163 research outputs found
Were they really laughed at? That much? Gelotophobes and their history of perceived derisibility
The List of Derisible Situations (LDS; Proyer, Hempelmann and Ruch, List of Derisible Situations (LDS), University of Zurich, 2008) consists of 102 different occasions for being laughed at. They were retrieved in a corpus study and compiled into the LDS. Based on this list, information on the frequency and the intensity with which people recall being laughed at during a given time-span (12 months in this study) can be collected. An empirical study (N = 114) examined the relations between the LDS and the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia), the joy of being laughed at (gelotophilia), and the joy of laughing at others (katagelasticism; Ruch and Proyer this issue). More than 92% of the participants recalled having been laughed at at least once over the past 12 months. Highest scores were found for experiencing an embarrassing situation, chauvinism of others or being laughed at for doing something awkward or clumsy. Gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism were related about equally to the recalled frequency of events of being laughed at (with the lowest relation to katagelasticism). Gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism yielded a distinct and plausible pattern of correlations to the frequency of events of being laughed at. Gelotophobes recalled the situations of being laughed at with a higher intensity than others. Thus, the fear of being laughed at exists to a large degree independently from actual experiences of being laughed at, but is related to a higher intensity with which these events are experience
PROJECTS BASED ON THE WEB PROCESSING SERVICE FRAMEWORK BIRDHOUSE
Birdhouse is a collaborative project open for the community to participate. It is a software framework containing a collection of Web Processing Services (WPS). The deployed algorithms are focusing on Earth Systems and environmental data processing with the philosophy of streamlining the software development and deployment. By supporting climate, earth observation and biodiversity data and processes, Birdhouse can be used in a wide array of Earth sciences projects and workflows. The core benefit of this project is to allow the seamless use of climate services developed by a diverse network of national meteorological offices, regional climate service providers, academics, not-for-profit research centers and private industry. As governments move toward open-data policies, there will be a need for analytical services that extract value out of the deluge of information. Using an interoperable software architecture, institutions can provide both data and services allowing users to process the data remotely from a laptop, instead of having to acquire and maintain large storage infrastructures
The Active Corona of HD 35850 (F8 V)
We present Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer spectroscopy and photometry of the
nearby F8 V star HD 35850 (HR 1817). The EUVE spectra reveal 28 emission lines
from Fe IX and Fe XV to Fe XXIV. The Fe XXI 102, 129 A ratio yields an upper
limit for the coronal electron density, log n < 11.6 per cc. The EUVE SW
spectrum shows a small but clearly detectable continuum. The line-to-continuum
ratio indicates approximately solar Fe abundances, 0.8 < Z < 1.6. The resulting
emission-measure distribution is characterized by two temperature components at
log T of 6.8 and 7.4. The EUVE spectra have been compared with non-simultaneous
ASCA SIS spectra of HD 35850. The SIS spectrum shows the same temperature
distribution as the EUVE DEM analysis. However, the SIS spectral firs suggest
sub-solar abundances, 0.34 < Z < 0.81. Although some of the discrepancy may be
the result of incomplete X-ray line lists, we cannot explain the disagreement
between the EUVE line-to-continuum ratio and the ASCA-derived Fe abundance.
