1,496 research outputs found
Measurement invariance across chronic conditions: a systematic review and an empirical investigation of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™).
To examine whether lack of measurement invariance (MI) influences mean comparisons among different disease groups, this paper provides (1) a systematic review of MI in generic constructs across chronic conditions and (2) an empirical analysis of MI in the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™)
Experimental results for nulling the effective thermal expansion coefficient of fused silica fibres under a static stress
We have experimentally demonstrated that the effective thermal expansion coefficient of a fused silica fibre can be nulled by placing the fibre under a particular level of stress. Our technique involves heating the fibre and measuring how the fibre length changes with temperature as the stress on the fibre was systematically varied. This nulling of the effective thermal expansion coefficient should allow for the complete elimination of thermoelastic noise and is essential for allowing second generation gravitational wave detectors to reach their target sensitivity. To our knowledge this is the first time that the cancelation of the thermal expansion coefficient with stress has been experimentally observed
Detection, Measurement and Gravitational Radiation
Here I examine how to determine the sensitivity of the LIGO, VIRGO, and LAGOS
gravitational wave detectors to sources of gravitational radiation by
considering the process by which data are analyzed in a noisy detector. By
constructing the probability that the detector output is consistent with the
presence of a signal, I show how to (1) quantify the uncertainty that the
output contains a signal and is not simply noise, and (2) construct the
probability distribution that the signal parameterization has a certain value.
From the distribution and its mode I determine volumes in parameter
space such that actual signal parameters are in with probability . If
we are {\em designing} a detector, or determining the suitability of an
existing detector for observing a new source, then we don't have detector
output to analyze but are interested in the ``most likely'' response of the
detector to a signal. I exploit the techniques just described to determine the
``most likely'' volumes for detector output corresponding to the source.
Finally, as an example, I apply these techniques to anticipate the sensitivity
of the LIGO and LAGOS detectors to the gravitational radiation from a perturbed
Kerr black hole.Comment: 37 pages (plus 6 figures), LaTeX/REVTE
Granular spirals on erodible sand bed submitted to a circular fluid motion
An experimental study of a granular surface submitted to a circular fluid
motion is presented. The appearance of an instability along the sand-water
interface is observed beyond a critical radius . This creates ripples with
a spiral shape on the granular surface. A phase diagram of such patterns is
constructed and discussed as a function of the rotation speed of the
flow and as a function of the height of water above the surface. The study
of as a function of , and parameters is reported.
Thereafter, is shown to depend on the rotation speed according to a power
law. The ripple wavelength is found to decrease when the rotation speed
increases and is proportional to the radial distance . The azimuthal angle
\az of the spiral arms is studied. It is found that \az scales with . This lead to the conclusion that \az depends on the fluid momentum.
Comparison with experiments performed with fluids allows us to state that the
spiral patterns are not the signature of an instability of the boundary layer.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, using RevTeX4, submitted for
publication (2002
On the Correlations between Flavour Observables in Minimal U(2)^3 Models
The stringent correlations between flavour observables in models with CMFV
are consistent with the present data except for the correlation Delta
M_{s,d}-epsilon_K. Motivated by the recent work of Barbieri et al, we compare
the CMFV correlations with the ones present in a special class of models with
an approximate global U(2)^3 flavour symmetry, constrained by a minimal set of
spurions governing the breakdown of this symmetry and the assumption that only
SM operators are relevant in flavour physics. This analog of CMFV to be called
MU(2)^3 allows to avoid the Delta M_{s,d}-epsilon_K tension in question because
of reduced flavour symmetry and implied non-MFV contributions to Delta M_{s,d}.
