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Showing papers on "Naturalness published in 2015"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors made assessments of 153 classrooms in 27 schools in order to identify the impact of the physical classroom features on the academic progress of the 3766 pupils who occupied each specific spaces.

284 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors revisited the twin Higgs scenario as a dark solution to the little hierarchy problem, identifying the structure of a minimal model and its viable parameter space, and analyzed its collider implications.
Abstract: We revisit the Twin Higgs scenario as a “dark” solution to the little hierarchy problem, identify the structure of a minimal model and its viable parameter space, and analyze its collider implications. In this model, dark naturalness generally leads to Hidden Valley phenomenology. The twin particles, including the top partner, are all Standard-Model-neutral, but naturalness favors the existence of twin strong interactions — an asymptotically-free force that confines not far above the Standard Model QCD scale — and a Higgs portal interaction. We show that, taken together, these typically give rise to exotic decays of the Higgs to twin hadrons. Across a substantial portion of the parameter space, certain twin hadrons have visible and often displaced decays, providing a potentially striking LHC signature. We briefly discuss appropriate experimental search strategies.

278 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A general class of natural theories in which the Higgs boson is a pseudo-Goldstone boson in an orbifolded gauge theory, which opens the door to the systematic study of "neutral naturalness": natural theories with SM-neutral states that are as yet untested by the LHC.
Abstract: We present a general class of natural theories in which the Higgs boson is a pseudo-Goldstone boson in an orbifolded gauge theory. The symmetry protecting the Higgs boson at low energies is an accidental global symmetry of the quadratic action, rather than a full continuous symmetry. The lightest degrees of freedom protecting the weak scale carry no standard model (SM) quantum numbers and interact with visible matter principally through the Higgs portal. This opens the door to the systematic study of "neutral naturalness": natural theories with SM-neutral states that are as yet untested by the LHC.

155 citations


Posted Content
TL;DR: It is found that code with bugs tends to be more entropic (i.e. unnatural), becoming less so as bugs are fixed, suggesting that entropy may be a valid, simple way to complement the effectiveness of PMD or FindBugs, and that search-based bug-fixing methods may benefit from using entropy both for fault-localization and searching for fixes.
Abstract: Real software, the kind working programmers produce by the kLOC to solve real-world problems, tends to be "natural", like speech or natural language; it tends to be highly repetitive and predictable. Researchers have captured this naturalness of software through statistical models and used them to good effect in suggestion engines, porting tools, coding standards checkers, and idiom miners. This suggests that code that appears improbable, or surprising, to a good statistical language model is "unnatural" in some sense, and thus possibly suspicious. In this paper, we investigate this hypothesis. We consider a large corpus of bug fix commits (ca.~8,296), from 10 different Java projects, and we focus on its language statistics, evaluating the naturalness of buggy code and the corresponding fixes. We find that code with bugs tends to be more entropic (i.e., unnatural), becoming less so as bugs are fixed. Focusing on highly entropic lines is similar in cost-effectiveness to some well-known static bug finders (PMD, FindBugs) and ordering warnings from these bug finders using an entropy measure improves the cost-effectiveness of inspecting code implicated in warnings. This suggests that entropy may be a valid language-independent and simple way to complement the effectiveness of PMD or FindBugs, and that search-based bug-fixing methods may benefit from using entropy both for fault-localization and searching for fixes.

150 citations


Posted Content
TL;DR: In this article, the authors revisited the twin Higgs scenario as a "dark" solution to the little hierarchy problem, identified the structure of a minimal model and its viable parameter space, and analyzed its collider implications.
Abstract: We revisit the Twin Higgs scenario as a "dark" solution to the little hierarchy problem, identify the structure of a minimal model and its viable parameter space, and analyze its collider implications. In this model, dark naturalness generally leads to Hidden Valley phenomenology. The twin particles, including the top partner, are all Standard-Model-neutral, but naturalness favors the existence of twin strong interactions -- an asymptotically-free force that confines not far above the Standard Model QCD scale -- and a Higgs portal interaction. We show that, taken together, these typically give rise to exotic decays of the Higgs to twin hadrons. Across a substantial portion of the parameter space, certain twin hadrons have visible and often displaced decays, providing a potentially striking LHC signature. We briefly discuss appropriate experimental search strategies.

