806 research outputs found
Measuring compulsive buying behaviour: Psychometric validity of three different scales and prevalence in the general population and in shopping centres
Due to the problems of measurement and the lack of nationally representative data, the extent of compulsive buying behaviour (CBB) is relatively unknown. Methods: The validity of three different instruments was tested: Edwards Compulsive Buying Scale (ECBS; Edwards, 1993), Questionnaire About Buying Behavior (QABB; Lejoyeux & Adès, 1994) and Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (RCBS; Ridgway, et. al., 2008) using two independent samples. One was nationally representative of the Hungarian population (N=2710) while the other comprised shopping mall customers (N=1447). Results: A new, four-factor solution for the ECBS was developed (ECBS-R), and confirmed the other two measures. Additionally, cut-off scores were defined for all measures. Results showed that the prevalence of CBB is 1.85% (with QABB) in the general population but significantly higher in shopping mall customers (8.7% with ECBS-R, 13.3% with QABB and 2.5% with RCBS-R). Conclusions: Due to the diversity of content, each measure identifies a somewhat different CBB group
Glassy timescale divergence and anomalous coarsening in a kinetically constrained spin chain
We analyse the out of equilibrium behavior of an Ising spin chain with an
asymmetric kinetic constraint after a quench to a low temperature T. In the
limit T\to 0, we provide an exact solution of the resulting coarsening process.
The equilibration time exhibits a `glassy' divergence \teq=\exp(const/T^2)
(popular as an alternative to the Vogel-Fulcher law), while the average domain
length grows with a temperature dependent exponent, \dbar ~ t^{T\ln 2}. We show
that the equilibration time \teq also sets the timescale for the linear
response of the system at low temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, includes two eps figures. Proof of energy barrier
hierarchy added. Version to be published in Phys Rev Let
Analytical solution of a one-dimensional Ising model with zero temperature dynamics
The one-dimensional Ising model with nearest neighbour interactions and the
zero-temperature dynamics recently considered by Lefevre and Dean -J. Phys. A:
Math. Gen. {\bf 34}, L213 (2001)- is investigated. By introducing a
particle-hole description, in which the holes are associated to the domain
walls of the Ising model, an analytical solution is obtained. The result for
the asymptotic energy agrees with that found in the mean field approximation.Comment: 6 pages, no figures; accepted in J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. (Letter to
the Editor
Facilitated spin models: recent and new results
Facilitated or kinetically constrained spin models (KCSM) are a class of
interacting particle systems reversible w.r.t. to a simple product measure.
Each dynamical variable (spin) is re-sampled from its equilibrium distribution
only if the surrounding configuration fulfills a simple local constraint which
\emph{does not involve} the chosen variable itself. Such simple models are
quite popular in the glass community since they display some of the peculiar
features of glassy dynamics, in particular they can undergo a dynamical arrest
reminiscent of the liquid/glass transitiom. Due to the fact that the jumps
rates of the Markov process can be zero, the whole analysis of the long time
behavior becomes quite delicate and, until recently, KCSM have escaped a
rigorous analysis with the notable exception of the East model. In these notes
we will mainly review several recent mathematical results which, besides being
applicable to a wide class of KCSM, have contributed to settle some debated
questions arising in numerical simulations made by physicists. We will also
provide some interesting new extensions. In particular we will show how to deal
with interacting models reversible w.r.t. to a high temperature Gibbs measure
and we will provide a detailed analysis of the so called one spin facilitated
model on a general connected graph.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figure
On the Sets of Real Numbers Recognized by Finite Automata in Multiple Bases
This article studies the expressive power of finite automata recognizing sets
of real numbers encoded in positional notation. We consider Muller automata as
well as the restricted class of weak deterministic automata, used as symbolic
set representations in actual applications. In previous work, it has been
established that the sets of numbers that are recognizable by weak
deterministic automata in two bases that do not share the same set of prime
factors are exactly those that are definable in the first order additive theory
of real and integer numbers. This result extends Cobham's theorem, which
characterizes the sets of integer numbers that are recognizable by finite
automata in multiple bases.
