1,496 research outputs found
Manatee Occurrence in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, West of Florida
Reports of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) in the US Gulf of Mexico west of Florida have increased during the last decade. We reviewed all available manatee sighting, capture, and carcass records (n = 377) from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas since the early 1900s; only 40 of these were previously published. Manatees were reported most often in estuarine habitats, usually either near a freshwater source or natural or industrial warm-water springs/runoffs during winter months. The recent increase in manatee records may be due to a combination of increased public awareness and dispersal of manatees, most likely seasonal migrants from Florida. We caution that the presence of artificial warm-water sources outside of the manateeâs traditional range may attract an increasing number of manatees and could increase the incidence of cold-related mortality in this region
Is It Rational to Assume that Infants Imitate Rationally? A Theoretical Analysis and Critique
It has been suggested that preverbal infants evaluate the efficiency of others' actions (by applying a principle of rational action) and that they imitate others' actions rationally. The present contribution presents a conceptual analysis of the claim that preverbal infants imitate rationally. It shows that this ability rests on at least three assumptions: that infants are able to perceive others' action capabilities, that infants reason about and conceptually represent their own bodies, and that infants are able to think counterfactually. It is argued that none of these three abilities is in place during infancy. Furthermore, it is shown that the idea of a principle of rational action suffers from two fallacies. As a consequence, is it suggested that it is not rational to assume that infants imitate rationally. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base
Nonextensivity and Galaxy Clustering in the Universe
We investigate two important questions about the use of the nonextensive
thermostatistics (NETS) formalism in the context of nonlinear galaxy clustering
in the Universe. Firstly, we define a quantitative criterion for justifying
nonextensivity at different physical scales. Then, we discuss the physics
behind the ansatz of the entropic parameter . Our results suggest the
approximate range where nonextensivity can be justified and, hence, give some
support to the applicability of NETS to the study of large scale structures.Comment: 8 pages, written version of a talk presented in the International
Workshop on Trends and Perspectives on Extensive and Non-Extensive
Statistical Mechanics. Accepted for publication in Physica
Photo- and Electron-Production of Mesons on Nucleons and Nuclei
In these lectures I will show some results obtained with the chiral unitary
approach applied to the photo and electroproduction of mesons. The results for
photoproduction of and , together with
related reactions will be shown, having with common denominator the excitation
of the resonance which is one of those dynamically generated in
the chiral unitary approach. Then I will show results obtained for the reaction which reproduce the bulk of the data except for a
pronounced peak, giving support to a new mesonic resonance, X(2175). Results
will also be shown for the electromagnetic form factors of the
resonance, also dynamically generated in this approach. Finally, I will show
some results on the photoproduction of the in nuclei, showing that
present experimental results claiming a shift of the mass in the
medium are tied to a particular choice of background and are not conclusive.
One the other hand, the same experimental results show unambiguously a huge
increase of the width in the nuclear medium.Comment: Lecture at the "International School of Nuclear Physics", 29th Course
Quarks in Hadrons and Nuclei, Erice, Italy, September 2007. Note added in
Proofs concerning the mixed events technique and other comments on omega
productio
The Simple View of Reading Made Complex by Morphological Decoding Fluency in Bilingual Fourth-Grade Readers of English
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordThis study examined the complexity of the Simple View of Reading focusing on morphological
decoding fluency in fourth-grade readers of English in Singapore. The participants were three
groups of students who all learned to become bilingual and biliterate in the English language
(EL) and their respective ethnic language in school but differed in the home language they used.
The first group was ethnic Chinese students who used English as the dominant home language
(Chinese EL1); the other two groups were ethnic Chinese and Malay students whose dominant
home language was not English but Chinese (Chinese EL2) and Malay (Malay EL2),
respectively. The measures included pseudo word decoding (phonemic decoding), timed
decoding of derivational words (morphological decoding fluency), oral vocabulary, and passage
comprehension. Path analysis showed that oral vocabulary significantly predicted reading
comprehension across all three groups; yet a significant effect of morphological decoding
fluency surfaced in the Chinese EL1 and Malay EL2 groups but not the Chinese EL2 group.
