522 research outputs found
The effect of personal attitudes on information processing biases in religious individuals
Selective exposure, the confirmation bias of preferring attitude-consistent over attitude-inconsistent information, is empirically a well-established phenomenon of human behaviour. However, most of the research on selective exposure has been conducted either on what material participants select or what they attend to once the material is presented. We extended a selective exposure paradigm by measuring biases at both the selection and the reading stages of information processing. After Christian participants (n = 41) were asked about their views on tithing (a religious practice of giving charity), selective exposure biases were not systematic but were moderated by participants’ views on tithing. That is, those who were in favour of tithing showed a preference for anti-tithing material (i.e. attitude-inconsistent material), whereas those who were not in favour of tithing also showed a preference for anti-tithing material (i.e. attitude-consistent material). Our study indicates that resistance to persuasion might in some cases depend on attitude direction
Supernova remnants and gamma-ray sources
A review of the possible relationship between gamma-ray sources and supernova
remnants (SNRs) is presented. Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of
the observational status of the problem of cosmic ray acceleration at SNR shock
fronts. All positional coincidences between SNRs and unidentified gamma-ray
sources listed in the Third EGRET Catalog at low Galactic latitudes are
discussed on a case by case basis. For several coincidences of particular
interest, new CO(J=1-0) and radio continuum maps are shown, and the mass
content of the SNR surroundings is determined. The contribution to the
gamma-ray flux observed that might come from cosmic ray particles (particularly
nuclei) locally accelerated at the SNR shock fronts is evaluated. We discuss
the prospects for future research in this field and remark on the possibilities
for observations with forthcoming gamma-ray instruments.Comment: Final version of a review article, to appear in the Physics Reports
(82 pages, 31 figures). Figures requiring high quality are just too large and
too many to be included here. Please download them from
http://www.angelfire.com/id/dtorres/down3.htm
Accurate <i>ab initio</i> ro-vibronic spectroscopy of the X<sup>2</sup>∏ CCN radical using explicitly correlated methods
Explicitly correlated CCSD(T)-F12b calculations have been carried out with systematic sequences of correlation consistent basis sets to determine accurate near-equilibrium potential energy surfaces for the X<sup>2</sup>∏ and a<sup>4</sup>Σ<sup>−</sup> electronic states of the CCN radical. After including contributions due to core correlation, scalar relativity, and higher order electron correlation effects, the latter utilizing large-scale multireference configuration interaction calculations, the resulting surfaces were employed in variational calculations of the ro-vibronic spectra. These calculations also included the use of accurate spin-orbit and dipole moment matrix elements. The resulting ro-vibronic transition energies, including the Renner-Teller sub-bands involving the bending mode, agree with the available experimental data to within 3 cm<sup>−1</sup> in all cases. Full sets of spectroscopic constants are reported using the usual second-order perturbation theory expressions. Integrated absorption intensities are given for a number of selected vibronic band origins. A computational procedure similar to that used in the determination of the potential energy functions was also utilized to predict the formation enthalpy of CCN, ΔH<sub>f</sub>(0K) = 161.7 ± 0.5 kcal/mol
Compact relativistic geometries in gravity
One of the possible potential candidates for describing the universe's rapid
expansion is modified gravity. In the framework of the modified theory of
gravity , the present work features the materialization of anisotropic
matter, such as compact stars. Specifically, to learn more about the physical
behavior of compact stars, the radial, and tangential pressures as well as the
energy density of six stars namely , , ,
, , and are calculated. Herein, the
modified theory of gravity is disintegrated into two parts i.e. the
hyperbolic model and the three different model. The study
focuses on graphical analysis of compact stars wherein the stability aspects,
energy conditions, and anisotropic measurements are mainly addressed. Our
calculation revealed that, for the positive value of parameter n of the model
, all the six stars behave normally.Comment: Some changes have been made. " To appear in International Journal of
Geometric Methods in Modern Physics
A fast ILP-based Heuristic for the robust design of Body Wireless Sensor Networks
We consider the problem of optimally designing a body wireless sensor
network, while taking into account the uncertainty of data generation of
biosensors. Since the related min-max robustness Integer Linear Programming
(ILP) problem can be difficult to solve even for state-of-the-art commercial
optimization solvers, we propose an original heuristic for its solution. The
heuristic combines deterministic and probabilistic variable fixing strategies,
guided by the information coming from strengthened linear relaxations of the
ILP robust model, and includes a very large neighborhood search for reparation
and improvement of generated solutions, formulated as an ILP problem solved
exactly. Computational tests on realistic instances show that our heuristic
finds solutions of much higher quality than a state-of-the-art solver and than
an effective benchmark heuristic.Comment: This is the authors' final version of the paper published in G.
Squillero and K. Sim (Eds.): EvoApplications 2017, Part I, LNCS 10199, pp.
1-17, 2017. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-55849-3\_16. The final publication is
available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55849-3_1
Supernova-Remnant Origin of Cosmic Rays?
It is thought that Galactic cosmic ray (CR) nuclei are gradually accelerated
to high energies (up to ~300 TeV/nucleon, where 1TeV=10^12eV) in the expanding
shock-waves connected with the remnants of powerful supernova explosions.
However, this conjecture has eluded direct observational confirmation^1,2 since
it was first proposed in 1953 (ref. 3). Enomoto et al.^4 claim to have finally
found definitive evidence that corroborates this model, proposing that the
very-high-energy, TeV-range, gamma-rays from the supernova remnant (SNR) RX
J1713.7-3946 are due to the interactions of energetic nuclei in this region.
Here we argue that their claim is not supported by the existing multiwavelength
spectrum of this source. The search for the origin(s) of Galactic cosmic ray
nuclei may be closing in on the long-suspected supernova-remnant sources, but
it is not yet over.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Figur
Chandra Observations of the Gamma-ray Binary LSI+61303: Extended X-ray Structure?
We present a 50 ks observation of the gamma-ray binary LSI+61303 carried out
with the ACIS-I array aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. This is the highest
resolution X-ray observation of the source conducted so far. Possible evidence
of an extended structure at a distance between 5 and 12 arcsec towards the
North of LSI+61303 have been found at a significance level of 3.2 sigma. The
asymmetry of the extended emission excludes an interpretation in the context of
a dust-scattered halo, suggesting an intrinsic nature. On the other hand, while
the obtained source flux, of F_{0.3-10 keV}=7.1^{+1.8}_{-1.4} x 10^{-12}
ergs/cm^2/s, and hydrogen column density, N_{H}=0.70+/-0.06 x 10^{22} cm^{-2},
are compatible with previous results, the photon index Gamma=1.25+/-0.09 is the
hardest ever found. In light of these new results, we briefly discuss the
physics behind the X-ray emission, the location of the emitter, and the
possible origin of the extended emission ~0.1 pc away from LSI+61303.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
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