to Superconformal Defects
We investigate an AdS_4 x L_2 D5-brane in AdS_5 x X_5 space-time, in the
context of AdS/dCFT correspondence. Here, X_5 is a Sasaki-Einstein manifold and
L_2 is a submanifold of X_5. This brane has the same supersymmetry as the
3-dimensional N=1 superconformal symmetry if L_2 is a special Legendrian
submanifold in X_5. In this case, this brane is supposed to correspond to a
superconformal wall defect in 4-dimensional N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. We
construct these new string backgrounds and show they have the correct
supersymmetry, also in the case with non-trivial gauge flux on L_2. The
simplest new example is AdS_4 x T^2 brane in AdS_5 x S^5. We construct the
brane solution expressing the RG flow between two different defects. We also
perform similar analysis for an AdS_3 x L_3 M5-brane in AdS_4 x X_7, for a weak
G_2 manifold X_7 and its submanifold L_3. This system has the same
supersymmetry as 2-dimensional N=(1,0) global superconformal symmetry, if L_3
is an associative submanifold.Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX, 3 figures. v2: typos corrected, references added.
v3: typos correcte
Parameters of the Magnetic Flux inside Coronal Holes
Parameters of magnetic flux distribution inside low-latitude coronal holes
(CHs) were analyzed. A statistical study of 44 CHs based on Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/MDI full disk magnetograms and SOHO/EIT 284\AA
images showed that the density of the net magnetic flux, , does
not correlate with the associated solar wind speeds, . Both the area and
net flux of CHs correlate with the solar wind speed and the corresponding
spatial Pearson correlation coefficients are 0.75 and 0.71, respectively. A
possible explanation for the low correlation between and
is proposed. The observed non-correlation might be rooted in the structural
complexity of the magnetic field. As a measure of complexity of the magnetic
field, the filling factor, , was calculated as a function of spatial
scales. In CHs, was found to be nearly constant at scales above 2 Mm,
which indicates a monofractal structural organization and smooth temporal
evolution. The magnitude of the filling factor is 0.04 from the Hinode SOT/SP
data and 0.07 from the MDI/HR data. The Hinode data show that at scales smaller
than 2 Mm, the filling factor decreases rapidly, which means a mutlifractal
structure and highly intermittent, burst-like energy release regime. The
absence of necessary complexity in CH magnetic fields at scales above 2 Mm
seems to be the most plausible reason why the net magnetic flux density does
not seem to be related to the solar wind speed: the energy release dynamics,
needed for solar wind acceleration, appears to occur at small scales below 1
Mm.Comment: 6 figures, approximately 23 pages. Accepted in Solar Physic
The Final Fate of the Rolling Tachyon
We propose an alternative interpretation of the boundary state for the
rolling tachyon, which may depict the time evolution of unstable D-branes in
string theory. Splitting the string variable in the temporal direction into the
classical part, which we may call "time" and the quantum one, we observe the
time dependent behaviour of the boundary. Using the fermion representation of
the rolling tachyon boundary state, we show that the boundary state correctly
describes the time-dependent decay process of the unstable D-brane into a
S-brane at the classical level.Comment: 9 pages, revte
Automated Coronal Hole Detection using Local Intensity Thresholding Techniques
We identify coronal holes using a histogram-based intensity thresholding
technique and compare their properties to fast solar wind streams at three
different points in the heliosphere. The thresholding technique was tested on
EUV and X-ray images obtained using instruments onboard STEREO, SOHO and
Hinode. The full-disk images were transformed into Lambert equal-area
projection maps and partitioned into a series of overlapping sub-images from
which local histograms were extracted. The histograms were used to determine
the threshold for the low intensity regions, which were then classified as
coronal holes or filaments using magnetograms from the SOHO/MDI. For all three
instruments, the local thresholding algorithm was found to successfully
determine coronal hole boundaries in a consistent manner. Coronal hole
properties extracted using the segmentation algorithm were then compared with
in situ measurements of the solar wind at 1 AU from ACE and STEREO. Our results
indicate that flux tubes rooted in coronal holes expand super-radially within 1
AU and that larger (smaller) coronal holes result in longer (shorter) duration
high-speed solar wind streams
Comments on D-brane Interactions in PP-wave Backgrounds
We calculate the interaction potential between widely separated D-branes in
PP-wave backgrounds in string theory as well as in low-energy supergravity.
Timelike and spacelike orientations are qualitatively different but in both
cases the effective brane tensions and RR charges take the same values as in
Minkowski space in accordance with the expectations from the sigma model
perturbation theory.Comment: Latex, 22 pages. Typos corrected and a reference added, final versio
Fractional Quantum Hall Effect via Holography: Chern-Simons, Edge States, and Hierarchy
We present three holographic constructions of fractional quantum Hall effect
(FQHE) via string theory. The first model studies edge states in FQHE using
supersymmetric domain walls in N=6 Chern-Simons theory. We show that D4-branes
wrapped on CP^1 or D8-branes wrapped on CP^3 create edge states that shift the
rank or the level of the gauge group, respectively. These holographic edge
states correctly reproduce the Hall conductivity. The second model presents a
holographic dual to the pure U(N)_k (Yang-Mills-)Chern-Simons theory based on a
D3-D7 system. Its holography is equivalent to the level-rank duality, which
enables us to compute the Hall conductivity and the topological entanglement
entropy. The third model introduces the first string theory embedding of
hierarchical FQHEs, using IIA string on C^2/Z_n.Comment: 36 pages, 6 figures; v2: with an improved derivation of Hall
conductivity in section 3.2, typo corrections, and additional references; v3:
explanations and comments adde
Solar Intranetwork Magnetic Elements: bipolar flux appearance
The current study aims to quantify characteristic features of bipolar flux
appearance of solar intranetwork (IN) magnetic elements. To attack such a
problem, we use the Narrow-band Filter Imager (NFI) magnetograms from the Solar
Optical Telescope (SOT) on board \emph{Hinode}; these data are from quiet and
an enhanced network areas. Cluster emergence of mixed polarities and IN
ephemeral regions (ERs) are the most conspicuous forms of bipolar flux
appearance within the network. Each of the clusters is characterized by a few
well-developed ERs that are partially or fully co-aligned in magnetic axis
orientation. On average, the sampled IN ERs have total maximum unsigned flux of
several 10^{17} Mx, separation of 3-4 arcsec, and a lifetime of 10-15 minutes.
The smallest IN ERs have a maximum unsigned flux of several 10^{16} Mx,
separations less than 1 arcsec, and lifetimes as short as 5 minutes. Most IN
ERs exhibit a rotation of their magnetic axis of more than 10 degrees during
flux emergence. Peculiar flux appearance, e.g., bipole shrinkage followed by
growth or the reverse, is not unusual. A few examples show repeated
shrinkage-growth or growth-shrinkage, like magnetic floats in the dynamic
photosphere. The observed bipolar behavior seems to carry rich information on
magneto-convection in the sub-photospheric layer.Comment: 26 pages, 14 figure
Small-scale solar magnetic fields
As we resolve ever smaller structures in the solar atmosphere, it has become
clear that magnetism is an important component of those small structures.
Small-scale magnetism holds the key to many poorly understood facets of solar
magnetism on all scales, such as the existence of a local dynamo, chromospheric
heating, and flux emergence, to name a few. Here, we review our knowledge of
small-scale photospheric fields, with particular emphasis on quiet-sun field,
and discuss the implications of several results obtained recently using new
instruments, as well as future prospects in this field of research.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figure
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