3,400 research outputs found
Testing for Heterogeneous Factor Loadings Using Mixtures of Confirmatory Factor Analysis Models
The current study assessed the viability of mixture confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for measurement invariance testing by evaluating the ability of mixture CFA models to identify differences in factor loadings across populations with identical mean structures. Using simulated data from a model with known parameters, convergence rates, parameter recovery, and the power of the likelihood-ratio test were investigated as impacted by sample size, latent class proportions, magnitude of factor loading differences, percentage of non-invariant factor loadings, and pattern of non-invariant factor loadings. Results suggest that mixture CFA models may be a viable option for testing the invariance of factor loadings; however, without differences in latent means and measurement intercepts, results suggest that larger sample sizes, more non-invariant factor loadings, and larger amounts of heterogeneity are needed to successfully estimate parameters and detect differences across latent classes
The DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey: The Evolution of Void Statistics from z~1 to z~0
We present measurements of the void probability function (VPF) at z~1 using
data from the DEEP2 Redshift Survey and its evolution to z~0 using data from
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We measure the VPF as a function of galaxy
color and luminosity in both surveys and find that it mimics trends displayed
in the two-point correlation function, ; namely that samples of brighter,
red galaxies have larger voids (i.e. are more strongly clustered) than fainter,
blue galaxies. We also clearly detect evolution in the VPF with cosmic time,
with voids being larger in comoving units at z~0. We find that the reduced VPF
matches the predictions of a `negative binomial' model for galaxies of all
colors, luminosities, and redshifts studied. This model lacks a physical
motivation, but produces a simple analytic prediction for sources of any number
density and integrated two-point correlation function, \bar{\xi}. This implies
that differences in the VPF across different galaxy populations are consistent
with being due entirely to differences in the population number density and
\bar{\xi}. The robust result that all galaxy populations follow the negative
binomial model appears to be due to primarily to the clustering of dark matter
halos. The reduced VPF is insensitive to changes in the parameters of the halo
occupation distribution, in the sense that halo models with the same \bar{\xi}
will produce the same VPF. For the wide range of galaxies studied, the VPF
therefore does not appear to provide useful constraints on galaxy evolution
models that cannot be gleaned from studies of \bar{\xi} alone. (abridged)Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, ApJ accepte
Spectra disentangling applied to the Hyades binary Theta^2 Tau AB: new orbit, orbital parallax and component properties
Theta^2 Tauri is a detached and single-lined interferometric-spectroscopic
binary as well as the most massive binary system of the Hyades cluster. The
system revolves in an eccentric orbit with a periodicity of 140.7 days. The
secondary has a similar temperature but is less evolved and fainter than the
primary. It is also rotating more rapidly. Since the composite spectra are
heavily blended, the direct extraction of radial velocities over the orbit of
component B was hitherto unsuccessful. Using high-resolution spectroscopic data
recently obtained with the Elodie (OHP, France) and Hermes (ORM, La Palma,
Spain) spectrographs, and applying a spectra disentangling algorithm to three
independent data sets including spectra from the Oak Ridge Observatory (USA),
we derived an improved spectroscopic orbit and refined the solution by
performing a combined astrometric-spectroscopic analysis based on the new
spectroscopy and the long-baseline data from the Mark III optical
interferometer. As a result, the velocity amplitude of the fainter component is
obtained in a direct and objective way. Major progress based on this new
determination includes an improved computation of the orbital parallax. Our
mass ratio is in good agreement with the older estimates of Peterson et al.
(1991, 1993), but the mass of the primary is 15-25% higher than the more recent
estimates by Torres et al. (1997) and Armstrong et al. (2006). Due to the
strategic position of the components in the turnoff region of the cluster,
these new determinations imply stricter constraints for the age and the
metallicity of the Hyades cluster. The location of component B can be explained
by current evolutionary models, but the location of the more evolved component
A is not trivially explained and requires a detailed abundance analysis of its
disentangled spectrum.Comment: in press, 13 pages, 10 Postscript figures, 5 tables. Table~4 is
available as online material. Keywords: astrometry - techniques: high angular
resolution - stars: binaries: visual - stars: binaries: spectroscopic -
stars: fundamental parameter
Fusion process of Lennard-Jones clusters: global minima and magic numbers formation
We present a new theoretical framework for modelling the fusion process of
Lennard-Jones (LJ) clusters. Starting from the initial tetrahedral cluster
configuration, adding new atoms to the system and absorbing its energy at each
step, we find cluster growing paths up to the cluster sizes of up to 150 atoms.
We demonstrate that in this way all known global minima structures of the
LJ-clusters can be found. Our method provides an efficient tool for the
calculation and analysis of atomic cluster structure. With its use we justify
the magic number sequence for the clusters of noble gas atoms and compare it
with experimental observations. We report the striking correspondence of the
peaks in the dependence on cluster size of the second derivative of the binding
energy per atom calculated for the chain of LJ-clusters based on the
icosahedral symmetry with the peaks in the abundance mass spectra
experimentally measured for the clusters of noble gas atoms. Our method serves
an efficient alternative to the global optimization techniques based on the
Monte-Carlo simulations and it can be applied for the solution of a broad
variety of problems in which atomic cluster structure is important.Comment: 47 pages, MikTeX, 17 figure
Energy diffusion in hard-point systems
We investigate the diffusive properties of energy fluctuations in a
one-dimensional diatomic chain of hard-point particles interacting through a
square--well potential. The evolution of initially localized infinitesimal and
finite perturbations is numerically investigated for different density values.
All cases belong to the same universality class which can be also interpreted
as a Levy walk of the energy with scaling exponent 3/5. The zero-pressure limit
is nevertheless exceptional in that normal diffusion is found in tangent space
and yet anomalous diffusion with a different rate for perturbations of finite
amplitude. The different behaviour of the two classes of perturbations is
traced back to the "stable chaos" type of dynamics exhibited by this model.
Finally, the effect of an additional internal degree of freedom is
investigated, finding that it does not modify the overall scenarioComment: 16 pages, 15 figure
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