142 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Naturalness has for many years been a guiding principle in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model, particularly for understanding the physics of electroweak symmetry breaking as mentioned in this paper. But the discovery of the Higgs particle at 125 GeV, accompanied by the exclusion of many types of new physics expected in natural models, has called the principle into question.
Abstract: Naturalness has for many years been a guiding principle in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model, particularly for understanding the physics of electroweak symmetry breaking. However, the discovery of the Higgs particle at 125 GeV, accompanied by the exclusion of many types of new physics expected in natural models, has called the principle into question. In addition, apart from the scale of weak interactions, there are other quantities in nature that appear unnaturally small and for which we have no proposal for a natural explanation. I first review the principle, then discuss some of the conjectures it has spawned. I then turn to some of the challenges to the naturalness idea and consider alternatives.

85 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors classify 4-dimensional Quantum Field Theories that satisfy total asymptotic freedom (TAF) and develop a technique to identify such theories and determine their low-energy predictions.
Abstract: Attempts to solve naturalness by having the weak scale as the only breaking of classical scale invariance have to deal with two severe difficulties: gravity and the absence of Landau poles We show that solutions to the first problem require premature modifications of gravity at scales no larger than 1011 GeV, while the second problem calls for many new particles at the weak scale To build models that fulfill these properties, we classify 4- dimensional Quantum Field Theories that satisfy Total Asymptotic Freedom (TAF): the theory holds up to infinite energy, where all coupling constants flow to zero We develop a technique to identify such theories and determine their low-energy predictions Since the Standard Model turns out to be asymptotically free only under the unphysical conditions g 1 = 0, M t = 186 GeV, M τ = 0, M h = 163 GeV, we explore some of its weak-scale extensions that satisfy the requirements for TAF

85 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Bottom–up properties of natural images captured by the features and the non-modeled naturalness are important to esthetic judgments of natural and man-made scenes, with each predicting unique variance.
Abstract: Previous research has shown that viewing images of nature scenes can have a beneficial effect on memory, attention and mood. In this study we aimed to determine whether the preference of natural versus man-made scenes is driven by bottom-up processing of the low-level visual features of nature. We used participants’ ratings of perceived naturalness as well as aesthetic preference for 307 images with varied natural and urban content. We then quantified ten low-level image features for each image (a combination of spatial and color properties). These features were used to predict aesthetic preference in the images, as well as to decompose perceived naturalness to its predictable (modelled by the low-level visual features) and non-modelled aspects. Interactions of these separate aspects of naturalness with the time it took to make a preference judgment showed that naturalness based on low-level features related more to preference when the judgment was faster (bottom-up). On the other hand perceived naturalness that was not modelled by low-level features was related more to preference when the judgment was slower. A quadratic discriminant classification analysis showed how relevant each aspect of naturalness (modelled and non-modelled) was to predicting preference ratings, as well as the image features on their own. Finally, we compared the effect of color-related and structure-related modelled naturalness, and the remaining unmodelled naturalness in predicting aesthetic preference. In summary bottom-up (color and spatial) properties of natural images captured by our features and the non-modelled naturalness are important to aesthetic judgments of natural and man-made scenes, with each predicting unique variance.

75 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The recent discovery of the Higgs at 125 GeV by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the LHC has put significant pressure on a principle which has guided much theorizing in high energy physics over the last 40 years, the principle of naturalness as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The recent discovery of the Higgs at 125 GeV by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the LHC has put significant pressure on a principle which has guided much theorizing in high energy physics over the last 40 years, the principle of naturalness. In this paper, I provide an explication of the conceptual foundations and physical significance of the naturalness principle. I argue that the naturalness principle is well-grounded both empirically and in the theoretical structure of effective field theories, and that it was reasonable for physicists to endorse it. Its possible failure to be realized in nature, as suggested by recent LHC data, thus represents an empirical challenge to certain foundational aspects of our understanding of QFT. In particular, I argue that its failure would undermine one class of recent proposals which claim that QFT provides us with a picture of the world as being structured into quasi-autonomous physical domains.

