230 research outputs found
The epidemiology of observed temperament: Factor structure and demographic group differences
This study investigated the factor structure of observational indicators of childrenâs temperament that were collected across the first three years of life in the Family Life Project (N = 1205) sample. A four-factor model (activity level, fear, anger, regulation), which corresponded broadly to Rothbartâs distinction between reactivity and regulation, provided an acceptable fit the observed data. Tests of measurement invariance demonstrated that a majority of the observational indicators exhibited comparable measurement properties for male vs. female, black vs. white, and poor vs. not-poor children, which improved the generalizability of these results. Unadjusted demographic group comparisons revealed small to moderate sized differences (Cohen ds = |.23 â .42|) in temperamental reactivity and moderate to large sized differences (Cohen ds = â.64 â â.97) in regulation. Collectively, demographic variables explained more of the variation in regulation (R2 = .25) than in reactivity (R2 = .02 â .06). Follow-up analyses demonstrated that race differences were substantially diminished in magnitude and better accounted for by poverty. These results help to validate the distinction between temperamental reactivity and regulation using observational indicators
Agree or agree to disagree? Assessing the convergence between parents and observers on infant temperament
The assessment of infant temperament has been typically accomplished with parent questionnaires. When compared with temperament behaviours observed in the laboratory, parents and observers generally do not agree, leading some researchers to question the validity of parent report. This paper reports on a representative sample of infants whose families resided in non-metropolitan counties and whose temperament was measured in three ways: (1) standard parent report (Infant Behavior Questionnaire); (2) observer ratings across two lengthy home visits; and (3) observer coding of second-by-second reactions to specific emotion-eliciting tasks. In order to account for both trait and method variance, structural equation modelling was applied to a sample of 955 infants (M age = 7.3 months) using variables from the three methods that reflected the dimensions of positivity and negativity. Although models based solely on method factors and trait factors fit the data well, results indicated that a model that included method and trait factors provided the best fit. Results also indicated that parents and observers (either across the home visit or to specific tasks) converge, to a degree, on ratings of the positivity dimension but diverge on the negativity dimension
Optimum spectral window for imaging of art with optical coherence tomography
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has been shown to have potential for important applications in the field of art conservation and archaeology due to its ability to image subsurface microstructures non-invasively. However, its depth of penetration in painted objects is limited due to the strong scattering properties of artistsâ paints. VIS-NIR (400 nm â 2400 nm) reflectance spectra of a wide variety of paints made with historic artistsâ pigments have been measured. The best spectral window with which to use optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the imaging of subsurface structure of paintings was found to be around 2.2 ÎŒm. The same spectral window would also be most suitable for direct infrared imaging of preparatory sketches under the paint layers. The reflectance spectra from a large sample of chemically verified pigments provide information on the spectral transparency of historic artistsâ pigments/paints as well as a reference set of spectra for pigment identification. The results of the paper suggest that broadband sources at ~2 microns are highly desirable for OCT applications in art and potentially material science in general
Spectral Statistics in the Quantized Cardioid Billiard
The spectral statistics in the strongly chaotic cardioid billiard are
studied. The analysis is based on the first 11000 quantal energy levels for odd
and even symmetry respectively. It is found that the level-spacing distribution
is in good agreement with the GOE distribution of random-matrix theory. In case
of the number variance and rigidity we observe agreement with the random-matrix
model for short-range correlations only, whereas for long-range correlations
both statistics saturate in agreement with semiclassical expectations.
