The Very Efficient Assessment of Need for Cognition: Developing a Six-Item Version

The need for cognition refers to people’s tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking and has become influential across social and medical sciences. Using three samples from the United States and the United Kingdom (N = 1,596), we introduce a six-item short version of the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS-18). First, we reduced the number of items from 18 to 6 based on the items’ discrimination values, threshold levels, measurement precision (item information curve), item–total correlations, and factor loadings. Second, we confirmed the one-factor structure and established measurement invariance across countries and gender. Finally, we demonstrated that while the NCS-6 provides significant time savings, it comes at a minimal cost in terms of its construct validity with external variables such as openness, cognitive reflection test, and need for affect. Overall, our findings indicate that the NCS-6 is a parsimonious, reliable, and valid measure of need for cognition

Strong quantum memory at resonant Fermi edges revealed by shot noise

Studies of non-equilibrium current fluctuations enable assessing correlations involved in quantum transport through nanoscale conductors. They provide additional information to the mean current on charge statistics and the presence of coherence, dissipation, disorder, or entanglement. Shot noise, being a temporal integral of the current autocorrelation function, reveals dynamical information. In particular, it detects presence of non-Markovian dynamics, i.e., memory, within open systems, which has been subject of many current theoretical studies. We report on low-temperature shot noise measurements of electronic transport through InAs quantum dots in the Fermi-edge singularity regime and show that it exhibits strong memory effects caused by quantum correlations between the dot and fermionic reservoirs. Our work, apart from addressing noise in archetypical strongly correlated system of prime interest, discloses generic quantum dynamical mechanism occurring at interacting resonant Fermi edges.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Mean ergodic composition operators on generalized Fock spaces

[EN] Every bounded composition operator C psi defined by an analytic symbol psi on the complex plane when acting on generalized Fock spaces F phi p,1 <= p <=infinity and p=0, is power bounded. Mean ergodic and uniformly mean ergodic bounded composition operators on these spaces are characterized in terms of the symbol. The behaviour for p=0 and p=infinity differs. The set of periodic points of these operators is also determined.The research of the first author is supported by ISP project, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. The research of the third author was partially supported by the research projects MTM2016-76647-P and GV Prometeo 2017/102 (Spain).Seyoum, W.; Mengestie, T.; Bonet Solves, JA. (2019). Mean ergodic composition operators on generalized Fock spaces. Revista de la Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Serie A Matemáticas. 114(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13398-019-00738-wS1111141Albanese, A.A., Bonet, J., Ricker, W.J.: Mean ergodic operators in Fréchet spaces. Anal. Acad. Sci. Fenn. Math. 34, 401–436 (2009)Beltrán-Meneu, M.J., Gómez-Collado, M.C., Jordá, E., Jornet, D.: Mean ergodic composition operators on Banach spaces of holomorphic functions. J. Funct. Anal. 270, 4369–4385 (2016)Bierstedt, K.D., Summers, W.H.: Biduals of weighted Banach spaces of analytic functions. J. Austr. Math. Soc. Ser. A 54, 70–79 (1993)Blasco, O.: Boundedness of Volterra operators on spaces of entire functions. Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn. Math. 43, 89–107 (2018)Bonet, J., Domański, P.: A note on mean ergodic composition operators on spaces of holomorphic functions. Rev. R. Acad. Cienc. Exactas Fís. Nat. Ser. A Mat. RACSAM 105, 389–396 (2011)Bonet, J., Mangino, E.: Associated weights for spaces of $$p$$-integrable entire functions. Quaestiones Math. (2019). https://doi.org/10.2989/16073606.2019.1605420Bonet, J., Ricker, W.J.: Mean ergodicity of multiplication operators in weighted spaces of holomorphic functions. Arch. Math. 92, 428–437 (2009)Carswell, B.J., MacCluer, B.D., Schuster, A.: Composition operators on the Fock space. Acta Sci. Math. (Szeged) 69, 871–887 (2003)Constantin, O., Peláez, J.Á.: Integral operators, embedding theorems and a Littlewood-Paley formula on weighted Fock spaces. J. Geom. Anal. 26, 1109–1154 (2015)Cowen, C., MacCluer, B.: Composition Operators on Spaces of Analytic Functions. CRC Press, Boca Raton (1995)Dunford, N.: Spectral theory I convergence to projections. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 54, 185–217 (1943)Guo, K., Izuchi, K.: Composition operators on Fock type space. Acta Sci. Math. (Szeged) 74, 807–828 (2008)Krengel, U.: Ergodic Theorems. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin (1985)Lotz, H.P.: Tauberian theorems for operators on $$L^1$$ and similar spaces. In: Bierstedt, K.D., Fuchssteiner, B. (eds.) Functional Analysis: Surveys and Recent Results III, pp. 117–133. North Holland, Amsterdam (1984)Lotz, H.P.: Uniform convergence of operators on $$L^{\infty }$$ and similar spaces. Math. Z. 190, 207–220 (1985)Lusky, W.: On the isomophism classes of weighted spaces of harmonic and holomorphic functions. Studia Math. 175, 19–45 (2006)Mengestie, T., Ueki, S.: Integral, differential and multiplication operators on weighted Fock spaces. Complex Anal. Oper. Theory. 13, 935–958 (2019)Mengestie, T., Seyoum, W.: Topological and dynamical properties of composition operators. Complex Anal. Oper. Theory (2018) (to appear)Mengestie, T., Seyoum, W.: Spectral properties of composition operators on Fock-Type spaces. Quaest. Math. (2019). https://doi.org/10.2989/16073606.2019.1692092Shapiro, J.H.: Composition Operators and Classical Function Theory. Springer, New York (1993)Wolf, E.: Power bounded composition operator. Comp. Method Funct. Theory 12, 105–117 (2012)Yosida, K.: Functional Analysis. Springer, Berlin (1978)Yosida, K., Kakutani, S.: Operator-theoretical treatment of Markoff’s Process and Mean Ergodic Theorem. Ann. Math. 42, 188–228 (1941

