1,227 research outputs found
The link between the nature of the humanâcompanion animal relationship and well-being outcomes in companion animal owners
Research into the impact of companion animals on well-being has been both extensive and inconclusive, with studies finding both positive and negative relationships. The present research explored three previously unexamined relationship science concepts that may help clarify whether companion animals provide well-being benefits: self-expansion (the process of adding positive content to the self through incorporating new resources and perspectives into oneâs identity or engaging in novel, exciting activities), perceived pet responsiveness, and perceived pet insensitivity; as well as attachment. We focused on dog and cat ownersâ depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect, and loneliness through an online survey with a large sample population (N = 1359). We found that perceived pet insensitivity is a significant positive predictor of depression, anxiety, negative affect, and loneliness; that attachment is a significant positive predictor of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and a significant negative predictor of positive affect; and that self-expansion is a significant positive predictor of positive affect, and a significant negative predictor of loneliness. Loneliness emerged as a mediator in the relationship between perceived pet insensitivity, attachment, self-expansion, and all mental well-being outcome variables. These findings indicate that perceived pet insensitivity, attachment, and self-expansion may play an important yet neglected role in well-being outcomes
Parametrizations of Inclusive Cross Sections for Pion Production in Proton-Proton Collisions
Accurate knowledge of cross sections for pion production in proton-proton
collisions finds wide application in particle physics, astrophysics, cosmic ray
physics and space radiation problems, especially in situations where an
incident proton is transported through some medium, and one requires knowledge
of the output particle spectrum given the input spectrum. In such cases
accurate parametrizations of the cross sections are desired. In this paper we
review much of the experimental data and compare to a wide variety of different
cross section parametrizations. In so doing, we provide parametrizations of
neutral and charged pion cross sections which provide a very accurate
description of the experimental data. Lorentz invariant differential cross
sections, spectral distributions and total cross section parametrizations are
presented.Comment: 32 pages with 15 figures. Published in Physical Review D62, 094030.
File includes 6 tex files. The main file is paper.tex which has include
statements refering to the rest. figures are in graphs.di
The Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral field spectrograph (SAMI)
We demonstrate a novel technology that combines the power of the multi-object
spectrograph with the spatial multiplex advantage of an integral field
spectrograph (IFS). The Sydney-AAO Multi-object IFS (SAMI) is a prototype
wide-field system at the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) that allows 13
imaging fibre bundles ("hexabundles") to be deployed over a 1-degree diameter
field of view. Each hexabundle comprises 61 lightly-fused multimode fibres with
reduced cladding and yields a 75 percent filling factor. Each fibre core
diameter subtends 1.6 arcseconds on the sky and each hexabundle has a field of
view of 15 arcseconds diameter. The fibres are fed to the flexible AAOmega
double-beam spectrograph, which can be used at a range of spectral resolutions
(R=lambda/delta(lambda) ~ 1700-13000) over the optical spectrum (3700-9500A).
We present the first spectroscopic results obtained with SAMI for a sample of
galaxies at z~0.05. We discuss the prospects of implementing hexabundles at a
much higher multiplex over wider fields of view in order to carry out
spatially--resolved spectroscopic surveys of 10^4 to 10^5 galaxies.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures. Accepted by MNRA
Resonant and Non-Resonant Effects in Photon-Technipion Production at Lepton Colliders
Lepton collider experiments can search for light technipions in final states
made striking by the presence of an energetic photon: e+e- \to
\photon\technipion. To date, searches have focused on either production
through anomalous coupling of the technipions to electroweak gauge bosons or on
production through a technivector meson (\technirho, \techniomega) resonance.
This paper creates a combined framework in which both contributions are
included. This will allow stronger and more accurate limits on technipion
production to be set using existing data from LEP or future data from a
higher-energy linear collider. We provide explicit formulas and sample
calculations (analytic and Pythia) in the framework of the Technicolor Straw
Man Model, a model that includes light technihadrons.Comment: 11 pages, including title page, 3 figures; version 2: references
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Non-unitary Leptonic Mixing and Leptogenesis
We investigate the relation between non-unitarity of the leptonic mixing
matrix and leptogenesis. We discuss how all parameters of the canonical type-I
seesaw mechanism can, in principle, be reconstructed from the neutrino mass
matrix and the deviation of the effective low-energy leptonic mixing matrix
from unitary. When the mass M' of the lightest right-handed neutrino is much
lighter than the masses of the others, we show that its decay asymmetries
within flavour-dependent leptogenesis can be expressed in terms of two
contributions, one depending on the unique dimension five (d=5) operator
generating neutrino masses and one depending on the dimension six (d=6)
operator associated with non-unitarity. In low-energy seesaw scenarios where
small lepton number violation explains the smallness of neutrino masses, the
lepton number conserving d=6 operator contribution generically dominates over
the d=5 operator contribution which results in a strong enhancement of the
flavour-dependent decay asymmetries without any resonance effects. To calculate
the produced final baryon asymmetry, the flavour equilibration effects directly
related to non-unitarity have to be taken into account. In a simple realization
of this non-unitarity driven leptogenesis, the lower bound on M' is found to be
about 10^8 GeV at the onset of the strong washout regime, more than one order
of magnitude below the bound in "standard" thermal leptogenesis.Comment: 19 pages, REVTeX4, 2 eps and 2 axodraw figure
'Throughout my life I've had people walk all over me': trauma in the lives of violent men
In this article we present original qualitative data gathered during prolonged ethnographic fieldwork with violent men in deindustrialised communities in the north of England. We use the data as an empirical platform for a theoretical exploration of the symbolism and subjectivising influences of traumatic life experiences in these menâs biographies. We conclude by making the tentative suggestion that there is a complex and mediated causal link between traumatic experience and a deep subjective commitment to aggression and violence in adulthood
Prime Focus Spectrograph - Subaru's future -
The Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) of the Subaru Measurement of Images and
Redshifts (SuMIRe) project has been endorsed by Japanese community as one of
the main future instruments of the Subaru 8.2-meter telescope at Mauna Kea,
Hawaii. This optical/near-infrared multi-fiber spectrograph targets cosmology
with galaxy surveys, Galactic archaeology, and studies of galaxy/AGN evolution.
