4,355 research outputs found
Nonextensivity in the solar magnetic activity during the increasing phase of solar Cycle 23
In this paper we analyze the behavior of the daily Sunspot Number from the
Sunspot Index Data Center (SIDC), the mean Magnetic Field strength from the
National Solar Observatory/Kitt Peak (NSO/KP) and Total Solar Irradiance means
from Virgo/SoHO, in the context of the --Triplet which emerges within
nonextensive statistical mechanics. Distributions for the mean solar Magnetic
Field show two different behaviors, with a --Gaussian for scales of 1 to 16
days and a Gaussian for scales longer than 32 days. The latter corresponds to
an equilibrium state. Distributions for Total Solar Irradiance also show two
different behaviors (approximately Gaussian) for scales of 128 days and longer,
consistent with statistical equilibrium and --Gaussian for scales 128
days. Distributions for the Sunspot Number show a --Gaussian independent of
timescales, consistent with a nonequilibrium state. The values obtained
("--Triplet",,)
demonstrate that the Gaussian or --Gaussian behavior of the aforementioned
data depends significantly on timescales. These results point to strong
multifractal behavior of the dataset analyzed, with the multifractal level
decreasing from Sunspot Number to Total Solar Irradiance. In addition, we found
a numerically satisfied dual relation between and .Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Strong evidences for a nonextensive behavior of the rotation period in Open Clusters
Time-dependent nonextensivity in a stellar astrophysical scenario combines
nonextensive entropic indices derived from the modified Kawaler's
parametrization, and , obtained from rotational velocity distribution. These
's are related through a heuristic single relation given by , where is the cluster age. In a nonextensive
scenario, these indices are quantities that measure the degree of
nonextensivity present in the system. Recent studies reveal that the index
is correlated to the formation rate of high-energy tails present in the
distribution of rotation velocity. On the other hand, the index is
determined by the stellar rotation-age relationship. This depends on the
magnetic field configuration through the expression , where
and denote the saturation level of the star magnetic field and its
topology, respectively. In the present study, we show that the connection
is also consistent with 548 rotation period data for single
main-sequence stars in 11 Open Clusters aged less than 1 Gyr. The value of
2.5 from our unsaturated model shows that the mean magnetic field
topology of these stars is slightly more complex than a purely radial field.
Our results also suggest that stellar rotational braking behavior affects the
degree of anti-correlation between and cluster age . Finally, we suggest
that stellar magnetic braking can be scaled by the entropic index .Comment: 6 pages and 2 figures, accepted to EPL on October 17, 201
Does e-learning policy drive change in Higher Education?: A case study relating models of organisational change to e-learning implementation
Due to the heightened competition introduced by the potential global market and the need for structural changes within organisations delivering e-content, e-learning policy is beginning to take on a more significant role within the context of educational policy per se. For this reason, it is becoming increasingly important to establish what effect such policies have and how they are achieved. This paper addresses this question, illustrating five ways in which change is understood (Fordist, evolutionary, ecological, community of practice and discourse-oriented) and then using this range of perspectives to explore how e-learning policy drives change (both organisational and pedagogic) within a selected higher education institution. The implications of this case are then discussed, and both methodological and pragmatic conclusions are drawn, considering the relative insights offered by the models and ways in which change around e-learning might be supported or promoted
Non-extensive processes associated with heating of the Galactic disc
We analyse the mechanisms ruling galactic disc heating through the dynamics
of space velocities , and , extracted from the Geneva-Copenhagen
catalogue. To do this, we use a model based on non-extensive statistical
mechanics, where we derive the probability distribution functions that quantify
the non-Gaussian effects. Furthermore, we find that the deviation at a
given stellar age follows non-random behaviour. As a result, the -index
behaviour indicates that the vertical component , perpendicular to the
Galactic plane, does not ``heat up'' at random, which is in disagreement with
previous works that attributed the evolution of to randomness. Finally, our
results bring a new perspective to this matter and open the way for studying
Galactic kinematic components through the eyes of more robust statistical
models that consider non-Gaussian effects.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted to EP
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