66 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings suggest that prosodic characteristics such as monopitch should be explored as adjuncts to this treatment of dysarthria in PD and development of such prosodic treatments may enhance speech naturalness and thus improve quality of life.
Abstract: Purpose Given the potential significance of speech naturalness to functional and social rehabilitation outcomes, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of listener perceptions of monopitch on speech naturalness and intelligibility in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Method Two short utterances were extracted from monologue samples of 16 speakers with PD and 5 age-matched adults without PD. Sixteen listeners evaluated these stimuli for monopitch, speech naturalness and intelligibility using the visual sort and rate method. Results Naive listeners can reliably judge monopitch, speech naturalness, and intelligibility with minimal familiarization. While monopitch and speech intelligibility were only moderately correlated, monopitch and speech naturalness were highly correlated. Conclusions A great deal of attention is currently being paid to improvement of vocal loudness and thus speech intelligibility in PD. Our findings suggest that prosodic characteristics such as monopitch should ...

54 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 2015-Appetite
TL;DR: Compared with both a baseline condition and a condition in which the mode of production process was portrayed as machine-made, a handmade production mode increases naturalness ratings of a grape juice suggesting that the production process may preserve food naturalness when humanized.

Posted Content
TL;DR: Naturalness has for many years been a guiding principle in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model, particularly for understanding the physics of electroweak symmetry breaking as mentioned in this paper, however, the discovery of the Higgs particle at 125 GeV, accompanied by exclusion of many types of new physics expected in natural models has called the principle into question.
Abstract: Naturalness has for many years been a guiding principle in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model, particularly for understanding the physics of electroweak symmetry breaking. However, the discovery of the Higgs particle at 125 GeV, accompanied by exclusion of many types of new physics expected in natural models has called the principle into question. In addition, apart from the scale of weak interactions, there are other quantities in nature which appear unnaturally small and for which we have no proposal for a natural explanation.We first review the principle, and then discuss some of the conjectures which it has spawned. We then turn to some of the challenges to the naturalness idea and consider alternatives.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, on-shell constrained M 2 variables are used to enhance sensitivity to light stops at the LHC and thus help close the stop gaps in LHC analyses. But the effect of realistic complications, such as detector effects and combinatorial backgrounds, on the performance of light stop searches is discussed.
Abstract: The search for light stops is of paramount importance, both in general as a promising path to the discovery of beyond the standard model physics and more specifically as a way of evaluating the success of the naturalness paradigm. While the LHC experiments have ruled out much of the relevant parameter space, there are “stop gaps”, i.e., values of sparticle masses for which existing LHC analyses have relatively little sensitivity to light stops. We point out that techniques involving on-shell constrained M 2 variables can do much to enhance sensitivity in this region and hence help close the stop gaps. We demonstrate the use of these variables for several benchmark points and describe the effect of realistic complications, such as detector effects and combinatorial backgrounds, in order to provide a useful toolkit for light stop searches in particular, and new physics searches at the LHC in general.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results for category mapping and entry-level category prediction for images show promise for producing more natural human-like labels and the potential applicability of the results to the task of image description generation is demonstrated.
Abstract: Entry-level categories--the labels people use to name an object--were originally defined and studied by psychologists in the 1970s and 1980s. In this paper we extend these ideas to study entry-level categories at a larger scale and to learn models that can automatically predict entry-level categories for images. Our models combine visual recognition predictions with linguistic resources like WordNet and proxies for word "naturalness" mined from the enormous amount of text on the web. We demonstrate the usefulness of our models for predicting nouns (entry-level words) associated with images by people, and for learning mappings between concepts predicted by existing visual recognition systems and entry-level concepts. In this work we make use of recent successful efforts on convolutional network models for visual recognition by training classifiers for 7404 object categories on ConvNet activation features. Results for category mapping and entry-level category prediction for images show promise for producing more natural human-like labels. We also demonstrate the potential applicability of our results to the task of image description generation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the Naturalness criterion is applied to quantum electrodynamics and it is shown that uncompromising application of the principle to quantum mechanics leads toward the Standard Model and Higgs boson without additional experimental input.
Abstract: With the Higgs boson discovery and no new physics found at the LHC, confidence in Naturalness as a guiding principle for particle physics is under increased pressure. We wait to see if it proves its mettle in the LHC upgrades ahead, and beyond. In the meantime, I present a justification a posteriori of the Naturalness criterion by suggesting that uncompromising application of the principle to Quantum Electrodynamics leads toward the Standard Model and Higgs boson without additional experimental input. Potential lessons for today and future theory building are commented upon.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
01 Dec 2015
