12,913 research outputs found
Vigorous atmospheric motion in the red supergiant star Antares
Red supergiant stars represent a late stage of the evolution of stars more
massive than about nine solar masses, in which they develop complex,
multi-component atmospheres. Bright spots have been detected in the atmosphere
of red supergiants using interferometric imaging. Above the photosphere of a
red supergiant, the molecular outer atmosphere extends up to about two stellar
radii. Furthermore, the hot chromosphere (5,000 to 8,000 kelvin) and cool gas
(less than 3,500 kelvin) of a red supergiant coexist at about three stellar
radii. The dynamics of such complex atmospheres has been probed by ultraviolet
and optical spectroscopy. The most direct approach, however, is to measure the
velocity of gas at each position over the image of stars as in observations of
the Sun. Here we report the mapping of the velocity field over the surface and
atmosphere of the nearby red supergiant Antares. The two-dimensional velocity
field map obtained from our near-infrared spectro-interferometric imaging
reveals vigorous upwelling and downdrafting motions of several huge gas clumps
at velocities ranging from about -20 to +20 kilometres per second in the
atmosphere, which extends out to about 1.7 stellar radii. Convection alone
cannot explain the observed turbulent motions and atmospheric extension,
suggesting that an unidentified process is operating in the extended
atmosphere.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, published in Natur
From extinction learning to anxiety treatment: mind the gap
Laboratory models of extinction learning in animals and humans have the potential to illuminate methods for improving clinical treatment of fear-based clinical disorders. However, such translational research often neglects important differences between threat responses in animals and fear learning in humans, particularly as it relates to the treatment of clinical disorders. Specifically, the conscious experience of fear and anxiety, along with the capacity to deliberately engage top-down cognitive processes to modulate that experience, involves distinct brain circuitry and is measured and manipulated using different methods than typically used in laboratory research. This paper will identify how translational research that investigates methods of enhancing extinction learning can more effectively model such elements of human fear learning, and how doing so will enhance the relevance of this research to the treatment of fear-based psychological disorders.Published versio
The intravenous glucose tolerance test and the behaviour of the free fatty acids in the detection of latent diabetes mellitus
Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ): scale development and psychometric characteristics
Despite the popularity of emotion regulation in the contemporary literature, research has almost exclusively focused on only intrapersonal processes, whereas much less attention has been placed in interpersonal emotion regulation processes. In order to encourage research on interpersonal emotion regulation, we present a series of 4 studies to develop the Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ). The final scale consists of 20 items with 4 factors containing 5 items each. The 4 factors are: Enhancing Positive Affect; Perspective Taking; Soothing; and Social Modeling. The scale shows excellent psychometric characteristics. Implications for future research are discussed.R01 MH078308 - NIMH NIH HHS; R34 MH086668 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 AT007257 - NCCIH NIH HHS; R21 MH101567 - NIMH NIH HHS; R34 MH099311 - NIMH NIH HHS; R21 MH102646 - NIMH NIH HHS; K23 MH100259 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH099021 - NIMH NIH HH
Evidence for bipolar jets in late stages of AGB winds
Bipolar expansion at various stages of evolution has been recently observed
in a number of AGB stars. The expansion is driven by bipolar jets that emerge
late in the evolution of AGB winds. The wind traps the jets, resulting in an
expanding, elongated cocoon. Eventually the jets break-out from the confining
spherical wind, as recently observed in W43A. This source displays the most
advanced evolutionary stage of jets in AGB winds. The earliest example is
IRC+10011, where the asymmetry is revealed in high-resolution near-IR imaging.
In this source the jets turned on only ~200 years ago, while the spherical wind
is ~4000 years old.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in "Asymmetrical Planetary Nebulae III" editors M.
Meixner, J. Kastner, N. Soker, & B. Balick (ASP Conf. Series
Effect of Hatha yoga on anxiety: a meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: Some evidence suggests that Hatha yoga might be an effective practice to reduce anxiety. To examine the effect of Hatha yoga on anxiety, we conducted a meta-analysis of relevant studies extracted from PubMed, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and manual searches. METHODS: The search identified 17 studies (11 waitlist controlled trials) totaling 501 participants who received Hatha yoga and who reported their levels of anxiety before and after the practice. We estimated the controlled and within-group random effects of the practice on anxiety. RESULTS: The pre-post within-group and controlled effect sizes were, Hedges' g = 0.44 and Hedges' g = 0.61, respectively. Treatment efficacy was positively associated with the total number of hours practiced. People with elevated levels of anxiety benefitted the most. Effect sizes were not moderated by study year, gender, presence of a medical disorder, or age. Although the quality of the studies was relatively low, the risk of study bias did not moderate the effect. CONCLUSIONS: Hatha yoga is a promising method for treating anxiety. However, more well-controlled studies are needed to compare the efficacy of Hatha yoga with other more established treatments and to understand its mechanism. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.R01 AT007257 - NCCIH NIH HH
Complex joint probabilities as expressions of determinism in quantum mechanics
The density operator of a quantum state can be represented as a complex joint
probability of any two observables whose eigenstates have non-zero mutual
overlap. Transformations to a new basis set are then expressed in terms of
complex conditional probabilities that describe the fundamental relation
between precise statements about the three different observables. Since such
transformations merely change the representation of the quantum state, these
conditional probabilities provide a state-independent definition of the
deterministic relation between the outcomes of different quantum measurements.
In this paper, it is shown how classical reality emerges as an approximation to
the fundamental laws of quantum determinism expressed by complex conditional
probabilities. The quantum mechanical origin of phase spaces and trajectories
is identified and implications for the interpretation of quantum measurements
are considered. It is argued that the transformation laws of quantum
determinism provide a fundamental description of the measurement dependence of
empirical reality.Comment: 12 pages, including 1 figure, updated introduction includes
references to the historical background of complex joint probabilities and to
related work by Lars M. Johanse
Effect of treatments for depression on quality of life: a meta-analysis
Published in final edited form as: Cogn Behav Ther. 2017 June; 46(4): 265–286. doi:10.1080/16506073.2017.1304445.Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the two first-line treatments for depression, but little is known about their effects on quality of life (QOL). A meta-analysis was conducted to examine changes in QOL in adults with major depressive disorder who received CBT (24 studies examining 1969 patients) or SSRI treatment (13 studies examining 4286 patients) for their depression. Moderate improvements in QOL from pre to post-treatment were observed in both CBT (Hedges' g = .63) and SSRI (Hedges' g = .79) treatments. The effect size remained stable over the course of the follow-up period for CBT. No data were available to examine follow-ups in the SSRI group. QOL effect sizes decreased linearly with publication year, and greater improvements in depression were significantly associated with greater improvements in QOL for CBT, but not for SSRIs. CBT and SSRIs for depression were both associated with moderate improvements in QOL, but are possibly caused by different mechanisms.This work was supported in part from NIH/NCCIH [grant number R01AT007257], NIH/NIMH [grant numbers R01MH099021; R34MH099311; R34MH086668; R21MH102646; R21MH101567; K23MH100259]. (R01AT007257 - NIH/NCCIH; R01MH099021 - NIH/NIMH; R34MH099311 - NIH/NIMH; R34MH086668 - NIH/NIMH; R21MH102646 - NIH/NIMH; R21MH101567 - NIH/NIMH; K23MH100259 - NIH/NIMH
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