228 research outputs found
Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Executive Functioning in Musicians and Non-Musicians
Executive functions (EF) are cognitive capacities that allow for planned, controlled behavior and strongly correlate with academic abilities. Several extracurricular activities have been shown to improve EF, however, the relationship between musical training and EF remains unclear due to methodological limitations in previous studies. To explore this further, two experiments were performed; one with 30 adults with and without musical training and one with 27 musically trained and untrained children (matched for general cognitive abilities and socioeconomic variables) with a standardized EF battery. Furthermore, the neural correlates of EF skills in musically trained and untrained children were investigated using fMRI. Adult musicians compared to non-musicians showed enhanced performance on measures of cognitive flexibility, working memory, and verbal fluency. Musically trained children showed enhanced performance on measures of verbal fluency and processing speed, and significantly greater activation in pre-SMA/SMA and right VLPFC during rule representation and task-switching compared to musically untrained children. Overall, musicians show enhanced performance on several constructs of EF, and musically trained children further show heightened brain activation in traditional EF regions during task-switching. These results support the working hypothesis that musical training may promote the development and maintenance of certain EF skills, which could mediate the previously reported links between musical training and enhanced cognitive skills and academic achievement
The Century Survey Galactic Halo Project II: Global Properties and the Luminosity Function of Field Blue Horizontal Branch Stars
We discuss a 175 deg^2 spectroscopic survey for blue horizontal branch (BHB)
stars in the Galactic halo. We use the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to select BHB candidates, and find that the
2MASS and SDSS color-selection is 38% and 50% efficient, respectively, for BHB
stars. Our samples include one likely run-away B7 star 6 kpc below the Galactic
plane. The global properties of the BHB samples are consistent with membership
in the halo population: the median metallicity is [Fe/H]=-1.7, the velocity
dispersion is 108 km/s, and the mean Galactic rotation of the BHB stars
3<|z|<15 kpc is -4 +- 30 km/s. We discuss the theoretical basis of the Preston,
Shectman & Beers M_V-color relation for BHB stars, and conclude that intrinsic
shape of the BHB M_V-color relation results from the physics of stars on the
horizontal branch. We calculate the luminosity function for the field BHB star
samples using the Efstathiou, Ellis, & Peterson maximum-likelihood method which
is unbiased by density variations. The field BHB luminosity function exhibits a
steep rise at bright luminosities, a peak between 0.8 < M_V < 1.0, and a tail
at faint luminosities. We compare the field BHB luminosity functions with the
luminosity functions derived from sixteen different globular cluster BHBs.
Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests suggest that field BHB stars and BHB stars in globular
clusters share a common distribution of luminosities, with the exception of
globular clusters with extended BHBs.Comment: 14 pages, including 16 figures, accepted for publication in A
Surveying the Inner Halo of the Galaxy with 2MASS-Selected Horizontal Branch Candidates
We use 2MASS photometry to select blue horizontal branch (BHB) candidates
covering the sky |b|>15 deg. A 12.5<J<15.5 sample of BHB stars traces the thick
disk and inner halo to d<9 kpc, with a density comparable to that of M giant
stars. We base our sample selection strategy on the Century Survey Galactic
Halo Project, a survey that provides a complete, spectroscopically-identified
sample of blue stars to a similar depth as the 2MASS catalog. We show that a
-0.20<(J-H)_0<0.10, -0.10<(H-K)_0<0.10 color-selected sample of stars is 65%
complete for BHB stars, and is composed of 47% BHB stars. We apply this
photometric selection to the full 2MASS catalog, and see no spatial
overdensities of BHB candidates at high Galactic latitude |b|>50 deg. We insert
simulated star streams into the data and conclude that the high Galactic
latitude BHB candidates are consistent with having no ~5 deg wide star stream
with density greater than 0.33 objects deg^-2 at the 95% confidence level. The
absence of structure suggests there have been no major accretion events in the
inner halo in the last few Gyr. However, at low Galactic latitudes a two-point
angular correlation analysis reveals structure on angular scales <1 deg. This
structure is apparently associated with stars in the thick disk, and has a
physical scale of 10-100 pc. Interestingly, such structures are expected by
cosmological simulations that predict the majority of the thick disk may arise
from accretion and disruption of satellite mergers.Comment: 11 pages, including figures. Accepted by AJ with minor revision
Relating Field Theories via Stochastic Quantization
This note aims to subsume several apparently unrelated models under a common
framework. Several examples of well-known quantum field theories are listed
which are connected via stochastic quantization. We highlight the fact that the
quantization method used to obtain the quantum crystal is a discrete analog of
stochastic quantization. This model is of interest for string theory, since the
(classical) melting crystal corner is related to the topological A-model. We
outline several ideas for interpreting the quantum crystal on the string theory
side of the correspondence, exploring interpretations in the Wheeler-De Witt
framework and in terms of a non-Lorentz invariant limit of topological
M-theory.Comment: References adde
Effects of azimuth-symmetric acceptance cutoffs on the measured asymmetry in unpolarized Drell-Yan fixed target experiments
Fixed-target unpolarized Drell-Yan experiments often feature an acceptance
depending on the polar angle of the lepton tracks in the laboratory frame.