TL;DR: This paper proposes three methods of pitch adaptation based on analysis of human entrainment, and proposes and designs a system which can manipulate the pitch of text-to-speech output adaptively and finds a clear relationship between perceptions of rapport and different forms of pitch adaptations.
Abstract: Observed frequently in human-human interactions, entrainment is a social phenomenon in which speakers become more like each other over the course of a conversation. Acoustic-prosodic entrainment occurs when individuals adapt their acoustic-prosodic speech features, such as pitch and intensity. Correlated with communicative success, naturalness, and conversational flow as well as social variables such as rapport, a dialogue system which automatically entrains has the potential to improve verbal interactions by increasing rapport, naturalness, and conversational flow. In an application like the learning companion, such a socially responsive dialogue system may improve learning and motivation. However, it is not clear how to produce entrainment in an automatic dialogue system in ways that produce the effects seen in human-human dialogue. In this paper, we take the first steps towards implementing a spoken dialogue system which can entrain. We propose three methods of pitch adaptation based on analysis of human entrainment, and design and implement a system which can manipulate the pitch of text-to-speech output adaptively. We find a clear relationship between perceptions of rapport and different forms of pitch adaptations. Certain adaptations are perceived as significantly more natural and rapport-like. Ultimately, adapting by shifting the pitch contour of the text-to-speech output by the mean pitch of the user results in the highest reported measures of rapport and naturalness.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the right-handed sector of the seesaw mechanism is made supersymmetric to comply with naturalness while the standard model is left unchanged and non-supersymmetric.
Abstract: The idea of naturalness, as originally conceived, refers only to the finite renormalization of the Higgs boson mass induced by the introduction of heavier states. In this respect, naturalness is still a powerful heuristic principle in model building beyond the standard model whenever new massive states are coupled to the Higgs field. The most compelling case is provided by the generation of neutrino masses. In this paper we confront this problem from a new perspective. The right-handed sector responsible for the seesaw mechanism---which introduces a large energy threshold above the electroweak scale---is made supersymmetric to comply with naturalness while the standard model is left unchanged and non-supersymmetric. Cancellations necessary to the naturalness requirement break down only at two loops, thus offering the possibility to increase the right-handed neutrino mass scale up to one order of magnitude above the usual values allowed by naturalness. If also the weak boson sector of the standard model is made supersymmetric, cancellations break down at three loops and the scale of new physics can be further raised. In the type-I seesaw, this implementation provides right-handed neutrino masses that are natural and at the same time large enough to give rise to baryogenesis (via leptogenesis). The model contains a dark matter candidate and distinctive new physics in the leptonic sector.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
18 Apr 2015
TL;DR: This work provides a first objective assessment of the sensory-motor basis of direct-touch naturalness, and a new empirical path to question HCI similarity and naturalness.
Abstract: Human-computer interaction should be natural. However, the notion of natural is questioned due to a lack of theoretical background and methods to objectively measure the naturalness of a HCI. A frequently cited aspect of natural HCIs is their ability to benefit from knowledge and skills that users develop in their interaction with the real (non-digital) world. Among these skills, sensory-motor abilities are essential to operate many HCIs. This suggests that the transfer of these abilities between physical and digital interactions could be used as an experimental tool to assess the sensory-motor similarity between interactions, and could be considered as an objective measurement of the sensory-motor grounding of naturalness. In this framework, we introduce a new experimental paradigm inspired by motor learning research to assess sensory-motor similarity, as revealed by the transfer of learning. We tested this paradigm in an empirical study to question the naturalness of three HCIs: direct-touch, mouse pointing and absolute indirect-touch. The study revealed how skill learning transfers from these three digital interactions towards an equivalent physical interaction. We observed strong transfer of skill between direct-touch and physical interaction, but no transfer from the other two interactions. This work provides a first objective assessment of the sensory-motor basis of direct-touch naturalness, and a new empirical path to question HCI similarity and naturalness.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that the hypothesis of an SU ( 5 ) -like supersymmetric Grand Unified Theory implies a generic relation within the flavour structure of up-type squarks.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that acoustic measures correlate with speech naturalness, but in dysarthric speech they depend on the speaker due to the within-speaker variation in speech impairment.
Abstract: This study investigated the acoustic basis of across-utterance, within-speaker variation in speech naturalness for four speakers with dysarthria secondary to Parkinson's disease (PD). Speakers read sentences and produced spontaneous speech. Acoustic measures of fundamental frequency, phrase-final syllable lengthening, intensity and speech rate were obtained. A group of listeners judged speech naturalness using a nine-point Likert scale. Relationships between judgements of speech naturalness and acoustic measures were determined for individual speakers with PD. Relationships among acoustic measures also were quantified. Despite variability between speakers, measures of mean F0, intensity range, articulation rate, average syllable duration, duration of final syllables, vocalic nucleus length of final unstressed syllables and pitch accent of final syllables emerged as possible acoustic variables contributing to within-speaker variations in speech naturalness. Results suggest that acoustic measures correlate with speech naturalness, but in dysarthric speech they depend on the speaker due to the within-speaker variation in speech impairment.