Multi-group path analysis and commonality analysis further confirmed that morphological
decoding played a larger role in the in the Chinese EL1 and Malay EL2 groups. These findings
are discussed in light of the joint influence of target language experience and cross-linguistic
influence on second language or bilingual reading development.Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological Universit
Measurement of the cosmic microwave background polarization lensing power spectrum from two years of POLARBEAR data
We present a measurement of the gravitational lensing deflection power spectrum reconstructed with two seasons of cosmic microwave background polarization data from the POLARBEAR experiment. Observations were taken at 150 GHz from 2012 to 2014 and surveyed three patches of sky totaling 30 square degrees. We test the consistency of the lensing spectrum with a cold dark matter cosmology and reject the no-lensing hypothesis at a confidence of 10.9Ï, including statistical and systematic uncertainties. We observe a value of AL = 1.33 ± 0.32 (statistical) ±0.02 (systematic) ±0.07 (foreground) using all polarization lensing estimators, which corresponds to a 24% accurate measurement of the lensing amplitude. Compared to the analysis of the first- year data, we have improved the breadth of both the suite of null tests and the error terms included in the estimation of systematic contamination
Theory of output coupling for trapped fermionic atoms
We develop a dynamic theory of output coupling, for fermionic atoms initially
confined in a magnetic trap. We consider an exactly soluble one-dimensional
model, with a spatially localized delta-type coupling between the atoms in the
trap and a continuum of free-particle external modes. Two important special
cases are considered for the confinement potential: the infinite box and the
harmonic oscillator. We establish that in both cases a bound state of the
coupled system appears for any value of the coupling constant, implying that
the trap population does not vanish in the infinite-time limit. For weak
coupling, the energy spectrum of the outgoing beam exhibits peaks corresponding
to the initially occupied energy levels in the trap; the height of these peaks
increases with the energy. As the coupling gets stronger, the energy spectrum
is displaced towards dressed energies of the fermions in the trap. The
corresponding dressed states result from the coupling between the unperturbed
fermionic states in the trap, mediated by the coupling between these states and
the continuum. In the strong-coupling limit, there is a reinforcement of the
lowest-energy dressed mode, which contributes to the energy spectrum of the
outgoing beam more strongly than the other modes. This effect is especially
pronounced for the one-dimensional box, which indicates that the efficiency of
the mode-reinforcement mechanism depends on the steepness of the confinement
potential. In this case, a quasi-monochromatic anti-bunched atomic beam is
obtained. Results for a bosonic sample are also shown for comparison.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, added discussion on time-dependent spectral
distribution and corresponding figur
Processing of ultrafine-size particulate metal matrix composites by advanced shear technology
Copyright @ 2009 ASM International. This paper was published in Metallurgical & Materials Transactions A 40A(3) and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of ASM International. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplications of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of this paper are prohibited.Lack of efficient mixing technology to achieve a uniform distribution of fine-size reinforcement within the matrix and the high cost of producing components have hindered the widespread adaptation of particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs) for engineering applications. A new rheo-processing method, the melt-conditioning high-pressure die-cast (MC-HPDC) process, has been developed for manufacturing near-net-shape components of high integrity. The MC-HPDC process adapts the well-established high shear dispersive mixing action of a twin-screw mechanism to the task of overcoming the cohesive force of the agglomerates under a high shear rate and high intensity of turbulence. This is followed by direct shaping of the slurry into near-net-shape components using an existing cold-chamber die-casting process. The results indicate that the MC-HPDC samples have a uniform distribution of ultrafine-sized SiC particles throughout the entire sample in the as-cast condition. Compared to those produced by conventional high-pressure die casting (HPDC), MC-HPDC samples have a much improved tensile strength and ductility.EP-SR
âWhat are you going to do, confiscate their passports?â Professional perspectives on cross-border reproductive travel
Objective: This article reports findings from a UK-based study which explored the phenomenon of overseas travel for fertility treatment. The first phase of this project aimed to explore how infertility clinicians and others professionally involved in fertility treatment understand the nature and consequences of cross-border reproductive travel. Background: There are indications that, for a variety of reasons, people from the UK are increasingly travelling across national borders to access assisted reproductive technologies. While research with patients is growing, little is known about how âfertility tourismâ is perceived by health professionals and others with a close association with infertility patients. Methods: Using an interpretivist approach, this exploratory research included focussed discussions with 20 people professionally knowledgeable about patients who had either been abroad or were considering having treatment outside the UK. Semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and subjected to a thematic analysis. Results: Three conceptual categories are developed from the data: âthe autonomous patientâ; âcross-border travel as riskâ, and âprofessional responsibilities in harm minimisationâ. Professionals construct nuanced, complex and sometimes contradictory narratives of the âfertility travellerâ, as vulnerable and knowledgeable; as engaged in risky behaviour and in its active minimisation. Conclusions: There is little support for the suggestion that states should seek to prevent cross-border treatment. Rather, an argument is made for less direct strategies to safeguard patient interests. Further research is required to assess the impact of professional views and actions on patient choices and patient experiences of treatment, before, during and after travelling abroad
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