4,706 research outputs found
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Measuring Motivation Orientation and School Readiness in Children Served by Head Start
Currently, the most widely used direct assessment of motivation orientation for preschoolers has little to no research on its reliability and validity. This study examined the test–retest reliability and concurrent and predictive validity of this direct assessment. Results highlight potential limitations of this measure in capturing motivation orientation in preschoolers from low-income families
Optimal finite-time processes in stochastic thermodynamics
For a small system like a colloidal particle or a single biomolecule embedded
in a heat bath, the optimal protocol of an external control parameter minimizes
the mean work required to drive the system from one given equilibrium state to
another in a finite time. In general, this optimal protocol obeys an
integro-differential equation. Explicite solutions both for a moving laser trap
and a time-dependent strength of such a trap show finite jumps of the optimal
protocol to be typical both at the beginning and the end of the process.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let
A one-dimensional model for theoretical analysis of single molecule experiments
In this paper we compare two polymer stretching experiments. The outcome of
both experiments is a force-extension relation. We use a one-dimensional model
to show that in general the two quantities are not equal. In certain limits,
however, both force-extension relations coincide.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Insights into the reproductive biology and fisheries of two commercially exploited species, shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) and blue shark (Prionace glauca), in the south-east Pacific Ocean
In 2005 and 2010,1241 Isurus oxyrinchus and 1153 Prionace glauca were collected from 178 longline sets in a ship-board observer programme in coastal waters off Caldera, Chile (27 degrees S). Catch composition was significantly biased towards I. oxyrinchus in 2005, but both species were caught in the same proportion in 2010. The sex ratio for L oxyrinchus and for P. glauca did not differ significantly from unity within or between years. Sharks matured (L-50) at a total length of 190.3 cm for male and 199.2 cm for female for P. glauca, and 180.2 cm for male I. oxyrinchus. Size-at-maturity for female I. oxyrinchus was not determined due to the near absence of mature specimens examined. Generalised additive models (GAMs) were used to examine catch per unit effort (CPUE) in relation to sea surface temperature, wind speed, time of day, hook depth and soak time. The GAMs revealed a significant effect of depth on P. glauca CPUE, and depth and wind speed for I. oxyrinchus CPUE. The predominance of small, immature sharks caught in the coastal, artisanal fishery indicates that both species may use the area as a pupping, and possibly a nursery zone during spring and summer. National data on catch composition and annual landings provide evidence of an increasing trend to land P. eauca, possibly to satisfy the international shark fin trade. Conservation measures, such as the introduction of a minimum capture size for sharks to protect the recruitment into the population, conservative fishing quotas and delimitation of fishing areas are necessary to ensure the sustainability of both species in the region. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Identification of new transitional disk candidates in Lupus with Herschel
New data from the Herschel Space Observatory are broadening our understanding
of the physics and evolution of the outer regions of protoplanetary disks in
star forming regions. In particular they prove to be useful to identify
transitional disk candidates. The goals of this work are to complement the
detections of disks and the identification of transitional disk candidates in
the Lupus clouds with data from the Herschel Gould Belt Survey. We extracted
photometry at 70, 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 m of all spectroscopically
confirmed Class II members previously identified in the Lupus regions and
analyzed their updated spectral energy distributions. We have detected 34 young
disks in Lupus in at least one Herschel band, from an initial sample of 123
known members in the observed fields. Using the criteria defined in Ribas et
al. (2013) we have identified five transitional disk candidates in the region.
Three of them are new to the literature. Their PACS-70 m fluxes are
systematically higher than those of normal T Tauri stars in the same
associations, as already found in T Cha and in the transitional disks in the
Chamaeleon molecular cloud. Herschel efficiently complements mid-infrared
surveys for identifying transitional disk candidates and confirms that these
objects seem to have substantially different outer disks than the T Tauri stars
in the same molecular clouds.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 16 pages, 9 figures, 7 table
Plastic torsion on frictional joints and three-dimensional limit analysis of masonry structures
The plastic torsion of arbitrarily shaped, frictional joints is established together with its interactions
with bending moments and shear forces. In order to solve limit analysis problems,
a piecewise linear approximation of the yield function for rectangular joints is proposed.
