1,208 research outputs found
Runoff modelling in glacierized Central Asian catchments for present-day and future climate
A conceptual precipitationârunoff model was applied in five glacierized catchments in Central Asia. The model, which was first developed and applied in the Alps, works on a daily time step and yields good results in the more continental climate of the Tien Shan mountains for present-day climate conditions. Runoff scenarios for different climates (doubling of CO2) and glacierization conditions predict an increased flood risk as a first stage and a more complex picture after a complete glacier loss: a higher discharge during spring due to an earlier and more intense snowmelt is followed by a water deficiency in hot and dry summer periods. This unfavourable seasonal redistribution of the water supply has dramatic consequences for the Central Asian lowlands, which depend to a high degree on the glacier melt water for irrigation and already nowadays suffer from water shortages
A fly has died a splendid death in a pool of strawberry ice cream.
Humans have evolved an overwhelming awareness of self, other, life, and death. We have learned to selectively process information and to replace dissociated memories with less disturbing ones. We have evolved this ability to deceive ourselves, thus producing a personal reality that is innately false. As a society we tend to idealize our vision of the past, particularly our vision of home. Our idealized notion of home presents itself as a supposedly traditional form of domestic life, but bears little relation to the way people actually lived. This concept of a cozy home full of family love is an invented tradition. Two poles are created: the ideal and the broken self. The sweetness and pleasure in seeing or recalling certain objects or experiences, that nostalgia, intermingles with feelings of sadness, loss, and regret. Glimmers of memory, perhaps real or perhaps fabricated, become dreamlike flashes in the landscape of our mind. Nostalgia and sentiment can be deconstructed through the frailty and distortion of memory by investigating the reality of lost innocence
Personality development across adolescence and young adulthood:The role of life transitions and self-concept clarity
Personality develops across the lifespan, but most development occurs in adolescence and young adulthood. Life transitions to new social roles may be important drivers of mean-level personality development. The present study examined mean-level personality development in adolescence and young adulthood, and the role of the transition to tertiary education and working life therein in a sample of Dutch young people that were followed across 14 years (N = 497, Age(W1) = 13.03 years). We explored whether young people's self-concept clarity moderated these associations. Our hypotheses and analytical plan were pre-registered. Findings from Latent Growth Models showed support for maturation in personality across adolescence and young adulthood, but not a maturity dip. Having the role of employee was associated with higher conscientiousness, but no associations were found of the transition to tertiary education and the transition to work with mean-level development of any of the personality traits. Self-concept clarity did not moderate the role of transitions in mean-level personality development. Our findings suggest that socialization effects may not explain associations between life transitions and personality development in adolescence and young adulthood
Ion impact induced Interatomic Coulombic Decay in neon and argon dimers
We investigate the contribution of Interatomic Coulombic Decay induced by ion
impact in neon and argon dimers (Ne and Ar) to the production of low
energy electrons. Our experiments cover a broad range of perturbation strengths
and reaction channels. We use 11.37 MeV/u S, 0.125 MeV/u He,
0.1625 MeV/u He and 0.150 MeV/u He as projectiles and study
ionization, single and double electron transfer to the projectile as well as
projectile electron loss processes. The application of a COLTRIMS reaction
microscope enables us to retrieve the three-dimensional momentum vectors of the
ion pairs of the fragmenting dimer into Ne/Ne and
Ar/Ar (q = 1, 2, 3) in coincidence with at least one emitted
electron
Practical implications of GPR investigation using 3D data reconstruction and transmission tomography
Non-destructive investigation using ground penetrating radar is becoming
more popular in the inspection of civil structures. Currently, traditional 2D
imaging is used as a preliminary tool to fi nd possible areas of interest for
more detailed inspection, which can be accomplished by more advanced
techniques like 3D image reconstruction or tomography. In this paper,
a general overview of the work done at University of Minho regarding these
techniques is presented, together with their limitations and advantages over
typical radargrams, with implications for civil engineering applications. For
this purpose, data acquisition on two large masonry walls and one large
concrete specimen have been carried out, using refl ection mode, 3D
reconstruction and transmission tomography. The specimens have been
specially built for non-destructive inspection techniques testing, incorporating
different materials and internal voids. Radar tomography and 3D image
reconstruction techniques provided much more detailed information about
structural integrity and shapes and location of the voids, when compared to
2D imaging originally used for potential target identification.Fundação para a CiĂȘncia e a Tecnologia (FCT) - POCTI SFRH/BD/6409/2001"Sustainable Bridges" European project - FP6-PLT-0165
Better self-concept, better future choices?: Behavioral and neural changes after a naturalistic self-concept training program for adolescents
A large number of adolescents experience difficulty when choosing a suitable higher education program that matches their self-views. Stimulating self-concept development could help adolescents to increase their chances of finding a suitable major. We addressed this issue by examining the effects of a naturalistic self-concept training within a gap year context on behavioral and neural correlates of self-evaluations, as well as the long-term effects for future educational decision-making. In total, 38 adolescents/young adults (ages 16-24 years) participated in a 4-wave longitudinal study, with lab visits before, during, and after the training, including behavioral assessments and fMRI. During fMRI-scanning, they rated themselves on positive and negative traits in academic, (pro)social, and physical domains, and additionally filled out questionnaires related to self-esteem and self-concept clarity. Results showed that the positivity of domain-specific self-evaluations, self-esteem, and self-concept clarity increased during the training. Second, participants with lower medial PFC activity during self-evaluation before training showed larger self-esteem increases over the year. Moreover, mPFC activity increased after training for the evaluation of positive but not negative traits. Furthermore, individual differences in the rate of change (slope) in self-concept clarity and social self-evaluations positively predicted social adjustment to college and academic performance 6 months after training. Together, these findings suggest that self-concept can be modulated in late adolescents, with an important role of the medial PFC in relation to enhanced positive self-evaluations, and self-concept clarity as a predictor of future educational outcomes
Do the type and number of blockholders influence R&D investments? : new evidence from Spain
Using data from 3,638 Spanish firms between 1996 and 2000, this article studies the relationship between the presence of large shareholders in the ownership structure of firms and R&D investment. Consistent with our theoretical contention, our results indicate that the impact of large shareholders on the R&D investment is (1) negative when blockholders are banks, (2) positive when blockholders are non-financial corporations and (3) null when blockholders are individuals. In addition, we find a systematic negative relationship between the number of blockholders and R&D investment. Finally, we extend our study by analysing the influence that the combined effect between blockholder type and R&D investment has on the firmâs economic performance. Results of this work provide relevant implications for policy makers and academic research.Publicad
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