Given its youth (t ~ 100 Myr), its rapid rotation (v sin i ~ 50 km/s), and its
high X-ray activity (Lx ~ 1.5E+30 ergs/s), HD 35850 may represent an activity
extremum for single, main-sequence F-type stars. The variability and EM
distribution can be reconstructed using the continuous flaring model of Guedel
provided that the flare distribution has a power-law index of 1.8. Similar
results obtained for other young solar analogs suggest that continuous flaring
is a viable coronal heating mechanism on rapidly rotating, late-type,
main-sequence stars.Comment: 32 pages incl. 14 figures and 3 tables. To appear in the 1999 April
10 issue of The Astrophysical Journa
Brown Dwarf Companions to G-type Stars. I: Gliese 417B and Gliese 584C
We present astrometric and spectroscopic observations confirming that two
nearby G dwarf systems (Gliese 417 = BD+36 2162 and Gliese 584AB = eta CrB AB)
have a widely separated, L dwarf, substellar companion. Using age estimates of
the G dwarf primaries, we estimate masses for these L dwarfs from theoretical
evolutionary tracks. For the L4.5 dwarf Gl 417B we estimate an age of 0.08-0.3
Gyr and a mass of 0.035+/-0.015 M_sun. For the L8 dwarf Gl 584C we estimate an
age of 1.0-2.5 Gyr and a mass of 0.060+/-0.015 M_sun. This latter object also
shows evidence of spectrum variability, which may be due to surface
inhomogeneities rotating into and out of view. These new companions are also
compared to six other L dwarf and T dwarf companions previously recognized. For
the L dwarf companions, ages implied by the presence or absence of lithium are
consistent with ages inferred from the primaries alone.Comment: 37 pages plus 9 tables, accepted for the June 2001 issue of A
Phase locking the spin precession in a storage ring
This letter reports the successful use of feedback from a spin polarization
measurement to the revolution frequency of a 0.97 GeV/ bunched and polarized
deuteron beam in the Cooler Synchrotron (COSY) storage ring in order to control
both the precession rate ( kHz) and the phase of the horizontal
polarization component. Real time synchronization with a radio frequency (rf)
solenoid made possible the rotation of the polarization out of the horizontal
plane, yielding a demonstration of the feedback method to manipulate the
polarization. In particular, the rotation rate shows a sinusoidal function of
the horizontal polarization phase (relative to the rf solenoid), which was
controlled to within a one standard deviation range of rad. The
minimum possible adjustment was 3.7 mHz out of a revolution frequency of 753
kHz, which changes the precession rate by 26 mrad/s. Such a capability meets a
requirement for the use of storage rings to look for an intrinsic electric
dipole moment of charged particles
The effect of compressive strain on the Raman modes of the dry and hydrated BaCe0.8Y0.2O3 proton conductor
The BaCe0.8Y0.2O3-{\delta} proton conductor under hydration and under
compressive strain has been analyzed with high pressure Raman spectroscopy and
high pressure x-ray diffraction. The pressure dependent variation of the Ag and
B2g bending modes from the O-Ce-O unit is suppressed when the proton conductor
is hydrated, affecting directly the proton transfer by locally changing the
electron density of the oxygen ions. Compressive strain causes a hardening of
the Ce-O stretching bond. The activation barrier for proton conductivity is
raised, in line with recent findings using high pressure and high temperature
impedance spectroscopy. The increasing Raman frequency of the B1g and B3g modes
thus implies that the phonons become hardened and increase the vibration energy
in the a-c crystal plane upon compressive strain, whereas phonons are relaxed
in the b-axis, and thus reveal softening of the Ag and B2g modes. Lattice
toughening in the a-c crystal plane raises therefore a higher activation
barrier for proton transfer and thus anisotropic conductivity. The experimental
findings of the interaction of protons with the ceramic host lattice under
external strain may provide a general guideline for yet to develop epitaxial
strained proton conducting thin film systems with high proton mobility and low
activation energy
Vasomotion and Neurovascular Coupling in the Visual Thalamus In Vivo
Spontaneous contraction and relaxation of arteries (and in some instances venules) has been termed vasomotion and has been observed in an extensive variety of tissues and species. However, its functions and underlying mechanisms are still under discussion. We demonstrate that in vivo spectrophotometry, measured simultaneously with extracellular recordings at the same locations in the visual thalamus of the cat, reveals vasomotion, measured as an oscillation (0.14hz) in the recorded oxyhemoglobin (OxyHb) signal, which appears spontaneously in the microcirculation and can last for periods of hours. During some non-oscillatory periods, maintained sensory stimulation evokes vasomotion lasting ∼30s, resembling an adaptive vascular phenomenon. This oscillation in the oxyhaemoblobin signal is sensitive to pharmacological manipulation: it is inducible by chloralose anaesthesia and it can be temporarily blocked by systemic administration of adrenaline or acetylcholine (ACh). During these oscillatory periods, neurovascular coupling (i.e. the relationship between local neural activity and the rate of blood supply to that location) appears significantly altered. This raises important questions with regard to the interpretation of results from studies currently dependent upon a linear relationship between neural activity and blood flow, such as neuroimaging
The radii of the nearby K5V and K7V stars 61 Cyg A & B - CHARA/FLUOR interferometry and CESAM2k modeling
Context: The main sequence binary star 61 Cyg (K5V+K7V) is our nearest
stellar neighbour in the northern hemisphere. This proximity makes it a
particularly well suited system for very high accuracy interferometric radius
measurements. Aims: Our goal is to constrain the poorly known evolutionary
status and age of this bright binary star. Methods: We obtained high accuracy
interferometric observations in the infrared K' band, using the CHARA/FLUOR
instrument. We then computed evolutionary models of 61 Cyg A & B with the
CESAM2k code. As model constraints, we used a combination of observational
parameters from classical observation methods (photometry, spectroscopy) as
well as our new interferometric radii. Results: The measured limb darkened disk
angular diameters are theta_LD(A) = 1.775 +/- 0.013 mas and theta_LD(B) = 1.581
+/- 0.022 mas, respectively for 61 Cyg A and B. Considering the high accuracy
parallaxes available, these values translate into photospheric radii of R(A) =
0.665 +/- 0.005 Rsun and R(B) = 0.595 +/- 0.008 Rsun. The new radii constrain
efficiently the physical parameters adopted for the modeling of both stars,
allowing us to predict asteroseismic frequencies based on our best-fit models.
