1,704 research outputs found
Vibration-induced granular segregation: a phenomenon driven by three mechanisms
The segregation of large spheres in a granular bed under vertical vibrations
is studied. In our experiments we systematically measure rise times as a
function of density, diameter and depth; for two different sinusoidal
excitations. The measurements reveal that: at low frequencies, inertia and
convection are the only mechanisms behind segregation. Inertia (convection)
dominates when the relative density is greater (less) than one. At high
frequencies, where convection is suppressed, fluidization of the granular bed
causes either buoyancy or sinkage and segregation occurs.Comment: 4 pages. 3 figures, revtex4, to appear in PRL (in press
Promoting Psychological Flexibility on Tolerance Tasks: Framing Behavior Through Deictic/Hierarchical Relations and Specifying Augmental Functions
Recent research is advancing in the analysis of the defusion and self-based exercises used in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) through relational frame theory (RFT) terms. This study aimed to analyze the effect of two RFT-defined defusion protocols in promoting psychological flexibility by altering the discriminative functions of avoidance of aversive private events. Thirty participants first responded to several questionnaires. Subsequently, participants were exposed to 2 experimental tasks (pretest): a cold pressor and an aversive film. Participants were then randomly assigned to 3 experimental conditions: (a) a control condition, (b) a defusion protocol based on framing one’s own behavior through deictic relations (Defusion I), and (c) a defusion protocol that also included hierarchical relations and giving regulatory functions to that discrimination (Defusion II). Finally, participants were again exposed to the 2 experimental tasks (posttest). Results showed that participants who received the defusion protocols performed better in the posttest than did the control participants, and that Defusion II participants showed higher tolerance than Defusion I participants
Seismology of beta Cephei stars: differentially-rotating models for interpreting the oscillation spectrum of nu-Eridani
A method for the asteroseismic analysis of beta Cephei stars is presented and
applied to the star nu Eridani. The method is based on the analysis of
rotational splittings, and their asymmetries using differentially-rotating
asteroseismic models. Models with masses around 7.13 M_sun, and ages around
14.9 Myr, were found to fit better 10 of the 14 observed frequencies, which
were identified as the fundamental radial mode and the three L=1 triplets g, p,
and p. The splittings and aymmetries found for these modes recover those
provided in the literature, except for p. For this last mode, all its
non-axysimmetric components are predicted by the models. Moreover, opposite
signs of the observed and predicted splitting asymmetries are found. If
identification is confirmed, this can be a very interesting source of
information about the internal rotation profile, in particular in the outer
regions of the star.
In general, the seismic models which include a description for shellular
rotation yield slightly better results as compared with those given by
uniformly-rotating models. Furthermore, we show that asymmetries are quite
dependent on the overshooting of the convective core, which make the present
technique suitable for testing the theories describing the angular momentum
redistribution and chemical mixing due to rotationally-induced turbulence.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 8 tables. ApJ (in press
Psychometric properties of the Valuing Questionnaire in a Spaniard sample and factorial equivalence with a Colombian sample
Background. The Valuing Questionnaire (VQ) is considered as one of the most psychometrically robust instruments to measure valued living according to the acceptance and commitment therapy model. It consists of 10 items that are responded to on a 7-point Likert-type scale and has two factors: Progression and Obstruction. The Spanish version of theVQshowed good psychometric properties in Colombian samples. However, there is no evidence of the psychometric properties of the VQ in Spaniard samples. This
study aims to analyze the validity of the VQ in a large Spaniard sample and analyze the measurement invariance with a similar Colombian sample.
Method. The VQ was administered to a Spaniard sample of 846 adult participants from general online population. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega were computed to analyze the internal consistency of the VQ. The fit of the VQ's two-factor model was tested through a confirmatory factor analysis with a robust maximum likelihood (MLR) estimation method. Afterward, we analyzed the measurement invariance across
countries and gender. Convergent construct validity was analyzed with a package of questionnaires that evaluated experiential avoidance (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, AAQ-II), emotional symptoms (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, DASS-21), life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale, SWLS), and cognitive fusion (Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, CFQ).
