312 research outputs found
Evaluating the Perceived Stress Scale among UK university students: Implications for stress measurement and management.
University life can be stressful, and accurate measurement of perceived stress is important for research and practice. However, despite widespread use, disagreement persists regarding the latent structure of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which poses serious consequences for how the measure should be administered. Furthermore, factorial invariance between genders has not been established with the 10-item PSS, though gender differences in perceived stress have been detected. This study examined the factor structure, composite reliability, convergent validity, and gender invariance of the PSS-10 among 524 UK university students. Four distinct factor models (one-factor, correlated two-factor, correlated three-factor, and bifactor) were examined using confirmatory factor analysis. The totality of results supported a bifactor solution. Multi-group analysis established configural, metric, and scalar invariance of this model across gender. This study supports the use of total PSS-10 scores with UK university students and suggests the scale is not significantly affected by gender bias
Development and Validation of the Combined Action Observation and Motor Imagery Ability Questionnaire
Combined use of action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) is an increasingly popular motor-simulation intervention, which involves observing movements on video while simultaneously imagining the feeling of movement execution. Measuring and reporting participant imagery-ability characteristics are essential in motor-simulation research, but no measure of AOMI ability currently exists. Accordingly, the AOMI Ability Questionnaire (AOMI-AQ) was developed to address this gap in the literature. In Study 1, two hundred eleven participants completed the AOMI-AQ and the kinesthetic imagery subscales of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3 and Vividness of Motor Imagery Questionnaire-2. Following exploratory factor analysis, an 8-item AOMI-AQ was found to correlate positively with existing motor-imagery measures. In Study 2, one hundred seventy-four participants completed the AOMI-AQ for a second time after a period of 7-10 days. Results indicate a good test-retest reliability for the AOMI-AQ. The new AOMI-AQ measure provides a valid and reliable tool for researchers and practitioners wishing to assess AOMI ability
Understanding the unknown: A thematic analysis of subjective paranormal experiences
This study investigated personal accounts of subjective paranormal experiences (SPEs). Ten UK-based participants took part in semi-structured interviews, where they discussed how alleged paranormal experiences made them feel, whether the narrated event(s) was unusual/strange, and what they believed caused the occurrence(s). Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis; a qualitative method that identifies patterns within data. Five central themes emerged (sensory experiences, you are not alone, distortion of reality, personal growth, and socio-cultural factors). Consideration of themes revealed an intricate, inextricable link between perception, interpretation and belief. Generally, SPEs were associated with the desire to comprehend the unknown and a reluctance to accept the uncertain. Findings provided important insights into the phenomenology of paranormal experience, suggested avenues for future research and were consistent with previous findings
Photo-excited charge carrier lifetime enhanced by slow cation molecular dynamics in lead iodide perovskite FAPbI
Using muon spin relaxation (SR) measurements on formamidinium lead
iodide [FAPbI, where FA denotes HC(NH] we show that, among the five
structurally distinct phases of FAPbI exhibited through two different
temperature hysteresis, the reorientation motion of FA molecules is
quasi-static below K over the time scale of 10 s in the
low-temperature (LT) hexagonal (Hex-LT, K) phase which has relatively
longer photo-excited charge carrier lifetime (10 s).
In contrast, a sharp increase in the FA molecular motion was found above
K in the Hex-LT phase, LT-tetragonal phase (Tet-LT, K), the
high-temperature (HT) hexagonal phase (Hex-HT, 160-380 K), and the
HT-tetragonal phase (Tet-HT, 140-280 K) where decreases with
increasing temperature. More interestingly, the reorientation motion is further
promoted in the cubic phase at higher temperatures ( K), while
is recovered to comparable or larger than that of the LT phases.
These results indicate that there are two factors that determine , one related to the local reorientation of cationic molecules that is not
unencumbered by phonons, and the other to the high symmetry of the bulk crystal
structure.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Self-ascribed paranormal ability : reflexive thematic analysis
This study investigated personal perceptions (involvements) and comprehensions (interpretations) of self-ascribed paranormal abilities. Twelve participants with supposed supernatural powers took part in semi-structured interviews exploring the origin, phenomenology, and nature of their powers. Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA), a qualitative method that identifies patterns within data. Four major themes expressed meanings and representations held by participants: Formative Influences (sub-themes: Gifted Family Members and Anomalous Occurrence), (Inter) Subjective Paranormal Experience (sub-themes: Transcendental/Mystic and Extra-Sensory Perception), Embodied Processes (sub-theme: Control), and Perception of Reality (two sub-themes: Self-Awareness and Fantastic/Surreal Perceptions). Consideration of themes identified an inextricable link between perception, interpretation, and belief in ability. Within narratives, interviewees outlined, contextualised, and established the validity of their powers. They drew upon supporting autobiographical evidence from their life histories and obfuscated and/or discounted conventional explanations. Generally, accounts reflected individual attempts to comprehend and justify the nature and experience of professed abilities. The authors discuss these processes and suggest ways to extend and develop ensuing research
Energy Trends: September 2020
Energy Trends and Energy Prices are produced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on a quarterly basis. Both periodicals are published concurrently in June, September, December and March. The September editions cover the second quarter of the current year
Microscopic Structure of High-Spin Vibrational Excitations in Superdeformed 190,192,194Hg
Microscopic RPA calculations based on the cranked shell model are performed
to investigate the quadrupole and octupole correlations for excited
superdeformed bands in 190Hg, 192Hg, and 194Hg. The K=2 octupole vibrations are
predicted to be the lowest excitation modes at zero rotational frequency. At
finite frequency, however, the interplay between rotation and vibrations
produces different effects depending on neutron number: The lowest octupole
phonon is rotationally aligned in 190Hg, is crossed by the aligned
two-quasiparticle bands in 192Hg, and retains the K=2 octupole vibrational
character up to the highest frequency in 194Hg. The gamma vibrations are
predicted to be higher in energy and less collective than the octupole
vibrations. From a comparison with the experimental dynamic moments of inertia,
a new interpretation of the observed excited bands invoking the K=2 octupole
vibrations is proposed, which suggests those octupole vibrations may be
prevalent in SD Hg nuclei.Comment: 22 pages, REVTeX, 12 postscript figures are available on reques
Time-odd components in the mean field of rotating superdeformed nuclei
Rotation-induced time-odd components in the nuclear mean field are analyzed
using the Hartree-Fock cranking approach with effective interactions SIII,
SkM*, and SkP. Identical dynamical moments are obtained for
pairs of superdeformed bands Tb(2)--Dy(1) and
Gd(2)--Tb(1). The corresponding relative alignments strongly
depend on which time-odd mean-field terms are taken into account in the
Hartree-Fock equations.Comment: 23 pages, ReVTeX, 6 uuencoded postscript figures include
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