12,562 research outputs found
Conjugate two-dimensional electric potential maps
Two dimensional electric potential maps based on voltage detection in
conducting paper are common practice in many physics courses in college. Most
frequently, students work on `capacitor-like' geometries with current flowing
between two opposite electrodes. A `topographical' investigation across the
embedding medium (map of equipotential curves) allows to reassure a number of
physical properties.
This paper focuses on some less common configurations that bear pedagogical
interest. We analyze `open-geometries' with electrodes in the form of long
strips with slits. They provide a natural groundwork to bring the student to
complex variable methods. Aided by this, we show that shaping the conducting
paper board one may analyze finite size effects, as well as some meaningful
discontinuities in the measured potential.
The concept of conjugate electric potentials is exploited. Equipotentials and
electric field lines acquire interchangeable roles and may be obtained in
complementary `dual' experiments. A feasible theoretical analysis based on
introductory complex variables and standardized numerics gives a remarkable
quantification of the experimental results.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
Explaining exchange rate dynamics: the uncovered equity return parity condition
By employing Lucas’ (1982) model, this study proposes an arbitrage relationship – the Uncovered Equity Return Parity (URP) condition – to explain the dynamics of exchange rates. When expected equity returns in a country/region are lower than expected equity returns in another country/region, the currency associated with the market offering lower returns is expected to appreciate. First, we test the URP assuming that investors are risk neutral and next we relax this hypothesis. The resulting risk premia are proxied by economic variables, which are related to the business cycle. We employ differentials in corporate earnings’ growth rates, short-term interest rate changes, annual inflation rates, and net equity flows. The URP explains a large fraction of the variability of some European currencies vis-à -vis the US dollar. When confronted with the naïve random walk model, the URP for the EUR/USD performs better in terms of forecasts for a set of alternative statistics. JEL Classification: D82, G14, G15asset pricing, foreign exchange markets, GMM, random walk, UIP
Deconstructing double-barred galaxies in 2D and 3D. II. Two distinct groups of inner bars
The intrinsic photometric properties of inner and outer stellar bars within
17 double-barred galaxies are thoroughly studied through a photometric analysis
consisting of: i) two-dimensional multi-component photometric decompositions,
and ii) three-dimensional statistical deprojections for measuring the
thickening of bars, thus retrieving their 3D shape. The results are compared
with previous measurements obtained with the widely used analysis of integrated
light. Large-scale bars in single- and double-barred systems show similar
sizes, and inner bars may be longer than outer bars in different galaxies. We
find two distinct groups of inner bars attending to their in-plane length and
ellipticity, resulting in a bimodal behaviour for the inner/outer bar length
ratio. Such bimodality is related neither to the properties of the host galaxy
nor the dominant bulge, and it does not show a counterpart in the dimension off
the disc plane. The group of long inner bars lays at the lower end of the outer
bar length vs. ellipticity correlation, whereas the short inner bars are out of
that relation. We suggest that this behaviour could be due to either a
different nature of the inner discs from which the inner bars are dynamically
formed, or a different assembly stage for the inner bars. This last possibility
would imply that the dynamical assembly of inner bars is a slow process taking
several Gyr to happen. We have also explored whether all large-scale bars are
prone to develop an inner bar at some stage of their lives, possibility we
cannot fully confirm or discard.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Improvement of heart rate recovery after exercise training in older people.
Twenty-four subjects aged 70 and older were retrospectively selected from our archives and screened for symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Baseline exercise test was negative for myocardial ischemia in all subjects. All subjects had completed an 8-week program, performed for
a variety of indications and consisting of an aerobic physical training program including 30 minutes of cycling three times per week at 65% to 75% of maximum heart rate achieved at peak exercise test performed at enrollment, an educational intervention, dietary advice, and psychological
support. All subjects underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) before and at the end of
exercise training. At the end of each CPX, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), the rate of increase of ventilation per unit of increase of carbon dioxide production (VE/VCO2slope), and HRR were recorded. Twenty-five healthy subjects younger than 60 with no evidence of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia and not enrolled in any exercise training program were also retrospectively
selected from our archives and used as a control group for analyzing HRR. These patients performed two exercise tests several weeks apart. Several studies have shown that changes in vagal tone can be used as an outcome tool that helps identify patients or subjects with or without cardiovascular disease at risk for a cardiovascular event, although the evidence of a prognostic value of HRR in older subjects without cardiovascular disease is rather poor. In this study, exercise training resulted in HRR improvement in healthy elderly subjects, suggesting that exercise training improves vagal/sympathetic balance in older subjects without cardiovascular disease as well. Whether the observed improvement in HRR may have long-term beneficial prognostic effects was not the aim of the study, although a beneficial effect might be postulated, in light of the Framingham dat
CAR: A MATLAB Package to Compute Correspondence Analysis with Rotations
Correspondence analysis (CA) is a popular method that can be used to analyse relationships between categorical variables. Like principal component analysis, CA solutions can be rotated both orthogonally and obliquely to simple structure without affecting the total amount of explained inertia. We describe a MATLAB package for computing CA. The package includes orthogonal and oblique rotation of axes. It is designed not only for advanced users of MATLAB but also for beginners. Analysis can be done using a user-friendly interface, or by using command lines. We illustrate the use of CAR with one example.
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