Furthermore the conjecture that for classically chaotic systems the normalized
mode fluctuations have a universal Gaussian distribution with unit variance is
tested and found to be in very good agreement for both symmetry classes. By
means of the Gutzwiller trace formula the trace of the cosine-modulated heat
kernel is studied. Since the billiard boundary is focusing there are conjugate
points giving rise to zeros at the locations of the periodic orbits instead of
exclusively Gaussian peaks.Comment: 20 pages, uu-encoded ps.Z-fil
Chaotic eigenfunctions in momentum space
We study eigenstates of chaotic billiards in the momentum representation and
propose the radially integrated momentum distribution as useful measure to
detect localization effects. For the momentum distribution, the radially
integrated momentum distribution, and the angular integrated momentum
distribution explicit formulae in terms of the normal derivative along the
billiard boundary are derived. We present a detailed numerical study for the
stadium and the cardioid billiard, which shows in several cases that the
radially integrated momentum distribution is a good indicator of localized
eigenstates, such as scars, or bouncing ball modes. We also find examples,
where the localization is more strongly pronounced in position space than in
momentum space, which we discuss in detail. Finally applications and
generalizations are discussed.Comment: 30 pages. The figures are included in low resolution only. For a
version with figures in high resolution see
http://www.physik.uni-ulm.de/theo/qc/ulm-tp/tp99-2.htm
On the rate of quantum ergodicity in Euclidean billiards
For a large class of quantized ergodic flows the quantum ergodicity theorem
due to Shnirelman, Zelditch, Colin de Verdi\`ere and others states that almost
all eigenfunctions become equidistributed in the semiclassical limit. In this
work we first give a short introduction to the formulation of the quantum
ergodicity theorem for general observables in terms of pseudodifferential
operators and show that it is equivalent to the semiclassical eigenfunction
hypothesis for the Wigner function in the case of ergodic systems. Of great
importance is the rate by which the quantum mechanical expectation values of an
observable tend to their mean value. This is studied numerically for three
Euclidean billiards (stadium, cosine and cardioid billiard) using up to 6000
eigenfunctions. We find that in configuration space the rate of quantum
ergodicity is strongly influenced by localized eigenfunctions like bouncing
ball modes or scarred eigenfunctions. We give a detailed discussion and
explanation of these effects using a simple but powerful model. For the rate of
quantum ergodicity in momentum space we observe a slower decay. We also study
the suitably normalized fluctuations of the expectation values around their
mean, and find good agreement with a Gaussian distribution.Comment: 40 pages, LaTeX2e. This version does not contain any figures. A
version with all figures can be obtained from
http://www.physik.uni-ulm.de/theo/qc/ (File:
http://www.physik.uni-ulm.de/theo/qc/ulm-tp/tp97-8.ps.gz) In case of any
problems contact Arnd B\"acker (e-mail: [email protected]) or Roman
Schubert (e-mail: [email protected]
Greater fear reactivity and psychophysiological hyperactivity among infants with later conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits
Approximately one-third of children who meet criteria for conduct problems (CP) are also characterized by elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits. This subgroup is at elevated risk for more pervasive and extreme levels of later antisocial behavior and has been characterized by a fearlessness temperament and blunted stress psychophysiology at older ages. The objective of this study is to examine group differences in fear reactivity and stress psychophysiology in infancy among children classified as having CP with CU (CP+CU), CP without CU (CP-only), or no CP in later childhood
Identification of Radiopure Titanium for the LZ Dark Matter Experiment and Future Rare Event Searches
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle
interactions with a detector containing a total of 10 tonnes of liquid xenon
within a double-vessel cryostat. The large mass and proximity of the cryostat
to the active detector volume demand the use of material with extremely low
intrinsic radioactivity. We report on the radioassay campaign conducted to
identify suitable metals, the determination of factors limiting radiopure
production, and the selection of titanium for construction of the LZ cryostat
and other detector components. This titanium has been measured with activities
of U~1.6~mBq/kg, U~0.09~mBq/kg,
Th~~mBq/kg, Th~~mBq/kg, K~0.54~mBq/kg, and Co~0.02~mBq/kg (68\% CL).
Such low intrinsic activities, which are some of the lowest ever reported for
titanium, enable its use for future dark matter and other rare event searches.
Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to assess the expected background
contribution from the LZ cryostat with this radioactivity. In 1,000 days of
WIMP search exposure of a 5.6-tonne fiducial mass, the cryostat will contribute
only a mean background of (stat)(sys) counts.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle
Physic
Parentsâ experiences of having an excessively crying baby and implications for enhancing support services
Evidence suggests that around 20% of healthy babies cry for long periods without apparent reason, causing significant distress to parents and a range of adverse outcomes. This study explored parents' experiences of having an excessively crying baby and their suggestions for improved NHS support. Focus groups and interviews with 20 parents identified three key themes: disrupted expectations and experiences of parenthood; stigma and social isolation; seeking support and validation of experience. Parents experienced shock, anxiety and a sense of failure, leading to self-imposed isolation and a reluctance to seek help. Other people's reactions sometimes reinforced their feelings. Parents need more support, including from health professionals, to cope with excessive crying, and recommendations for this support are given
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