01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: This study points out that the choice for phonetic variants in French is influenced by the speaking style and that their consideration in the synthesis of sports commentaries improves the naturalness of the message, and indicates that phonetic changes should be considered, both at training and synthesis stages.
Abstract: While text-to-speech has long been centered on the production of an intelligible message of good quality, interest has recently shifted to the generation of more natural and expressive speech. This comes as an answer to the widespread criticism stating that current speech synthesizers lack fundamental human components. This thesis tackles that issue by considering three fundamental stages of HMM-based speech synthesis: the phonetic and prosodic annotations of the training corpus and their automatic alignment with the speech signal. We first propose a systematic step-by-step study of HMM-based phonetic alignment in which the models are directly trained on the corpus to align. Based on a detailed analysis of the errors made by this technique, we developed three fully-automatic improvement methods which are shown to significantly improve the alignment of highly variable and expressive corpora. We then define a two-level prosodic annotation of expressive corpora, describing accentual patterns and changes in speaking style. The integration of this manual annotation in the synthesis of sports commentaries positively impacts the naturalness of the expressivity. We also present an automatic annotator of accentual patterns in French and show that its integration in synthesis contributes to the naturalness of the voice. Finally, our study points out that the choice for phonetic variants in French is influenced by the speaking style and that their consideration in the synthesis of sports commentaries improves the naturalness of the message. It indicates that phonetic changes should be considered, both at training and synthesis stages.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a cosmological selection effect based on the assumption of an exact discrete R-symmetry that is spontaneously broken by gaugino condensation in a pure supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory is proposed.

Journal ArticleDOI
Abstract: In the unfolding debate on the prospects, challenges and viability of the imminent transition towards a ‘Bio-Based Society’ (BBS) or ‘Bio-based Economy’—i.e. the replacement of fossil fuels by biomass as a basic resource for the production of energy, materials and food, ‘big’ concepts tend to play an important role, such as, for instance, ‘sustainability’, ‘global justice’ and (last but not least) ‘naturalness’. The latter concept is, perhaps, the most challenging and intriguing one. In public debates concerning biotechnological interactions with the natural environment, the use of terms such as ‘nature’ and ‘naturalness’ is both inevitable and hazardous (given the fact that they are so notoriously difficult to define). Indeed, various conflicting interpretations of naturalness play a role on both sides (pro- and con) of the current debate. This paper aims to analyse and critically assess the role of ‘nature-speak’ in the BBS transition. We will begin with a concise overview of the vicissitudes of the nature-concept so far, focussing on how modern science and technology have challenged and affected our understanding of what nature is. Subsequently, we describe how ‘naturalness’ functions in the unfolding BBS debate. Finally, we will focus on a particular case study, namely the production of rubber with the help of natural latex coming from dandelion plants rather than from (tropical) rubber trees. On the one hand, this is presented as a more natural and nature-friendly way of producing rubber. On the other hand, it is a sophisticated process, involving high technology and primarily focussed on competitiveness on the global market. To what extent or in what sense can dandelion latex be regarded as more natural? And what can we learn from this case study when it comes to addressing naturalness in the broader conceptual and bio-political arena?

