80,584 research outputs found
The Experimental Status of Glueballs
Glueballs and other resonances with large gluonic components are predicted as
bound states by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). The lightest (scalar) glueball is
estimated to have a mass in the range from 1 to 2 GeV/c**2; a pseudoscalar and
tensor glueball are expected at higher masses. Many different experiments
exploiting a large variety of production mechanisms have presented results in
recent years on light mesons with J(PC) = 0(++), 0(-+), and 2(++) quantum
numbers. This review looks at the experimental status of glueballs. Good
evidence exists for a scalar glueball which is mixed with nearby mesons, but a
full understanding is still missing. Evidence for tensor and pseudoscalar
glueballs are weak at best. Theoretical expectations of phenomenological models
and QCD on the lattice are briefly discussed.Comment: 62 pages, 26 figure
Modality effects in vocabulary acquisition
It is unknown whether modality affects the efficiency with which humans learn novel word forms and their meanings, with previous studies reporting both written and auditory advantages. The current study implements controls whose absence in previous work likely offers explanation for such contradictory findings. In two novel word learning experiments, participants were trained and tested on pseudoword - novel object pairs, with controls on: modality of test, modality of meaning, duration of exposure and transparency of word form. In both experiments word forms were presented in either their written or spoken form, each paired with a pictorial meaning (novel object). Following a 20-minute filler task, participants were tested on their ability to identify the picture-word form pairs on which they were trained. A between subjects design generated four participant groups per experiment 1) written training, written test; 2) written training, spoken test; 3) spoken training, written test; 4) spoken training, spoken test. In Experiment 1 the written stimulus was presented for a time period equal to the duration of the spoken form. Results showed that when the duration of exposure was equal, participants displayed a written training benefit. Given words can be read faster than the time taken for the spoken form to unfold, in Experiment 2 the written form was presented for 300 ms, sufficient time to read the word yet 65% shorter than the duration of the spoken form. No modality effect was observed under these conditions, when exposure to the word form was equivalent. These results demonstrate, at least for proficient readers, that when exposure to the word form is controlled across modalities the efficiency with which word form-meaning associations are learnt does not differ. Our results therefore suggest that, although we typically begin as aural-only word learners, we ultimately converge on developing learning mechanisms that learn equally efficiently from both written and spoken materials
Imperfections in focal conic domains: the role of dislocations
It is usual to think of Focal Conic Domains (FCD) as perfect geometric
constructions in which the layers are folded into Dupin cyclides, about an
ellipse and a hyperbola that are conjugate. This ideal picture is often far
from reality. We have investigated in detail the FCDs in several materials
which have a transition from a smectic A (SmA) to a nematic phase. The ellipse
and the hyperbola are seldom perfect, and the FCD textures also suffer large
transformations (in shape or/and in nature) when approaching the transition to
the nematic phase, or appear imperfect on cooling from the nematic phase. We
interpret these imperfections as due to the interaction of FCDs with
dislocations. We analyze theoretically the general principles subtending the
interaction mechanisms between FCDs and finite Burgers vector dislocations,
namely the formation of kinks on disclinations, to which dislocations are
attached, and we present models relating to some experimental results. Whereas
the principles of the interactions are very general, their realizations can
differ widely in function of the boundary conditions.Comment: 19 pages, 18 figure
Effects of Crust Ingestion on Mixer Pump Performance in Tank
In August 1999, a workshop was held at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to discuss the effects of crust ingestion on mixer pump performance in Hanford Waste Tank 241-SY-101. The main purpose of the workshop was to evaluate the potential for crust ingestion to degrade mixing and/or damage the mixer pump. The need for a previously determined 12-inch separation between the top of the mixer pump inlet and the crust base was evaluated. Participants included a representative from the pump manufacturer, an internationally known expert in centrifugal pump theory, Hanford scientists and engineers, and operational specialists representing relevant fields of expertise.
The workshop focused on developing an understanding of the pump design, addressing the physics of entrainment of solids and gases into the pump, and assessing the effects of solids and gases on pump performance. The major conclusions are summarized as follows:
* Entrainment of a moderate amount of solids or gas from the crust should not damage the pump or reduce its lifetime, though mixing effectiveness will be somewhat reduced.
* Air binding should not damage the pump. Vibration due to ingestion of gas, solids, and objects potentially could cause radial loads that might reduce the lifetime of bearings and seals. However, significant damage would require extreme conditions not associated with the small bubbles, fine solids, and chunks of relatively weak material typical of the crust.
* The inlet duct extension opening, 235 inches from the tank bottom, should be considered the pump inlet, not the small gap at 262 inches.
* A suction vortex exists at the inlet of all pumps. The characteristics of the inlet suction vortex in the mixer pump are very hard to predict, but its effects likely extend upward several feet. Because of this, the current 12-inch limit should be replaced with criteria based on actual monitored pump performance. The most obvious criterion (in addition to current operational constraints) is to monitor discharge pressure and cease pump operation if it falls below a predetermined amount.
* There are no critically necessary tests to prove pump operability or performance before initiating the transfer and back-dilution sequence
Dynamic response functions for the Holstein-Hubbard model
We present results on the dynamical correlation functions of the
particle-hole symmetric Holstein-Hubbard model at zero temperature, calculated
using the dynamical mean field theory which is solved by the numerical
renormalization group method. We clarify the competing influences of the
electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions particularity at the
different metal to insulator transitions. The Coulomb repulsion is found to
dominate the behaviour in large parts of the metallic regime. By suppressing
charge fluctuations, it effectively decouples electrons from phonons. The
phonon propagator shows a characteristic softening near the metal to
bipolaronic transition but there is very little softening on the approach to
the Mott transition.Comment: 13 pages, 19 figure
Age differences in encoding-related alpha power reflect sentence comprehension difficulties
When sentence processing taxes verbal working memory, comprehension difficulties arise. This is specifically the case when processing resources decline with advancing adult age. Such decline likely affects the encoding of sentences into working memory, which constitutes the basis for successful comprehension. To assess age differences in encoding-related electrophysiological activity, we recorded the electroencephalogram from three age groups (24, 43, and 65 years). Using an auditory sentence comprehension task, age differences in encoding-related oscillatory power were examined with respect to the accuracy of the given response. That is, the difference in oscillatory power between correctly and incorrectly encoded sentences, yielding subsequent memory effects (SME), was compared across age groups. Across age groups, we observed an age-related SME inversion in the alpha band from a power decrease in younger adults to a power increase in older adults. We suggest that this SME inversion underlies age-related comprehension difficulties. With alpha being commonly linked to inhibitory processes, this shift may reflect a change in the cortical inhibition–disinhibition balance. A cortical disinhibition may imply enriched sentence encoding in younger adults. In contrast, resource limitations in older adults may necessitate an increase in cortical inhibition during sentence encoding to avoid an information overload. Overall, our findings tentatively suggest that age-related comprehension difficulties are associated with alterations to the electrophysiological dynamics subserving general higher cognitive functions
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