7,776 research outputs found
Macabre Fascination and Moral Propriety: The Attraction of Horror
Why does the horror genre serve as a source of pleasure, given its aim to induce fear in the audience? I examine two general solutions to this phenomenon, referred to as the paradox of horror, which differ based upon their position regarding the possibility of deriving pleasure from fear. Each of the possible solutions contains significant flaws. I argue that, by adjusting a meta-theory originally proposed by Susan Feagin, it is possible to craft a solution that addresses the paradox while preserving the idea that, at times, fear can be enjoyed. The article concludes by considering the moral status of macabre fascination, which is often subject to recrimination. Given that such fascination is a driving force behind the willingness to engage with horror, does it follow that these works ought to be viewed as morally problematic? Drawing upon the concept of a moral saint, I argue the lack of macabre fascination is problematic. Exercising this fascination is beneficial to the development of character traits. Thus such indulgences are, within reason, morally acceptable
The Metallicity Distribution Function of Field Stars in M31's Bulge
We have used Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
observations to construct a color-magnitude diagram (CMD) for the bulge of M31
at a location ~1.6 kpc from the galaxy's center. Using scaled-solar abundance
theoretical red giant branches with a range of metallicities, we have
translated the observed colors of the stars in the CMD to abundances and
constructed a metallicity distribution function (MDF) for this region. The MDF
shows a peak at [M/H]~0 with a steep decline at higher metallicities and a more
gradual tail to lower metallicities. This is similar in shape to the MDF of the
Milky Way bulge but shifted to higher metallicities by ~0.1 dex. As is the case
with the Milky Way bulge MDF, a pure closed box model of chemical evolution,
even with significant pre-enrichment, appears to be inconsistent with the M31
bulge MDF. However, a scenario in which an initial infall of gas enriched the
bulge to an abundance of [M/H] ~ -1.6 with subsequent evolution proceeding as a
closed box provides a better fit to the observed MDF. The similarity between
the MDF of the M31 bulge and that of the Milky Way stands in stark contrast to
the significant differences in the MDFs of their halo populations. This
suggests that the bulk of the stars in the bulges of both galaxies were in
place before the accretion events that occurred in the halos could influence
them.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical
Journal, October 200
Association between one-hour post-load plasma glucose levels and vascular stiffness in essential hypertension
Objectives: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a surrogate end-point for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A plasma glucose
value 155 mg/dl (NGT155 had a worse insulin sensitivity and higher hs-CRP than NGT,155, similar to IGT subjects. In addition, NGT 155 subjects, compared with NGT,155, have higher PWV and its hemodynamic correlates
that increase their cardiovascular risk profile
Geodesic acoustic modes in a fluid model of tokamak plasma : the effects of finite beta and collisionality
Starting from the Braginskii equations, relevant for the tokamak edge region,
a complete set of nonlinear equations for the geodesic acoustic modes (GAM) has
been derived which includes collisionality, plasma beta and external sources of
particle, momentum and heat. Local linear analysis shows that the GAM frequency
increases with collisionality at low radial wave number and decreases
at high . GAM frequency also decreases with plasma beta. Radial profiles
of GAM frequency for two Tore Supra shots, which were part of a collisionality
scan, are compared with these calculations. Discrepency between experiment and
theory is observed, which seems to be explained by a finite for the GAM
when flux surface averaged density and temperature are assumed to vanish. It is shown that this agreement is incidental
and self-consistent inclusion of and
responses enhances the disagreement more with at high . So the
discrepancy between the linear GAM calculation, (which persist also for more
"complete" linear models such as gyrokinetics) can probably not be resolved by
simply adding a finite
Polariton laser using single micropillar GaAs-GaAlAs semiconductor cavities
Polariton lasing is demonstrated on the zero dimensional states of single
GaAs/GaAlAs micropillar cavities. Under non resonant excitation, the measured
polariton ground state occupancy is found to be as large as . Changing
the spatial excitation conditions, competition between several polariton lasing
modes is observed, ruling out Bose-Einstein condensation. When the polariton
state occupancy increases, the emission blueshift is the signature of
self-interaction within the half-light half-matter polariton lasing mode.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
A practical model of convective dynamics for stellar evolution calculations
Turbulent motions in the interior of a star play an important role in its
evolution, since they transport chemical species, thermal energy and angular