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the naturalness of the Higgs sector at scales below $M$ using an effective field theory (EFT) approach and obtain the complete set of higher-dimensional effective operators (at any dimension $n\ensuremath{ge}5$) that give the leading one-loop EFT contributions to the HIG mass with a Wilsonian-like hard cutoff.
Abstract: Assuming the presence of physics beyond the Standard Model (SM) with a characteristic scale $M\ensuremath{\sim}\mathcal{O}(10)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$, we investigate the naturalness of the Higgs sector at scales below $M$ using an effective field theory (EFT) approach. We obtain the complete set of higher-dimensional effective operators (at any dimension $n\ensuremath{\ge}5$) that give the leading one-loop EFT contributions to the Higgs mass with a Wilsonian-like hard cutoff and discuss the (fine-) tuning between these terms and the SM one-loop contribution, which is required in order to alleviate the little hierarchy problem. We then show that this tuning can be translated into a condition for naturalness in the underlying new physics, a condition we denote by ``EFT naturalness'' and which we express as constraints on the corresponding higher-dimensional operator coefficients up to the scale of the effective action $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}lM$. We also determine the types of physics that can lead to EFT naturalness and discuss the current experimental constraints on the relevant operator coefficients. We show that these types of new physics are best probed in vector-boson and multiple-Higgs production.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied large field inflation models which can be obtained from higher-dimensional gauge theories, and the constraints from CMB observations on the gauge theory parameters are given, and their naturalness is discussed.
Abstract: Motivated by the recent detection of B-mode polarization of CMB by BICEP2 which is possibly of primordial origin, we study large field inflation models which can be obtained from higher-dimensional gauge theories. The constraints from CMB observations on the gauge theory parameters are given, and their naturalness are discussed. Among the models analyzed, Dante's Inferno model turns out to be the most preferred model in this framework.

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: The naturalness problem as discussed by the authors is a non-compelling argument which physicists describe as "aesthetic" or "philosophical" and is best understood as a hybrid narrative combining words, formulas, numbers and analogies.
Abstract: At the core of today’s particle physics stands the Standard Model, a theory whose predictions have so far not been contradicted by any experimental result. Despite this success in the last decades high-energy physicists have been speculating about and looking for a “new physics” beyond the Standard Model, and a motivation for this search is the “naturalness problem”. This problem is neither an experimental anomaly nor a mathematical incoherence, but rather a non-compelling argument which physicists describe as “aesthetic” or “philosophical”. In fact, the naturalness problem is best understood as a hybrid narrative combining words, formulas, numbers and analogies. This narrative is in some respects like a myth: it can be formulated in different, non-equivalent ways, which physicists however perceive as telling the same story of instability and disharmony, and it represents a shared belief helping define the high-energy-physics community.

01 Jun 2015
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how the phenomenology of supersymmetric models changes if non-universal gaugino masses (NUGM) are allowed without impacting naturalness, and showed that low fine-tuning implies intra-generational degeneracy for decoupled squarks and sleptons.
Abstract: Weak scale supersymmetry solves the Big Hierarchy problem of the Standard Model. But recent severe sparticle mass limits from the LHC accentuate the Little Hierarchy Problem: Why are the W , Z and h masses so small (∼ 100 GeV) when the supersymmetric parameters are at or above the TeV scale? This problem can be addressed quantitatively by studying the fine-tuning of a specific model. Fine-tuning allows for a unique way of giving upper bounds for masses of the superpartners. This dissertation studies a variety of models for their naturalness while satisfying experimental constraints. It is shown that fine-tuning puts most SUSY models under severe pressure: only the Non-Universal Higgs Mass model with two extra parameters (NUHM2) survives the naturalness criteria. Inspired by gauge coupling unification, these models assume gaugino mass unification, however, this may not be required by nature. This text examines how the phenomenology of supersymmetric models changes if non-universal gaugino masses (NUGM) are allowed without impacting naturalness. Within the NUGM model, supersymmetry could be detected from electroweak gaugino production at the LHC in multiple channels. Discovery prospects at the LHC13 vastly improve for the case of low gaugino masses due to observable signals from chargino and/or neutralino states. An International Linear Collider shows rich prospects for production of light electroweak -ino states. Also, direct and indirect searches for WIMPs could offer a means of discovery. In addition, this dissertation explores decoupled sfermions within natural supersymmetry. It is shown that low fine-tuning implies intra-generational degeneracy for decoupled squarks and sleptons.

