2,011 research outputs found
Categories of insight and their correlates: An exploration of relationships among classic-type insight problems, rebus puzzles, remote associates and esoteric analogies.
A central question in creativity concerns how insightful ideas emerge. Anecdotal examples of insightful scientific and technical discoveries include Goodyear's discovery of the vulcanization of rubber, and Mendeleev's realization that there may be gaps as he tried to arrange the elements into the Periodic Table. Although most people would regard these discoveries as insightful, cognitive psychologists have had difficulty in agreeing on whether such ideas resulted from insights or from conventional problem solving processes. One area of wide agreement among psychologists is that insight involves a process of restructuring. If this view is correct, then understanding insight and its role in problem solving will depend on a better understanding of restructuring and the characteristics that describe it.
This article proposes and tests a preliminary classification of insight problems based on several restructuring characteristics: the need to redefine spatial assumptions, the need to change defined forms, the degree of misdirection involved, the difficulty in visualizing a possible solution, the number of restructuring sequences in the problem, and the requirement for figure-ground type reversals. A second purpose of the study was to compare performance on classic spatial insight problems with two types of verbal tests that may be related to insight, the Remote Associates Test (RAT), and rebus puzzles. In doing so, we report on the results of a survey of 172 business students at the University of Waikato in New Zealand who completed classic-type insight, RAT and rebus problems
Spectroscopy on two coupled flux qubits
We have performed spectroscopy measurements on two coupled flux qubits. The
qubits are coupled inductively, which results in a
interaction. By applying microwave radiation, we observe resonances due to
transitions from the ground state to the first two excited states. From the
position of these resonances as a function of the magnetic field applied we
observe the coupling of the qubits. The coupling strength agrees well with
calculations of the mutual inductance
Gaussian noise and time-reversal symmetry in non-equilibrium Langevin models
We show that in driven systems the Gaussian nature of the fluctuating force
and time-reversibility are equivalent properties. This result together with the
potential condition of the external force drastically restricts the form of the
probability distribution function, which can be shown to satisfy
time-independent relations. We have corroborated this feature by explicitly
analyzing a model for the stretching of a polymer and a model for a suspension
of non-interacting Brownian particles in steady flow.Comment: 6 pages, submitted to PR
Evaluation of radiography as a screening method for detection and characterisation of congenital vertebral malformations in dogs
Congenital vertebral malformations (CVM) are common in brachycephalic ‘screw-tailed’ dogs; they can be associated with neurological deficits and a genetic predisposition has been suggested. The purpose of this study was to evaluate radiography as a screening method for congenital thoracic vertebral malformations in brachycephalic ‘screw-tailed’ dogs by comparing it with CT. Forty-nine dogs that had both radiographic and CT evaluations of the thoracic vertebral column were included. Three observers retrospectively reviewed the images independently to detect CVMs. When identified, they were classified according to a previously published radiographic classification scheme. A CT consensus was then reached. All observers identified significantly more affected vertebrae when evaluating orthogonal radiographic views compared with lateral views alone; and more affected vertebrae with the CT consensus compared with orthogonal radiographic views. Given the high number of CVMs per dog, the number of dogs classified as being CVM free was not significantly different between CT and radiography. Significantly more midline closure defects were also identified with CT compared with radiography. Malformations classified as symmetrical or ventral hypoplasias on radiography were frequently classified as ventral and medial aplasias on CT images. Our results support that CT is better than radiography for the classification of CVMs and this will be important when further evidence of which are the most clinically relevant CVMs is identified. These findings are of particular importance for designing screening schemes of CVMs that could help selective breeding programmes based on phenotype and future studies
Berry phase, topology, and diabolicity in quantum nano-magnets
A topological theory of the diabolical points (degeneracies) of quantum
magnets is presented. Diabolical points are characterized by their diabolicity
index, for which topological sum rules are derived. The paradox of the the
missing diabolical points for Fe8 molecular magnets is clarified. A new method
is also developed to provide a simple interpretation, in terms of destructive
interferences due to the Berry phase, of the complete set of diabolical points
found in biaxial systems such as Fe8.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Relationship between brachycephalic airway syndrome and gastrointestinal signs in three breeds of dog
Objectives: To assess the breed-specific prevalence of, and effects of corrective airway surgery on, gastrointestinal signs in French bulldogs, English bulldogs and pugs presenting with brachycephalic airway syndrome to a referral teaching hospital.
Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, ptyalism, regurgitation and vomiting were graded at presentation using a previously established scoring system. Staphylectomy and nares resection were performed on all dogs. Gastrointestinal signs were re-assessed via telephone follow-up at least 6 weeks after surgery.
Results: Ninety-eight dogs were included: French bulldogs (n=43), English bulldogs (n=12) and pugs (n=43). Overall population prevalence of all gastrointestinal signs was 56%. Breed-specific prevalence for French bulldogs was 93%, English bulldogs 58% and pugs 16%. There was post-surgical clinical improvement in gastrointestinal signs for the whole study population, especially in French bulldogs.
Clinical Significance: The prevalence of gastrointestinal signs in dogs presenting with brachycephalic airway syndrome and improvement in these clinical signs following corrective surgery may vary between breeds
Mapping the Wigner distribution function of the Morse oscillator into a semi-classical distribution function
The mapping of the Wigner distribution function (WDF) for a given bound-state
onto a semiclassical distribution function (SDF) satisfying the Liouville
equation introduced previously by us is applied to the ground state of the
Morse oscillator. Here we give results showing that the SDF gets closer to the
corresponding WDF as the number of levels of the Morse oscillator increases. We
find that for a Morse oscillator with one level only, the agreement between the
WDF and the mapped SDF is very poor but for a Morse oscillator of ten levels it
becomes satisfactory.Comment: Revtex, 27 pages including 13 eps figure
Molecular formations in ultracold mixtures of interacting and noninteracting atomic gases
Atom-molecule equilibrium for molecular formation processes is discussed for
boson-fermion, fermion-fermion, and boson-boson mixtures of ultracold atomic
gases in the framework of quasichemical equilibrium theory. After presentation
of the general formulation, zero-temperature phase diagrams of the
atom-molecule equilibrium states are calculated analytically; molecular, mixed,
and dissociated phases are shown to appear for the change of the binding energy
of the molecules. The temperature dependences of the atom or molecule densities
are calculated numerically, and finite-temperature phase structures are
obtained of the atom-molecule equilibrium in the mixtures. The transition
temperatures of the atom or molecule Bose-Einstein condensations are also
evaluated from these results. Quantum-statistical deviations of the law of mass
action in atom-molecule equilibrium, which should be satisfied in mixtures of
classical Maxwell-Boltzmann gases, are calculated, and the difference in the
different types of quantum-statistical effects is clarified. Mean-field
calculations with interparticle interactions (atom-atom, atom-molecule, and
molecule-molecule) are formulated, where interaction effects are found to give
the linear density-dependent term in the effective molecular binding energies.
This method is applied to calculations of zero-temperature phase diagrams,
where new phases with coexisting local-equilibrium states are shown to appear
in the case of strongly repulsive interactions.Comment: 35 pages, 14 figure
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