momentum. Our overall goal is to construct a practical turbulent closure model
for convective transport that can be used in a multi-dimensional stellar
evolution calculation including the effects of rotation, shear and magnetic
fields. Here, we focus on the first step of this task: capturing the well-known
transition from radiative heat transport to turbulent convection with and
without rotation, as well as the asymptotic relationship between turbulent and
radiative transport in the limit of large Rayleigh number. We extend the
closure model developed by Ogilvie (2003) and Garaud and Ogilvie (2005) to
include heat transport and compare it with experimental results of
Rayleigh-Benard convection.Comment: Conference proceeding for poster at conference "Unsolved problems in
Stellar Physics
Structural Damage Assessment of FRP Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beams under Cyclic Loads
Worldwide, the need for structural retrofit is on the rise and the use of Fibre Reinforced
Polymer (FRP) composite material systems is becoming an accepted method for repairs,
rehabilitations, and strengthening of deficient structures. The great qualities of the FRP
materials, certified in the laboratories and confirmed in the fields have all contributed to
propel the material as a very promising one, though more works need to be done to certify the
fatigue resistance and durability criteria. This research looked at the experimental
investigations of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams strengthened flexurally with externallyepoxy
bonded FRP laminates under four point cyclic loads. Dynamic tests are used to assess
damages in the FRP-strengthened RC beams under cyclic loads. 6 RC beams of 150 x 200
mm cross-section and length of 2.20m and were reinforced with four 12mm ribbed
longitudinal steel bars. Three types of FRP laminates made of high modulus carbon fibre,
high strength carbon fibre and glass fibre were adopted. The results confirm that dynamicbased
method is an efficient way of assessing damage evolution in RC beams strengthened
with FRP laminates under cyclic loads. The results offered a criterion that can be adopted for
quick assessment of the efficiency of FRP composite systems before applying them to civil
applications
Accurate measurement of a 96% input coupling into a cavity using polarization tomography
Pillar microcavities are excellent light-matter interfaces providing an
electromagnetic confinement in small mode volumes with high quality factors.
They also allow the efficient injection and extraction of photons, into and
from the cavity, with potentially near-unity input and output-coupling
efficiencies. Optimizing the input and output coupling is essential, in
particular, in the development of solid-state quantum networks where artificial
atoms are manipulated with single incoming photons. Here we propose a technique
to accurately measure input and output coupling efficiencies using polarization
tomography of the light reflected by the cavity. We use the residual
birefringence of pillar microcavities to distinguish the light coupled to the
cavity from the uncoupled light: the former participates to rotating the
polarization of the reflected beam, while the latter decreases the polarization
purity. Applying this technique to a micropillar cavity, we measure a output coupling and a input coupling with unprecedented
precision.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Características agroclimáticas de la Región Pampeana Argentina
p.41-64Se analizan con criterio agroclimático los principales aspectos de los regímenes térmico e hídrico que en la Padrea Pampeana argentina afectan la producción agrícola y particularmente la de los cultivos anuales extensivos. La disponibilidad calórica de ambas termi fases anuales se examinan mediante índices agroclimáticos como: duración del período libre de heladas, niveles térmicos críticos, bioperíodostérmicos, suma de temperaturas y condiciones de vernalización, mientras que la variación en los niveles de humedad edáfica y las probabilidades de ocurrencia de excesos y deficiencias de agua se usan para caracterizar las condiciones hidrológicas. A través de una cartaografía seleccionada se muestra la variación de estos valores agroclimáticos discutiéndose su repercución en los cultivos agrícolas
Fechas medias estimadas de primeras y últimas temperaturas mínimas perjudiciales para los cultivos en la Argentina
p.193-211Se presentan 14 cartas agroclimáticas de las fechas medias de primeras y últimas temperaturas de 3°, 0°, - 1°, - 2° , - 3°, - 4° y -5° C para el territorio de la Argentina. Los niveles considerados son temperaturas críticas para el crecimiento de distintos cultivos agrícolas en las diferentes etapas de su desarrollo. Para confeccionar las cartas se utilizan valores estimados mediante la aplicación del m étodo gráfico de aproximación propuesto por Papadakis (1951) basado en las tem peraturas mínimas mensuales medias. La eficiencia del m étodo se discute previamente en su aplicación a dos áreas geográfica y climáticamente diferentes: la pradera pampeana argentina y la región italiana del valle del Po. Se analizan las posibles causas de los desajustes encontrados con el propósito de formular una metodología de corrección y ajuste
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