Taking advantage of Subaru's wide field of view, which is further extended with
the recently completed Wide Field Corrector, PFS will enable us to carry out
multi-fiber spectroscopy of 2400 targets within 1.3 degree diameter. A
microlens is attached at each fiber entrance for F-ratio transformation into a
larger one so that difficulties of spectrograph design are eased. Fibers are
accurately placed onto target positions by positioners, each of which consists
of two stages of piezo-electric rotary motors, through iterations by using
back-illuminated fiber position measurements with a wide-field metrology
camera. Fibers then carry light to a set of four identical fast-Schmidt
spectrographs with three color arms each: the wavelength ranges from 0.38
{\mu}m to 1.3 {\mu}m will be simultaneously observed with an average resolving
power of 3000. Before and during the era of extremely large telescopes, PFS
will provide the unique capability of obtaining spectra of 2400
cosmological/astrophysical targets simultaneously with an 8-10 meter class
telescope. The PFS collaboration, led by IPMU, consists of USP/LNA in Brazil,
Caltech/JPL, Princeton, & JHU in USA, LAM in France, ASIAA in Taiwan, and
NAOJ/Subaru.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, submitted to "Ground-based and Airborne
Instrumentation for Astronomy IV, Ian S. McLean, Suzanne K. Ramsay, Hideki
Takami, Editors, Proc. SPIE 8446 (2012)
The rehabilitation enhancing aging through connected health (REACH) study: study protocol for a quasi-experimental clinical trial
Background: Mobility limitations among older adults increase the risk for disability and healthcare utilization. Rehabilitative care is identified as the most efficacious treatment for maintaining physical function. However, there is insufficient evidence identifying a healthcare model that targets prevention of mobility decline among older adults. The objective of this study is to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of a physical therapy program, augmented with mobile tele-health technology, on mobility function and healthcare utilization among older adults. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental 12-month clinical trial conducted within a metropolitan-based healthcare system in the northeastern United States. It is in parallel with an existing longitudinal cohort study evaluating mobility decline among community-dwelling older adult primary care patients over one year. Seventy-five older adults (â„ 65â95 years) are being recruited using identical inclusion/exclusion criteria to the cohort study. Three aims will be evaluated: the effect of our program on 1) physical function, 2) healthcare utilization, and 3) healthcare costs. Changes in patient-reported function over 1 year in those receiving the intervention (aim 1) will be compared to propensity score matched controls (N = 150) from the cohort study. For aims 2 and 3, propensity scores, derived from logistic regression model that includes demographic and diagnostic information available through claims and enrollment information, will be used to match treatment and control patients in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 from a Medicare Claims Registry derived from the same geographic region. The intervention consists of a one-year physical therapy program that is divided between a combination of outpatient and home visits (6â10 total visits) and is augmented on a computerized tablet using of a commercially available application to deliver a progressive home-based exercise program emphasizing lower-extremity function and a walking program. Discussion Incorporating mobile health into current healthcare models of rehabilitative care has the potential to decrease hospital visits and provide a longer duration of care. If the hypotheses are supported and demonstrate improved mobility and reduced healthcare utilization, this innovative care model would be applicable for optimizing the maintenance of functional independence among community-dwelling older adults. Trial registration ClinicalTrial.gov Identifier: NCT02580409 (Date of registration October 14, 2015)
Prediction of malignant transformation in oral epithelial dysplasia using infrared absorbance spectra
Oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) is a histopathologically-defined, potentially premalignant condition of the oral cavity. The rate of transformation to frank carcinoma is relatively low (12% within 2 years) and prediction based on histopathological grade is unreliable, leading to both over- and under-treatment. Alternative approaches include infrared (IR) spectroscopy, which is able to classify cancerous and non-cancerous tissue in a number of cancers, including oral. The aim of this study was to explore the capability of FTIR (Fourier-transform IR) microscopy and machine learning as a means of predicting malignant transformation of OED. Supervised, retrospective analysis of longitudinally-collected OED biopsy samples from 17 patients with high risk OED lesions: 10 lesions transformed and 7 did not over a follow-up period of more than 3 years. FTIR spectra were collected from routine, unstained histopathological sections and machine learning used to predict malignant transformation, irrespective of OED classification. PCA-LDA (principal component analysis followed by linear discriminant analysis) provided evidence that the subsequent transforming status of these 17 lesions could be predicted from FTIR data with a sensitivity of 79 ± 5% and a specificity of 76 ± 5%. Six key wavenumbers were identified as most important in this classification. Although this pilot study used a small cohort, the strict inclusion criteria and classification based on known outcome, rather than OED grade, make this a novel study in the field of FTIR in oral cancer and support the clinical potential of this technology in the surveillance of OED
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