Typically leptons are detected in a defined angular range, with a dead zone in
the forward region. If the cutoffs imposed by the angular acceptance are
independent of the azimuth, at first sight they do not appear dangerous for a
measurement of the cos(2\phi)-asymmetry, relevant because of its association
with the violation of the Lam-Tung rule and with the Boer-Mulders function. On
the contrary, direct simulations show that up to 10 percent asymmetries are
produced by these cutoffs. These artificial asymmetries present qualitative
features that allow them to mimic the physical ones. They introduce some
model-dependence in the measurements of the cos(2\phi)-asymmetry, since a
precise reconstruction of the acceptance in the Collins-Soper frame requires a
Monte Carlo simulation, that in turn requires some detailed physical input to
generate event distributions. Although experiments in the eighties seem to have
been aware of this problem, the possibility of using the Boer-Mulders function
as an input parameter in the extraction of Transversity has much increased the
requirements of precision on this measurement. Our simulations show that the
safest approach to these measurements is a strong cutoff on the Collins-Soper
polar angle. This reduces statistics, but does not necessarily decrease the
precision in a measurement of the Boer-Mulders function.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figure
Engaging with History after Macpherson
The Race Relations Amendment Act (2000) identifies a key role for education, and more specifically history, in promoting ârace equalityâ in Britain. In this article Ian Grosvenor and Kevin Myers consider the extent of young peopleâs current engagement with the history of âdiversity, change and immigrationâ which underpins the commitment to ârace equalityâ. Finding that in many of Britainâs schools and universities a singular and exclusionary version of history continues to dominate the curriculum, they go on to consider the reasons for the neglect of multiculturalism. The authors identify the development of an aggressive national identity that depends on the past for its legitimacy and argue that this sense of the past is an important obstacle to future progress
The Century Survey Galactic Halo Project III: A Complete 4300 deg^2 Survey of Blue Horizontal Branch Stars in the Metal-Weak Thick Disk and Inner Halo
We present a complete spectroscopic survey of 2414 2MASS-selected blue
horizontal branch (BHB) candidates selected over 4300 deg^2 of the sky. We
identify 655 BHB stars in this non-kinematically selected sample. We calculate
the luminosity function of field BHB stars and find evidence for very few hot
BHB stars in the field. The BHB stars located at a distance from the Galactic
plane |Z|<4 kpc trace what is clearly a metal-weak thick disk population, with
a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]= -1.7, a rotation velocity gradient of
dv_{rot}/d|Z|= -28+-3.4 km/s in the region |Z|<6 kpc, and a density scale
height of h_Z= 1.26+-0.1 kpc. The BHB stars located at 5<|Z|<9 kpc are a
predominantly inner-halo population, with a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]= -2.0
and a mean Galactic rotation of -4+-31 km/s. We infer the density of halo and
thick disk BHB stars is 104+-37 kpc^-3 near the Sun, and the relative
normalization of halo to thick-disk BHB stars is 4+-1% near the Sun.Comment: 12 pages in emulateapj format, accepted for publication in February
A
Women's views and experiences of two alternative consent pathways for participation in a preterm intrapartum trial: a qualitative study
BACKGROUND: The Cord Pilot Trial compared alternative policies for timing of cord clamping at very preterm birth at eight UK hospitals. In addition to standard written consent, an oral assent pathway was developed for use when birth was imminent. The aim of this study was to explore women's views and experiences of two alternative consent pathways to participate in the Cord Pilot Trial.
METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. A total of 179 participants in the Cord Pilot Trial were sent a postal invitation to take part in interviews. Women who agreed were interviewed in person or by telephone to explore their experiences of two consent pathways for a preterm intrapartum trial. Data were analysed using inductive systematic thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Twenty-three women who gave either written consent (nâ=â18) or oral assent followed by written consent (nâ=â5) to participate in the trial were interviewed. Five themes were identified: (1) understanding of the implications of randomisation, (2) importance of staff offering participation, (3) information about the trial and time to consider participation, (4) trial secondary in women's minds and (5) reasons for agreeing to take part in the trial. Experiences were similar for the two consent pathways. Women recruited by the oral assent pathway reported being given less information about the trial but felt it was sufficient to make a decision regarding participation. There were gaps in women's understanding of the trial and intervention, regardless of the consent pathway.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, women were positive about their experiences of being invited to participate in the trial. The oral assent pathway seems an acceptable option for women if the intervention is low-risk and time is limited.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN21456601 . Registered on 28 February 2013
Effects of season and reproductive state on lipid intake and fatty acid composition of gastrointestinal tract contents in the European hare
We investigated lipid content and fatty acid (FA) composition of gastrointestinal tract contents in free-living, herbivorous European hares (Lepus europaeus). Mean crude fat content in hare stomachs and total gastrointestinal (GI) tracts was higher than expected for typical herbivore forages and peaked in late fall when hares massively deposited body fat reserves. Changes of FA proportions in different parts of the GI-tract indicated a highly preferential absorption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). A further reduction of PUFA content in the caecum, along with the appearance of odd-chained FAs in caecum, caecotrophes, and colon content, pointed to a biohydrogenation of PUFA in the hareâs hindgut. GI-tract contents showed significant seasonal changes in their FA composition. Among PUFA, α-linolenic acid peaked in spring while linoleic acid was predominant in late summer and fall, which probably reflected changes in the plant composition of forage. However, independent of seasonal changes, GI-tracts of lactating females showed a significantly (+33%) higher content of linoleic acid, a FA that is known to increase reproductive performance in European hares. This finding suggests that lactating females actively selected dietary plants rich in linoleic acid, a PUFA that may represent a limited resource for European hares
Simulating Bacterial Growth, Competition, and Resistance with Agent-Based Models and Laboratory Experiments
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