Meson electromagnetic form factors

The electromagnetic structure of the pseudoscalar meson nonet is completely described by the sophisticated Unitary&Analytic model, respecting all known theoretical properties of the corresponding form factors.Comment: Invited talk on 12th International Workshop on Meson Production, Properties and Interaction Krakow, Poland, 31 May - 5 June 2012. (11 latex pages, 7 eps figures

The effect of polypropylene on the formation of byssal threads produced by Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussels)

The presence of microfibers and microplastics in the environment is an ever-growing ecological concern. Accumulation of microplastics (plastic particles smaller than 5 mm) in aquatic environments and the subsequent exposure of these particles to organisms have been shown to have negative effects on aquatic biota. As an invasive, filter-feeding bivalve found across Indiana freshwater ecosystems, the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) serves as a good model organism for studying microplastics’ effects on physiological and behavioral functions of affected organisms. We have studied the impacts of microplastic exposure on a freshwater mollusk, the zebra mussel. We collected zebra mussels from Stone Lake, Indiana, in late fall of 2019. Individual zebra mussels were exposed to polypropylene rope fibers (concentration of rope fibers in the environment of one zebra mussel was ~400 microfibers per L) for 24-hour trials and assessed the effects by production of byssal threads, which are produced by the zebra mussel for anchorage and in response to predation threats. Results from a comparison between unexposed control mussels (n=70) and mussels exposed to rope fibers (n=70) revealed no significant difference in motility nor the number of byssal threads produced. Despite using microplastic concentrations that were higher than that found in the Great Lakes, a 24 hour exposure time may still not have been enough to significantly impact the animals. Continued research on the attachment strength of Dreissena polymorpha exposed to rope fibers will provide clearer evidence of any direct effect of these microplastics on the ecologically important mussel species

Array of Josephson junctions with a non-sinusoidal current-phase relation as a model of the resistive transition of unconventional superconductors

An array of resistively and capacitively shunted Josephson junctions with nonsinusoidal current-phase relation is considered for modelling the transition in high-T$_c$ superconductors. The emergence of higher harmonics, besides the simple sinusoid $I_{c}\sin\phi$, is expected for dominant \emph{d}-wave symmetry of the Cooper pairs, random distribution of potential drops, dirty grains, or nonstationary conditions. We show that additional cosine and sine terms act respectively by modulating the global resistance and by changing the Josephson coupling of the mixed superconductive-normal states. First, the approach is applied to simulate the transition in disordered granular superconductors with the weak-links characterized by nonsinusoidal current-phase relation. In granular superconductors, the emergence of higher-order harmonics affects the slope of the transition. Then, arrays of intrinsic Josephson junctions, naturally formed by the CuO$_2$ planes in cuprates, are considered. The critical temperature suppression, observed at values of hole doping close to $p=1/8$, is investigated. Such suppression, related to the sign change and modulation of the Josephson coupling across the array, is quantified in terms of the intensities of the first and second sinusoids of the current-phase relation. Applications are envisaged for the design and control of quantum devices based on stacks of intrinsic Josephson junctions.Comment: Added: comparison with experiments; reference

Do narcissism and emotional intelligence win us friends? Modeling dynamics of peer popularity using inferential network analysis

This research investigated effects of narcissism and emotional intelligence (EI) on popularity in social networks. In a longitudinal field study we examined the dynamics of popularity in 15 peer groups in two waves (N=273).We measured narcissism, ability EI, explicit and implicit self-esteem. In addition, we measured popularity at zero acquaintance and three months later. We analyzed the data using inferential network analysis (temporal exponential random graph modeling, TERGM) accounting for self-organizing network forces. People high in narcissism were popular, but increased less in popularity over time than people lower in narcissism. In contrast, emotionally intelligent people increased more in popularity over time than less emotionally intelligent people. The effects held when we controlled for explicit and implicit self-esteem. These results suggest that narcissism is rather disadvantageous and that EI is rather advantageous for long-term popularity

Pengaruh Kebiasaan Belajar dan Kepercayaan Diri terhadap Hasil Belajar Akuntansi Siswa Kelas XI Akuntansi Smk N 4 Padang

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis: 1) Pengaruh kebiasaan belajar terhadap hasil belajar akuntansi siswa kelas XI akuntansi SMK N 4 Padang, 2) Pengaruh kepercayaan diri terhadap hasil belajar akuntansi siswa kelas XI akuntansi SMK N 4 Padang, 3) Pengaruh kebiasaan belajar dan kepercayaan diri terhadap hasil belajar akuntansi siswa kelas XI akuntansi SMK N 4 Padang. Waktu penelitian ini dilakukan pada pertengahan bulan September 2014.Jenis penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah penelitian deskriptif dan asosiatif.Populasi penelitian ini adalah seluruh siswa kelas XI akuntansi SMK N 4 Padang yang berjumlah 60 orang. Teknik pengambilan sampel dengan Total sampling dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 60 orang. Teknik analisis data: analisis deskriptif dan analisis induktif, yaitu uji maksimun likelihood, uji ramsey, uji normalitas, uji heteroskedastisitas, uji multikolinieritas, uji autokorelasi dan analisis regresi berganda dengan bantuan program SPSS versi 16.0. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: 1) terdapat pengaruh yang positif dan signifikan antara kebiasaan belajar terhadap hasil belajar akuntansi pada siswa kelas XI akuntansi SMK N 4 Padang berdasarkan hasil analisis data diperoleh nilai thitung> ttabel (3,83 > 1,67155), sedangkan hasil koefisien regresi variabel kebiasaan belajar (X1) sebesar 0,407 dan nilai konstanta nya sebesar 37,087, 2) terdapat pengaruh positif dan signifikan antara kepercayaan diri terhadap hasil belajar akuntansi pada siswa kelas XI akuntansi SMK N 4 Padang berdasarkan hasil analisis data diperoleh nilai thitung> ttabel (2,750 > 1,67155), sedangkan hasil koefisien regresi variabel kepercayaan diri (X2) sebesar 0,248 dan nilai konstantanya sebesar 37,087, 3) terdapat pengaruh positif dan signifikan secara bersamasama antara kebiasaan belajar dan kepercayaan diri terhadap hasil belajar akuntansi pada siswa kelas XI akuntansi SMK N 4 Padang tahun ajaran 2013/2014 berdasarkan hasil analisis data Fhitung>Ftabel(70,995 > 3,15) dengan nilai signifikan 0,000 <ð¼ = 0,05. Hal ini berarti Ha diterima dan H0 ditolak.Dimana diperoleh koefisien determinasi (Adjusted R Square) sebesar 0,714