NNLL resummation for s-channel single top quark production

I present the next-to-next-to-leading-logarithm (NNLL) resummation of soft and collinear gluon corrections to single top quark production in the s channel. Attaining NNLL accuracy involves the calculation of the two-loop soft anomalous dimension for the partonic subprocesses. Finite-order expansions of the resummed cross section are calculated through next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO). Numerical results are presented for s-channel single top quark production at the Tevatron and the LHC, including the dependence of the cross sections on the top quark mass and the uncertainties in the theoretical prediction. The higher-order corrections are significant for energies at both colliders and they decrease the theoretical uncertainty.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures; added figures and discussio

A Neural Network Approach to the Prediction and Confidence Assignation of Nonlinear Time Series Classifications

This thesis uses multiple layer perceptrons (MLP) neural networks and Kohonen clustering networks to predict and assign confidence to nonlinear time series classifications. The nonlinear time series used for analysis is the Standard and Poor\u27s 100 (S&P 100) index. The target prediction is classification of the daily index change. Financial indicators were evaluated to determine the most useful combination of features for input into the networks. After evaluation it was determined that net changes in the index over time and three short-term indicators result in better accuracy. A back-propagation trained MLP neural network was then trained with these features to get a daily classification prediction of up or down. Next, a Kohonen clustering network was trained to develop 30 different clusters. The predictions from the MLP network were labeled as correct or incorrect within each classification and counted in each category to determine a confidence for a given cluster. Test data was then run through both networks and predictions were assigned a confidence based on which cluster they belonged to. The results of these tests show that this method can improve the accuracy of predictions from 51% to 73%. Within a cluster accuracy is near 100% for some classifications

Where's the harm? A social marketing approach to reframing 'problem' drinking cultures

Alcohol consumption is often linked to a broad range of social and health problems, yet alcohol also plays a fundamental role in social bonding between people. This paper considers the potential of social marketing to contribute to alcohol consumption reduction and reframe social norms that encourage 'problem' drinking. Based on qualitative research with a variety of Scottish drinkers, the paper emphasises how and why a better understanding of the culturally bound meanings of alcohol (e.g. social identity, self-concept) are of crucial importance to inform any social marketing approach to reframing excessive drinking

Phonological processing in language production: Time course of brain activity

Recent neuroimaging studies provide evidence for a shared neural network for phonological processing in language production and comprehension. The temporal dynamics in this network during comprehension has been investigated by Thierry et al., who showed a primacy for Wernicke's over Broca's area. In the present study, we demonstrate the reversed pattern for language production. These results can be interpreted with respect to the functionality of the different regions within the shared network, with Wernicke's area being the sound form store and Broca's area a processor necessary to extract relevant phonological information from that store

Broca's area in the human brain is involved in the selection of grammatical gender for language production: Evidence from event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging

The neural correlates of the selection of grammatical gender during overt picture naming were investigated by event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging in the left hemisphere. Relative to simply naming a picture, the production of the definite determiner of the picture name (requiring gender selection) resulted exclusively in pronounced activation of a single region in the superior portion of Broca's area. This activation was not present in contrasts reflecting lexical access (naming a picture vs. saying “jaja” to a smiley) or articulation (saying “jaja” vs. rest). Rather, lexical access activated other inferior frontal regions, insula, fusiform and inferior temporal gyrus. Articulation involved insula, Rolandic operculum, motor and premotor cortex and superior temporal gyrus. The results are discussed with respect to data from studies investigating gender processing during language comprehension