21,265 research outputs found
Emotion-related musical variables affect person perception: Differential effects for men and women in a synchronization task
This study investigated person perception in respect of variables associated with affect in music (tempo and mode) following motor synchronization to music. Participants (n=128, 50% female) were tested in a task involving stepping with a researcher to the beat of slow or fast music in major or minor mode, following which measures concerning the synchronised partner were collected (incidental memory, likeability of, similarity to and prosocial attitude towards). Significant effects were found only for the 'likeability’ measure, modulated by gender, suggesting that variables associated with affect perception in music, such as mode and tempo appear relevant for person perception in a synchronization task in ways that differ for men and women. The results of this 'proof of concept' study indicate the need for further research on the effect of motor synchronization based on ecologically valid musical interaction tasks
Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair in the elderly: A prospective control study
Inguinal hernia (IH) repair can be obtained with both open and laparoscopic techniques, which are usually performed using a transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) or a totally extraperitoneal (TEP) approach. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the results of laparoscopic TEP IH repair in the elderly ( 6565 years old) are different with respect to results obtained in younger patients. One hundred and four consecutive patients (four women and 100 men, median age of 57 years, range=21-85 years) with unilateral (N=21, 20.2%) or bilateral (N=83, 79.8%) IH were prospectively enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age: group A (N=68, 65.4%) aged <65 years and group B (N=36, 34.6%) aged 6565 years. The mean operative time was not significantly different between groups (48\ub120 vs. 52\ub120 min, p=0.33). One case of increased PaCO2 was observed in each group (p=0.72) and two and one case of pneumoperitoneum (p=0.57) in groups A and B, respectively. Two (1.9%) patients (one in each group; p=0.55) required TEP conversion. Mild postoperative complications developed in four patients of each group (p=0.44). After one-year follow-up, three (2.9%) recurrences occurred (group 1=1, group 2=2, p=0.55), both in patients who had undergone direct IH repair. The overall postoperative relative risk of complications related to age was 1.08 (95% confidence interval=0.91-1.27, p=0.53). In conclusion, our results suggest that in patients with IH scheduled for TEP repair, age does not represent a contraindication to surgery in terms of complication rate and postoperative results
The Lorentzian distance formula in noncommutative geometry
For almost twenty years, a search for a Lorentzian version of the well-known
Connes' distance formula has been undertaken. Several authors have contributed
to this search, providing important milestones, and the time has now come to
put those elements together in order to get a valid and functional formula.
This paper presents a historical review of the construction and the proof of a
Lorentzian distance formula suitable for noncommutative geometry.Comment: 16 pages, final form, few references adde
Exploring cloudy gas accretion as a source of interstellar turbulence in the outskirts of disks
High--resolution 2D--MHD numerical simulations have been carried out to
investigate the effects of continuing infall of clumpy gas in extended HI
galactic disks. Given a certain accretion rate, the response of the disk
depends on its surface gas density and temperature. For Galactic conditions at
a galactocentric distance of ~20 kpc, and for mass accretion rates consistent
with current empirical and theoretical determinations in the Milky Way, the
rain of compact high velocity clouds onto the disk can maintain transonic
turbulent motions in the warm phase (~2500 K) of HI. Hence, the HI line width
is expected to be ~6.5 km/s for a gas layer at 2500 K, if infall were the only
mechanism of driving turbulence. Some statistical properties of the resulting
forcing flow are shown in this Letter. The radial dependence of the gas
velocity dispersion is also discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Facilitating support groups for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders using audioconferencing: a longitudinal feasibility study
Background: Siblings of children with chronic illness and disabilities are at increased risk of negative psychological effects. Support groups enable them to access psycho-education and social support. Barriers to this can include the distance they have to travel to meet face-to-face. Audio-conferencing, whereby three or more people can connect by telephone in different locations, is an efficient means of groups meeting and warrants exploration in this healthcare context. This study explored the feasibility of audio-conferencing as a method of facilitating sibling support groups.
Methods: A longitudinal design was adopted. Participants were six siblings (aged eight to thirteen years) and parents of children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders attending the Centre for Interventional Paediatric Psychopharmacology (CIPP). Four of the eight one-hour weekly sessions were held face-to-face and the other four using audio-conferencing. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires and interviews were completed and three to six
month follow-up interviews were carried out. The sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematic analysis was undertaken.
Results: Audio-conferencing as a form of telemedicine was acceptable to all six participants and was effective in
facilitating sibling support groups. Audio-conferencing can overcome geographical barriers to children being able to receive group therapeutic healthcare interventions such as social support and psycho-education. Psychopathology ratings increased post-intervention in some participants. Siblings reported that communication between siblings and their family members increased and siblings’ social network widened.
Conclusions: Audio-conferencing is an acceptable, feasible and effective method of facilitating sibling support groups. Siblings’ clear accounts of neuropsychiatric symptoms render them reliable informants. Systematic assessment of siblings’ needs and strengthened links between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, school counsellors and young carers groups are warranted
Using Superconducting Qubit Circuits to Engineer Exotic Lattice Systems
We propose an architecture based on superconducting qubits and resonators for
the implementation of a variety of exotic lattice systems, such as spin and
Hubbard models in higher or fractal dimensions and higher-genus topologies.
Spin systems are realized naturally using qubits, while superconducting
resonators can be used for the realization of Bose-Hubbard models. Fundamental
requirements for these designs, such as controllable interactions between
arbitrary qubit pairs, have recently been implemented in the laboratory,
rendering our proposals feasible with current technology.Comment: 7 pages (two-column), 3 figure
p-wave Holographic Superconductors and five-dimensional gauged Supergravity
We explore five-dimensional and
SO(6) gauged supergravities as frameworks for condensed matter applications.
These theories contain charged (dilatonic) black holes and 2-forms which have
non-trivial quantum numbers with respect to U(1) subgroups of SO(6). A question
of interest is whether they also contain black holes with two-form hair with
the required asymptotic to give rise to holographic superconductivity. We first
consider the case, which contains a complex two-form potential
which has U(1) charge . We find that a slight
generalization, where the two-form potential has an arbitrary charge , leads
to a five-dimensional model that exhibits second-order superconducting
transitions of p-wave type where the role of order parameter is played by
, provided . We identify the operator that condenses
in the dual CFT, which is closely related to Super Yang-Mills
theory with chemical potentials. Similar phase transitions between R-charged
black holes and black holes with 2-form hair are found in a generalized version
of the gauged supergravity Lagrangian where the two-forms have
charge .Comment: 35 pages, 14 figure
First experimental realization of the Dirac oscillator
We present the first experimental microwave realization of the
one-dimensional Dirac oscillator, a paradigm in exactly solvable relativistic
systems. The experiment relies on a relation of the Dirac oscillator to a
corresponding tight-binding system. This tight-binding system is implemented as
a microwave system by a chain of coupled dielectric disks, where the coupling
is evanescent and can be adjusted appropriately. The resonances of the finite
microwave system yields the spectrum of the one-dimensional Dirac oscillator
with and without mass term. The flexibility of the experimental set-up allows
the implementation of other one-dimensional Dirac type equations.Comment: 6 figures, 5 page
- …