3,801 research outputs found
A Phase Space Diagram for Gravity
In modified theories of gravity including a critical acceleration scale,
, a critical length scale, , will naturally
arise, with the transition from the Newtonian to the dark matter mimicking
regime occurring for systems larger than . This adds a second critical
scale to gravity, in addition to the one introduced by the criterion of
the Shwarzschild radius, . The distinct dependencies of the
two above length scales give rise to non-trivial phenomenology in the (mass,
length) plane for astrophysical structures, which we explore here.
Surprisingly, extrapolation to atomic scales suggests gravity should be at the
dark matter mimicking regime there.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, Final version accepted for publication in Entrop
Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelics
Psychedelics show increasing therapeutic potential in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and addiction. This paper reviews literature related to the research of various psychedelic compounds for use in psychotherapy—beginning in 1962 with early studies of these compounds, and continuing through 2016—and looks at more contemporary studies that have revitalized the research and expanded from the foundation laid down by earlier work. This review emphasizes key findings related to the treatment of various mental health conditions, and offers additional perspectives regarding the implications of these findings. An introduction to the history of research regarding the therapeutic use of psychedelics, a general overview of psychedelics and their methods of action, and an examination of the therapeutic use of psychedelics in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and addiction is provided. Results are promising for fast-acting and long-lasting therapeutic outcomes and indicate that more research on the therapeutic role of psychedelics is warranted
Behind the Curtain: The Cultural Capital of Pilipino Cultural Nights
This study examines the phenomenon of Pilipino Cultural Nights in higher education through the lens of community cultural wealth. While in name, Pilipino Cultural Nights pay homage to the native culture of the Philippines, the processes through which these performances are produced and reproduced as annual traditions exhibit a distinct Filipino American cultural experience that is facilitated by the higher education environment. As under-represented and under-served students, Filipino American students utilize their various forms of community cultural wealth to create one of the most visible performances on their campus and a cornerstone coming of age experience for Filipino American youth. But as the Pilipino Cultural Night has become larger and more institutionalized, students must deal with the shifting scales of value for various forms of community cultural wealth. The balance that these students attempt to strike between the short- and long-term goals of the production, its intrinsic and extrinsic value, and the Filipino and Filipino American traditions that it celebrates, reflect the dynamic process of culture that goes far beyond the stage. Through exploring these struggles, diversity and inclusion efforts on college campuses can gain a holistic understanding of how to serve emerging student populations who seek more than mere representation
On the Galactic Spiral Patterns: Stellar and Gaseous
The gas response to a proposed spiral stellar pattern for our Galaxy is
presented here as calculated via 2D hydrodynamic calculations utilizing the
ZEUS code in the disk plane. The locus is that found by Drimmel (2000) from
emission profiles in the K band and at 240 . The self-consistency of the
stellar spiral pattern was studied in previous work (see Martos et al. 2004).
It is a sensitive function of the pattern rotation speed, , among
other parameters which include the mass in the spiral and its pitch angle. Here
we further discuss the complex gaseous response found there for plausible
values of in our Galaxy, and argue that its value must be close to
from the strong self-consistency criterion and other
recent, independent studies which depend on such parameter. However, other
values of that have been used in the literature are explored to
study the gas response to the stellar (K band) 2-armed pattern. For our best
fit values, the gaseous response to the 2-armed pattern displayed in the K band
is a four-armed pattern with complex features in the interarm regions. This
response resembles the optical arms observed in the Milky Way and other
galaxies with the smooth underlying two-armed pattern of the old stellar disk
populations in our interpretation.Comment: Accepted for Publication in the Journal of the Korean Astronomical
Society, expanded from the proceedings of the 2004 Mexico-Korea meetin
Transient Seepage in a Variably Saturated Levee: Laboratory Testing, Field Monitoring and Numerical Modeling
Several hydraulic loadings impose earthen levees to time-dependent variably saturated seepage conditions. The main objective of this study is to improve the analysis of levees under transient seepage with the use of unsaturated soil mechanics. An extensive set of laboratory testing, field monitoring and numerical modeling are performed to analyze a silty sand setback levee located near Seattle, WA. In-situ data obtained from field monitoring are used to monitor suction and effective stress within the levee’s embankment and foundation over the past two years. Soil samples taken from the site are used to perform index, water retention, and unsaturated multi-stage triaxial tests in the laboratory. A finite element model of transient seepage under saturated-unsaturated conditions is then developed and calibrated to reasonably match the field data. The results highlight the need to consider unsaturated soil mechanics along with climatic variables and soil-atmosphere interaction when analyzing levees under transient seepage conditions
Using Java for distributed computing in the Gaia satellite data processing
In recent years Java has matured to a stable easy-to-use language with the
flexibility of an interpreter (for reflection etc.) but the performance and
type checking of a compiled language. When we started using Java for
astronomical applications around 1999 they were the first of their kind in
astronomy. Now a great deal of astronomy software is written in Java as are
many business applications.
We discuss the current environment and trends concerning the language and
present an actual example of scientific use of Java for high-performance
distributed computing: ESA's mission Gaia. The Gaia scanning satellite will
perform a galactic census of about 1000 million objects in our galaxy. The Gaia
community has chosen to write its processing software in Java. We explore the
manifold reasons for choosing Java for this large science collaboration.
Gaia processing is numerically complex but highly distributable, some parts
being embarrassingly parallel. We describe the Gaia processing architecture and
its realisation in Java. We delve into the astrometric solution which is the
most advanced and most complex part of the processing. The Gaia simulator is
also written in Java and is the most mature code in the system. This has been
successfully running since about 2005 on the supercomputer "Marenostrum" in
Barcelona. We relate experiences of using Java on a large shared machine.
Finally we discuss Java, including some of its problems, for scientific
computing.Comment: Experimental Astronomy, August 201
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