Conclusions: The CESAM2k evolutionary models indicate an age around 6 Gyrs and
are compatible with small values of the mixing length parameter. The
measurement of asteroseismic oscillation frequencies in 61 Cyg A & B would be
of great value to improve the modeling of this important fiducial stellar
system, in particular to better constrain the masses.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 8 page
Formation of the Food Vacuole in Plasmodium falciparum: A Potential Role for the 19 kDa Fragment of Merozoite Surface Protein 1 (MSP119)
Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein 1 (MSP1) is synthesized during schizogony as a 195-kDa precursor that is processed into four fragments on the parasite surface. Following a second proteolytic cleavage during merozoite invasion of the red blood cell, most of the protein is shed from the surface except for the C-terminal 19-kDa fragment (MSP119), which is still attached to the merozoite via its GPI-anchor. We have examined the fate of MSP119 during the parasite's subsequent intracellular development using immunochemical analysis of metabolically labeled MSP119, fluorescence imaging, and immuno-electronmicroscopy. Our data show that MSP119 remains intact and persists to the end of the intracellular cycle. This protein is the first marker for the biogenesis of the food vacuole; it is rapidly endocytosed into small vacuoles in the ring stage, which coalesce to form the single food vacuole containing hemozoin, and persists into the discarded residual body. The food vacuole is marked by the presence of both MSP119 and the chloroquine resistance transporter (CRT) as components of the vacuolar membrane. Newly synthesized MSP1 is excluded from the vacuole. This behavior indicates that MSP119 does not simply follow a classical lysosome-like clearance pathway, instead, it may play a significant role in the biogenesis and function of the food vacuole throughout the intra-erythrocytic phase
Evaluation of the HadGEM3-A simulations in view of detection and attribution of human influence on extreme events in Europe
A detailed analysis is carried out to assess the HadGEM3-A global atmospheric model skill in simulating extreme temperatures, precipitation and storm surges in Europe in the view of their attribution to human influence. The analysis is performed based on an ensemble of 15 atmospheric simulations forced with observed Sea Surface Temperature of the 54 year period 1960-2013. These simulations, together with dual simulations without human influence in the forcing, are intended to be used in weather and climate event attribution. The analysis investigates the main processes leading to extreme events, including atmospheric circulation patterns, their links with temperature extremes, land-atmosphere and troposphere-stratosphere interactions. It also compares observed and simulated variability, trends and generalized extreme value theory parameters for temperature and precipitation. One of the most striking findings is the ability of the model to capture North Atlantic atmospheric weather regimes as obtained from a cluster analysis of sea level pressure fields. The model also reproduces the main observed weather patterns responsible for temperature and precipitation extreme events. However, biases are found in many physical processes. Slightly excessive drying may be the cause of an overestimated summer interannual variability and too intense heat waves, especially in central/northern Europe. However, this does not seem to hinder proper simulation of summer temperature trends. Cold extremes appear well simulated, as well as the underlying blocking frequency and stratosphere-troposphere interactions. Extreme precipitation amounts are overestimated and too variable. The atmospheric conditions leading to storm surges were also examined in the Baltics region. There, simulated weather conditions appear not to be leading to strong enough storm surges, but winds were found in very good agreement with reanalyses. The performance in reproducing atmospheric weather patterns indicates that biases mainly originate from local and regional physical processes. This makes local bias adjustment meaningful for climate change attribution
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