4,717 research outputs found
Sensation Seeking and Perceived Need for Structure Moderate Soldiersâ Well-Being Before and After Operational Deployment
This study examined associations between sensation seeking and perceived need for structure, and changes in reported well-being among deployed soldiers. Participants (n = 167) were assessed before and after a six-month deployment to south Afghanistan. Results indicated that although well-being declined in the soldier sample as a whole following deployment, the degree of decrease was significantly different among soldiers with different personality profiles. Differences were moderated by soldiersâ level of sensation seeking and perceived need for structure. Results are discussed in terms of a person-environment fit theory in the context of preparation and rehabilitation of deployed military personnel
A deep photometric survey of the eta Chamaeleontis cluster down to the brown dwarf - planet boundary
We report the outcome of the deep optical/infrared photometric survey of the
central region (33 X 33 arcmin or 0.9 pc^2) of the eta Chamaeleontis pre-main
sequence star cluster. The completeness limits of the photometry are I = 19.1,
J = 18.2 and H = 17.6; faint enough to reveal low mass members down to the
brown dwarf and planet boundary of ~ 13 M_Jup. We found no such low mass
members in this region. Our result combined with a previous shallower (I = 17)
but larger area survey indicates that low mass objects (0.013 < M/M(solar mass)
< 0.075) either were not created in the eta Cha cluster or were lost due to the
early dynamical history of the cluster and ejected to outside the surveyed
areas.Comment: 5 pages with 4 figures, accepted by MNRA
Simple estimation of absolute free energies for biomolecules
One reason that free energy difference calculations are notoriously difficult
in molecular systems is due to insufficient conformational overlap, or
similarity, between the two states or systems of interest. The degree of
overlap is irrelevant, however, if the absolute free energy of each state can
be computed. We present a method for calculating the absolute free energy that
employs a simple construction of an exactly computable reference system which
possesses high overlap with the state of interest. The approach requires only a
physical ensemble of conformations generated via simulation, and an auxiliary
calculation of approximately equal central-processing-unit (CPU) cost.
Moreover, the calculations can converge to the correct free energy value even
when the physical ensemble is incomplete or improperly distributed. As a "proof
of principle," we use the approach to correctly predict free energies for test
systems where the absolute values can be calculated exactly, and also to
predict the conformational equilibrium for leucine dipeptide in implicit
solvent.Comment: To appear in J. Chem. Phys., 10 pages, 6 figure
Astrometric Monitoring of the HR 8799 Planets: Orbit Constraints from Self-Consistent Measurements
We present new astrometric measurements from our ongoing monitoring campaign
of the HR 8799 directly imaged planetary system. These new data points were
obtained with NIRC2 on the W.M. Keck II 10 meter telescope between 2009 and
2014. In addition, we present updated astrometry from previously published
observations in 2007 and 2008. All data were reduced using the SOSIE algorithm,
which accounts for systematic biases present in previously published
observations. This allows us to construct a self-consistent data set derived
entirely from NIRC2 data alone. From this dataset, we detect acceleration for
two of the planets (HR 8799b and e) at 3. We also assess possible
orbital parameters for each of the four planets independently. We find no
statistically significant difference in the allowed inclinations of the
planets. Fitting the astrometry while forcing coplanarity also returns
consistent to within 1 of the best fit values, suggesting that if
inclination offsets of 20 are present, they are not detectable
with current data. Our orbital fits also favor low eccentricities, consistent
with predictions from dynamical modeling. We also find period distributions
consistent to within 1 with a 1:2:4:8 resonance between all planets.
This analysis demonstrates the importance of minimizing astrometric systematics
when fitting for solutions to highly undersampled orbits.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in A
Lithium Depletion Boundary in a Pre-Main Sequence Binary System
A lithium depletion boundary is detected in HIP 112312 (GJ 871.1 A and B), a
\~12 Myr old pre-main sequence binary system. A strong (EW 300 mA) Li 6708 A
absorption feature is seen at the secondary (~M4.5) while no Li 6708 A feature
is detected from the primary (~M4). The physical companionship of the two stars
is confirmed from common proper motions. Current theoretical pre-main sequence
evolutionary models cannot simultaneously match the observed colors,
brightnesses, and Li depletion patterns of this binary system. At the age upper
limit of 20 Myr, contemporary theoretical evolutionary models predict too slow
Li depletion. If true Li depletion is a faster process than predicted by
theoretical models, ages of open clusters (Pleiades, alpha Persei, and IC 2391)
estimated from the Li depletion boundary method are all overestimated. Because
of the importance of the open cluster age scale, development of self-consistent
theoretical models to match the HIP 112312 data is desirable.Comment: Accepted in ApJL. 5 pages total (3 tables, 3 figures
VLT/X-shooter observations and the chemical composition of cool white dwarfs
We present a model atmosphere analysis of cool hydrogen-rich white dwarfs
observed at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) with the X-shooter spectrograph. The
intermediate-dispersion and high signal-to-noise ratio of the spectra allowed
us to conduct a detailed analysis of hydrogen and heavy element line profiles.
In particular, we tested various prescriptions for hydrogen Balmer line
broadening parameters and determined the effective temperature and surface
gravity of each star. Three objects (NLTT 1675, 6390 and 11393) show the
presence of heavy elements (Mg, Al, Ca, or Fe). Our abundance analysis revealed
a relatively high iron to calcium ratio in NLTT 1675 and NLTT 6390. We also
present an analysis of spectropolarimetric data obtained at the VLT using the
focal reducer and low dispersion spectrograph (FORS) and we established strict
upper limits on the magnetic field strengths in three of the DAZ white dwarfs
and determined the longitudinal magnetic field strength in the DAZ NLTT 10480.
The class of DAZ white dwarfs comprises objects that are possibly accreting
material from their immediate circumstellar environment and the present study
contributes in establishing class properties.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
The heavily polluted atmosphere of the DAZ white dwarf GALEX J193156.8+011745
We report on the discovery of a new heavily polluted white dwarf. The DAZ
white dwarf GALEX J193156.8+011745 was identified in a joint GALEX/GSC survey
of ultraviolet-excess objects. Optical spectra obtained at ESO NTT show strong
absorption lines of magnesium and silicon and a detailed abundance analysis
based on VLT-Kueyen UVES spectra reveal super-solar abundances of silicon and
magnesium, and near-solar abundances of oxygen, calcium, and iron. The overall
abundance pattern bears the signature of ongoing accretion onto the white dwarf
atmosphere. The infrared spectral energy distribution shows an excess in the H
and K bands likely associated with the accretion source.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter
Presymplectic current and the inverse problem of the calculus of variations
The inverse problem of the calculus of variations asks whether a given system
of partial differential equations (PDEs) admits a variational formulation. We
show that the existence of a presymplectic form in the variational bicomplex,
when horizontally closed on solutions, allows us to construct a variational
formulation for a subsystem of the given PDE. No constraints on the
differential order or number of dependent or independent variables are assumed.
The proof follows a recent observation of Bridges, Hydon and Lawson and
generalizes an older result of Henneaux from ordinary differential equations
(ODEs) to PDEs. Uniqueness of the variational formulation is also discussed.Comment: v2: 17 pages, no figures, BibTeX; minor corrections, close to
published versio
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