In this article, we first generalize this result to multiplicatively
independent bases, which brings it closer to the original statement of Cobham's
theorem. Then, we study the sets of reals recognizable by Muller automata in
two bases. We show with a counterexample that, in this setting, Cobham's
theorem does not generalize to multiplicatively independent bases. Finally, we
prove that the sets of reals that are recognizable by Muller automata in two
bases that do not share the same set of prime factors are exactly those
definable in the first order additive theory of real and integer numbers. These
sets are thus also recognizable by weak deterministic automata. This result
leads to a precise characterization of the sets of real numbers that are
recognizable in multiple bases, and provides a theoretical justification to the
use of weak automata as symbolic representations of sets.Comment: 17 page
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Co-occurrences of substance use and other potentially addictive behaviors: epidemiological results from the Psychological and Genetic Factors of the Addictive Behaviors (PGA) Study
Background and aims: Changes in the nomenclature of addictions suggest a significant shift in the conceptualization of addictions, where non-substance related behaviors can also be classified as addictions. A large amount of data provides empirical evidence that there are overlaps of different types of addictive behaviors in etiology, phenomenology, and in the underlying psychological and biological mechanisms. Our aim was to investigate the co-occurrences of a wide range of substance use and behavioral addictions.
Methods: The present epidemiological analysis was carried out as part of the Psychological and Genetic Factors of the Addictive Behaviors (PGA) Study, where data were collected from 3,003 adolescents and young adults (42.6% males; mean age 21 years). Addictions to psychoactive substances and behaviors were rigorously assessed.
Results: Data is provided on lifetime occurrences of the assessed substance uses, their co-occurrences, the prevalence estimates of specific behavioral addictions , and co-occurrences of different substance use and potentially addictive behaviors. Associations were found between (i) smoking and problematic Internet use, exercising, eating disorders, and gambling (ii) alcohol consumption and problematic Internet use, problematic online gaming, gambling, and eating disorders, and (iii) cannabis use and problematic online gaming and gambling.
Conclusions: The results suggest a large overlap between the occurrence of these addictions and behaviors and underlies the importance of investigating the possible common psychological, genetic and neural pathways. These data further support concepts such as the Reward Deficiency Syndrome and the component model of addictions that propose a common phenomenological and etiological background of different addictive and related behaviors
Integrating evolution into ecological modelling: accommodating phenotypic changes in agent based models.
PMCID: PMC3733718This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Evolutionary change is a characteristic of living organisms and forms one of the ways in which species adapt to changed conditions. However, most ecological models do not incorporate this ubiquitous phenomenon. We have developed a model that takes a 'phenotypic gambit' approach and focuses on changes in the frequency of phenotypes (which differ in timing of breeding and fecundity) within a population, using, as an example, seasonal breeding. Fitness per phenotype calculated as the individual's contribution to population growth on an annual basis coincide with the population dynamics per phenotype. Simplified model variants were explored to examine whether the complexity included in the model is justified. Outputs from the spatially implicit model underestimated the number of individuals across all phenotypes. When no phenotype transitions are included (i.e. offspring always inherit their parent's phenotype) numbers of all individuals are always underestimated. We conclude that by using a phenotypic gambit approach evolutionary dynamics can be incorporated into individual based models, and that all that is required is an understanding of the probability of offspring inheriting the parental phenotype
Dynamics of the frustrated Ising lattice gas
The dynamical properties of a three dimensional model glass, the frustrated
Ising lattice gas (FILG) are studied by Monte Carlo simulations. We present
results of compression experiments, where the chemical potential is either
slowly or abruptly changed, as well as simulations at constant density. One
time quantities like density and two time ones like correlations, responses and
mean square displacements are measured, and the departure from equilibrium
clearly characterized. The aging scenario, particularly in the case of density
autocorrelations is reminiscent of spin glass phenomenology with violations of
the Fluctuation-dissipation theorem, typical of systems with one replica
symmetry breaking. The FILG, as a valid on-lattice model of structural glasses
can be described with tools developed in spin glass theory and, being a finite
dimensional model, can open the way for a systematic study of activated
processes in glasses.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. E, november (2000
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