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Showing papers on "Naturalness published in 1997"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a general discussion about the quantitative meaning of the naturalness upper bounds on the masses of supersymmetric particles was carried out in models with gauge-mediated soft terms.

84 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the analysis by Friar, Madland, and Lynn of naturalness in a relativistic point-coupling model is extended to experimental nuclear data.
Abstract: Recent studies have shown that concepts of effective field theory such as naturalness can be profitably applied to relativistic mean-field models of nuclei. Here the analysis by Friar, Madland, and Lynn of naturalness in a relativistic point-coupling model is extended. Fits to experimental nuclear data support naive dimensional analysis as a useful principle and imply a mean-field expansion analogous to that found for mean-field meson models.

75 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the analysis by Friar, Madland, and Lynn of naturalness in a relativistic point-coupling model is extended to experimental nuclear data.

74 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article examines the ongoing loss of palatalization assimilation in Modern Standard Russian within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT) and shows that this theory offers new, meaningful explanations for the role of markedness and naturalness in the mechanism of a sound change.
Abstract: In this article I examine the ongoing loss of palatalization assimilation in Modern Standard Russian within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT) (McCarthy & Prince, 1993a; Prince & Smolensky, 1993) and show that this theory offers new, meaningful explanations for the role of markedness and naturalness in the mechanism of a sound change. I also argue that OT provides new possibilities for relating quantitative patterns to the formal principles of grammatical organization. In particular, in OT, suggested cross-linguistically invariant relations between phonological factors predict a general pattern of influence that these factors have on the quantitative outcome of a change. I suggest that a change operates as a gradual weakening or strengthening of whole subhierarchies of constraints with universally fixed rankings (constraint families, which implement markedness scales in OT). In an examination of variable data, I argue that the major differences in quantitative patterns mirror the fixed constraint ranking within such constraint families and constraint violation/nonviolation in OT grammar. I also discuss the problem of modeling variable data within OT, which, like other formal phonological theories, permits no output variation. I examine a grammar competition model explored in OT literature and argue instead for constraint competition with constraint weight in production.

46 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: A functional description of image quality in the context of the visuo-cognitive system as an information-processing system is given and the degree of correspondence between the visual representation and knowledge of reality as stored in memory should be high.
Abstract: In this contribution we discuss image quality in the context of the visuo-cognitive system as an information-processing system. To this end, we subdivide the information-processing as performed by the visuo-cognitive system into three distinct processes: (1) the construction of visual representation of the image, (2) the interpretation of this representation by means of confrontation with memory, and (3) task-directed semantic processing of the interpreted scene to formulate a proper response. A successful completion of these processes can be ensured only when two main requirements are satisfied: (1) the visual representation of the image should be sufficiently precise, and (2) the degree of correspondence between the visual representation and knowledge of reality as stored in memory should be high. We then relate these requirements to the attributes usefulness and naturalness of the image and give a functional description of image quality in terms of naturalness and usefulness. To conclude, experimental results supporting this description of image quality will be discussed.

45 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effective lagrangian framework accommodates a more general characterization of vacuum contributions without reference to a Dirac sea of nucleons, but the one-baryon-loop vacuum contributions in renormalizable models give rise to unnatural coefficients, indicating that the quantum vacuum is not described adequately.

35 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the quark-meson coupling (QMC) model is examined using Georgi's "naive dimensional analysis" and it is shown that the QMC model is quite natural as an effective field theory for nuclei.

25 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the question of naturalness of supersymmetry breaking models is addressed in the context of gauge-median supersymmetric standard models, where the right-handed selectron mass in these models is bounded.
Abstract: The question of naturalness is addressed in the context of gauge-mediated supersymmetry-breaking models. Requiring that M{sub Z} arises naturally imposes upper limits on the right-handed selectron mass in these models that are stronger than in the minimal supersymmetric standard model and are interesting from the point of view of searches at the current and future colliders. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

21 citations


01 Oct 1997
TL;DR: This paper showed that successful relativistic mean-field models of nuclei are consistent with naive dimensional analysis and naturalness, as expected in low-energy effective field theories of quantum chromodynamics.
Abstract: Recent studies show that successful relativistic mean-field models of nuclei are consistent with naive dimensional analysis and naturalness, as expected in low-energy effective field theories of quantum chromodynamics. The nonrelativistic Skyrme energy functional is found to have similar characteristics.