Results. The internal consistency across samples was adequate (alphas and omegas were .85 for VQ-Progress and .84 for VQ-Obstruction). The two-factor model obtained a good fit to the data (RMSEA D 0.073, 90% CI [0.063, 0.083], CFI D 0.98, NNFI D 0.97, and SRMR D 0.053). The VQ showed strict invariance across countries and gender and showed theoretically coherent correlations with emotional symptoms, life satisfaction, experiential avoidance, and cognitive fusion. In conclusion, the Spanish version of the
VQ demonstrated good psychometric properties in a large Spaniard sample
Milne-Eddington inversion of the Fe I line pair at 630~nm
The iron lines at 630.15 and 630.25 nm are often used to determine the
physical conditions of the solar photosphere. A common approach is to invert
them simultaneously under the Milne-Eddington approximation. The same
thermodynamic parameters are employed for the two lines, except for their
opacities, which are assumed to have a constant ratio. We aim at investigating
the validity of this assumption, since the two lines are not exactly the same.
We use magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the quiet Sun to examine the behavior
of the ME thermodynamic parameters and their influence on the retrieval of
vector magnetic fields and flow velocities. Our analysis shows that the two
lines can be coupled and inverted simultaneously using the same thermodynamic
parameters and a constant opacity ratio. The inversion of two lines is
significantly more accurate than single-line inversions because of the larger
number of observables.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (Research
Note
Preparing the COROT space mission: new variable stars in the galactic Anticenter direction
The activities related to the preparation of the asteroseismic, photometric
space mission COROT are described. Photoelectric observations, wide--field CCD
photometry, uvbyB calibrations and further time--series have been obtained at
different observatories and telescopes. They have been planned to complete the
COROT programme in the direction of the galactic Anticenter. In addition to
suitable asteroseismic targets covering the different evolutionary stages
between ZAMS and TAMS, we discovered several other variable stars, both
pulsating and geometrical. We compared results on the incidence of variability
in the galactic Center and Anticenter directions. Physical parameters have been
obtained and evolutionary tracks fitting them have been calculated. The
peculiarities of some individual stars alre pointed out. Paper based on
observations collected at the San Pedro Martir, Sierra Nevada, Teide, La Silla,
Haute-Provence and Roque de Los Muchachos (Telescopio Nazionale Galileo and
Mercator telescopes) observatories.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for The Astronomical Journal (2005 May
volume
Phase Transition in Liquid Drop Fragmentation
A liquid droplet is fragmented by a sudden pressurized-gas blow, and the
resulting droplets, adhered to the window of a flatbed scanner, are counted and
sized by computerized means. The use of a scanner plus image recognition
software enables us to automatically count and size up to tens of thousands of
tiny droplets with a smallest detectable volume of approximately 0.02 nl. Upon
varying the gas pressure, a critical value is found where the size-distribution
becomes a pure power-law, a fact that is indicative of a phase transition. Away
from this transition, the resulting size distributions are well described by
Fisher's model at coexistence. It is found that the sign of the surface
correction term changes sign, and the apparent power-law exponent tau has a
steep minimum, at criticality, as previously reported in Nuclear
Multifragmentation studies [1,2]. We argue that the observed transition is not
percolative, and introduce the concept of dominance in order to characterize
it. The dominance probability is found to go to zero sharply at the transition.
Simple arguments suggest that the correlation length exponent is nu=1/2. The
sizes of the largest and average fragments, on the other hand, do not go to
zero but behave in a way that appears to be consistent with recent predictions
of Ashurst and Holian [3,4].Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures. LaTeX (revtex4) with psfig/epsfi
Unveiling the power spectra of Scuti stars with TESS. The temperature, gravity, and frequency scaling relation
Thanks to high-precision photometric data legacy from space telescopes like
CoRoT and Kepler, the scientific community could detect and characterize the
power spectra of hundreds of thousands of stars. Using the scaling relations,
it is possible to estimate masses and radii for solar-type pulsators. However,
these stars are not the only kind of stellar objects that follow these rules:
Scuti stars seem to be characterized with seismic indexes such as the
large separation (). Thanks to long-duration high-cadence TESS light
curves, we analysed more than two thousand of this kind of classical pulsators.
In that way, we propose the frequency at maximum power () as a
proper seismic index since it is directly related with the intrinsic
temperature, mass and radius of the star. This parameter seems not to be
affected by rotation, inclination, extinction or resonances, with the exception
of the evolution of the stellar parameters. Furthermore, we can constrain
rotation and inclination using the departure of temperature produced by the
gravity-darkening effect. This is especially feasible for fast rotators as most
of Scuti stars seem to be.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysic
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