Do Left-Wingers Discriminate? A Cross-Country Study on the Links Between Political Orientation, Values, Moral Foundations, and the Covid-19 Passport

To increase Covid-19 vaccine uptake and protect vulnerable people, many countries have introduced a Covid-19 passport in 2021, allowing vaccinated individuals to access indoor facilities more freely and travel to foreign countries. However, the passport has had unintended consequences as it discriminates against those who do not want to get vaccinated for medical, religious, or political reasons, or those who do not have access to vaccines. The present study (N = 678) assessed across Brazil, UK, USA, and a group of other countries, the links between political orientation, human values, and moral foundations, and attitudes towards the Covid-19 passport and whether people perceive it as a discriminatory measure. Results showed that left-wingers, typically more inclined to recognize discrimination, favor the passport more and perceive it as less discriminatory than right-wingers. This pattern remains consistent even after controlling for human values and moral foundations, independently predicting attitudes towards the passport. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into a context in which left-wingers support measures that involuntarily discriminate against certain groups

Behavioural syndrome in a solitary predator is independent of body size and growth rate.

Models explaining behavioural syndromes often focus on state-dependency, linking behavioural variation to individual differences in other phenotypic features. Empirical studies are, however, rare. Here, we tested for a size and growth-dependent stable behavioural syndrome in the juvenile-stages of a solitary apex predator (pike, Esox lucius), shown as repeatable foraging behaviour across risk. Pike swimming activity, latency to prey attack, number of successful and unsuccessful prey attacks was measured during the presence/absence of visual contact with a competitor or predator. Foraging behaviour across risks was considered an appropriate indicator of boldness in this solitary predator where a trade-off between foraging behaviour and threat avoidance has been reported. Support was found for a behavioural syndrome, where the rank order differences in the foraging behaviour between individuals were maintained across time and risk situation. However, individual behaviour was independent of body size and growth in conditions of high food availability, showing no evidence to support the state-dependent personality hypothesis. The importance of a combination of spatial and temporal environmental variation for generating growth differences is highlighted

Feasibility of preoperative planning using anatomical facsimile models for mandibular reconstruction

BACKGROUND: Functional and aesthetic mandibular reconstruction after ablative tumor surgery continues to be a challenge even after the introduction of microvascular bone transfer. Complex microvascular reconstruction of the resection site requires accurate preoperative planning. In the recent past, bone graft and fixation plates had to be reshaped during the operation by trial and error, often a time-consuming procedure. This paper outlines the possibilities and advantages of the clinical application of anatomical facsimile models in the preoperative planning of complex mandibular reconstructions after tumor resections. METHODS: From 2003 to 2005, in the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery of the University of Udine, a protocol was applied with the preoperative realization of stereolithographic models for all the patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction with microvascular flaps. 24 stereolithographic models were realized prior to surgery before emimandibulectomy or segmental mandibulectomy. The titanium plates to be used for fixation were chosen and bent on the model preoperatively. The geometrical information of the virtual mandibular resections and of the stereolithographic models were used to choose the ideal flap and to contour the flap into an ideal neomandible when it was still pedicled before harvesting. RESULTS: Good functional and aesthetic results were achieved. The surgical time was decreased on average by about 1.5 hours compared to the same surgical kind of procedures performed, in the same institution by the same surgical team, without the aforesaid protocol of planning. CONCLUSION: Producing virtual and stereolithographic models, and using them for preoperative planning substantially reduces operative time and difficulty of the operation during microvascular reconstruction of the mandible