17 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors showed that successful relativistic mean-field models of nuclei are consistent with naive dimensional analysis and naturalness, as expected in low-energy effective field theories of quantum chromodynamics.
Abstract: Recent studies show that successful relativistic mean-field models of nuclei are consistent with naive dimensional analysis and naturalness, as expected in low-energy effective field theories of quantum chromodynamics. The nonrelativistic Skyrme energy functional is found to have similar characteristics. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

17 citations




Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article explored the extent to which a theory of linguistic naturalness, the conceptual opposite of markedness, as formulated in Natural Phonology and Natural Morphology, might provide some insights into the issue of cross-linguistic influence.
Abstract: The role of the mother tongue has been a major topic of second language acquisition research over the last few decades, but despite the overwhelming empirical evidence of cross-linguistic influence in learner language a number Of questions still remain to be answered: what and how much is transferred when, how and why? This study explores the extent to which a theory of linguistic naturalness — the conceptual opposite of markedness, as formulated in Natural Phonology and Natural Morphology — might provide some insights into the issue of cross-linguistic influence. As an alternative to Eckman's (1977) 'Markedness Differential Hypothesis', a more detailed 'Naturalness Differential Hypothesis' is formulated in terms of phonological processes and morphological preferences. Unlike typological markedness, which may be regarded as a mere research tool, the notion of naturalness offers an explicit functional explanation of the observed learning difficulty, mainly in terms of ease of production and perception. Empirical support for these Claims will be drawn from research on the spontaneous acquisition of Italian as a second language.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1997-Langages
TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that, though unary elements are to be preferred to binary features on the basis of segmental markedness, the markedness of these elements remains an arbitrary and circular notion in all frameworks.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to show how naturalness considerations are crucial criteria for evaluating the recent theories of primitives and infrasegmental structure. Concerning primitives, it is argued that, though unary elements are to be preferred to binary features on the basis of segmental markedness, the markedness of these elements remains an arbitrary and circular notion in all frameworks. An attempt is made to formulate a theory where elements and their markedness value are deducible objects. Concerning the second point, it is shown that phonological processes are more naturally accounted for if we assume universal principles and language-specific structures, which runs counter to the claims of both geometric and government-based approaches.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a non-Abelian field theory with spin-1/2 matter fields is considered and the ultraviolet structure of the system is explored at the level of the full fermionic propagator, as well as the vertex function using the world line approach.
Abstract: According to the principle of naturalness a small, with respect to the cutoff, mass parameter entering a quantum field system is natural only when it is compatible with some symmetry in the limit where it vanishes. In this paper, advantage is taken of the liberty afforded by the renormalization procedure in order to harmonize the cutoff with the physical mass in a non-Abelian gauge field theory with spin-1/2 matter fields. The ultraviolet structure of the theory, from such a vantage point, is explored at the level of the full fermionic propagator, as well as the vertex function, using the world line approach. An interplay between this ultraviolet structure and the infrared behavior of the {ital same} system, but from the customary viewpoint {open_quotes}cutoff much greater than mass,{close_quotes} is pointed out. Direct implications for open fermionic lines in the world line path integral casting of field theories are also made. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

Proceedings Article
01 Jan 1997
TL;DR: This contribution relates the attributes of ‘usefulness’ and ‘naturalness’ of the image, and give a functional description of image quality in terms of naturalness and usefulness.
Abstract: In this contribution we will discuss image quality in the context of the visuo-cognitive system as an information-processing system. To this end, we subdivide the information-processing as performed by the visuo-cognitive system into three distinct processes: (1) the construction of a visual representation of the image, (2) the interpretation of this representation by means of a confrontation with memory, and (3) further processing of the interpreted scene in order to formulate a proper response. A successful completion of these processes can only be en sured when two main requirements are satisfied: (1) the visual representation of the image should be sufficiently precise, and (2) the degree of correspondence between the visual representation and ‘knowledge of reality’ as stored in memory should be high. We then relate these requirements to the attributes ‘usefulness’ and ‘naturalness’ of the image, and give a functional description of image quality in terms of naturalness and usefulness. To conclude, experimental results supporting this description of image quality will be discussed.