01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: The results of the evaluation show that the naturalness and expressivity of synthetic speech can be enhanced using the techniques proposed in this thesis, and that the voices are perceived to be more suitable in various realistic contexts.
Abstract: Speech is the most natural way of human communication, and thus designing a machine that imitates human speech has long fascinated people. Only rather recently, due to digitisation of speech and increase in computing power, this goal has become feasible. Although speech synthesis is used today in various applications from human-computer interaction to assistive technologies, the performance of modern speech synthesisers is far from the abilities of human speakers. The ultimate goal of text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis is to read any text and convert it to intelligible and natural sounding speech with the desired contextual and speaker characteristics. Meeting all of these goals at once makes this task extremely difficult. Moreover, the quality of the speech signal cannot be compromised since humans are very sensitive in perceiving even the slightest artefacts in a speech signal. This thesis aims to improve both the naturalness and expressivity of speech synthesis by developing speech processing algorithms that utilise information from the speech production mechanism. One of the key algorithms in this work is glottal inverse filtering (GIF), which is used for estimating the voice source signal from recorded speech. The voice source is known to be the origin of several essential acoustic cues used in spoken communication, such as the fundamental frequency, but it is also related to acoustic cues underlying voice quality, speaking style, and speaker identity, all of which contribute to the naturalness and expressivity of speech. Accurate modelling of the voice source is often overlooked in conventional speech processing algorithms, and this work aims to improve especially this shortcoming. In this thesis, two new GIF methods are first proposed that can be used for improved estimation of the voice source signal. Secondly, several novel voice source parameterization and modelling methods are developed that can be used in statistical parametric speech synthesis (SPSS) to improve naturalness and expressivity. Thirdly, using GIF and the voice source modelling methods in the context of SPSS, expressive voices are created that aim to cover various human speaking styles used in everyday spoken communication. Finally, the created synthetic voices are assessed using extensive subjective evaluation in different listening conditions. The results of the evaluation show that the naturalness and expressivity of synthetic speech can be enhanced using the techniques proposed in this thesis, and that the voices are perceived to be more suitable in various realistic contexts. Thus, the methods presented in this thesis provide a large potential to enhance the naturalness, expressivity, and suitability of speech synthesis in various applications.; Puhe on ihmisten luonnollisin tapa kommunikoida, ja siksi puhetta tuottavan koneen suunnittelu on jo kauan kiehtonut ihmisia. Kuitenkin vasta viime vuosikymmenina puhesynteesista on tullut kaytannossa mahdollista, mika suureksi osaksi on johtunut puheen digitaalisesta esitysmuodosta ja kasvaneesta…

Book ChapterDOI
07 Jul 2015
TL;DR: The tension between the observational evidence for dark energy and various theoretical considerations has motivated a reconsideration of the issue of naturalness, and spawned various exotic approaches toward an acceptable solution as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: We review the tension between the observational evidence for dark energy and various theoretical considerations. This tension has motivated a reconsideration of the issue of naturalness, and spawned various exotic approaches toward an acceptable solution. We discuss attempts to realize dark energy in string theory, and the perspective on the string landscape that these results have suggested.

Journal ArticleDOI
21 Jan 2015
TL;DR: In this article, the Contrastivist Hypothesis (Hall 2007, Dresher 2008) can be amended using Element Theory (KLV 1988, Angoujard 1997, Scheer 1999, Backley 2011) and Government Phonology.
Abstract: In this paper, we show how the Contrastivist Hypothesis (Hall 2007, Dresher 2008) can be amended using Element Theory (KLV 1988; Angoujard 1997; Scheer 1999; Backley 2011) and Government Phonology (KLV 1990; Lowenstamm 1996; Scheer 2004). Given the richness of the phenomenology of Nordic languages, this family constitutes our testing ground. While one might expect five different hierarchies, given that Scandinavian languages are distinct languages, what we actually find is one unique hierarchy where the same features are used in the same order. However, if we want a full understanding of the Nordic phenomenology and if we maintain the hierarchy exactly as it is, two difficulties appear: the first one involves motivation, the second one naturalness. In order to overcome the two kinds of difficulties mentioned above, we aim to develop a representation of the obstruent inventory based on unary primes using Element Theory and Government Phonology. The results we get from this hierarchy cannot be considered independently from the syllabic structure. Therefore, we propose a rereading of the phenomenology of Nordic that connects the new elementary representations that we posit to the syllabic constraints. As a consequence, we explore new hypotheses concerning the phonological activity in Scandinavian languages.