2,670 research outputs found
On hydrogen bond correlations at high pressures
In situ high pressure neutron diffraction measured lengths of O H and H O
pairs in hydrogen bonds in substances are shown to follow the correlation
between them established from 0.1 MPa data on different chemical compounds. In
particular, the conclusion by Nelmes et al that their high pressure data on ice
VIII differ from it is not supported. For compounds in which the O H stretching
frequencies red shift under pressure, it is shown that wherever structural data
is available, they follow the stretching frequency versus H O (or O O) distance
correlation. For compounds displaying blue shifts with pressure an analogy
appears to exist with improper hydrogen bonds.Comment: 12 pages,4 figure
On the distribution of career longevity and the evolution of home run prowess in professional baseball
Statistical analysis is a major aspect of baseball, from player averages to
historical benchmarks and records. Much of baseball fanfare is based around
players exceeding the norm, some in a single game and others over a long
career. Career statistics serve as a metric for classifying players and
establishing their historical legacy. However, the concept of records and
benchmarks assumes that the level of competition in baseball is stationary in
time. Here we show that power-law probability density functions, a hallmark of
many complex systems that are driven by competition, govern career longevity in
baseball. We also find similar power laws in the density functions of all major
performance metrics for pitchers and batters. The use of performance-enhancing
drugs has a dark history, emerging as a problem for both amateur and
professional sports. We find statistical evidence consistent with
performance-enhancing drugs in the analysis of home runs hit by players in the
last 25 years. This is corroborated by the findings of the Mitchell Report [1],
a two-year investigation into the use of illegal steroids in major league
baseball, which recently revealed that over 5 percent of major league baseball
players tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in an anonymous 2003
survey.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 2-column revtex4 format. Revision has change of
title, a figure added, and minor changes in response to referee comment
Parsec Scale Properties of Markarian 501
We present the results of a high angular resolution study of the BL Lac
object Markarian 501 in the radio band. We consider data taken at 14 different
epochs, ranging between 1.6 GHz and 22 GHz in frequency, and including new
Space VLBI observations obtained on 2001 March 5 and 6 at 1.6 and 5 GHz. We
study the kinematics of the parsec-scale jet and estimate its bulk velocity and
orientation with respect to the line of sight. Limb brightened structure in the
jet is clearly visible in our data and we discuss its possible origin in terms
of velocity gradients in the jet. Quasi-simultaneous multi-wavelength
observations allow us to map the spectral index distribution and to compare it
to the jet morphology. Finally, we estimate the physical parameters of the
parsec-scale jet.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ; 24 pages with 17 figures (fig. 1 and
fig. 2 available only as .jpg files
VSOP and Ground-based VLBI Imaging of the TeV Blazar Markarian 421 at Multiple Epochs
We present thirty VLBI images of the TeV blazar Markarian 421 (1101+384) at
fifteen epochs spanning the time range from 1994 to 1997, and at six different
frequencies from 2.3 to 43 GHz. The imaged observations include a
high-resolution 5 GHz VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP) observation with
the HALCA satellite on 1997 November 14; full-track VLBA observations from 1994
April, 1996 November, and 1997 May at frequencies between 5 and 43 GHz; six
epochs of VLBA snapshot observations at frequencies between 2 and 15 GHz from
Radio Reference Frame studies; and five geodetic VLBI observations at 2 and 8
GHz from the archive of the Washington VLBI Correlator Facility located at the
U.S. Naval Observatory. The dense time coverage of the images allows us to
unambiguously track components in the parsec-scale jet over the observed time
range. We measure the speeds of three inner jet components located between 0.5
and 5 mas from the core (0.3 to 3 pc projected linear distance) to be 0.19 +/-
0.27, 0.30 +/- 0.07, and -0.07 +/- 0.07 c (H_{0}=65 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}). If the
sole 43 GHz image is excluded, all measured speeds are consistent with no
motion. These speeds differ from tentative superluminal speeds measured by
Zhang & B\aa\aa th from three epochs of data from the early 1980's. Possible
interpretations of these subluminal speeds in terms of the high Doppler factor
demanded by the TeV variability of this source are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, including 7 figures, emulateapj.sty, accepted by The
Astrophysical Journal; modified text describing Radio Reference Frame
observation
Sister species diverge in modality-specific courtship signal form and function
Understanding the relative importance of different sources of selection (e.g., the environment, social/sexual selection) on the divergence or convergence of reproductive communication can shed light on the origin, maintenance, or even disappearance of species boundaries. Using a multistep approach, we tested the hypothesis that two presumed sister species of wolf spider with overlapping ranges and microhabitat use, yet differing degrees of sexual dimorphism, have diverged in their reliance on modality- specific courtship signaling. We predicted that male Schizocosa crassipalpata (no ornamentation) rely predominantly on diet-dependent vibratory signaling for mating success. In contrast, we predicted that male S. bilineata (black foreleg brushes) rely on diet-dependent visual signaling. We first tested and corroborated the sister-species relationship between S. crassipalpata and S. bilineata using phylogenomic scale data. Next, we tested for species-specific, diet-dependent vibratory and visual signaling by manipulating subadult diet and subsequently quantifying adult morphology and mature male courtship signals. As predicted, vibratory signal form was diet-dependent in S. crassipalpata, while visual ornamentation (brush area) was diet-dependent in S. bilineata. We then compared the species-specific reliance on vibratory and visual signaling by recording mating across artificially manipulated signaling environments (presence/absence of each modality in a 2 × 2 full factorial design). In accordance with our diet dependence results for S. crassipalpata, the presence of vibratory signaling was important for mating success. In contrast, the light and vibratory environment interacted to influence mating success in S. bilineata, with vibratory signaling being important only in the absence of light. We found no differences in overall activity patterns. Given that these species overlap in much of their range and microhabitat use, we suggest that competition for signaling space may have led to the divergence and differential use of sensory modalities between these sister species
The purpose of mess in action research: building rigour though a messy turn
Mess and rigour might appear to be strange bedfellows. This paper argues that the purpose of mess is to facilitate a turn towards new constructions of knowing that lead to transformation in practice (an action turn). Engaging in action research - research that can disturb both individual and communally held notions of knowledge for practice - will be messy. Investigations into the 'messy area', the interface between the known and the nearly known, between knowledge in use and tacit knowledge as yet to be useful, reveal the 'messy area' as a vital element for seeing, disrupting, analysing, learning, knowing and changing. It is the place where long-held views shaped by professional knowledge, practical judgement, experience and intuition are seen through other lenses. It is here that reframing takes place and new knowing, which has both theoretical and practical significance, arises: a 'messy turn' takes place
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