The proposal is incorporated into a model for limit analysis of masonry structures
regarded as rigid block assemblages interacting through no tension, frictional joints. An example
validates the proposal.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología of Mexico.
Fundação para a Ciência e e Tecnologia (FCT) - Project SAPIENS 33935-99
Three-dimensional limit analysis of rigid blocks assemblages. Part II : load-path following solution procedure and validation
A novel solution procedure for the non-associated limit analysis of rigid blocks assemblages is proposed. This proposal
produces better solutions than previously proposed procedures and it is also able to provide an insight into the structural behaviour prior to failure. The limit analysis model proposed in Part I of this paper and the solution procedure are validated through illustrative examples in three-dimensional masonry piers and walls. The use of limit analysis for three-dimensional problems incorporating non-associated flow rules and a coupled yield surface is novel in the
literature
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In-sewer field-evaluation of an optical fibre-based condition monitoring system
A Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) based monitoring system for continuous humidity and temperature measurement has been designed and evaluated experimentally in a sewer environment with high corrosion rates, humidity and the presence of gaseous hydrogen sulfide. The monitoring system has been designed specifically for field use, including packaging prepared for the harsh environment and the challenges of the operation. The system is battery powered and has hardware for controlling the interrogation equipment, power management, data logging and 4G connectivity. Results obtained show the long-term performance, over a 6-month period of non-stop monitoring of real-time data using the same probe. The data acquired was compared to the environmental data of temperature and precipitation for this period from the same location, which showed a good correlation between the expected and the measured data values. The data obtained point to the success of the optical fibre-based sensor system for monitoring in these harsh environments over long periods
Condensation transition in DNA-polyaminoamide dendrimer fibers studied using optical tweezers
When mixed together, DNA and polyaminoamide (PAMAM) dendrimers form fibers
that condense into a compact structure. We use optical tweezers to pull
condensed fibers and investigate the decondensation transition by measuring
force-extension curves (FECs). A characteristic plateau force (around 10 pN)
and hysteresis between the pulling and relaxation cycles are observed for
different dendrimer sizes, indicating the existence of a first-order transition
between two phases (condensed and extended) of the fiber. The fact that we can
reproduce the same FECs in the absence of additional dendrimers in the buffer
medium indicates that dendrimers remain irreversibly bound to the DNA backbone.
Upon salt variation FECs change noticeably confirming that electrostatic forces
drive the condensation transition. Finally, we propose a simple model for the
decondensing transition that qualitatively reproduces the FECs and which is
confirmed by AFM images.Comment: Latex version, 4 pages+3 color figure
Searching for cavities of various densities in the Earth's crust with a low-energy electron-antineutrino beta-beam
We propose searching for deep underground cavities of different densities in
the Earth's crust using a long-baseline electron-antineutrino disappearance
experiment, realized through a low-energy beta-beam with highly-enhanced
luminosity. We focus on four cases: cavities with densities close to that of
water, iron-banded formations, heavier mineral deposits, and regions of
abnormal charge accumulation that have been posited to appear prior to the
occurrence of an intense earthquake. The sensitivity to identify cavities
attains confidence levels higher than and for exposures
times of 3 months and 1.5 years, respectively, and cavity densities below 1 g
cm or above 5 g cm, with widths greater than 200 km. We
reconstruct the cavity density, width, and position, assuming one of them known
while keeping the other two free. We obtain large allowed regions that improve
as the cavity density differs more from the Earth's mean density. Furthermore,
we demonstrate that knowledge of the cavity density is important to obtain
O(10%) error on the width. Finally, we introduce an observable to quantify the
presence of a cavity by changing the orientation of the electron-antineutrino
beam, with which we are able to identify the presence of a cavity at the
to C.L.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; matches published versio
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