1,159 research outputs found
Being a peer support mentor for individuals who have had a lower limb amputation:an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Purpose: Although peer support has received research attention within different health related contexts, there is limited research considering individuals who have experienced an amputation. In particular, the peer mentoring role is under-explored. Therefore, this research aimed to explore the experiences of participants delivering peer support interventions to individuals with lower limb loss. Methods: Eight people who acted as peer mentors for people with limb loss took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: Two overarching themes were identified from the data: “Developing a Helpful Self”, in which the personal value and meaning of being a peer mentor is presented, and “Connecting with Vulnerability”, which addresses the emotional challenges of peer mentoring and the impact of these on wellbeing. Conclusions: Findings suggest positive experiences of providing support, including increased hope, resilience and a sense of belonging and connection to others. However, peer mentors experienced challenges related to uncertainty and doubt about their mentoring abilities and with developing and maintaining resilience in the role. Recommendations include the development of training packages and increased clarity for volunteers of the peer mentor role.Implications for rehabilitation It is important to define clearly the role of a peer mentor and the responsibilities this involves. Peer mentors should be provided with support and training to increase their confidence and ability to act appropriately when encountering distress. It is important to provide transparent guidelines and procedures to support peer mentors to minimize concerns over risk and safety. Feedback regarding how effective the support offered is and how it could be improved should be provided
Estimations of orbital parameters of exoplanets from transit photometry by using dynamical constraints
The probability of the detection of Earth-like exoplanets may increase in the
near future after the launch of the space missions using the transit photometry
as observation method. By using this technique only the semi-major axis of the
detected planet can be determined, and there will be no information on the
upper limit of its orbital eccentricity. However, the orbital eccentricity is a
very important parameter, not only from a dynamical point of view, since it
gives also information on the climate and the habitability of the Earth-like
planets. In this paper a possible procedure is suggested for confining the
eccentricity of an exoplanet discovered by transit photometry if an already
known giant planet orbits also in the system.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted for Cel. Mech. Dyn. Astro
`Similar' coordinate systems and the Roche geometry. Application
A new equivalence relation, named relation of 'similarity' is defined and
applied in the restricted three-body problem. Using this relation, a new class
of trajectories (named 'similar' trajectories) are obtained; they have the
theoretical role to give us new details in the restricted three-body problem.
The 'similar' coordinate systems allow us in addition to obtain a unitary and
an elegant demonstration of some analytical relations in the Roche geometry. As
an example, some analytical relations published in Astrophysical Journal by
Seidov in 2004 are demonstrated.Comment: 9 pages (preprint format), 9 figures, published in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
The consistency of superior face recognition skills in police officers
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in people with superior face
recognition skills. Yet identification of these individuals has mostly relied on criterion
performance on a single attempt at a single measure of face memory. The current
investigation aimed to examine the consistency of superior face recognition skills in
30 police officers, both across tests that tap into the same process and between tests
that tap into different components of face processing. Overall indices of performance
across related measures were found to identify different superior performers to
isolated test scores. Further, different top performers emerged for target‐present
versus target‐absent indices, suggesting that signal detection measures are the
most useful indicators of performance. Finally, a dissociation was observed between
superior memory and matching performance. Super‐recognizer screening programmes
should therefore include overall indices summarizing multiple attempts at related tests,
allowing for individuals to rank highly on different (and sometimes very specific) tasks
Linear Stability of Triangular Equilibrium Points in the Generalized Photogravitational Restricted Three Body Problem with Poynting-Robertson Drag
In this paper we have examined the linear stability of triangular equilibrium
points in the generalised photogravitational restricted three body problem with
Poynting-Robertson drag. We have found the position of triangular equilibrium
points of our problem. The problem is generalised in the sense that smaller
primary is supposed to be an oblate spheroid. The bigger primary is considered
as radiating. The equations of motion are affected by radiation pressure force,
oblateness and P-R drag. All classical results involving photogravitational and
oblateness in restricted three body problem may be verified from this result.
With the help of characteristic equation, we discussed the stability. Finally
we conclude that triangular equilibrium points are unstable.Comment: accepted for publication in Journal of Dynamical Systems & Geometric
Theories Vol. 4, Number 1 (2006
Phenomenological constraints on Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi cosmological inhomogeneities from solar system dynamics
We, first, analytically work out the long-term, i.e. averaged over one
orbital revolution, perturbations on the orbit of a test particle moving in a
local Fermi frame induced therein by the cosmological tidal effects of the
inhomogeneous Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) model. The LTB solution has recently
attracted attention, among other things, as a possible explanation of the
observed cosmic acceleration without resorting to dark energy. Then, we
phenomenologically constrain both the parameters K_1 = -\ddot R/R and K_2 =
-\ddot R^'/R^' of the LTB metric in the Fermi frame by using different kinds of
solar system data. The corrections to the standard
Newtonian/Einsteinian precessions of the perihelia of the inner planets
recently estimated with the EPM ephemerides, compared to our predictions for
them, yield K_1 = (4+8) 10^-26 s^-2, K_2 = (3+7) 10^-23 s^-2. The residuals of
the Cassini-based Earth-Saturn range, compared with the numerically integrated
LTB range signature, allow to obtain K_1/2 = 10^-27 s^-2. The LTB-induced
distortions of the orbit of a typical object of the Oort cloud with respect to
the commonly accepted Newtonian picture, based on the observations of the comet
showers from that remote region of the solar system, point towards K_1/2 <=
10^-30-10^-32 s^-2. Such figures have to be compared with those inferred from
cosmological data which are of the order of K1 \approx K2 = -4 10^-36 s^-2.Comment: LaTex2e, 18 pages, 3 tables, 3 figures. Minor changes. Reference
added. Accepted by Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP
The generalized non-conservative model of a 1-planet system - revisited
We study the long-term dynamics of a planetary system composed of a star and
a planet. Both bodies are considered as extended, non-spherical, rotating
objects. There are no assumptions made on the relative angles between the
orbital angular momentum and the spin vectors of the bodies. Thus, we analyze
full, spatial model of the planetary system. Both objects are assumed to be
deformed due to their own rotations, as well as due to the mutual tidal
interactions. The general relativity corrections are considered in terms of the
post-Newtonian approximation. Besides the conservative contributions to the
perturbing forces, there are also taken into account non-conservative effects,
i.e., the dissipation of the mechanical energy. This dissipation is a result of
the tidal perturbation on the velocity field in the internal zones with
non-zero turbulent viscosity (convective zones). Our main goal is to derive the
equations of the orbital motion as well as the equations governing
time-evolution of the spin vectors (angular velocities). We derive the
Lagrangian equations of the second kind for systems which do not conserve the
mechanical energy. Next, the equations of motion are averaged out over all fast
angles with respect to time-scales characteristic for conservative
perturbations. The final equations of motion are then used to study the
dynamics of the non-conservative model over time scales of the order of the age
of the star. We analyze the final state of the system as a function of the
initial conditions. Equilibria states of the averaged system are finally
discussed.Comment: 37 pages, 13 figures, accepted to Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical
Astronom
Tidal Venuses: Triggering a Climate Catastrophe via Tidal Heating
Traditionally stellar radiation has been the only heat source considered
capable of determining global climate on long timescales. Here we show that
terrestrial exoplanets orbiting low-mass stars may be tidally heated at high
enough levels to induce a runaway greenhouse for a long enough duration for all
the hydrogen to escape. Without hydrogen, the planet no longer has water and
cannot support life. We call these planets "Tidal Venuses," and the phenomenon
a "tidal greenhouse." Tidal effects also circularize the orbit, which decreases
tidal heating. Hence, some planets may form with large eccentricity, with its
accompanying large tidal heating, and lose their water, but eventually settle
into nearly circular orbits (i.e. with negligible tidal heating) in the
habitable zone (HZ). However, these planets are not habitable as past tidal
heating desiccated them, and hence should not be ranked highly for detailed
follow-up observations aimed at detecting biosignatures. Planets orbiting stars
with masses <0.3 solar masses may be in danger of desiccation via tidal
heating. We apply these concepts to Gl 667C c, a ~4.5 Earth-mass planet
orbiting a 0.3 solar mass star at 0.12 AU. We find that it probably did not
lose its water via tidal heating as orbital stability is unlikely for the high
eccentricities required for the tidal greenhouse. As the inner edge of the HZ
is defined by the onset of a runaway or moist greenhouse powered by radiation,
our results represent a fundamental revision to the HZ for non-circular orbits.
In the appendices we review a) the moist and runaway greenhouses, b) hydrogen
escape, c) stellar mass-radius and mass-luminosity relations, d) terrestrial
planet mass-radius relations, and e) linear tidal theories. [abridged]Comment: 59 pages, 11 figures, accepted to Astrobiology. New version includes
an appendix on the water loss timescal
Nonlinear Stability in the Generalised Photogravitational Restricted Three Body Problem with Poynting-Robertson Drag
The Nonlinear stability of triangular equilibrium points has been discussed
in the generalised photogravitational restricted three body problem with
Poynting-Robertson drag. The problem is generalised in the sense that smaller
primary is supposed to be an oblate spheroid. The bigger primary is considered
as radiating. We have performed first and second order normalization of the
Hamiltonian of the problem. We have applied KAM theorem to examine the
condition of non-linear stability. We have found three critical mass ratios.
Finally we conclude that triangular points are stable in the nonlinear sense
except three critical mass ratios at which KAM theorem fails.Comment: Including Poynting-Robertson Drag the triangular equilibrium points
are stable in the nonlinear sense except three critical mass ratios at which
KAM theorem fail
Dynamics of Enceladus and Dione inside the 2:1 Mean-Motion Resonance under Tidal Dissipation
In a previous work (Callegari and Yokoyama 2007, Celest. Mech. Dyn. Astr.
vol. 98), the main features of the motion of the pair Enceladus-Dione were
analyzed in the frozen regime, i.e., without considering the tidal evolution.
Here, the results of a great deal of numerical simulations of a pair of
satellites similar to Enceladus and Dione crossing the 2:1 mean-motion
resonance are shown. The resonance crossing is modeled with a linear tidal
theory, considering a two-degrees-of-freedom model written in the framework of
the general three-body planar problem. The main regimes of motion of the system
during the passage through resonance are studied in detail. We discuss our
results comparing them with classical scenarios of tidal evolution of the
system. We show new scenarios of evolution of the Enceladus-Dione system
through resonance not shown in previous approaches of the problem.Comment: 36 pages, 12 figures. Accepted in Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical
Astronom
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