9,862 research outputs found
Trends in Fathers' Contribution to Housework and Childcare under Different Welfare Policy Regimes
This article brings up to date welfare regime differences in the time fathers spend on childcare and core housework, using Multinational Time Use Study data (1971–2010) from fifteen countries. Although Nordic fathers continue to set the bar, the results provide some support for the idea of a catch-up in core housework among Southern regime fathers. The results also suggest an increasing polarization in Liberal countries, whereby fathers who were meaningfully involved in family life were increasingly likely to spend more time doing core housework and, particularly, childcare. Fathers living in Corporatist countries have been least responsive to change
Expanding direction of the period doubling operator
We prove that the period doubling operator has an expanding direction at the
fixed point. We use the induced operator, a ``Perron-Frobenius type operator'',
to study the linearization of the period doubling operator at its fixed point.
We then use a sequence of linear operators with finite ranks to study this
induced operator. The proof is constructive. One can calculate the expanding
direction and the rate of expansion of the period doubling operator at the
fixed point
Mode Identification from Combination Frequency Amplitudes in ZZ Ceti Stars
The lightcurves of variable DA stars are usually multi-periodic and
non-sinusoidal, so that their Fourier transforms show peaks at eigenfrequencies
of the pulsation modes and at sums and differences of these frequencies. These
combination frequencies provide extra information about the pulsations, both
physical and geometrical, that is lost unless they are analyzed. Several
theories provide a context for this analysis by predicting combination
frequency amplitudes. In these theories, the combination frequencies arise from
nonlinear mixing of oscillation modes in the outer layers of the white dwarf,
so their analysis cannot yield direct information on the global structure of
the star as eigenmodes provide. However, their sensitivity to mode geometry
does make them a useful tool for identifying the spherical degree of the modes
that mix to produce them. In this paper, we analyze data from eight hot,
low-amplitude DAV white dwarfs and measure the amplitudes of combination
frequencies present. By comparing these amplitudes to the predictions of the
theory of Goldreich & Wu, we have verified that the theory is crudely
consistent with the measurements. We have also investigated to what extent the
combination frequencies can be used to measure the spherical degree (ell) of
the modes that produce them. We find that modes with ell > 2 are easily
identifiable as high ell based on their combination frequencies alone.
Distinguishing between ell=1 and 2 is also possible using harmonics. These
results will be useful for conducting seismological analysis of large ensembles
of ZZ Ceti stars, such as those being discovered using the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey. Because this method relies only on photometry at optical wavelengths,
it can be applied to faint stars using 4 m class telescopes.Comment: 73 pages, 22 figures, accepted in the Ap
An outburst from a massive star 40 days before a supernova explosion
Various lines of evidence suggest that very massive stars experience extreme
mass-loss episodes shortly before they explode as a supernova. Interestingly,
several models predict such pre-explosion outbursts. Establishing a causal
connection between these mass-loss episodes and the final supernova explosion
will provide a novel way to study pre-supernova massive-star evolution. Here we
report on observations of a remarkable mass-loss event detected 40 days prior
to the explosion of the Type IIn supernova SN 2010mc (PTF 10tel). Our
photometric and spectroscopic data suggest that this event is a result of an
energetic outburst, radiating at least 6x10^47 erg of energy, and releasing
about 0.01 Solar mass at typical velocities of 2000 km/s. We show that the
temporal proximity of the mass-loss outburst and the supernova explosion
implies a causal connection between them. Moreover, we find that the outburst
luminosity and velocity are consistent with the predictions of the wave-driven
pulsation model and disfavor alternative suggestions.Comment: Nature 494, 65, including supplementary informatio
The SED Machine: a robotic spectrograph for fast transient classification
Current time domain facilities are finding several hundreds of transient
astronomical events a year. The discovery rate is expected to increase in the
future as soon as new surveys such as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and
the Large Synoptic Sky Survey (LSST) come on line. At the present time, the
rate at which transients are classified is approximately one order or magnitude
lower than the discovery rate, leading to an increasing "follow-up drought".
Existing telescopes with moderate aperture can help address this deficit when
equipped with spectrographs optimized for spectral classification. Here, we
provide an overview of the design, operations and first results of the Spectral
Energy Distribution Machine (SEDM), operating on the Palomar 60-inch telescope
(P60). The instrument is optimized for classification and high observing
efficiency. It combines a low-resolution (R100) integral field unit (IFU)
spectrograph with "Rainbow Camera" (RC), a multi-band field acquisition camera
which also serves as multi-band (ugri) photometer. The SEDM was commissioned
during the operation of the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) and
has already proved lived up to its promise. The success of the SEDM
demonstrates the value of spectrographs optimized to spectral classification.
Introduction of similar spectrographs on existing telescopes will help
alleviate the follow-up drought and thereby accelerate the rate of discoveries.Comment: 21 pages, 20 figure
Minimal size of a barchan dune
Barchans are dunes of high mobility which have a crescent shape and propagate
under conditions of unidirectional wind. However, sand dunes only appear above
a critical size, which scales with the saturation distance of the sand flux [P.
Hersen, S. Douady, and B. Andreotti, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf{89,}} 264301 (2002);
B. Andreotti, P. Claudin, and S. Douady, Eur. Phys. J. B {\bf{28,}} 321 (2002);
G. Sauermann, K. Kroy, and H. J. Herrmann, Phys. Rev. E {\bf{64,}} 31305
(2001)]. It has been suggested by P. Hersen, S. Douady, and B. Andreotti, Phys.
Rev. Lett. {\bf{89,}} 264301 (2002) that this flux fetch distance is itself
constant. Indeed, this could not explain the proto size of barchan dunes, which
often occur in coastal areas of high litoral drift, and the scale of dunes on
Mars. In the present work, we show from three dimensional calculations of sand
transport that the size and the shape of the minimal barchan dune depend on the
wind friction speed and the sand flux on the area between dunes in a field. Our
results explain the common appearance of barchans a few tens of centimeter high
which are observed along coasts. Furthermore, we find that the rate at which
grains enter saltation on Mars is one order of magnitude higher than on Earth,
and is relevant to correctly obtain the minimal dune size on Mars.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure
Skin measurement devices to assess skin quality: A systematic review on reliability and validity
Background:
Many treatments aim to slow down or reverse the visible signs of skin aging and thereby improve skin quality. Measurement devices are frequently employed to measure the effects of these treatments to improve skin quality, for example, skin elasticity, color, and texture. However, it remains unknown which of these devices is most reliable and valid.
Materials and methods:
MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched. Instruments were scored on reporting construct validity by means of convergent validity, interobserver, intraobserver, and interinstrument reliability.
Results:
For the evaluation of skin color, 11 studies were included describing 16 measurement devices, analyzing 3172 subjects. The most reliable device for skin color assessment is the Minolta Chromameter CR-300 due to good interobserver, intraobserver, and interinstrument reliability. For skin elasticity, seven studies assessed nine types of devices analyzing 290 subjects in total. No intra and interobserver reliability was reported. Skin texture was assessed in two studies evaluating 72 subjects using three different types of measurement devices. The PRIMOS device reported excellent intra and interobserver reliability. None of the included reviewed devices could be determined to be valid based on construct validity.
Conclusion:
The most reliable devices to evaluate skin color and texture in ordinary skin were, respectively, the Minolta Chromameter and PRIMOS. No reliable device is available to measure skin elasticity in ordinary skin and none of the included devices could be determined to be designated as valid
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