While the patterns of flavour violation in K meson system is the same as in
CMFV models, the CP-violation in B_{s,d} meson systems can deviate from the one
in the SM and CMFV models. We point out a stringent triple S_{psi K_S}-S_{psi
phi}-|V_ub| correlation in this class of models that could in the future
provide a transparent distinction between different MU(2)^3 models and in the
context of these models determine |V_ub| by means of precise measurements of
S_{psi K_S} and S_{psi phi} with only small hadronic uncertainties. For fixed
S_{psi K_S} the correlation between B(B^+ -> tau^+nu_tau) and S_{psi phi}
follows. We also find that MU(2)^3 models could in principle accommodate a
negative value of S_{psi phi}, provided |V_ub| is found to be in the ballpark
of exclusive determinations and the particular MU(2)^3 model provides a 25%
enhancement of epsilon_K. A supersymmetric U(2)^3 model worked out in the
Barbieri-School appears to satisfy these requirements. However if B(B^+ ->
tau^+nu_tau)>1.0 10^{-4} will be confirmed by future experiments only positive
S_{psi phi} is allowed in this framework. We summarize briefly the pattern of
flavour violation in rare K and B_{s,d} decays in MU(2)^3 models.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures; v2: Few references and discussion on CP
violation in B_s-> mu^+ mu^- added; v3: Several clarifying comments added,
conclusions unchanged, version accepted for publication in JHE
Stratified spatiotemporal chaos in anisotropic reaction-diffusion systems
Numerical simulations of two dimensional pattern formation in an anisotropic
bistable reaction-diffusion medium reveal a new dynamical state, stratified
spatiotemporal chaos, characterized by strong correlations along one of the
principal axes. Equations that describe the dependence of front motion on the
angle illustrate the mechanism leading to stratified chaos
Phase chaos in the anisotropic complex Ginzburg-Landau Equation
Of the various interesting solutions found in the two-dimensional complex
Ginzburg-Landau equation for anisotropic systems, the phase-chaotic states show
particularly novel features. They exist in a broader parameter range than in
the isotropic case, and often even broader than in one dimension. They
typically represent the global attractor of the system. There exist two
variants of phase chaos: a quasi-one dimensional and a two-dimensional
solution. The transition to defect chaos is of intermittent type.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 5 figures, little changes in figures and references,
typos removed, accepted as Rapid Commun. in Phys. Rev.
Testing Scalar-Tensor Gravity with Gravitational-Wave Observations of Inspiralling Compact Binaries
Observations of gravitational waves from inspiralling compact binaries using
laser-interferometric detectors can provide accurate measures of parameters of
the source. They can also constrain alternative gravitation theories. We
analyse inspiralling compact %binaries in the context of the scalar-tensor
theory of Jordan, Fierz, Brans and Dicke, focussing on the effect on the
inspiral of energy lost to dipole gravitational radiation, whose source is the
gravitational self-binding energy of the inspiralling bodies. Using a
matched-filter analysis we obtain a bound on the coupling constant of Brans-Dicke theory. For a neutron-star/black-hole binary, we find that
the bound could exceed the current bound of from
solar-system experiments, for sufficiently low-mass systems. For a neutron star and a black hole we find that a bound
is achievable. The bound decreases with
increasing black-hole mass. For binaries consisting of two neutron stars, the
bound is less than 500 unless the stars' masses differ by more than about . For two black holes, the behavior of the inspiralling binary is
observationally indistinguishable from its behavior in general relativity.
These bounds assume reasonable neutron-star equations of state and a detector
signal-to-noise ratio of 10.Comment: 10 pages, (3 figures upon request), WUGRAV-94-
Form Factors from QCD Light-Cone Sum Rules
We derive new QCD sum rules for and form factors. The
underlying correlation functions are expanded near the light-cone in terms of
-meson distribution amplitudes defined in HQET, whereas the -quark mass
is kept finite. The leading-order contributions of two- and three-particle
distribution amplitudes are taken into account. From the resulting light-cone
sum rules we calculate all B\to \Dst form factors in the region of small
momentum transfer (maximal recoil). In the infinite heavy-quark mass limit the
sum rules reduce to a single expression for the Isgur-Wise function. We compare
our predictions with the form factors extracted from experimental B\to \Dst l
\nu_l decay rates fitted to dispersive parameterizations.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures; one reference, one figure and several comments
added; version to appear in European Physical Journal
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