Duration of hospital participation in a nationwide stroke registry is associated with improved quality of care

BACKGROUND: There are several proven therapies for patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), including prophylaxis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and initiation of antithrombotic medications within 48 h and at discharge. Stroke registries have been promoted as a means of increasing use of such interventions, which are currently underutilized. METHODS: From 1999 through 2003, 86 U.S. hospitals participated in Ethos, a voluntary web-based acute stroke treatment registry. Detailed data were collected on all patients admitted with a diagnosis of TIA or ischemic stroke. Rates of optimal treatment (defined as either receipt or a valid contraindication) were examined within each hospital as a function of its length of time in registry. Generalized estimating equations were used to adjust for patient and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 16,301 patients were discharged with a diagnosis of stroke or TIA from 50 hospitals that participated for more than 1 year. Rates of optimal treatment during the first 3 months of participation were as follows: 92.5% for antithrombotic medication within 48 h, 84.6% for antithrombotic medications at discharge, and 77.1% for DVT prophylaxis. Rates for all treatments improved with duration of participation in the registry (p < 0.05), with the most dramatic improvements in the first year. CONCLUSION: In a large cohort of patients with stroke or TIA, three targeted quality-improvement measures improved among hospitals participating in a disease-specific registry. Although the changes could be attributed to interventions other than the registry, these findings demonstrate the potential for hospital-level interventions to improve care for patients with stroke and TIA

An integrated MR/PET system: prospective applications

Radiology is strongly depending on medical imaging technology and consequently directing technological progress. A novel technology can only be established, however, if improved diagnostic accuracy influence on therapeutic management and/or overall reduced cost can be evidenced. It has been demonstrated recently that Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) can technologically be integrated into one single hybrid system. Some scientific arguments on the benefits are obvious, e.g., that simultaneous imaging of morphological and functional information will improve tissue characterization. However, crossfire of questions still remains: What unmet radiological needs are addressed by the novel system? What level of hardware integration is reasonable, or would software-based image co-registration be sufficient? Will MR/PET achieve higher diagnostic accuracy compared to separate imaging? What is the added value compared to other hybrid imaging modalities like PET/CT? And finally, is the system economically reasonable and has the potential to reduce overall costs for therapy planning and monitoring? This article tries to highlight some perspectives of applying an integrated MR/PET system for simultaneous morphologic and functional imaging

Hadronic Mass Moments in Inclusive Semileptonic B Meson Decays

We have measured the first and second moments of the hadronic mass-squared distribution in B -> X_c l nu, for P(lepton) > 1.5 GeV/c. We find <M_X^2 - M_D[Bar]^2> = 0.251 +- 0.066 GeV^2, )^2 > = 0.576 +- 0.170 GeV^4, where M_D[Bar] is the spin-averaged D meson mass. From that first moment and the first moment of the photon energy spectrum in b -> s gamma, we find the HQET parameter lambda_1 (MS[Bar], to order 1/M^3 and beta_0 alpha_s^2) to be -0.24 +- 0.11 GeV^2. Using these first moments and the B semileptonic width, and assuming parton-hadron duality, we obtain |V_cb| = 0.0404 +- 0.0013.Comment: 11 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR

Observation of the Ωc0\Omega_{c}^{0} Charmed Baryon at CLEO

The CLEO experiment at the CESR collider has used 13.7 fb$^{-1}$ of data to search for the production of the $\Omega_c^0$ (css-ground state) in $e^{+}e^{-}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} \simeq 10.6$ {\rm GeV}. The modes used to study the $\Omega_c^0$ are $\Omega^- \pi^+$, $\Omega^- \pi^+ \pi^0$, $\Xi^- K^- pi^+ \pi^+$, $\Xi^0 K^- pi^+$, and $\Omega^- \pi^+ \pi^- \pi^+$. We observe a signal of 40.4$\pm$9.0(stat) events at a mass of 2694.6$\pm$2.6(stat)$\pm$1.9(syst) {\rm MeV/$c^2$}, for all modes combined.Comment: 10 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN